Page 176 of It Happened on the Lake

How many times had she asked Jeff to fix the lights?

Or better yet replace them?

Well, that was then, when she was still married. This is now. She’d do it herself tomorrow, though she found it odd that all the tubes had burned out at once.

Just her luck!

She could still see, at least a little bit. Light from the inside of the house seeped past her and reflected off her car, parked on the far side. Also she knew this little ranch house like the back of her hand, as she’d lived here for the past fifteen years.

Three steps down to the garage where the washer and dryer were nestled together in a back corner next to the utility sink.

She took one step down.

And then the toe of her shoe caught.

She tripped!

Tumbled!

Flailed wildly, her empty laundry basket flying out of her hands to skid across the oil-stained floor where her ex had parked his pickup during their marriage.

She caught herself barely, then her foot hit the rake that had fallen over the second step.

“Wha—?”

She lost her balance and the rake clattered noisily away.

This time she couldn’t catch herself.

She fell, face down, on the dirty concrete.

Bam!

Her head hit.

Face-first.

The cartilage in her nose crunching.

Pain exploded in her face.

Blood gushed from her nose.

The world swam in a wash of pain and she cried out.

Tried to get her bearings.

Stunned, she blinked. Tried to focus in the darkness.

What the hell had happened? The stairs had been clear earlier, and no one was home, and . . . and she couldn’t think. Her heart was pounding in her ears. Blood was running down her face, salty and warm on her lips. And the pain already throbbed.

“Ooh,” she groaned, trying to get her bearings and mentally chastising herself for being such a klutz. She needed to get up, go into the bathroom, clean her wounds, and survey the damage. When was the last time she had a tetanus shot? Did she have any antiseptic? Neosporin?

So much for her cozy night alone with a glass of wine in front of the television.

Testing her arms, she started to push herself upright but paused.

Did she hear an unlikely noise?

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