Ivory pulled her coat over the turtleneck. Winter had only just begun, but the nights were already getting colder. She had been working overtime lately, often returning home late. Her husband has started to complain now. She hated it as well but couldn't help it.
Today made it even worse as she had a doctor's visit scheduled. She left from work earlier today and drove straight to the hospital, where she got her monthly checkup done.
After the checkup she headed back home. She unlocked the door and entered the house.
"Honey? Are you asleep already?" Ivory called her husband but no answer.
She walked upstairs and swung open the door of their room. Her eyes widened in horror as she took in the brutal scene in front of her eyes and a bloodcurdling scream escaped her lips.
"Mark!" She ran to her husband's stiff body which was lying on the bed.
"Mark! Please don't leave me! My love..." she cried and screamed in agony.
She looked down at his dead body. His eyes closed but his face looked peaceful as if he was sleeping. Her eyes scanned a deep hole in his chest which looked like a wound at first glance. Her face paled as the realisation hit her and she broke down sobbing harder. After what felt like an eternity, she let the reality sink in with a broken heart. She weakly grabbed her phone and called the police.
The police and medic arrived almost immediately. They investigated thoroughly, noting down every detail they could find.
Body found dead in his own bedroom, on his own bed. Windows open, with nothing but woods outside. Heater still on. No sign of struggle. No marks. No bruises. Nothing stolen. Just plain, brutal murder. Heart carefully-almost precisely-carved out of the body, as if someone took their time committing this gruesome act. And what was most shocking: everything else in the room was left untouched. The room wasn't a mess. It looked like someone simply came in, took the heart, and left-without leaving a single clue, without facing any obstruction at all. Everything about this was unsettling.
Ivory was sobbing non stop as her neighbours tried to comfort her. They hugged her, whispered soothing words-but it felt like talking to the wall. She couldn't hear any of it.
The room was sealed. No one was allowed to enter-Not even Ivory as per the protocols.
The officer comes to Ivory.
"Ma'am, I'm really sorry for your loss but I assure you, we'll find the murderer" he paused before continuing, "We'll need to question you as well, as per protocol. It could help us find the murderer and deliver justice to you and your husband", said the officer.
Ivory wiped off her tears, barely controlling her sobs, "I'll do whatever it takes to find the criminal."
"Thank you ma'am. I appreciate your willingness to help", said the officer.
Ivory nods softly
"Ma'am, I'll be honest with you. Nothing was stolen. And there are no traces. No fingerprints, no murder weapon. Nothing at all. Whoever did this, he planned all of this beforehand", said the officer.
Ivory pressed her hands to her mouth, broken cries escaping her as het heart quietly shattered.
"Why?", her voice broke.
"I can't say for sure ma'am but it looks like revenge to me. The way his heart was precisely carved out without damaging anything else. It seems like the killer was a professional and wanted to drop a message or something", said the officer.
Ivory shook her head sobbing more freely now, "That's not possible officer. He was the sweetest person in the whole world. He never had any problem with anyone."
The officer gave her a soft nod not wanting to push her too much, "What did you see when you entered the house? Try to remember every detail."
"I unlocked the door with my key and he was not waiting for me in the living room, which was quite unusual because he always waited for me when I worked late. I didn't mind it much and walked upstairs to our room when I saw..." Ivory trailed off sobbing harder.
The officer nodded softly and gave her his handkerchief feeling slightly guilty for questioning her.
"What did your husband do? Maybe someone from work did it out of jealousy or something", said the officer.
"He was a costume designer for the theatre. It's not many people who work work there know him. And everyone loved him and his work", replied Ivory.
"Have you ever been there?" asked the officer.
Ivory nodded, "A couple of times with him. Everyone was so sweet to me. All of them were like close friends to him. I don't think they would do this." Ivory broke down.
"I'm so sorry ma'am. I shouldn't have...", he sighed, "I'll question others and I promise I'll find out that criminal very soon."
Most of the people the police questioned-neighbours, colleagues, even casual acquaintances-said the same thing. There accounts matched Ivory's: her husband was a decent man. Friendly, generous when he could be, and never one to get into trouble. Sure, he had his flaws, but nothing that would make anyone want to hurt him-especially not out of revenge.
The deeper they dived into this case, the more complex it became. No clues. No suspects.
"How are we supposed to get to the criminal? Oh god...no leads or trace at all", the officer muttered to himself.
The police continued their investigation but couldn't seem to make any progress. They questioned everyone, including his friends, colleagues and neighbours-pressing them about their whereabouts at the time of murder. Each alibi was checked and confirmed. Not one of them had been anywhere near the crime scene.
Eventually, they called Ivory in for questioning. They hadn't plan to, not again, not right away-considering their previous interaction and the shock she was in, it felt cruel. But with everyone else cleared and no solid leads, they couldn't ignore the possibility that she might know more than she let on.
"I'm sorry for troubling you again ma'am. To be honest, this case is more complicated than it seems", sighed the officer.
"So you still haven't found anything? No leads at all?", Ivory asked in disbelief.
The officer shook his head, "Everyone we could suspect-has been cleared. You're left", said the officer gently yet firmly.
Ivory let out a dry humourless chuckle as she realised what they were saying, "When you couldn't find the criminal, you decided to put the blame on me?", her voice rose slightly.
"Ma'am, I'm not putting the blame on you. It's just part of the investigation", said the officer.
Ivory sighed trying to calm herself down. "Fine. Go ahead", she said.
"Describe your day from the beginning to the end-on the day of his death", said the officer firmly.
"I woke up while he was still sleeping, made his breakfast and put it on the table and them I left for work. I had been working overtime for the past few days. After work, I went to the hospital for my scheduled check-up, and then I returned back home and he was no more...", stated Ivory, her eyes welled up with tears.
"And how long have you been seeing this doctor?", asked the officer.
"I've been seeing her since before my marriage. It's been almost seven years", said Ivory.
"When we arrived at the scene, there was no food on the table and the post-mortem report states that the death occurred a few hours prior to our arrival. Which means he probably woke up, had his, breakfast and he was killed during the afternoon ", said the officer.
Tears filled Ivory's eyes as the reality hit her once again, "And what are you doing about it?", she asked, her voice rose in mix of pain and anger.
"We're just trying find any lead that could help ma'am. We'll verify your statement. And I assure you we'll find the culprit", said the officer.
Ivory nodded wiping off her tears.
"The thing that's troubling me is that if someone barged into the house with the intent of killing him, then why was there no sign of struggle. His face looked peaceful and his body was lying on the bed as if he was sleeping and everything in the room was eerily perfect-no blood splatters, not a single trace that anything had happened." said the officer as he ended the questioning.
The police verified her statement by checking her phone location of that day and asking her colleagues. All of their testimonies matched hers, leaving the investigators with nothing to question.
A few more days slipped with no real progress from the police-and Ivory was nearing her breaking point. She finally decided to call a number she hadn't spoken to in years-Ethan. Her college friend who now worked as a detective.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: HEY EVERYONE! THANKS FOR READING MY STORY. I'LL ADD NEW CHAPTERS TWICE A WEEK. KEEP SUPPORTING ME. AND PLEASE DO FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM FOR OTHER UPDATES.🎀🎀🎀MY INSTA ID: @myra.sagaa STAY WITH ME UNTIL THE END. I PROMISE THIS STORY IS NOTHING LIKE YOU'VE READ BEFORE. LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!❤️❤️❤️💖 💖
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