On the pillow were numerous human teeth. All were covered in blood.

Horrified, Val wanted to scream but no sound would come. Breathing in panic-stricken gulps, she dropped to her knees. Her gaze remained glued on the pillow.

15

By the time Gavin and Warren arrived at Julia’s house it was surrounded by the media. Every neighbor on the block must have been outside too, all huddled in groups, staring at Julia’s house. Val stood in Julia’s hallway, trying not to look at them. Once she heard Gavin’s voice she turned her head, relieved he was finally here.

He went up to her as soon as he entered and put his hand on her shoulder. “I need to ask you some questions, but I need to talk to the neighbor first. Okay?”

Val nodded, her response automatic. She felt as if she were standing somewhere outside of herself. How could this be happening? Nausea overwhelmed her as the images on Julia’s bed seared into her mind. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop replaying them.

Gavin quickly returned and called her over and instructed her to sit in one of the chairs in the living room. Marnie was already seated on the couch.

“I have questions for both of you, but Mrs. Horvath, I’d like to start with you first. Can you tell me what happened last night when Julia’s husband arrived?”

“I was working outside in the garden and I could hear them arguing. It got loud. She screamed at one point,” Marnie told Gavin stoically.

“Did you call the police?”

“No. He left right after that, within minutes. I went over after I saw him drive away. I asked her if there was anything I could do. She said that she was all right. I could tell that she was embarrassed about the fight. I didn’t press her much more after that.”

“Did they fight frequently?”

“The last couple of months that he lived here, it was bad. Then Julia found out that he was cheating on her and it got worse. He moved out shortly after that. This was the first time that I’ve seen him back.”

Gavin wrote a few things down. “Let’s get back to last night. You can confirm that she was alive after he left?”

“Yes,” Marnie said. “Well, after he left the first time.”

Gavin looked up from his notepad, his eyes wide. Val stared at Marnie too. “You mean he came back?”

“Yes, he came back about a half hour later.”

“Did they argue again?”

“If they did, it wasn’t anything loud enough that I could hear.”

“How long did he stay the second time?”

“I’m not sure.” Marnie hesitated for a moment, recalling. “My son played soccer yesterday evening. We left for his game shortly after Colin arrived.”

“How long were you gone for?”

“About three hours.”

“Was Colin still here when you got home?”