Curiosity Will Kill

A small mansion sat peacefully over looking a lake, mist lazily rolled as a figure stood on the tiny dock with a cup in his hand, and a blanket over his shoulders. As the man looked over the view a shadow moved behind him. It was a woman dressed head to toe in dark brown with a mask covering her entire face. She darted around to a basement entrance, before she looked over her shoulder to see if someone had seen her. Her pale blue eyes scanned the surrounding forest before she brought her attention to the lock. The woman opened a belted bag, and pulled out a lock-pick. It only took a couple of seconds before she was able to get the door unlocked. ”Rich men are **ing stupid. ” She muttered proudly as she slipped inside.

The basement was surprisingly well lit, this made the woman suck her teeth quietly. She removed her mask to reveal her cool brown face and inky black curls. As she slunk around and behind furniture. As she snuck about the space, she took note of the very dark brown and red tones of the decor. Animal heads garishly coated one of the walls, while the another was home to a comically large television. Underneath seemed to be various kinds of sports memorabilia including a couple of signed soccer balls, and footballs. This caught the thiefs attention, as they would be quite rare and worth good money. She took a couple of steps forward before shaking her head. ”No, Penelope, focus. ” she muttered before turning around and heading towards a small flight of stairs. Penelope placed her hand on the knob and pressed her ear to the door. She could hear two people talking, one seemed to be the man from earlier, and a stranger.

Penelope grimaced before taking a peak under the door. Two sets of feet were standing a few feet away, one was a pair of loafers while the other were an expensive pair of six inch heels. The heels Penelope couldn help but admire, her focus was shifted as she gazed at the pair walk away from her and seemingly around a corner. The woman pulled back, an waited a few seconds before quietly opening the door, she slunk her form around what appeared to be the kitchen. She took note of the back door before quietly making her way into the living room.

She heard a television going and the two she saw earlier could be heard having a light conversation, possibly about what was on. Penelope listened in for a few more minutes before making her way down a small hallway. At the end of the hallway were three rooms, and a flight of stairs. The woman looked back to see if anyone had moved, and when she noticed that no one did she went into the room on her left. She only opened the door a crack before closing it quietly behind her, inside was a powder room the darkened room made it easy for her to hide in, Penelope stood up feeling a little safer in this area. The woman took note of the vanity with a small jewelry box resting on the far right, in front of her were two cushy chairs, and in the middle rested an unopened package of cigarettes. She chuckled to herself and picked the box up. While she couldn see the logo she could tell based on the coloring these were very expensive, a grin painted her face as she tucked them away in her belted bag. The woman then went hunting in the jewelry box. Penelope took the box off of the vanity, and then ducked into a small closet. Upon closing the door, she turned on her flash light, and started to pick through the object. Silver jewelry made up a large portion of the selection, with a couple of gold pieces mixed in. She picked up two gold rings, two silver and gold bangle bracelets, a gold ring with diamonds, and rubies.Her gaze finally landed on a silver, and diamond encrusted bracelet. The haul made her heart swell, and a part of her felt that her mission was done, but she knew what she came for and still needed to get it. She put the other pieces back before making her way back to the vanity.

As Penelope placed the box back in its original position, she heard the couple coming in her direction. She quickly scurried back into the closet and made sure to bury herself as deep into it as she could. The space was full of clothing, and boxes so after dipping behind them she watched the lights flick on. ”Hey. I thought you said you always put a box here for your wife. ” a voice stated in a playful tone. A man could be heard sighing heavily, before he spoke. ”She must have taken it. What would a guy like me have use for a powder room? ” It was the man from earlier. The two chuckled before Penelope heard them kiss. She rolled her eyes, and shook her head. Men. She thought as she relaxed a little. ”Go upstairs, and get ready. ” the other person stated before a lust filled laugh exited their mouth. The man laughed in response before giving them one last kiss. The woman rolled her eyes again before she began to carefully crawl out from behind the boxes. The door had a couple decorative slits, and after tilting her body carefully she saw a person standing at the vanity. They had a sleek black dress on that hugged their figure nicely. Their skin was a warm neutral brown and they had shoulder length platinum blonde hair. She noticed they had pulled out a knife, and some rope. Penelope shook her head at the sight. Kinky cheaters are the worst she thought as she watched the person apply some more lipstick. After that a set of gloves was put on which made Penelopes stomach twitch a little bit. The person then walked proudly out of the room, and it wasn until the lights turned off that Penelope started to move. She opened the door, and looked at the purse the person left. Once again the woman shook her head, and muttered to herself. ”Don . Just stay focused and get the necklace. ” She muttered before leaving the purse alone.

When she left the room she made her way to the stairs, and quietly started to climb them. It wasn a very large staircase, but there was a slight curve to it. As she crested the top Penelope pressed her body against the carpeted surface, she could hear the two talking, and giggling. It seemed like the person from earlier was also tying something up, the womans mind immediately went to the man she heard. She couldn help but make a face when she turned her attention the the hallway. There were five more rooms. Only one had the lights on, so Penelope knew which one to stay away from. She looked to the closet room on her right, and quickly ducked inside.

As she did so the door to the occupied room opened, the person from earlier peaked their head out. The woman saw them for a brief moment and a cold wave of panic rushed through her. She held her breath and stood as still as a statue for a few more seconds until she heard the sound of a door closing. Penelope quietly exhaled before looking at the room she was in. Unlike the powder room, this one had more personality. It seemed like the husbands, and it looked like the wife slept in different rooms. ”Old fashioned bastards. ” the woman muttered as she poked around. She then noticed the necklace she wanted laying open face in the box it was purchased in. Her eyes lit up as she took it into her hands.

