The Happy Killer (1)

Orlando peered at the house across from where his car was parked; the blinds were open, so he had a clear view into the house. It was a small house in a nice suburban neighborhood. The people in this neighborhood were nice and friendly, and the police actually cared about checking crime.

A woman in her sixties came into view. Her dark curly hair was tied atop her head in a messy bun, with streaks of silver on the side. Her eyes crinkled as she smiled at something someone said. Her eyes were tired, but they still managed to gleam when she smiled. She moved away from the window and emerged again, this time her laughter was a little loud. He could hear the faint sounds of her laughter, and although he did not hear what was said, his lips cracked into a smile of his own.

All his life, he had never seen her carefree; he did not remember what she looked like when she smiled. Although she still bore the telltale signs of what she had been through in the past, he could tel