I pulled back the curtain and watched my husband’s sedan pull out of the driveway. It was go time.

I threw open the flaps of the Amazon box. The blowtorch looked especially fun. But if I was being honest, I didn’t know what to do with it. I didn’t really know what to do with any of the items unless I was at close range. Which wasn’t an option. I knew from experience that I couldn’t overpower him.

Even though Ben didn’t approve of my plan, he was the one that had come up with it. He’d be able to help. I shot him a text letting him know that my husband was gone.

There was one other person that could help me. The little boy from Home Alone. And it would be nice to see how everything worked out for him. Because I was pretty sure I’d need a little luck on my side.

I dragged my box of equipment into the family room, put everything on the coffee table, and pulled up the movie On Demand. A light study session was just what I needed. It had been years since I was I college, but I was pretty sure I still knew how to take notes.

 

***

 

“Why are you watching Home Alone?”

My notebook fell out of my hands at the sound of Ben’s voice. “What the hell, Ben? How did you get into my house?”

“You gave me a key, remember?” He sat down on the couch beside me.

“No, I don’t remember giving you a key.” I didn’t really care that he had one though. I was just upset that he had nearly given me a heart attack.

“Well, maybe I just picked the lock.”

My breath caught in my throat. Crap. He knew. I had been so consumed by my scheming that I'd forgotten about what I'd done. “Ben, I’m so sorry. But your basement door was the only thing that was locked. Obviously that’s not an excuse. At all. But I couldn’t not try to get in. I…”

“Addy, it’s fine. You told me your secret. It’s only fair that you know mine.”

“Right.” I didn’t know his secret, though. I hadn’t successfully broken into his basement. But he didn’t know that I didn’t know his secret. And I was dying to know what it was.

He had a strange expression on his face. Curiosity maybe. It’s like he was waiting for something.

A chill ran down my back. What if me “knowing” was a bad thing? What if he was here to kill me? I was about to tell him the truth, when he started to speak.

“We definitely need to talk about all this,” he said and gestured to the stuff on the coffee table. “And about how there’s tons of boxes packed up in the kitchen. But I think we should address the elephant in the room first. Addy, I’m so, so sorry.”

“Well…you should be sorry.” Possibly? “Thank you for apologizing.”

He lowered his eyebrows. “Addy, you overreact to everything. How are you not upset with me right now? And how have you played it so cool for the last few days? I didn’t even know that you knew until this morning.” He pulled out the broken bobby pin from his pocket and tossed it next to the staple gun on the coffee table.

I was supposed to be upset? What the hell was his secret? “Of course I was upset…at first. I mean, you lied to me about…” What? Or had he lied at all? What was I even saying? “About everything,” I said. Maybe?

“Not everything.” He grabbed my hand in his. “I never lied about us. My feelings for you are real.”

My heart was racing uncontrollably. He was lying about something, but not his feelings. Who cared about the rest? I had been lying to him the whole time too. Sometimes there was bliss in lies. We could still be happy. We could still have a future.

“I wasn’t supposed to get involved with you, obviously.”

Obviously. No sane person would. But I still had no idea what he was getting at here. And I wasn’t sure I even wanted to know. “Ben, it’s fine. I forgive you.” I patted his knee. “Let’s watch the rest of the movie. Actually, let me rewind it.” I grabbed the remote off the coffee table. “I don’t want to miss anything important.” I leaned my head against his shoulder.

“It’s fine? None of this is fine.” He shifted away from me. “I should have figured it out by now. Before he was able to do this to you.” He touched the side of my face.

“What does this have to do with him?”

He just stared at me. “Everything.”

It was as vague as my answer about what he lied about. “Ben, I asked you not to look into him. That it was dangerous. What are you doing? You’re going to get us both killed.”

“I’m doing my job. I’m trying to crack this case before he strikes again.”

His words settled around me. Maybe he was the insane one. “You’re a landscaper, Ben.”

He laughed. But his laugh quickly died away when he saw my face. “Did you not see my basement?”

“Not exactly. The bobby pin snapped. My phone was missing so I couldn’t look up how to pick a lock. So I was kinda just guessing how to do it. And I couldn’t figure it out. I never got down there.”

“You just…” He ran his hand down his face. “You just flipped me.”

“Sure?”

“You flipped me without even realizing it.” He leaned back. “Jesus, Addy. You should be freaking CIA.”

I laughed. “Or maybe you’re just terrible at your job. Whatever that is. Look, Ben, I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but it’s probably best if I don’t know. Right? And I have a really busy day. So let’s just watch this movie and then get the house set up…”

“Addy we’re not Home Alone-ing your husband. I have a few days left to get the evidence I need. He’s planning on a move right? I saw the boxes.”

“But, Ben, I have it handled.” I pointed to the movie. “I was hoping you could help me set up a few things, but I have the general idea. He’s not going anywhere. He’ll be dead by Wednesday night.”

“Addy, you don’t understand. Your husband is a very dangerous man.”

“You think I don’t know that?” My eyes had welled up with tears. I quickly blinked them away. “Ben, I know that better than anyone.”

“This is bigger than you. I’m not trying to diminish what he’s put you through. I want to kill him myself. But, Addy, it’s bigger.”

“It’s not. He’s an insurance collector. He…”

“Do you really think that’s true? That’s not even a real job title.” He pulled out his phone and typed something on it. “This is your husband.” He handed me his phone.

He had pulled up an article. About a serial killer that they had dubbed “The Doctor.” I didn’t need to read it. I got the gist from the headline.

“Don’t you have anything to say?” Ben asked.

“You think this doctor fellow is my husband?”

“Yes. I’m 99 percent sure it’s him.”

“What a ridiculous name,” I said with a laugh. “My husband is too stupid to be a doctor. He barely got his bachelor’s degree.”

“That’s all you have to say? Addy, this is serious.” He tapped his phone. “He’s killed over 20 people and left zero evidence. The man’s a freaking ghost. He’s untraceable. A tiny breadcrumb led me here, but I have nothing. And we’re running out of time. He’s about to disappear. Again.”

“And who are you, Ben Jones?”

“I’ll tell you everything if you promise to help me.” He put his hand out for me to shake.

I knew my husband was a killer. I had seen it with my own eyes. And I knew exactly what he did as an insurance collector. I wasn’t sure I could help Ben become 100 percent positive though. There wasn’t any evidence in our house or on his computer. I had looked. Of course I had looked.

But the safe. I didn’t know what was in the safe. Maybe Ben could break into it. It could have what he was missing.

“If I help you, he’ll go to prison?” I asked.

"Yes. And not just for a few years for domestic violence. For life. And depending on the laws of the places where he did the murders, he could get the chair, Addy.”

I looked at the items on the coffee table. That plan seemed complicated. This new plan seemed easy. I could just sit back and relax while Ben broke into the safe. I liked uncomplicated things.

“You’ll answer any questions I have?”

“Yes.” He lifted his hand again.

This time I didn’t hesitate to shake it. I had just freed up my next two days to finish packing.