If Vivian was right about the kidnappers being abusive with Maude.
The police and the Harmons had left, it was finally time to go to sleep and put the day behind them. Walter and Maude retired to the bedroom. They entered in silence. The couple sat back to back on their respective sides of the bed in order to engage in their separate nightly rituals of readying for bed. Maude was down to her slip, Arthur stood to use the bathroom, he turned to his wife "Mau- Maude!" his wife's shoulders and back were covered in bruises. She pulled the dressing gown up over her shoulders and stood.
"Nothing Walter" She moved past him to the bathroom
"Now Maude"- the door closed in his face and the plumbing burst to life, leaving Walter stood in his Jammies.
The next morning Walter woke to any empty bed, the coolness of the bed hinted at the time between Maude leaving and Walter rising. He picked up his robe, and proceeded down the stairs where he found his spouse on the chair that sat in the empty space that used to contain their couch. She was staring at the blank wall. She seemed to be laughing to herself, he saw her shoulders shake, "Maude?" she seemed not to hear him, placed her hand over her mouth and laughed more. As he got closer he realised she wasn't giggling, she was shaking with silent manic laughter – her eyes seemed unable to focus on anything. She looked, well, crazy. He moved to the front of the chair "Maude? Maude honey what's wrong?" She moved her unfocused gaze to the balding man
"Shut up bitch!" she laughed harder
"Maude?" Walter was confused.
"Take this slut, you enjoy it don't you whore?" she was laughing manically at this stage and reached for her husband before beginning to sob, the surprised fifty year old man caught his wife as she launched forward out of her chair, he soothed her back as he shoulders quaked with loud sobs. He heard footsteps on the landing, footsteps which fell on deaf ears that belonged to Maude. He looked up to see Carol standing on the middle step.
"M-" Walter shook his head she remained staring silently at the crumpled image that was once her strong mother. He waved her away with his hand, she gave one last glance at the sobbing woman and turned up the stairs. "I didn't want it you know" mumbled the broken woman from his shoulder. He leaned back to see her face, she burrowed into the crook of his neck.
"Maude?" she mumbled again, he had to lean back once more to hear her, "What was that honey?"
"I didn't cheat on you, I didn't want to, they made me, Oh Walter!" Walter stared in shock ahead of him as his wife's admission finally sunk into his brain. And has his wife's hysterical sobbing picked up speed again, his eyes turned dark and a dangerous plan formed in his mind.