I guess you could say I was writing my book in my sleep, because I woke up this morning with a ton of ideas that I had to hurry up and write down. Why I don’t just record them in my recorder, I don’t know. I just feel that since my laptop is right there on the table, awaiting my arrival, why would I not take advantage of that. God knows how bad I want to finish this book and I think he’s helping me out. “Thanks, God, I promise not to put too many curse words in the story.”
My daily word count was at 685, before I put on the rest of my clothes so I could go to work. While I was at work I did get a chance to write a few paragraphs. I could have done so much more if I had not been socializing with co-workers and sending text messages.
Once I got home I had to take an algebra quiz that was due today. And thank God I scored a hundred. I hadn’t done that in a while. After getting D settle down, I finally got a chance to add to my word count. I tapped out a 1,145, which means I am 15,719 words away from my goal. I have got to pick up the pace if I want to get to 50,000 by Monday night. It can be done; I just have to focus a little more. It would be great if I could take my laptop into the closet and write in there but D would think we were playing hide and go seek.
Excerpt
A week after Jerry’s funeral, the police got an anonymous tip that Hinniyah’s body was in the dumpster behind my office building. It wasn’t surprising that I was fingered for the murder. The arresting officer worked closely with Marcus, so he knew my story. Mrs. Alma was super pissed but I told her that everything would be alright and that I was leaving her in charge.
“You have to keep Cole Slaw in line for me.”
“Okay, but she’s even more stubborn than you.”
I smiled as the officers lead me out of the building.
I agreed to leave quietly so the officer that was holding my arm waited until we had gotten out of my building before cuffing me. He told me that I had the right to remain silent which was a wasted statement because I was pretty much speechless as it was.
The investigators asked me a hundred questions about how I came to know the victim. I ran through Shannon’s case, finding Carl’s body in a hotel, how I was kidnapped at gunpoint and how I had kicked the dog mess out of Kadijah the same day Hinniyah carved my fiancé’s chest open. Maybe my answers didn’t put me in the best light. It was hard for me to play the role of the helpless victim when I was so annoyed at being accused of mutilating the body of someone that I didn’t have the pleasure of killing with my bare hands.
The pictures of Hinniyah’s body were extremely gruesome. Her face was practically eaten off and one of her breasts was missing. They said that the only way that they were able to identify her body was by her fingerprints that were on file. As sad as it was, I couldn’t muster much sympathy. Hinniyah and her crazy twin sister had ruined my life and I was not sorry that she was dead. I didn’t say that out loud but apparently Detective Jeremy Wilkins thought that my nonchalance was a sign of guilt.
“Did you do this to Mrs. Muhammad?”
“Nope.”
“Where were you on the night of December 15?”
“Making out my Christmas list to mail to Santa.”
“Ms. Johnson, you do realize that you can be charged with first degree murder if we find enough evidence to convict you?”
“I’m not new to the system. Can I speak to Marcus Wilson? He knows me.”
“Detective Wilson is not assigned to this case, Mrs. Johnson. If you killed this woman it won’t matter who you know.”
I had enough of cooperating so I told Detective Wilkins if he wanted to talk to me anymore, I would have to be allowed to call my lawyer. He didn’t like that so I was escorted to a cell.
Word Count
34,281/50,000
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