I have begun my first mystery story and I have decided to share what I write here, as I write it.  I hope that you will let me know what you like and don’t like about it.  I also hope you will let me know if it holds your attention.  I entitled this post “A Mystery” because I do not have a title for this story yet.  I hope you enjoy taking this journey with me.

Here we go:

Tara noticed, as she approached the house, that Jaime’s car was in the driveway.  After the way he had stormed off following their argument, she didn’t think he’d return until sometime tomorrow.

Tara had taken a walk through the woods to cool down and think things over.  She hoped that now she and Jaime could talk, about his work and their relationship and the possibility of having children, in a calm manner.  Jaime worked too hard and too many hours, but he didn’t seem willing to change that.

Tara took a deep breath, whispered a prayer and opened the front door.  Her heart began to race at the sight before her.  There was a broken vase on the floor and a chair was overturned.  She called out for Jaime, but there was no answer.

She noticed an arm sticking out from behind the desk.  She approached cautiously and found Jaime lying on the floor.  She stifled a scream, grabbed the phone from the desk and tried to awaken Jaime.  She got no response from him and dialed 911.  She checked for a pulse and couldn’t find one.

It took fifteen minutes for the ambulance and paramedics to arrive.  They prounounced Jaime dead and called the police and the coroner.  Tara’s neighbor and closest friend, Katie came over when she’d heard the ambulance.  She was trying to be a comfort and support to Tara, who was in shock.

A police officer introduced himself to Tara, who was sitting on the couch with Katie by her side.  He said his name was Sergeant Ken Olsen and that he needed to ask her some questions.  It sounded, to Tara, as if he were speaking through a cloud, but she tried to focus and nodded.

“Where were you before you entered the home and found Mr. Richardson?”

“I had taken a walk in the woods behind the house to try and calm down and think things through.”

“You say you wanted to calm down.  Were you angry?  Did you and Mr. Richardson have an argument?”

“Yes, I was angry, and yes, Jaime and I had had an argument.  We argued about his working too much and never having any time for me.  I wanted to know how we could start a family, if I never even saw my husband.”

“I see.  What kind of work does Mr. Richardson do?”

“He helps companies decide whether to go out of business, sell out, or merge with another company.  He works for Jacobson Mergers.”

“Do you know what he was currently working on?”

“No, he didn’t talk to me much about his work.”

“Do you know if he had any enemies — if anyone had a grudge against him for any reason?”

“Not in our personal life, and as I said, I don’t know much about his work, but I would say, not that I know of.”

Tara began to cry and Katie offered her a tissue.

“I’m sorry to have to burden you with these questions, Mrs. Richardson, but they will be helpful to our investigation.  Do you know whom he worked closest with at Jacobson Mergers?”

“Yes, we spent a lot of evenings having dinner with Carl Jacobson and his wife, Natalie in Jaime’s first couple of years with the company.  He still works, I mean worked, closely with Carl, we just haven’t gone to dinner much in the last few years.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Richardson.  We’ll be in touch.  Do you have somewhere you can stay tonight?  I don’t think you should spend the evening alone in this house.”

“She can stay with me,” Katie answered before Tara could speak.