One day, two deputies in the Sheriff’s Office were sent to a farmhouse to answer an emergency call.
When they walked into the farmhouse, a quick search revealed the nude bodies of a man and a woman in the bedroom. They had been shot to death.
When they went to the living room, they found the body of another man with a gun at his side.
“There is no doubt about it”, one deputy said to the other, “this was a double murder and suicide”.
The second deputy asked him, “what makes you think that?”
“Well”, the first deputy replied, “this guy came home and found his wife in bed with somebody else and shot them both. Then he shot himself”.
“I think you are right”, the second deputy replied. “Double murder and suicide. But I’ll bet you when the sheriff gets here, he’s going to say ‘it could have been worse'”.
“No way. How could it be worse?”, the first deputy said. “There are three people in the house and all of them have been shot to death. It couldn’t be worse. You’re on”.
A few minutes later, the sheriff arrived at the scene.
He walked into the bedroom and saw the two nude bodies. He then walked into the living room and saw the man on the floor with the gun by his side.
“No doubt about it”, the sheriff said, shaking his head. “It was a double murder and suicide. This guy came home and found his wife in bed with somebody else and shot them both. Then he shot himself”.
After hesitating for a moment, the old sheriff looked his deputies squarely in the eyes. “But, you know”, he said, “it could have been worse”.
The deputy who had lost the bet jumped up and shouted, “Sheriff, how could it have been worse? There are three people in this farmhouse and all three of them are dead. It couldn’t have been worse?”
“Yes it could”, the sheriff replied. “You see that guy there on the floor? If her husband had come home yesterday, that would be me there in that bed!”
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