Gemotions

“So, you bought the Murder House? Wow,” her friend, Janice, said with a low whistle. The casual comment, made over coffee, sent a jolt of heat through Elena. She wished Janice would just shut up. The news reports had mentioned it, of course, the gruesome details… The kitchen, where she made her morning coffee, the very place of the crime.

Elena felt the urge to shift, to fidget. She took a long, slow sip of her lukewarm coffee, trying to appear nonchalant. But Janice’s knowing look, the way she was clearly savoring the story, made her skin prickle. She forced a laugh, a brittle, unnatural sound. This was going to make hosting her book club a lot harder than she thought.