THREE YEARS LATER

Haddonfield, Illinois

September 25, 1987

Holly sat on the floor of the bedroom she shared with her husband. An old shoebox laid next to her on its side. It had slipped off one of the shelves in the closet, and now she was staring at its contents with a horrified expression of her face.

She startled hard when she heard someone enter the house. She quickly gathered up the items, which were spread out in front of her, and stacked them back into the box. Holly then rose to her feet, returned the box to its original place, and grabbed her laundry basket. She was able to take a couple of calming breaths before the bedroom door opened, revealing her husband's tall muscular form. His body was clad in his cop uniform, signaling that he was still on duty.

David silently stepped into the room. His dark eyes shifted from Holly to the open closet door. "What are you doing?" he asked.

She gestured to the laundry basket and said, "Putting our clothes away."

David's intense gaze landed on the floor. He strode passed his wife and picked up a photograph she had missed seeing. Holly felt the color drain from her face as he stared at the picture in his hand. Then, without warning, he lunged at her. The laundry basket fell to the floor as she desperately tried to free his hands from her neck. She struggled against him but to no avail. The room turned dark, and then there was nothing.