"Teeth."

I looked up at my fiancé as I set his coffee in front of him. “Hmm?”

“All of them missing teeth. This case. Over the weekend. Women’s bodies found, fresh. All of them missing their teeth.”

“This weekend?”

“Yes, this past weekend. Oh honey, I’m so glad you made it home safe. That could have been you.”

“Terrible. Those poor girls.” I watched as he finished his coffee, kissed me before heading out the door. “I love you. See you soon.”

“See you soon,” and with that, he was off.

I did the dishes and ran my typical Monday errands but couldn’t stop thinking about those girls. Those bodies. Their teeth. I couldn’t shake the thought of those teeth.

As 6pm neared, I decided to take a bath before he came home, to try to clear my mind of the thoughts of those girls and their teeth. I drew the water and grabbed the jar of bath salts from under the sink and sprinkled them in.

I lit a candle and slipped into the water, letting the warmth wash over me, trying to clear my mind.

Minutes passed, and I became uncomfortable, feeling unusually large bits of salt beneath my body. I reached behind my back and picked up a piece to give it a closer look. Hard, unwilling to dissolve.

​

A tooth.

​

All of them, teeth.