The couch was empty.

She could vaguely remember a time when her husband had done something completely out of character while lying on the couch. A hand rose to her face, touching tentatively, probing for tenderness.

The husband she knew was not the husband she remembered.

Shaking her head, Carol wandered to the kitchen. It made no sense; how could she have two men in one husband?

The dishes were dry and put away, pots and pans in their correct places, and the counters cleaned.

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What was her next line?

She walked to the rear door and touched the wood of the lintel. Someone had left the house through this door.

There were no lines; this was an ad-lib.

The hand holding the wood of the door trembled; she looked at it in shock; the confusion was lifting.

This was a play for the benefit of a camera. She remembered Marie holding the video camera. Her youngest daughter was supposed to film the events of this night. Marie was an actor. Yes, this was a house full of actors playing a family.

Her husband was playing the part of her husband; that solved the riddle. Carol almost laughed aloud with relief, then felt a shiver course through her body. Where was her husband?