Crime of Passion

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I saw her standing there with vacant eyes; blood all over her white organza dress. Taylor lay at her feet in more blood. I backed away slowly, the way they say you should move away from a rattlesnake about to strike. I prayed the privet hedge shielded me from being noticed by Virginia O’Donald, but I don’t believe she’d have seen me if I’d been standing right in front of her face. She was totally out of it, in another world.

I saw and heard the whole thing. Taylor and Virginia were engaged to be married. The wedding date was set for mid June, just a few weeks away. Everyone knew Taylor was a womanizer and had only asked Virginia to marry him because of her money. Everyone knew except Virginia, and really she knew deep in her heart all these things were true. But she was head over heels in love with the heel, and like they say, “Love is blind.” If only tonight Virginia had been blind.

Virginia was walking in the garden to get away from the crowd for a moment. I had done the same and was admiring the roses. I was not aware there were others in the garden. Virginia evidently rounded the camellia bushes and there was Taylor and Elizabeth in a very compromising position under the weeping willow next to the fishpond. There just happened to be a pair of pruning shears on a bench, left by the gardener early that morning. Elizabeth ran screaming toward the house.

Now Virginia was standing there, just standing there. And life was about to change for us all.

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