Silence fell over the room, heavy and absolute, like the silence of the grave itself.
It felt as though a sharp, cruel blade had been driven straight through her chest.
Cressida's heart seized in a violent, crushing spasm. The pain was so sudden, so overwhelming, that she staggered backward, stumbling.
Winona rushed forward instantly and caught her by the arms before she could fall. "Cressida!"
*****
At the hospital, the air hung thick and suffocating.
The medical examiner spoke gravely, his voice low and heavy. "The deceased shows extensive bruising and multiple fractures caused by repeated blows. The body was kept in extreme cold after death. Decomposition is advanced… There is scarcely a part of him unmarked."
Mrs. Corwyn's legs gave way beneath her. She coll
