"I made a huge mistake! A HUGE mistake! I'm so, so sorry!"

"Just tell us what happened, Mrs. Penfield, for the record," said Detective Brimley as he handed the distraught woman a box of tissues.

Mrs. Penfield dried her eyes and confessed. "Harold and I were having a spat. He wanted to buy a new car for himself. I told him he already had a truck. I said he was selfish for wanting a fancy new car and that I didn't think we could afford it. I said it would be better to spend money on repairs to the house instead of wasting it on an expensive sports car that only he could drive. He wanted a car with a manual transmission. I don't know how to drive a standard. Furthermore..."

"Please stick to the facts," interrupted the detective.

"I'm sorry. I'm SO... SORRY!"

"Here's another tissue, ma'am. Would you like a glass of water? Coffee?" offered the detective.

"No, thank you. I'll be alright now."

"Please continue."

"We argued for several minutes. At first, it wasn't any different than our usual quarrels. But it quickly escalated to a new level. Then Harold said something that infuriated me even more. I was so mad I don't even remember what he said. It was a personal insult of some sort. Something about my appearance, I think. Oh yes, now I remember. He called me a..., the 'B' word."

"Is that when you shot him?"

"No. That was much later. I'm coming to that part. Where was I?"

"The 'B' word."

"Oh, yes. After he called me a b..., I attempted to slap him in the face. He instinctively pulled back, but not far enough to prevent my fingernails from slashing his face. He went into the bathroom to clean the blood and apply a bandage. Then he went into the spare bedroom and slammed the door shut."

"That's you went in and shot him."

"No. It wasn't until a few days later when that happened."

"Please continue."

"Later that night, Harold slept in the spare bedroom. It connects to a separate private bathroom, so you don't have to go through the house to go to a bathroom. He must have got up early, left for the day, and returned late at night. He did that for two days and nights. We hardly saw each other during that time. And if we did, he wouldn't talk to me. I told him I was sorry I hurt him, but he ignored me, never saying a word for two days."

"So, you were no longer arguing."

"No. We weren't even talking. I tried to apologize, but Harold refused to say anything to me. So, no. Technically, we weren't fighting or arguing."

"So when...?"

"Finally, I burst into the little room and demanded we talk. I saw his revolver on the dresser. I picked it up to threaten him. 'I've had enough of your silent treatment,' I told him. That's when the gun went off."

Story and Cover Illustration Copyright © 2021 by Michael DeFrancesco

Inspired by an article in The Washington Times, April 16, 1921, FINAL EDITION, page 1 - 'Cruel Silence' Caused Slaying, Says Wife