Chapter 57

Some people weren’t cut out for marriage.

He watched them come out. Fighting again. It was obvious from their posture. She said something, and he was close enough to see the man roll his eyes. A sure sign of a marriage in trouble. He knew he’d chosen well, as well as he always did.

Things usually fell into place very nicely. Last time, when he thought he might have to let them go, the man’s mother arrived, and he saw the bond between her and the boy. A simple phone call pretending to seek employment and inquiring about benefits confirmed the amount of life insurance. For the Philadelphia couple, the woman fortuitously mentioned their high policies while trying to placate her husband about a lottery ticket.

This time, things were going so well he knew his path was right. No one would dispute that they were an unhappy couple. He knew she had insurance, enough insurance. He had heard them talking.

The apartment building would pose no problem. The front door was propped open now, as it had been the time before when he’d come by. People came and went at all hours, people of various ages. If he wore a white doctor’s coat or bright blue scrubs, as so many of these doctors did despite being outside the hospital, he would blend right in.

He had to decide exactly what to do. He was itching to use a hammer. Helen would die and Scott would be blamed. The spouse was always blamed.

He was anxious to get started, but a second killing in the city might not go undetected. He was a patient man. This one was important. He had to plan carefully.