MURDEROUS DESCENT PROLOGUE

Susan Reed sat curled up on the lounge chair watching the snow fall.  It cascaded serenely down the sides of the glass enclosure which separated her from winter's cold embrace.  With her robe wrapped tightly around her and the heat steaming up from the pool, winter seemed a million miles away.  She laughingly dismissed Dylan's idea on an evening swim as ludicrous, but he quickly changed her mind with a sudden burst of warmth and exuberance that had long been absent from their relationship.  The explosion had been short-lived, however.  Here she was waiting for him, again.

Susan sighed.  Since they'd married, two and a half years ago, that was all she seemed to do.  She was forever waiting for him.  Actors.  It was one of the main resons she's asked for the divorce in the first place.  The thrill of being married to television's treasured space avenger had evaporated after about six months.  Enough was enough.  Susan was tired of being the trophy wife and yearned to be back in the spotlight on her own instead of in the shadow of the icon Dylan Reed.

Dylan had suggested the move to his native New Jersey.  He thought being away fro the lure and glitz of Hollywood would help them get their marriage back on solid ground.  Guilty about he an affair with an up and coming stud she had reluctantly agreed.  The change in scenery worked for a while, but things soon slipped back into the same old pattern. 

When the telephone rang again, Susan rose from the chair.  Judging from the tone of his voice, Susan guessed the caller to be Dylan's agent.  Romantic supper indeed!  All she's done since their candlelight supper was sit out here and wait for him.

As the snow floated down, Susan slipped the pink terrycloth robe from her slim, muscular arms.  She could feel her long blond hair cascade down her back.  A slight chill ran through her.  She walked slowly toward the pool, glancing uneasily around.  For a moment, she felt as though she was being watched.  Susan shrugged off the eerie feeling and stopped at the pool's edge.  The tall shrubs which surrounded the backyard concealed the house from curiosity seekers and photographers.  From the distance she could hear Dylan's voice bidding the caller good-bye.

Once again Susan cast a hasty look toward the door which separated the inside oasis from the rest of the stately yard.  For a moment, she thought her eye picked up a shadowy figure caught in the glow of the angelic snowfall.  Laughing quietly to herself, she dismissed the sensation as wishful thinking.  As usual she was alone.

"Oh well, his loss," she muttered out loud as she slid her naked body into the tepid water.  Finding the soothing water strangely sensual, she closed her eyes to drink in the sensation.

With a quick flip, she dove under the water and pushed off the side.  A strong swimmer, she's made it across the long pool in a few strokes.  As she felt her hand touch the side, her head came up for air only to find it forced back under the water.

Panicked, she tried to push the firm grip away.  In an instant, her head was thrust forward and smashed into the side of the pool.  As the hand let go, the crystal clear water took on a red haze around the head of thirty-five-year-old Susan Reed.

Overhead, the once peaceful snowfall took on a frenzied pace as the wind turned violent.  Its painful howl became the cry Susan Reed could no longer utter.

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MURDEROUS DESCENT was published by PublishAmerica and is available on Amazon.com as well as
PublishAmerica.com.