Life Interrupted

Chapter 1

Illusions. Illusions of a perfect trip. Illusions of how life would be at a certain point or stage. Mike had worked past many of those throughout his lifetime. But this was not a point that he desired to be doing that. He had determined that this trip would be perfect. He and his wife needed a chance to re-ignite their relationship. Mike and Deanna had booked a trip to the beautiful Mackinac Island for their third anniversary. Thanks to their work schedules and demands, they hadn't had a proper honeymoon after their wedding. So this would be their time.

Here's where it gets tricky. Deanna and Mike are both detectives with the Detroit Police Department. In fact, that's how they met. Let's take a quick trip down memory lane before we dive in.

Mike had dreamed of being a detective since he was a child. His passion was research and finding things that others deemed unfindable. It was great and he thrived at his job. His personal life, however, was hanging by a thread. After a broken engagement and what he thought might be the end of actually getting married, Deanna joined the force. She'd moved to Detroit for a fresh start. Deanna had been a detective for five years or so in upstate New York. After her boyfriend took a job in San Francisco, and leaving her reeling in the wake of his move, she decided she needed not only a change of pace, but a change of scenery. Lucky for her the Detroit Police Department was hiring and she was the perfect fit.

For Mike and Deanna it wasn't exactly love at first sight, but it also wasn't long before the spark started to fly. Their co-workers were the first to notice as even Mike and Deanna didn't see the commonalities. It was great though, their friendship grew through work and before long they were spending time together outside of work. Mike helped Deanna get acquainted with the area and find a good place to live. Deanna in turn helped Mike decorate and taught him how to cook some basic things he loved to eat.

They both enjoyed each other's company and finally they began seriously dating, to be followed by a proposal and a wedding. It was the best thing either one could ask for, but as their duties grew along with their ranks, their free time became less and less.

Finally they'd had enough. A break was necessary and they decided on a weeklong trip to Mackinac Island. A picturesque touristy island in northern Michigan where motor vehicles were off limits. Only accessible by water ferry, they'd spent long weekends in Mackinaw City, but had never stayed overnight on the island.

They were anticipating this with much excitement, much excitement indeed.