Volume Three - WordPress.com — Get a Free Blog Here

Hanna tucked Little Kadi Crowe in her bed and told her one of her favorite bedtime stories, but before she
got to the end of the tale Kadi was fast asleep…a serene smile on her cherub-looking face. Kadi always loved a
story with a happily ever after.
Hanna leaned over and kissed her tenderly on the forehead. Of all the children she’s babysat for over the
years, she loved Little Kadi the most. Kadi was kind, considerate and compassionate and she was adored her
spirit.
She looked down at the sleeping child. Her heart swelled with pride knowing that in a small way she was
responsible for what type of woman Kadi was going to become. And Hanna wanted great things for her…and
one day she wanted her to have her own personal happily ever after.
Hanna turned off the light and left Kadi to her pleasant dreams. In just a little while Mr. & Mrs. Crowe
would be coming home, so she only had a short time to do what needed to be done. Something that becoming
harder and harder to put off.
She picked up the phone.
“Hello.”
Hanna’s heart thundered in her chest. She wasn’t sure if it was merely anticipation or trepidation. At this
moment, it was probably a mixture of the two.
“Hey Bobby, it’s Hanna,” she said.
There was an uncomfortably long pause on the other end of the phone before he spoke. “What’s up?”
Dread…that’s what Hanna was feeling right now. She knew she loved Bobby, but she wasn’t sure how he
felt about her…truly felt.
Sure he said he loved her in the heat of passion, but did he mean his words now when his true feelings were
about to be tested. Or, was he just confused as he said before? She needed to know…she was desperate to
know. Now more than ever.
“We need to talk,” she said.
She held her breath. She had come to learn that he did not appreciate being told what to do, but she hoped
that he would hear her desperation and concede to see her…to hear her out.
Bobby blew into the phone in exacerbation. “Hanna, we’ve been through all of this before. There’s nothing
else left to say. Why can’t you just let it go and move on?”
He was referring to their recent break up. A break up that he insisted upon when he began dating someone
else. Hanna’s ire rose at the thought of the other girl that took her place and though she didn’t know her, she
hated her just the same.
In that moment she didn’t care about Bobby’s vile temper or his penchant towards violent rages. She
wanted to hurt him like he had hurt her.
“Well, you had better talk to me or everyone, including your new girlfriend, is going to know that you’re
going to be a father,” Hanna threatened.
Though her words came out harsh, she didn’t mean them. Right now, she was speaking from the sense of
pain and betrayal that she was feeling. Yet, her words did catch his attention. He was listening now.
“What’s that supposed to mean? Are you threatening me?” His tone changed from a bland curiosity to a
bone-chilling coldness.
“N..no. I’m not threatening you. I just think we need to talk about…”
He cut her off. “Meet me at the park at ten o’clock tonight.” He said this in a deadly calm voice. “And
don’t keep me waiting.”
***
The next morning, the gossip was rampant about the young girl’s body that was found brutally and savagely
beaten to death in the local park. It was called a crime of passion.
Yet, it wasn’t long before the Crowe’s learned the identity of the girl that was splashed across the news all
morning. They were one of the first families that were interviewed after the tragic news was broken to the
McKnight family. Hanna McKnight had met with a vicious and violent end. The nature of the crime was
enough to unnerve the most hardened law enforcement agents.