It was a breathtaking sapphire, and amethyst necklace with drops of black diamond. She held it up to her neck, and while it was night, the large open window allowed moonlight to shine in. Penelope could see how it looked on her. The woman heard some commotion from the other room and quickly ducked into the closet. Right after the door was closed, the man barrelled into the space. His hand clutched his throat as fear coated his face. Through the same slits in the door, she watched as blood poured from in between the mans fingers as he tried to stop the liquid dripping out of his neck. The person appeared behind him, and was breathing heavily. ”Listen you old **! When I say stay put. You. Stay. Put! ” they then took the knife in their hands, and plunged it into the mans skull. The person then pulled it out, and plunged it again. They did this a couple of times before the man crumpled to the ground.

Penelope watched on in horror as the sickening thud invaded her ears, she then locked eyes with now deceased man. She launched her hands to her mouth and scooted backwards unsure what to do. The person tossed the knife to the side before wiping their still gloved hands. She then rummaged around the mans pockets and found an open box of cigarettes, and a lighter. ”Dirty old bastard. ” the killer muttered as she used the lighter. They then turned and left the room. When all went silent, Penelopes eyes started to water. She then curled in on herself, and stayed there for a few minutes. Her heart beat in her chest, as she decided to leave the safety of her hiding spot.

The woman cautiously opened the door, and did her best to step around the corpse as well as avoid the pooling blood. Penelope was even quieter when opening the bedroom door, she heard a shower running and presumed it had to have been the killer. The woman choked back vomit as she turned to the staircase and rushed down the steps. She then darted off for the kitchen now having no care for if she was seen or not. As she entered the kitchen she first tried the side door, it was now locked. The woman sucked her teeth before crouching down, and heading back into the basement. She made her way to the door, and realized that it too was locked. This was a pass-code, which could take hours to crack. Penelope felt hot tears sting at her eyes, as bile ran up her esophagus. Panic coursed through her as she made her way back to the side door.

Penelope was forced to stand up as the lock was too high to reach when she crouched. She managed to unlock the door, but upon opening it she felt something wrap around her neck. ”Why, sweetheart, you seemed to have forgotten this. ” a voice mused. Penelope stopped dead in her tracks, and could only watch as the killer closed the door in front of them. ”Let me put it on for you. ” she then stated as she clasped the necklace on. Penelope felt the weight of the object fall to the base of her neck. Her mouth went dry as she felt the killer continue to whisper in her ear. They let out a chuckle as they trailed the same blade she used earlier down Penelopes spine. ”I knew youd be here. The names Michelle. ” They then stated. ”You don remember me, but you stopped by my store three times a week to stare at that piece. ” the person then added as she readjusted the necklace. They then sucked their teeth before turning the knife upwards, and cut through Penelopes sweater. The woman was frozen in terror as she felt the blade touch her bare skin. Michelle pulled the article of clothing off with their one free hand before she brought the hand up to her neck to readjust the necklace into a better position. ”Ive heard a lot about you, though I didn think youd be this attractive. Your old mugshots don do you any justice. ” She stated a dark grin painting their face.

Penelope was frozen solid, her eyes widened with fear. ”Come now, you can be scared of me. ” Michelle then commented when the woman in their possession had no kind of reaction. It was at this point the person got rid of the knife, and when it clanged against the floor Penelope slowly turned to look at them. She had a fluffy pink robe around their body, and their long blond hair was slicked back. The most noticeable thing about Michelle were their eyes. They were a deep green, almost as green as the lush forests that surround the house. ”You yearned day in and day out, but you also were plotting. I couldn have you steal from me directly, so I sold it to this balding husk of a man. ” they commented placing their hands into the pockets of the robe. She then took out another knife, and pinned Penelope to the door. ”I want you to help me. Youd get some good loot, a roof over your head, youll never worry about a thing in your life. ” The person stated as they pressed the blade against her neck. Tears swelled in her eyes, as she looked around the kitchen, trying to avoid getting cut. ”Help you? ” The woman then managed before taking a big gulp to try to help moisten her dry mouth. ”Yes, sweetheart, your skills as a thief are incredibly useful to me. However its unfortunate that you caught me. I was hoping youd snoop in the other rooms, but I didn count on that ugly **ing prick to undo my knots and escape. ” the person hissed their smile fading from their face temporarily. ”So as long as I do what you want you won kill me? ” Penelope asked through clenched teeth. Michelle leaned forward, and kissed the woman tenderly on the cheek. ”Now theres that intelligence. ” She responded before pulling away. ”I will say, you won be able to get away from me. ” the person then stated waving the blade in their hand as they sauntered deeper into the kitchen. ”You won be able to hide. Youve also been homeless as of a few hours ago. Your belongings are now in my possession, and all of your assets are under my control. ” Michelle then commented as they brushed the knife against the counter. The womans jaw hit the floor as her face turned as white as a ghost. She sank to the floor before looking around dejected. ”While I was unsure if you would actually catch me in the act, it would have only been a matter of time before I came to collect you. So I consider this a much better outcome. ” Michelle commented as she turned around. Penelope heard the twisted sentence, and couldn help but let out sob. ”Oh sweetheart. Don cry. Youll have full autonomy over your bank account, youll be able to withdraw cash whenever your heart desires, but Ill be able to pull funds from it and close the account if I feel like you
e plotting an escape. ” Michelle explained as she walked over to the woman. This didn bring any comfort to Penelope. Instead the woman cried