THE BURGLAR
Pete Tyler knew he was asking for trouble when he slid open the unlocked window, but without a moment’s hesitation, he slipped inside the unoccupied house. Only two weeks out of prison and here he was back prowling homes in search of jewelry, money, or anything else of value that he could be hidden under his coat. Like the old pro he was, he immediately rifled through an unlocked jewelry case only to find that it only contained cheap costume settings that were practically worthless. After tossing the case away in disgust, he made his way to the den and made short work of the desk and adjoining file cabinet. “Dammit,” he said under his breath, “a guy can’t even make a dishonest buck anymore robbing houses.” He was just about ready to sneak out the back door when all of a sudden, and much to his surprise, the door swung open and a cute little redhead woman of about twenty-eight barged into the kitchen carry several bags of groceries.
It was too late to run, and for a hot second, both startled parties just stared at each other trying to figure out exactly what to do next. The woman glanced back at the still open door and was about to make a break for it when Pete pulled a switch blade from his pocket and said menacingly, “You’ll never make it, honey, so why don’t you just set down the bags and let’s think this through.”
“W-what are you doing in my house?” the woman asked fearfully.
Pete reached out and grabbed the woman’s purse and replied evenly, “I was looking for this, and by the way, thanks!”
“Take it and get out!” she pleaded. “That’s all I have!”
Pete counted out forty-six dollars and tossed the now empty purse onto the kitchen counter before saying, “Ya know what? For the past four years, I did nothing but think about having someone like you, and now I’m gonna get it too.” Pete grabbed the stunned young woman by the arm and literally dragged her into the bedroom. (more…)
