Page 9 of Hide In The House

I could cry at what I’ve just witnessed, but I could also put myself in grave danger by doing so if I were to make any sound, so I fight back any tears and remain silent. But I’m the only one who does so.

‘You’re a murderer!’ the frightened mistress shrieks, as well she might because not only is she in shock, but she is presumably now fearing for her own life too.

‘He had it coming,’ Maggie replies coldly, and while I can’t see the knife she must still be holding in her hand, I am sure it is covered in blood after the atrocity she just committed with it.

‘He was your husband!’

‘He didn’t deserve to call himself that,’ Maggie snaps. ‘Not after what he has been doing with you.’

‘But he didn’t deserve to die!’

‘I decide what happens in this house,’ Maggie replies ominously as I try not to look at the body lying so close to me.

‘I can’t believe it,’ the mistress says, and then I hear her sobbing, which is understandable, but hardly empowering and given that she is still in here with a killer, surely she needs to try and show more strength than this?

Just as I fear that I’m about to witness another murder, Maggie speaks again.

‘He wasn’t a perfect man,’ she says. ‘And I’m not just talking about his adulterous ways. He was a terrible husband and an even worse father. The world is a better place without him, and maybe it would have been if I had done this sooner.’

The only response she gets to that is more sobbing, so she goes on.

‘I’ve thought about doing this so many times,’ Maggie states simply. ‘I’ve thought about taking a knife and driving it into his body. Seeing him succumb to me. Witnessing the regret and the shame on his face as he died right in front of me. I guess it just took a little longer for me to do it than it should have.’

More sobs. Luckily for me, they’re coming from above the bed rather than under it.

‘I suppose you want to know how I found out about the affair,’ Maggie says next. ‘It’s rather simple, really. I knew he was up to something. Being married to anyone for so long means it’s quite easy to tell when they are keeping something from you. In his case, he started seeming happier. He was never happy. Always miserable. Until one day, he wasn’t. That’s when I figured he was up to something behind my back, so I started following him. And that’s when I saw him with you.’

‘I made him happy,’ the woman replies then, and I suspect that was the worst thing she could have said in the circumstances.

Why can’t she just be sensible and try and get out of this alive?

‘I agree,’ Maggie says surprisingly. ‘He certainly was happy. But I wasn’t. Not when I had to lie awake every night and think about how stupid my husband thought I was. I had to do something about it. I had to show him who was boss. I think I’ve done that now, don’t you?’

There’s no reply, and I think that’s a wise choice.

‘So now, the question is, what do I do with you?’ Maggie says.

‘Please, just let me go,’ comes the desperate plea.

‘Let you go straight to the police to tell them what I’ve done?’ Maggie asks.

‘No, I won’t tell anyone,’ comes the rather lame response.

‘Yeah, right. If I believe that, I’ll believe anything.’

Oh no. This doesn’t sound good. What should I do? Should I try and save this woman’s life? If I don’t, how could I live with myself? But if I do try, how do I know it won’t cost me my own life too?

As I’m deliberating that impossible dilemma, somebody does make a decision.

I hear a sudden movement before Maggie calls out.

‘Get back here, you bitch!’ she cries as I realise that her knife’s next target is making a run for it.

The other woman is trying to flee, and I see her feet rushing towards the door. But will she be able to get away? As I watch Maggie’s feet go after her, I have no idea.

As they both leave the room and continue their deadly pursuit out in the hallway, I consider crawling out from under the bed and making a noise. Just something that might distract Maggie for a split second and give that woman a chance to escape. But would it work, or would Maggie still kill the mistress and then come looking for me?

Is it better to hide and stay safe? To wait under here until I am certain I can come out and leave this house with my life? To give myself the best chance of survival?