DEAD IN BED By Bailey Simms: The Complete Second Book

PART 13, AUTHOR'S NOTE - 2/25/15, 3:33pm

I guess it's been a long time since my last post. Like three days now.

Well, here I am posting, so I guess you know now that I survived.

But there's a lot more to tell. And I didn't want to leave you guys hanging any longer—if any of you are still reading, that is.

I guess my last post left off just as I was expecting the cop to knock on the door that morning after he'd thrown Kyle naked out into the snow.

Well, the cop did come in for his eleven o'clock bathing ritual. 

And just like always, he told me to bathe first. But, this time, he wanted me to hurry so I could get right back to writing.

"Kyle's looking pretty cold out there," he called out to me, pensively, while I undressed in the bathroom. "Make it quick."

I had to be extremely careful filling the tub. I couldn't touch the water at all while the faucet was on, or else I would be electrocuted instead of the cop. Just as importantly, I had to make sure the water would be too cold for the cop's liking when he got into the tub after me, but also not so cold that he'd get angry at me or, worse, suspicious about what I was planning to do.

When the tub filled, I turned off the tap as tightly as I could. I didn't want to risk even a drop falling from the faucet and possibly connecting the current.

Carefully, I lowered myself into the tub.

I wasn't electrocuted. And the water was lukewarm, just cool enough not to be very comfortable.

So far, everything was going as planned.

I washed as quickly as I could, careful not to splash. I stood and dried myself with the towel, and I dried each of my feet carefully before stepping out of the water.

When I'd dressed and stepped back into the bedroom, the cop ordered me to cuff myself to the bed. He set the key on the desk by the keyboard.

"I won't take long," he said. "I know I need to let you get back to work."

But he took his time undressing. I averted my eyes by turning over in the bed and looking out the window at the falling snow. I thought I could just make out Kyle's huddled frame across the driveway, but the snowfall was so thick I couldn't be sure if it was him or just shadows.

I heard the cop's bare feet stepping toward the tub.

Then came the light lapping of water as he lowered himself into the water.

He made an irritated sigh at the water's temperature. He'd always demanded that I draw the water scalding hot, and he'd complain if it was even just a little less warm than he liked it.

I held my breath.

This time, he didn't scold me or say anything at all. He just made another irritated sigh, as if he was exasperated that my behavior was so difficult to reform.

And then I heard him turn on the hot water.

I'm not really sure what I was expecting to happen. Would he cry out in pain? Would he thrash around in the electrified water? Would I smell the scent of burning flesh? Would my plan work at all, or would the current not be powerful enough to kill him and would he leap out of the tub in a rage?

But none of these things happened.

I didn't hear anything at all except for the sound of water filling the tub. 

My plan must not have worked. The water just kept filling the tub. 

But it kept on filling the tub.