My Husband the Serial Killer

Michelle Takahashi is a 29-year-old receptionist at a doctor's office who has been married to her husband, Jeff, for two years. Jeff is 30 years old and is a mechanic at a local garage. They have no children or pets and live alone in a quiet city neighborhood.

Michelle was watching the news when the story came up about the serial killer who had been terrorizing the city the last few months and had just committed his fifth murder.

Jeff came by and sat next to his wife, and Michelle said, "Isn't this serial killer the worst thing to happen to our city in a long time?"

Jeff snickered and said, "Yeah, it is really terrible."

Michelle looked over at Jeff and said, "Are you being sarcastic?"

"No, the media is spending too much time on these killings. If the Police in charge of this case had any brains, they would be able to solve the murders."

"How can you say that?"

"Well, let's start with the FBI profile of their serial killer. The FBI says the killer is a white male, probably in his mid to late forties, and he is single and a loner who sticks to himself. The one shoe print they found at one of the murder scenes suggests the killer is over 6 feet tall and weighs around 200 pounds. The handwritten notes left behind at all the murder scenes confessing to the murders also indicate the killer is left-handed. These notes tie the killings together, as the victims and the way they were murdered are all different. The fact that no other evidence was left behind at the scenes indicates the killer is intelligent and has planned everything out in great detail. The FBI feels that the killer stalked his victims for several weeks, getting to know their habits, so they think their killer does not have a steady job as he has time to stalk his victims. That is why they believe the killer is in their mid to late forties. The killer shows maturity, something a younger killer wouldn't possess, and may not have a steady job as he has enough money to not worry about work."

"So, you don't think the FBI profile of the serial is correct?"

"No, I think a ten-year-old could develop a better profile of our killer."

"So, what is wrong with their profile?"

"Well, let's start with the killer being a white male. They put this out because most serial killers are white males, but this killer could be of any ethnicity or gender. Second, they say the killer is in his forties because he shows maturity and may not be working because he spends so much time stalking his victims. Well, I know a lot of men in their forties who are still immature, and I know many young men who are very mature. And just because he stalks his victims doesn't mean he doesn't have a job, as there are many ways to find out about your victim. They say the killer is single and is a loner. That is what they say about most serial killers. Nothing original, no deep investigation of the killer. Also, the note. The killer might have written it left-handed to throw off the Police. Perhaps he is a righty who is also ambidextrous. Don't you think it is very suspicious that the Police found one and only one shoe print at five murder scenes? Maybe the killer purposely left that shoe print, again, to throw off the Police. If he is a shorter person, say about my height at five foot eight, he could easily get a larger shoe and make the fake shoe impression to confuse the Police."

"It almost sounds as if you know who the killer is?"

Jeff smiles at his wife and said, "Don't be silly, my love." He then got up, kissed his wife on her cheek, and left the room.

Michelle thought that conversation was a bit strange and then started to think. "It did sound like Jeff knew the killer. Maybe Jeff is the killer. No, that is just crazy. I have known Jeff for over four years, and he could not be the killer. Everyone likes Jeff. All my friends, family, and the people he works with seem to like him. He doesn't get angry very often, so he doesn't seem to have the personality to be a serial killer. Look at me; I am more likely to be a serial killer, as I get angry all of the time. Of course, I always defend my anger by saying it is not good to keep your anger bottled up and you should let it out. Maybe that is Jeff's problem, he keeps his anger bottled up inside, and when it hits a certain point, he lashes out with these killings." Michelle thought about this briefly and then laughed; "Jeff cannot be the serial killer. I can't believe I actually considered it for a while."

That night Michelle struggled to fall asleep as the thought kept returning that her husband might be the serial killer.

The next day was Saturday, and Michelle had the day off, but Jeff was working as he always worked the Saturday shift at the garage.

