Author's note: Originally this was super short, around 4k words. After reading some reader emails and comments on my other stories, I decided to add more meat to the pot. It's still on the short side, but it's not the hit and run piece it was.
As always, thanks for reading and please rate and comment.
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Murder In High Heels
Steve Johnson was sitting outside his wife's office at 7 o'clock at night because that was the day he was going to end the farce he and his wife had been calling a marriage.
Some husbands miss the signs. Overtime hours, when she never worked them before. Dressing better. Girls nights out. Decrease in sex at home.
Not Steve. He noticed and he was done with it.
Steve estimated that it had been going on for two months. It was then that he noticed the first time his wife, Angela, wore a pair of red high heels to work.
She hated wearing heels. The only times she would tolerate them was for the rare wedding or other special occasion and when she dressed up in the bedroom.
She would wear the red heels and white stockings with a sexy lace bra and thong panty set, on certain occasions. Steve loved the white thigh high stockings and loved seeing her in heels. He thought that they had a great love life.
But she never wore high heels to work and he asked her about it.
"What's with the heels, honey? Something going on today?" He asked.
She stopped walking for a moment, then continued without turning around and said, "I have a review meeting with my boss today. I just want to look professional."
He didn't respond but thought, "A professional streetwalker maybe," but let it go.
Then the overtime started. At first it was an hour here or there, but later became 2-3 hours several days a week.
Once the girls night out's started he knew what was really happening. She hated clubs, lounges, and bars. Her idea of going out was for dinner or coffee. She didn't drink a drop and looked down on people who did.
He followed her on the 3rd girls night out and she went to a house in Glen Ellyn. He knew the house, he'd been there several times for parties. It was her boss Martin Schindler's house.
Steve waited an hour and when he was confident that that was her plan and not just a stop on the way, he let the air out of all four of her tires and drove home. She didn't mention the tires when she got home that night or over the weekend, but he heard her tell Jenny.
"Would you believe someone let the air out of my tires last night?"
"No way, really?" Jenny said.
"Yep. Thank God they didn't slash them. They just let the air out. I was able to use that air pump thingy your dad makes me keep in the trunk."
"Wow. Where'd you go?"
"Just a dancing club with my friends."
"You should probably avoid it in the future."
Angela smirked and said, "Sure baby."
***********
Steve met with an attorney and started the divorce ball rolling. That was why he was sitting outside of her office. She was going to be served that night.
He lamented about the 21 years of marriage but overall they were good. They produced his 17-year-old daughter Jenny, who was the apple of his eye and a daddy's girl.
He met Angela when he needed a lawyer for a contract dispute with his employer. Back then she was a receptionist who wanted to be a paralegal. He thought she was gorgeous and asked her out.
They dated happily for 2 years before he proposed; and he thought they were happy for the entirety of their marriage. Right up until she started working for Martin Schindler.
He drove a truck and at times had long hours, but they spent as much time together as possible. As a family they went on weekend trips as Jenny's schedule allowed. She always had one sport going on or some other activity taking up time.
Occasionally, Steve and Angela would go to Galena Illinois to visit wineries or Lake Geneva Wisconsin to shop and relax, without Jenny when she was old enough.
The shock of Angela's betrayal cut him deeply. She had an attitude with him more and more, but he had never suspected she was cheating until he noticed the heels. It was downhill from there.
Her attitude had been bad and progressively worse. He recalled the conversation on that night he followed her.
"Honey why don't we go out to dinner and a movie tonight. I've got a rare Friday off and I want to spend some time with you." He said.
"You know I go out with the girls now on Fridays. They rely on me to be their designated driver,"
"Let them Uber for one night. With the extra hours you've been working and these nights out you're doing now, I hardly see you anymore."
"Well if you had a real job, one that didn't cause you to drive at all hours of the evening and overnight, you might be able to see me more. You don't though, and I've had to suffer through it for two decades. Suck it up, I'll see you later."
She didn't even say goodbye when she walked out the door. He was speechless. He followed her into the garage and watched her pull out. He grabbed his keys and hurried out after her.
There was only one way out of their subdivision and it was quite a maze of streets to get to the exit from their house.
He was able to catch up to her as she turned onto Main Street and followed her to Martin's house.
He avoided her the rest of that weekend and resolved to find a lawyer on Monday. He wasn't going to go scorched earth, he just wanted an even split and amicable end to the marriage. He felt that through her words and actions, she didn't want him anymore, so why hold on to a slippery rope? She could have her boss without a fight from him, is how he felt.
He told his daughter about it that Monday.
"She's cheating on me, pumpkin. You may not see the difference over the last couple of months, but I can. She's checked out of the marriage and is screwing her boss."
"No way daddy, I don't believe it."
"I followed her to his house. She said she was going out with friends, she did not. She went to her boss' house."
"But her tires were messed with at the club?"
"No sweetie. I did it, and I did it at the guy's house when I saw that she wasn't going to a club."
"I just can't believe it, Daddy."
"Me either, but it's true."
**********
His daughter was sitting next to him waiting for the inevitable fireworks to start.
"Are you really sure Daddy? There's no chance?" Jenny asked.
"No, pumpkin. It's over. She broke my trust and my heart. I can't condone that kind of betrayal."
"What if she felt like she had a reason to do it?"
"Pumpkin, there is no reason to justify a long term affair. If she got drunk and it was a one-time thing? Maybe. If she were raped? Of course that would be different.