�Ouch! I�m gonna sue you for excessive force, you bitch! This is all your fault! If you woulda got here earlier, you coulda stopped Earl, and I wouldn�ta shot �im!�

�Shut up!� Claire shouted, and turned to Diane.

�Are you okay? Diane? Diane? Can you hear me?�

Diane moaned.

Cops, crime scene technicians and paramedics flooded the apartment and started tending to their grim work.

�Jeez,� said Juan Ramirez, the paramedic who tended to Earl, �I sure hate the holiday season.� He sighed as he looked sadly at Diane�s limp body on the bed next to Earl.