Michelle got on her computer and started to investigate the murders. The first murder occurred on Thursday, April 20, in the afternoon, as the Police place the time of death between 1:00 and 2:00 PM. Jeff works on Thursdays but could sneak out and commit the murder as the victim lived only a few blocks from the garage. The victim was Harold Donaldson, he was 78 years old. The killer hit Mr. Donaldson in the back with an object that smashed his head. The Police never found the murder weapon, as the Police think the killer took it with him. Michelle now remembered Jeff knew the victim. Jeff complained that Mr. Donaldson was a terrible customer as he always yelled at everyone telling them they were doing a terrible job servicing his vehicle. Jeff said he once told Mr. Donaldson that if he didn't like their service, maybe he should take his vehicle to another garage. Mr. Donaldson just told Jeff to shut up and do his work. Jeff thought Mr. Donaldson was a lonely old man who liked to complain.

The second victim was a 32-year-old female named Sharon Simpson. She was killed in her home on Monday, May 22, between 1:00 and 2:00 PM. The killer grabbed Ms. Simpson from behind, threw her to the ground, and with her own scarf, choked her to death. Jeff doesn't work on Mondays, so it would be possible for Jeff to kill her. Her house was only a few miles from our house, so it wouldn't be hard for Jeff to travel to her house, kill her and then return home before I arrived. But Michelle wasn't sure if Jeff knew the second victim like he knew the first. After doing more research on the second victim, Michelle couldn't find any link between her and Jeff.

The third victim was a 45-year-old priest, Father David Wagner. Father Wagner was killed on Saturday, June 17, with the time of death between 2:00 and 3:00 AM. Was there anything special about that date? Michelle thought for a while and then remembered, "Yes, that was girl's night out as we went out for drinks, and we all stayed over at Jill's house because she lived only a couple blocks away from the bar we went to. It would be possible for Jeff to sneak out and commit the crime, but why would he murder a Catholic Priest as they weren't Catholic? Michelle then remembered Jeff talking about Father Wagner and the rumors he was having multiple affairs with married women from his church. Was this enough of a reason for Jeff to kill him? Michelle searched to see how Father Wagner was murdered and found that he was stabbed in the back. What was interesting about the killing was that after Father Wagner was murdered, the killer castrated the priest.

The fourth victim was a 46-year-old lawyer, Allan Peters. He was murdered on Tuesday, July 4, between 10:00 and 11:00 AM. The killer broke into Mr. Peter's residence and shot him four times in the back of his head. This murder was the only one committed by the serial killer that looked like a professional hit. The Police never said what type of gun was used in the murder, but Michelle knew Jeff didn't own a gun. She thought about the date, Independence Day. Michelle had joined friends for Fourth of July celebrations, but Jeff stayed home since he wasn't feeling well. They had left early in the morning, around 7:30, giving Jeff plenty of time to commit the murder.

Michelle was trying to see if there were any links between Jeff and Mr. Peters. Michelle thought the name sounded familiar, and then she remembered last year, Jeff was talking about a court case where the defendant got off because of a technicality. She remembered the defendant's lawyer was Mr. Peters and how Jeff was angry, saying everyone knew the defendant was guilty, and he wondered why a lawyer would defend such a sleaze bag.

Michelle now knew that Jeff knew about Allan Peters and that he had the motive and means to murder him.

The latest victim was Mrs. Helen Jeffreys, a 38-year-old Financial Advisor who was killed on Sunday, July 30, at her home. Mrs. Jeffreys' husband found her after he arrived home in the afternoon. The Police put the time of death between 11:00 and 12:00 noon. The victim was knocked unconscious with a blow to the back of her head. The killer then threw the victim into her swimming pool, where she drowned.

Michelle remembered Jeff laughing when he read about Mrs. Jeffreys' murder. Michelle remembered asking Jeff why he was laughing, and Jeff told her that Mrs. Jeffreys was the corrupt Financial Advisor for his friend Kevin Willis. Kevin told Jeff that he suspected she stole thousands of dollars from his account but could not prove it. Jeff said he was laughing because karma had stepped up and bit Mrs. Jeffreys in her butt.

This murder happened just last weekend, and Michelle was away to visit her friend Sheila who had just given birth to her first child. She did not return home until late on Sunday, giving Jeff the time to commit the murder.

