The Ladies of Horror
A Cop’s Wife
by Lori Safranek
Jack’s on duty again, but he’s a cop and I’m a cop’s wife so I don’t complain. I just take a book to bed with me and think about ancient Egypt and not modern day Raleigh, North Carolina. Jack always says he chose well when he married me. I’m a nerd who can get lost in any book and forget everything around me. That way I’m not sitting up nights, worrying about his safety. Not that Jack knows about anyway.
Tonight I’m having trouble getting into this book because Jack’s working a double shift and I miss him. Instead, the book’s lying across my knees and I’m staring out the window at the wooded lot across the street. It’s shrouded in mist tonight, bringing out the beauty of the leafless, tangled branches.
Something catches my eye and I realize a person leans against the large oak tree right across from our driveway. I pull back from the window a bit, instincts telling me to not let him see me. I realize I don’t need to hide, when it’s my house and he’s the one who shouldn’t be where he stands, leaning against a tree, the red tip of a cigarette glowing, the brim of a hat standing out in silhouette.
This is just the sort of thing Jack’s warned me about, someone watching the house. It can happen to cops. I’m supposed to call him immediately, but I decide to wait and be sure I’m not imagining things.
I look out the window again and the man is gone. It must have been a passerby stopping for a smoke. I open up my book again and that’s when I hear a noise at my bedroom door.
With the hallway light behind him, I can see his hat brim and the knife in his hand. He steps closer until he notices the gun in my hand. The bullet leaves a hole between his eyes. I’m the perfect wife for a cop.
Fiction © Copyright Lori Safranek
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com
More from Lori Safrenek:
Freaked Out: The Complete Freak Show Series
Freak Show is a collection of short stories based on the adventures of performers from Steiners Freak Show, a traveling circus side show. Steiner carefully selects his freaks so that they are genuinely blessed with real talents, none of his performers are fakes! From the lovely young Snake Charmer to the Tattooed Man whose tattoos fade away and relocate themselves on his body, every single one is the real thing! And Steiner’s family of freaks run into some frightening adventures that bring them near death! This isn’t some barker’s come on, folks, this is the real thing. Come to the freak show and see what happens after the sideshow closes!
Don’t miss out on the Brain to Book Cyber Convention and Book Expo!
Authors and Readers
signup up for three days of fiction and fun!
Spreading the Writer's Word 
Loved the ending.