Friday November 2, 2017 is an ordinary day in Galveston, Texas —or so it seems. It's a week-day, and the morning began with the sun burning golden in an azure sky. But later on this November day, clouds move in over the city. They are a peculiar leaden gray-purple shading to black, full of unpredictable electrical impulses that make one's hair stand on end. It's going to rain, but it won't be a soft rain; it will be rain that thuds against the earth with a vengeance, forcing trees and bushes to the ground with the sheer weight of water, pounding the grass flat.

The entrance to the Lafitte's Cove subdivision is flanked by beautiful homes, and bears the name of the famous pirate. In November the Jacaranda trees are a froth of pale purple blossoms. Many of the summer flowers are now faded and won't return until next year.

One woman who lived in Lafitte's Cove was watchful, almost unconsciously moving often to the front windows of her home to scan the street for strange vehicles or for anyone she didn't recognize approaching her house. She had good reason to be leery, although she and her husband had taken every precaution to keep their address secret.

Most of the homes in Lafitte's Cove are owner-occupied, some lavish, some very comfortable, painted in the soft pastels of the Texas gulf coast, yellow, pink and even lavender—sunrise and sunset colors. With the beach nearby, the November air is usually drenched with the salty-clean smell caught in the wind as it races east toward the Gulf of Mexico.

The young couple had moved into their home on Windlass Circle in July 2017. They came from Virginia when the husband got a job offer that they simply couldn't say no to, as such, they needed a place to live in a hurry. Looking at their sweet twins, a boy and a girl, the landlord readily agreed.

His new renters were an attractive couple. Nik Mikaelson was a nice man with the wide grin and the innate charm of a seasoned salesman. His wife, Katherine, was delicately pretty and petite with long wavy chestnut hair. Nik did most of the talking, while Katherine seemed a little nervous. The landlord figured she had reason to be, their adorable toddlers were totally captivating, and it was obvious that their parents adored them.

Nik explained that they were in the process of building a much larger home in another Galveston subdivision so they could make do in cramped quarters until their house was finished in the spring.

No one in Galveston knew that the couple had left a dream house 1300 miles behind them in Richmond, Virginia. It had been their ideal house in a wonderful neighborhood, so large that the Lafitte Cove rental would fit inside twice over. They had barely had a chance to live in it when they felt a desperate urgency to move. And move they had - under cover of darkness.

Only a handful of people in Richmond knew where Nik, Katherine and their twins were. They agreed it was best to tell no one except for his family, her sister and aunt who helped them move out of Virginia in the dead of night.

Galveston was a beautiful place to live. There's a magical blending of sea and land. Had her circumstances been different Katherine would have loved its colorful history. Still, she looked forward to exploring it with her babies when things settled down.

There are sand castle contests, hunting sand dollars on the beach, the brew master's craft beer festival, haunted Galveston tours, Battle of the bay festival among many others. One day they hoped to be able to have normal contact with the people they love, but for the moment they couldn't. They could give their physical address to very few people, her sister who also lived in Texas and his parents. They might as well have been in a witness protection program. Although both Katherine and Nik came from loving families, they were essentially alone with the exception of her sister.

Ex navy seal -Niklaus Mikaelson was a details man — a pharmaceutical rep by trade, and he was very good at it. Because of it, he often had to travel away from home to call on hospitals in and along the east coast of Texas and into Louisiana.

Katherine Mikaelson was thirty and a stay at home mom. She had more than enough to do taking care of 18 month old twins. She had no friends in Galveston when they arrived in July but she was working on that. She had always had friends, and it saddened her to have to leave so many behind without an explanation, although she suspected most of them knew why she had fled.

November 2nd was a run of the mill day, but only in the context of Katherine Mikaelson's life. In truth there were no ordinary days - not for her; she had lived with fear so long that it seeped like acid into any peace she might attain, corroding her thoughts, sending jets of adrenaline pumping through her veins. No matter how the sun shone or how balmy the winds wafting off the gulf were, she never really felt safe unless she was inside the house with the doors and windows locked, sealing her little family inside. Those who didn't know her likely wondered if she might be just a little eccentric. Those who knew her story understood, but they were far away and didn't know how to find her, save for her sister. It was safer that way—safer for them and safer for her, Nik and their babies.

Only months earlier they had lived in Richmond, where they owned a beautiful old Victorian home. Now it seemed as though they had never lived there at all. But at least she still had Nik, and he loved and protected her and their babies.

On November 2, 2017, Nik was on the road north of Galveston, planning to visit several hospitals. It was a Friday, and he had promised to be home before sunset. They would have the weekend together and in addition to romance, they made plans to take the kids to the beach to dip their toes into the Gulf. Katherine had no doubt that they would spend the rest of their lives together.

She was half right.

Elena Gilbert, Katherine's little sister and his parents were the only people entrusted with the physical address of the home in Lafitte's Cove. Five years younger, she's petite framed with chestnut hair, much like her older sister, they'd been mistaken for twins many times.

Elena was in a wonderful mood as she hurried to Katherine's house to spend some time with her niece and nephew but she also had some news to share. She's been offered a promotion at work, one she's been working very hard to achieve. It was just after 3:00 that Friday afternoon when Elena pulled into the driveway.

The front door was ajar, and that was strange; her sister was adamant that they were to remain locked at all times. Katherine didn't have a lot of rules, but safety was a priority and that was something she wouldn't compromise.

Afterwards Elena would remember that she couldn't explain the first thing she saw when entering the house. Noah and Nadia were standing in the hallway crying as if their hearts would break. That alone was strange, Katherine never let them cry; she always picked them up. Their tiny faces were red and puffy. Elena thought they must have been crying for some time already. What made the least sense to her were the dark red specks on their skin, hair and on their feet. Both had swaths of the same color, as if someone had dipped a brush in red paint and stippled it on their skin.

Shock and disbelief often block the mind from accepting what the eyes perceive. Even so, Elena's dread was so great that there was a thunderous pounding in her ears. She patted the wailing toddlers absentmindedly then went looking for her sister, calling out for her as she moved through the house.

Her own voice seemed to echo and bounce back from the walls. She checked the backyard and found no one there. She kept calling for her sister, and no one answered. The sense of dread was growing with each thundering pound of her heart. There was a funny smell in the house too - a hard, sweet iodine- like metallic odor - a smell Elena did not recognize...

I'm not quite done writing this story but I wanted to give you a taste. We have anywhere from 2-4 chapters left to write, more will post once it's completed.

This is loosely based on one of my favorite true crime author Ann Rule's books. (Sadly she passed away in 2015 but every one of her books are page-turners if you like the genre. Actually other than "Helter Skelter', she's the only true crime author I've read. My personal favorites are "The Stranger Beside Me" about Ted Bundy and "And Never Let Her Go".

Let us know your thoughts.

Have a terrific evening and thanks for everything.