After reviewing the five murders, it seems Jeff knew four of the victims, with only the second victim, Sharon Simpson, not having any links to him. Jeff also would have to opportunity to murder all five victims and probably wouldn't have an alibi for any of the murders. But this was all circumstantial evidence, and she had no reel proof that Jeff was involved in any of the murders. She also thought that even if Jeff could not give proof of his whereabouts on these dates, she could not explain how Jeff would know where the victims would be. How would he have the time to stalk his victims to know their routines and where they would be on these dates? She wondered if she should go to the Police with her evidence. Then she thought that would be wrong as she had no actual proof of his guilt, and it would only put Jeff under Police surveillance. And what would Jeff think if he found out that she went to the Police to inform on him?

If she couldn't go to the Police, what should she do? Michelle thought for a few seconds and then wondered, "I should confront Jeff on my suspicions. No, I can't do that, as I don't have any proof yet. I need to do some more digging to find if there is any evidence to link Jeff to the murders."

To do this, Michelle did three things. First, she secretly hid a surveillance camera in a place that could monitor any vehicle coming or going from their house. Second, she put a tracking device inside Jeff's vehicle so she would always know Jeff's whereabouts. Third, she started going through Jeff's desk, looking for anything Jeff might have written down that would link him to any of the murders or future murders.

Everything seemed in order for the first three weeks after Michelle started monitoring her husband. Jeff was only going to work or places that Michelle knew about. She started thinking this was a complete waste of time and how horrible she felt for thinking her husband could be the serial killer. But then, one day, as she was searching through Jeff's desk, she came upon a note that was crumpled up and thrown in the garbage. The note had the name Ross Kowalski and the date of Sunday, August 27. That was this Sunday, and she had told Jeff that she would visit her friend Joyce and be gone all day. Michelle wondered who is Ross Kowalski. The name didn't ring a bell, and going through Jeff's contact list, the name didn't show up. Michelle thought this might be the next victim, so she decided she would cancel her visit with Joyce and instead follow her husband that day. The tracking device installed in his vehicle would make it easy for her to follow Jeff.

On Sunday, Michelle left, making Jeff think she was going to visit Joyce, but she drove a couple of blocks away and then turned on her laptop and opened up the surveillance and tracking software. She then put on a wig to conceal her identity. At 9:30, she could see Jeff's vehicle leaving the house on the surveillance monitor. She then followed Jeff on the tracking software, making sure not to get too close to Jeff so he wouldn't suspect that anyone was following him.

Around 9:50, Jeff parked in a residential neighborhood that Michelle was not familiar with. Michelle parked about a block away and took out her binoculars, and watched Jeff as he put on a wig, fake mustache, and sunglasses. Michelle got out put on sunglasses, and started to follow Jeff, trying to make sure he did not see her but also trying to stay close enough that she would not lose him. After walking a few blocks, she could see Jeff walk up to a house. Michelle walked up behind a tree and peered around, and watched her husband. Jeff looked around to make sure no one was watching him then he rang the doorbell. Someone answered, but Michelle did not recognize the person. It seemed the person knew Jeff as he shook his hand and welcomed him in. After the door closed, Michelle rushed to the house and peeked in through the front window. She could see the two men talking, and then the unknown man turned around, and Jeff quickly stabbed him in the back. The man fell to the ground, and it looked like Jeff was going to finish him off when Michelle ran through the front door and yelled at her husband, "What are you doing? Are you crazy?"

Jeff turned around, smiled, and said, "Hi, Honey!; How are you doing?"

Michelle was stunned by Jeff's reaction. "You don't seem surprised that I am here, watching you commit this murder?"

"Why should I be surprised? I left enough clues for you to pick up on, and I know about the surveillance monitor in the front yard and the tracking device in my truck."

"You set this all up so that I will follow you. Why? Do you want me to be implicated in your killing spree?

"Well, that is not how I would put it, but you always bug me that I don't include you in my hobbies, so this might be a good hobby of mine that you could join in on."

"Are you crazy? Why would you think I would want to join in your hobby of killing people?"

"Because you always talk about how some people deserve to die, and I thought you might actually like killing these people who get what they deserve."

