Interesting. Gabriel reread the quote twice, the reference to God having leaped out at him. Curiosity had him heading to his computer, to read all recent references to the Michaels case that he could find. There was no shortage of online articles. It was a case that had captured media attention in South-west Florida.

Two hours later, Gabriel’s curiosity had coalesced into excitement. The parallels were remarkable between Jessie Michaels’s death and Anne’s. This was his next project, without question.

And maybe, just maybe, it could be the way to break his curse. Of course, calling it a curse was irresponsible, implying he had done nothing to be inflicted with his present condition. The more accurate thing to say was that it was his punishment— an ignominy that ultimately punished all the women he encountered. They became a devastating collateral damage, heaping more guilt upon his already oppressive self-disgust. While he could never regain his pre-fallen stature, he wanted peace. To live in the mortal world, without hurting anyone, without the painful bonds of his past mistakes and controlling addictions.

He had to make amends, had to try to find answers.

After a little more research, Gabriel composed an e-mail and hit Send.

ACQUITTAL IN MICHAELS MURDER CASE

After nearly a year of investigation and case building by the city prosecutor, the murder of Jessie Michaels remains unsolved after the acquittal of Dr. Rafe Marino, the victim’s thirty-one-year-old boyfriend. Michaels was found dead in her home on July 14 of last year, stabbed multiple times with a bowie knife in the face and chest, rendering her unrecognizable. The crime shocked Naples with its ferocity and led to an unprecedented manhunt before the prosecution turned its attention to the forty-six-year-old victim’s significantly younger boyfriend.

Sara Michaels tossed the newspaper aside without finishing the article. She’d read enough. Knew this story inside and out. It was the reason she was leaving Florida. And while she had told all of her friends and her coworkers that going to New Orleans was a temporary move, in her heart she questioned if she would ever have the strength to return.