No Theme Thursday — A Tragic Accident

Fandango

“What have you done?” Eric asked himself as he looked at his reflection in the mirror. He saw the tears rolling down the cheeks of the man he was staring at, but it was almost as if his reflection was feeling things that he, himself, could not summon up.

He turned around and looked at Karen’s lifeless body on the floor next to the bathtub. “It was an accident, a tragic accident,” he said. “She knew I had a volatile temper yet she continued to goad me,” he explained out loud, even though there was no one around to hear him. “What did she expect? Besides, I didn’t hit her that hard. The bathroom floor was wet and she slipped as she stepped back. She fell and cracked her head on the edge of the cast iron clawfoot tub.”

Eric started to think about what to tell the police. I came home and the front door to our bungalow was open. I walked in, called her name, and when she didn’t answer, I started looking for her. I found her like this in the bathroom and could tell that she was dead. I knew better than to disturb her body or contaminate the scene, and I immediately called 9-1-1.

No, it didn’t appear that anything in the house was disturbed or was missing. Where had I been before I came into the house and found her like this? I had been out for a jog in the park. Did anyone see me on my jog? I don’t think so, but maybe somebody had. No, my wife and I were very happy and there were no problems between us. And as far as I know, she doesn’t have any enemies. Everyone loved her. No, I have no idea who could have done such a thing.

Eric was satisfied that his story was bulletproof and would stand up to police questioning. But what Eric didn’t know was that earlier in the day, Karen had been meeting with a lawyer drawing up divorce papers because of her husband’s explosive temper, and her lawyer had advised her to stop at the police station on her way home and initiate a restraining order, which she did, in case he got violent when she told him she was throwing him out of the house.

This post was written for Kevin’s No Theme Thursday prompt. Kevin presents us with a bunch of AI-generated images and we can choose any one and write a post about the image.

20 thoughts on “No Theme Thursday — A Tragic Accident”

  1. Melissa Lemay's avatar Melissa Lemay January 17, 2025 / 2:56 pm

    Have a nice life in prison, Eric. Wifebeaters are worn there in more ways than one.😉

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  2. Violet Lentz's avatar Violet Lentz January 17, 2025 / 3:52 pm

    Nicely done. I’d like to see the reflection of his face when he finds out the cops are already wise..

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  7. Kevin's avatar Kevin January 20, 2025 / 6:14 pm

    Buh bye, Eric! Have fun with your new “friends” in the joint! 😄

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  8. leigha66's avatar leigha66 January 21, 2025 / 11:25 am

    That stop at the police station seems to have sealed Eric’s fate. Nice write!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  9. Pingback: NTT Showcase: 1/16/25 Edition – The Beginning At Last
  10. Christine's avatar Christine January 27, 2025 / 2:02 am

    justice in the end. All too often

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  11. KC's avatar KC January 28, 2025 / 3:00 am

    You’re gonna get what’s coming to ye, Fool!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Thoughts to share?