One Down

I'm not being paranoid. It's all there in the crossword clues...in black and white. There's no doubt the threat is real. Today, the answers spell out my murder. May Third. Amanda. Silver Birch. Noontime. Assassination. Is Nathan, my estranged crossword-setter husband, really planning to kill me? Or is it someone closer to home? I check the door is bolted, slither to the ground, and count down the seconds to noon. There's nothing left to do, and no one I can call. Who'd believe me anyway? The lady on the ground floor has already left the building, and my new boyfriend is on holiday. Or is he? A tread of footsteps. A rap at the door, and I close my eyes, hold my breath...