As John left the house and slammed the screen door he already regretted what he had said. He knew it could come back to haunt him. He got in the car and spun the tires backing out of the driveway to the house. As he did this he repeated through gritted teeth again, "I AM going to kill that bitch.... Linda wants to take my house so bad... We'll see."
As he sped up the interstate toward Bellevue he determined once and for all to do what had been in his mind everyday since she had first told him she wanted him out. He convinced himself it was better to act fast before it was common knowledge that they were separating. He took the off ramp where he had earlier spotted the Rite Aid drugstore.
He entered the drugstore and walked up an isle until he found some rubber gloves, heavy ones for cleaning. He also bought a box of latex gloves, some hand sanitizer, wet wipes, some sandwich bags and a pack of chewing gum. On the way to the counter he grabbed a 3 pack of Trojans and set them on the counter with his items. He paid for his items and walked out.
This was the last thing he wanted to do but thought it was a minor act compared to loosing everything he had built over the last 15 years. He sat back in the driver's seat and started his car and pulled across the parking lot and back to the road heading toward the interstate.
As he pointed his car back down the interstate toward Bartonville he was increasingly more uncomfortable with his plan. As he reached Bartonville he exited the interstate but instead of returning to his house, he turned right. Traveling away from his house he headed into Peoria where he knew he would find the Sweetnam hardware store.
Pulling in and parking he hurriedly walked in and located the large rolls of multicolored cordage. He looked through the different types and sizes of synthetic cord. He felt them and decided they where too course and would leave distinct lines on her skin so he found instead a length of cotton rope for clothesline. He was convinced this would leave a less traceable pattern. He also grabbed a hammer and a roll of duct tape.
He paid for his items and returned to his car. He knew before starting his car this was the moment of truth. Was he seriously going to go through with this? He started the car and idled across the large parking lot but instead of Adams Street he turned the car hard and parked in the rear of a building and shut the motor off. He looked up at the store in front of him. The neon sign read "Brown Bag Video". He exhaled as he exited the car and walked up to the door.
As he opened the door a loud bell clanged and he stepped in overting his eyes from the tattooed couple at the counter looking at marijuana paraphernalia. He went immediately to the backroom when he realized he had forgot his gloves and condoms. So he turned around and walked back out passed the couple. As he returned to his car he considered leaving and finding another store but he talked himself out of it. He grabbed a couple pair of gloves, the hand sanitizer and the box of Trojans and reentered the store.
The bell clanged loudly once again but the couple didn't seem to notice. As he walked by them this time he noticed the overpowering smell of bleach that permeated the store. He was immediately repulsed and a young guy came out of the darkened door to the backroom and smiled and said, "Welcome to the Brown Bag" John did not reply but kept his head down and quickly walked passed him and into the darkened room.
Walking toward the sound of a loudly moaning women coming from some busted speaker in the darkness, his eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room. He saw a row of small plywood doors painted black. One door had a bright red light above it indicating this booth was occupied. He randomly opened one of the doors and did not find what he was searching for.
He went down the row opening doors until he found the one with a hole connecting it to the booth beside it. He went in and closed the door latching it. He could make out bits of toilet paper on the floor as he pulled out a pair of latex gloves and slipped them on. He heard the bell on the door clang loudly as the moaning of the woman steadily increased.
He wasn't sure if someone had entered the shop or the tattooed couple had left so he opened the latch and peaked out. He saw a middle aged man enter the darkened room as their eyes met. He quickly shut the door and fumbled in his pocket for some quarters. As he slid the quarters into the slot he heard the door next to his booth open and close with a thud, the video screen jumped to life with the familiar sounding moaning.
John heard quarter's being fed into the video machine next to him and he could see the man's trousers loosen through the gloryhole as the man unzipped his pants. John now took out the box of condoms from his pocket and opened them. Before he could put the box back in his pocket a semi flaccid penis came protruding from the gloryhole.
John reached down and stroked the penis fully erected and opened a condom and slid it over. Stroking with one hand he grabbed a pinch of public hair with the other and pulled several from the man. He quickly opened the sandwich baggie he had with him and placed the few curly pubic hairs in the bag and continued stroking the anonymous penis. In only a matter of moments he felt the man ejaculate into the condom and he quickly removed the condom and put it in the bag with the pubic hairs. He closed the bag and put it in his pocket, removed the latex gloves dropping them on the booth floor and quickly left.
As he left the store he didn't notice the loud clanging this time. He got back in his car and opened the hand sanitizer and squirted a large amount into his hand. As he quickly worked it around he couldn't believe how easy it was to steal this man's identity. He started the car and pulled back onto Adam's pointing toward Bartonville this time.
He drove straight home and parked the car in the driveway in front of the house. He put the clothesline and rubber gloves in his jacket pocket. As he exited the car he looked around and slid the hammer handle first into the back of his pants, covering it with his shirt. He checked to make sure the sandwich baggie was still in his pocket as he approached the door.
He rang the doorbell and the door immediately opened and the cold dead face of his wife stood there scowling. "What do you want?" more demanding than questioning. He hadn't thought about what to say and he said the first thing that popped into his mind, "I can't find my work shirt. I think its in the basement." She swung the door open and said, "Get it and get the fuck out."
He walked past her and toward the basement door. Linda didn't say another word as she stopped at the kitchen sink and picked up a glass and started filling it from the faucet. John quickly turned toward her and pulled the hammer out. As he swung the hammer at her head Linda saw John's reflection in the window and moved out of the way in time. She threw the glass of water at John missing and shattering it against the wall. Linda turned toward the door and started to scream when John swung the hammer hard against the back of her head. She fell to the floor and struggled to get up but John brought the hammer down once more incapacitating her.
John's heart was pounding as he pulled out the rubber gloves and put them on. He took out the clothesline and unraveled enough to wrap around Linda's neck. He pulled it as tight as he could and watched Linda's body heave as she unconsciously struggled to breath. He grabbed her pants and pulled them down around one ankle. He grabbed her panties and tore them off. Casting them aside he pulled out a condom and slid it over the handle of the hammer. John spread her legs and violently forced the hammer handle into her. As he worked the handle around inside her he noticed her body stopped struggling for air. He worked the hammer around a little more to make sure she was opened up and he removed the hammer handle from her lifeless body.
He then removed the sandwich baggie and opened it. He took the wet crumpled up used condom out and placed it against the end of the hammer handle and forced it into Linda's lifeless body. When he pulled the hammer out this time the used condom had disappeared inside her. He fished out the remaining pubic hairs and put them on Linda's body where he thought they would be easily located.
He removed one of the rubber gloves and checked her pulse to make sure the job was done. He unwound the rope and along with the gloves, put them in the baggie. He tossed the baggie and hammer with the condom on it in the trashcan. Then Removed the trash bag, tied it off and relined the can.
He then opened the fridge and made a bologna sandwich. He casually walked out of the house eating his sandwich and dropped the trash bag in the trashcan and wheeled it to the curb for this evenings trash pick up. He smiled and exchanged waves at the neighbor doing the same thing. As he left the complex he passed the garbage truck pulling in. He gave a wave and said to himself, "Right on time."