Isabel could pretty much guarantee he would be home when she could take the opportunity to drop in. She opened the back door and made her way into the warm kitchen. She felt funny, uneasy something didn’t feel right. There was an uncomfortable silence about the normally busy music filled cottage. Isabel called out “Gra, Graham are you here?” there was no answer, just the feeling inside her telling her something was very wrong. She carried on walking into the dinning room, as she stepped forward her foot felt something wet and warm. She looked down and immediately jumped back when she saw the blood.
“GRAHAM, speak to me, where are you? What’s going on? Are you OK?”. She ran from room to room, tears running down her face, as she feared the worst. She came to a sudden stop when she opened the door to the small attic room, Graham used as his studio. There in front of her was Lewis, he stood perfectly still his crisp white shirt splattered in deep red blood. He looked directly into her eyes not even blinking, in his hand a large sharp kitchen knife. “w w w what have you done?” Isabel squeaked, “How did youu, I mean why? I mean how could you?” Isabel ran over to Graham, he sat on a wooden chair with his head hung. She lifted his head very gently and very slowly but nothing she was to late Graham was already dead. Isabel dropped to her knees, holding Graham’s hand she sobbed, “I love you, I can’t imagine life without you”. For the first time since Isabel arrived Lewis moved. He spoke very softly very gently “ I trusted you, my life was you, I worked so hard for you” Isabel did not answer she just held onto Grahams hand begging him to wake up. “ I’m talking to you,” screamed Lewis “ I’m your husband how could you do this to me?” there was a pause while he waited for an answer but one never came. He then grabbed her by the shoulders and lifted her to her feet. He looked straight in her eyes, Isabel was looking back in body but not in mind, she was still thinking about Graham all their plans they had made together. He was taking on more clients to earn the money to buy a new bigger house a long way away and Isabel had planned to go with him. She had been so excited about the future until last week when she finally realised she wasn’t actually part of Grahams plans as she had thought. He was moving on without her. She had been devastated she really believed they had a wonderful future together and now, there was no chance of any future together.
Lewis shook Isabel out of the dreamy thoughts, his eyes were blood shot, his checks stained with tears and tiny drops of blood. “I love you so much Isabel but I can never forgive you for what you have done” Lewis said this very tenderly and quite. “I’m sorry Isabel but I have to do this I have to punish you its for your own good” with this he lunged at her with the blood stained knife. She dodged the first lunge and ran for the door, Lewis chased her, she ran down the narrow attic stairs, Lewis just behind her all the time. She was begging him to stop, that they could work it out she even tried to convince him she had never loved Graham “it meant nothing” she panted. She slipped on the puddle of blood on the dinning room floor, Lewis grabbed her foot as she tried to get up. She kicked him, thumped him until finally his grip loosened. She ran again tears running down her face as the images of Graham flashed over and over in her head. She ran back through the gap in the hedge. Once through she had to think quickly she could not spare any time with Lewis hot on her heals. To wait for Charlie would take to long she would have to use the bridge. No one ever used the bridge since Charlie started running The Glade ferry. The path leading to the bridge was covered with brambles and stinging nettles, the bridge itself was covered in moss, it had slats missing from the walkway.
On this occasion though Isabel felt she had no choice but to use the bridge if she valued her life. She kept running never looking back but knowing Lewis was still behind from his heavy breathing and the twigs breaking under his weight. Isabel finally got to the bridge and started to run across, she had to slow her pace slightly due to the bridge being very slippery. She eventually got to the other side jumped off the end of the bridge but landed funny twisting her ankle, she screamed out in pain, she scrambled to her feet, Lewis nearly at the end of the bridge himself. She couldn’t do it, as much as she tried she couldn’t keep her speed up to stay ahead of him. He dived landing on her, his well-built frame bringing her to the floor “I’m sorry” was all Lewis said. He then sat cradling Isabel’s limp lifeless body in his arms.
Lewis entered the conference hall, in a clean crisp white shirt, he explained to the speaker he had to leave for a short while to attend to some very urgent unexpected business “the matter was now in hand” he said very matter of factly.