As Seen in a Dream

A dream I had last night might make an interesting opening for a story. I was in an alleyway in the bad part of a medieval city with another man and a woman. The woman was related to me and was quite a bit younger than I was. She might have been a niece but I’m not sure. The man was an acquaintance. The setting was a quasi-fantasy setting, although none of us were carrying weapons. I heard something that disturbed me and told the other two to remain where they were while I investigated. I went off down the alleyway but found nothing. When I returned, however, I found the man and the woman dead and strung up from a crossbar with ropes around their necks. Both had been cut open. The man had strands of pearls thrust into his eviscerated stomach, entwined with his intestines. The woman had a few dollar bills clinging to her clothing and a little pile of wrinkled bills beneath her feet. I remember thinking that, since the motive was clearly not robbery, I was going to have a hard time finding the killer and taking my vengeance. Then I woke up.