Short, short story

A short story beginning with the same words that Graham Greene used in ‘The Case for the Defence: ‘It was the strangest murder trial I ever attended’

It was the strangest murder trial I ever attended. Three others were there with me: our neighbour David, my wife and her closest friend, Kate. David’s wife was the unfortunate victim, my wife was the key witness and Kate was there to support my wife. The case was straightforward enough: it was armed robbery. My wife and David’s wife had been shopping together when the robber struck. My wife escaped and, in due course, identified the villain. It was not so much the case but our reactions which seemed so strange. David was too composed for a man whose wife had been shot. Kate was too buoyant and I was too uneasy. For me to be in court with Kate was a trial in itself since the two of us had been secret lovers.

At last, in a moment alone with her, I unburdened my guilt, admitting how I wished my wife and not David’s had been murdered so that she and I could be free to marry. ‘Never mind!’ she said, handing down what for me was worse than any life sentence. ‘David and I are lovers too, so it makes no difference to me whose wife was killed.’