365 Day Journal Challenge

Dec 29-Snooping at the ex's house-What do you hear?

Dec 29-Prompt

Prompt: "You have a key to your ex'es apartment. You decide to snoop around when he/she unexpectedly comes home. You hide in the closet. What do you hear?"

Okay folks, I have a key which means he wasn’t bright enough to get it from me OR he trusts me to not steal his stuff.  I go over there to get some things I left and see a thing or two that piqued my interest.  Now, I have a reason to be there – besides snooping-so I have no reason to hide.  He unexpectedly comes home.  Am I afraid of this guy? If so, I can see myself hiding but if not, why not just stand there and say “hey Fred, I came by to get the rest of my stuff and bring this key back.  Didn’t think you’d mind if I just left it on the table here and locked the door from the inside on my way out.”  I figure, if I don’t look “caught” or like I shouldn’t be there, why would he catch on that I was really snooping.  Remember, this is the guy who left me with the key and didn’t change the locks (dumb, trusting, or forgetful???). 

But, for the sake of this prompt, lets just say that not only did I see him coming up the driveway but I saw my brother coming up with him.  I may not want the brother to know I was there so I hide in the closet (which hopefully has more space now that my stuff is gone.)  In comes Fred and my brother, Mike, the one who helped me get rid of this guy in the first place.  I thought maybe he was trying to pick up the rest of my things to keep me from having to do it.  Good guy, this brother of mine.  Anyway, I’m crouched behind Fred’s sweaty cowboy boots and beside his dirty laundry basket, full one at that.  I was crossing my fingers they decided to head back out again.  I wasn’t sure how much of this stench I could handle before they heard me vomiting in the closet. 

That was when I heard the voices get louder and come closer to the closet.  My brother spoke first.  I heard a slapping sound, “Here’s the cash.  Now move so I can get her stuff.  Where it is?” 

“Not so fast, Mike, you’re short fifty bucks.  I did my half of the bargain.  I broke up with her just like you said, so you owe me.  Now, or I’ll go back and apologize and the wedding’s back on, little brother.  I walk down that isle, boy, and you got me forever.  You hear?”

“I’ll get you the fifty when I get the rest of her stuff.  Now show me where it is and I’ll be out of here.” 

While in the closet, my hand brushed against a canvas bag, a long one, with something hard and skinny inside.  Another small bag was also in the canvas one and held, what was that?  I felt around without making a noise and realized I was practically leaning on his hunting rifle.  That was when I heard Fred coming into the bedroom where I was hiding. I could hear him mumble something about regretting he’d ever met the whole family, mine that is.  He slammed the door and grabbed a box from the corner of the room, stuffing the rest of my things inside.  In burst my brother, hand around my car keys, the ones with Fred’s key still attached.  Oh, shoot, I thought. I must have left them out.  It was a good thing Fred didn’t see them. 

“Where is she?  What did you do with her?” 

“What are you talking about?  I haven’t seen her all week.  What do you mean coming into my house accusing me.  You know what, how bout I pack her stuff and you sit right there on that couch.  Then we can say a proper goodbye because I don’t intend to ever see the likes of you or your sister again.  Got it?”

I saw the light through the closet shutters get dim as Fred came quickly toward the door.  I didn’t like this attitude he was getting and leaned closer to the gun to block his access.  What could I do to distract him from Mike and still get out?  I had to feel around the closet for another weapon or blanket to hide myself.  I could hear him talking as he came closer. That was when I found the ultimate weapon, a box of several cans of silly string we still had from a friend’s bachelor party.  Hey, it was better than a gun.  I quickly laid the gun down flat behind me and covered it with Fred’s dirty laundry.  That should buy them some time.  I was ready with a can in each hand when he jerked open the closet door.  I yelled for Mike and sprayed Fred down with blue and white silly string as I ran toward the living room to throw a can to Mike.  Out we went, still spraying as we slammed the door.  Safe and in Mike’s pick-up truck, we drove to where I’d parked my car, down the driveway of Fred’s neighbor’s house.  Before I got out, I decided it was time for him to do some explaining. 

“What did Fred mean by you being fifty dollars short?  What on earth were you two planning?” I was trying to put on a mad face but I was relieved to be out of Fred’s house, I held my temper, just a little. 


“You know how Dad’s friend is a police officer?  Well, he had your Fred checked out, sort of on the down low.” 

“And?”

“And, he’s a suspect in two different missing person’s cases, two of his ex-girlfriends it just so happens, but they can’t prosecute him until they can find the bodies. Both women are still missing. Dad sent me last week to offer him five hundred bucks to break up with you cause he didn’t want you quitting on your career like Fred had mentioned wanting you to do if you two got married.  Fred bought the lie but like you heard, he was not too happy about being shortchanged.  C’mon, let’s head home.  You drive the truck and I’ll take your car home.  I don’t want him following you."

As I drove to my parent’s home, the past few months of odd events played through my head over and over for any sign Fred was planning to hurt or even kill me.  How could I have been that blind?  Mike and I pulled in to our parent’s house at the same time our Dad’s friend drove up in his unmarked car.  We met him at the door and told him what had just transpired.  When I told him about the gun, he said Fred already had a felony charge at 18 and was not allowed to own a gun.  That was enough to search his house.  He radioed dispatch and had another car meet him there then told us to stay put until we heard from him. 

After a shower to wash off the stench of Fred’s dirty clothes, my family gathered at the kitchen table with coffee and talked over the events of the past week, and of course, my lousy judgment in regards to my dating life.  We were all startled when the phone rang.  Dad answered it and listened silently, eyes darting from me to Mike to Mom.  He hung up the phone, filled his coffee cup again and pulled his chair up to mine, sitting forward as he took my hands. 

“Darlin, the police are going to need you to make a statement, they are sending an officer to talk with you.  Are you okay with that?

“Sure Dad, what happened?”  I shoved my hands deep in the pockets of my sweatshirt, trying to quell a bad case of the shivers. 

“My friend, Sam, you know the officer that was here earlier.  He said they found bloody clothes and some weapons in that closet you were hiding in.  It appears they are women’s clothing.  One has a sewn label inside with the name of one of the missing women.  They’re doing lab tests to see if the blood belongs to either of the women or Fred.”

It was then that I realized how much I appreciated the meddlesome men in my family.  I never would have thought my dad would bribe a man with cash to break off an engagement with his daughter but then I never thought I’d sneak into a man’s closet just inches from the evidence that could put him away for decades.  Then again, I never thought I’d shoot a possible murderer with silly string either, and live to tell about it.

The End

(All characters and events are purely fictional-absolutely no a trace of truth in any of this,  well, except that I do have a step brother named Mike.)









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