Another Man's Wife plus 3 Other Tales of Horror by David Bernstein Page B

past the big fellow. He had
to get caught sooner or later, weren’t all cheaters? His wife would
be pissed. Maybe even leave him. Garrett was about to make a move
when he heard the familiar ring of his cell phone.
    Harold let go of the doorknob causing it to
swing open further. Garrett could now see Harold’s entire back.
Beth was standing a few feet across from him. Her eyes bulged with
terror, like a swimmer seeing a shark’s fin approaching. She met
Garrett’s stare.
    Garrett tried to reach the door, but was too
far away. The creaky step kept him from moving. There was nothing
he could do.
    “Aren’t you going to answer it?” Harold
asked.
    Beth proved immobile, her eyes off of
Garrett. The phone chimed again. “What for?” she managed.
    “To see if maybe it’s the owner or someone
who knows the owner?” Harold rubbed his head, like a huge gorilla
at the zoo.
    Beth looked at the phone. She seemed frazzled
and unsure of what to do. Garrett, silently, was mouthing for her
to pick it up, but he realized it was a bad idea. Drawing Beth’s
attention might bring Harold’s as well. Eyes followed eyes, it was
human nature.
    “I’ll answer it then,” Harold said sounding
annoyed and before Beth could grab the phone, Harold had it.
“Hello?”
    Beth shot Garrett a quick glance. She was
shaking like a junky needing a fix. Garrett waved her off.
    “Ah, no miss. This is Harold Wilcox. My wife
found this phone in the parking lot of the grocery, up in
Mayfair.
    Garrett felt nauseous. A small amount of bile
upchucked into the back of his throat. He quickly swallowed it.
    “Garrett Mulney,” Harold said. Beth, who was
inching her way towards the cellar door, looked up at her
husband.
    “I’m afraid I’m not heading back into town
today, but maybe I could drop it off at your place if you’re
nearby?”
    Garrett’s mouth had a cottony feel to it, and
his throat was on the verge of a tickle. He tried gathering saliva
to moisten his pallet, but none could be gathered. Nervous about
having to cough Garrett wiped the sweat from his forehead and arms,
transferring it via his fingers to his mouth. The sweat was salty,
but the tickle in his throat was gone.
    “Hmm, that’s the other side of town,” Harold
said.
    A few moments of silence followed. Harold was
nodding his head, as if in some agreement with Garrett’s wife. Beth
had stopped moving, she was within a legs length of the cellar
door. Any further and she might cause Harold to turn, bringing
Garrett into his view.
    “That’s an idea, sure. We’re at 755 Lancaster
Lane, be here all day.” Harold was smiling and polite. Garrett felt
a tiny amount of sadness for him, but it was ultimately his fault
his wife was cheating. He thought about his own wife. He wasn’t
proud for cheating on her, but he was a man and they, by nature,
were cheaters. Each woman was different. Some liked it rough, some
wanted to role play, while others just wanted a good bang. He loved
his wife very much, but a man was a man.
    Garrett watched as Beth’s demeanor changed.
She stopped shaking and crossed her arms. Garrett heard a tapping,
her foot was the cause.
    “You’re welcome,” Harold said happily, “but
hey, if you want to thank someone, thank my wife, Beth, she’s the
one responsible for all this.”
    “Unbelievable,” Beth said angrily.
    “Okay, see you then,” Harold said before
hanging up. He gently placed the cell on the kitchen table. He
looked at Beth. “What?”
    Beth pointed towards the cell phone and when
Harold’s glare was off her, she kicked the cellar door closed.
    Garrett watched as Beth, Harold and the
kitchen vanished. The force at which the door slammed almost
knocked him back. What was Beth doing?
    “You son of a bitch,” he heard Beth yell.
“You told that lady to come here so we wouldn’t be able to go out,
didn’t you?”
    Garrett smiled. Beth was quite the
actress.
    “No, sweetie. I don’t feel like heading out
today. Besides, the guy