"Well, you thought wrong, buddy, as there is no way I will join you on your killing spree. I can't believe you are putting me in a position where I have to turn my husband into the Police for multiple murders."

"So, are you going to turn me in to the Police?"

"I don't know yet. If I said I would turn you in, you would probably kill me also."

"No, of course not. I still love you, and I would never harm you. If you want to turn me in to the Police, I won't try to stop you."

"Well, isn't that nice of you? You won't kill your wife. Instead, you will go to jail for the rest of your miserable life."

"Whatever you decide is ok with me."

Michelle said nothing for a brief moment and then said, "I guess this is Ross Kowalski?"

"Yes, this is Ross Kowalski."

"And what did he do to deserve this fate?"

"He is an old friend of mine from High School."

"This is what you do to old friends?"

"You didn't let me finish. I recently learned that Ross raped and beat up my old girlfriend from High School, Sue Richardson. At the time of her beating, she told me that she did not know who attacked her. But last month, she came to visit me. It has been years since I last saw her as she moved away after we graduated. She told me that it was Ross that beat and raped her, and he had threatened her that if she told anyone, he would kill her. That is why she broke up with me and why she had to leave town, as everyone and everything in the town reminded her of that horrific night. After years of therapy, she is just now getting over what happened to her and can now get on with her life. She wanted to let me know why she left me after graduating. So, even though I hadn't seen or spoken to Ross in years, I knew he still lived in the city, so I tracked him down and planned on killing him today."

"It looked like Ross recognized you today, even with your disguise."

"You remember seeing my high school pictures, this is what my hair looked like back then and I also wore a mustache in grade twelve. That is why Ross recognized me."

Michelle pondered what Jeff had just told her, and it began to dawn on her that maybe Ross did deserve what he just received. But then Michelle remembered the second victim. "Wait, I understand why you killed five of the six victims, but why the second victim, Sharon Simpson?"

"Oh yes, Sharon Simpson. You see, years ago, I had a friend, Carl Jackson. Sharon Simpson was his girlfriend for several years, and they even lived together for a few years. One day Sharon left him a note that she was leaving him. Carl later found out that she had maxed out his credit cards and emptied his savings, took out a massive loan from loan sharks in Carl's name. Carl had to sell his home to pay off the loan sharks and eventually declared bankruptcy. After that, Carl was a broken man and never recovered. I only found out recently that she returned to the city, and I discovered where she was living."

Michelle thought about what Jeff had just told her about Sharon, and she started to believe that maybe Ms. Simpson got what was coming to her. Michelle then asked Jeff about Mr. Donaldson. "Even if he was a cranky old man who liked to complain, did he really deserve to be killed?"

"I didn't kill Mr. Donaldson because he complained a lot. Mr. Donaldson told me he was diagnosed with terminal cancer and did not have long to live. Since his wife died several years ago and they had no children, he did not have anyone else to help him. He was thinking about suicide to end the pain, but his wife would disapprove of that since she had a strong Catholic upbringing and suicide was a sin, and if he did commit suicide, he would not be able to go to heaven to be with his wife. That is when I decided to kill Mr. Donaldson and make it as quick and painless as possible. While I was planning on how to murder Mr. Donaldson, I discovered that Sharon Simpson had returned, so that is when I decided to become a serial killer. That is also why I started shaving my head. I told you that I wanted to shave my head since I had been losing hair since I graduated high school, and it wouldn't be long before it was all gone and since I was turning thirty this year, it would be a good time to shave it all off. The actual reason why I wanted to shave my head was it would be easier to be a killer, as I would not be leaving any hair at the crime scenes, and I could easily wear wigs to help hide my identity."

"What about Father Wagner? Killing him because of rumors of having affairs with married women seems a bit harsh without any proof?"

"I did have proof, well enough proof for me. One day Mr. Arnold was talking to my boss, Mr. Langdon, and he was confessing that his married daughter, Jessica, confided in him that she was having an affair with Father Wagner. He told her she had to end the affair, but Jessica said she couldn't because if she did, he would make sure she would never be allowed to enter heaven and would have to spend eternity in hell. He tried to explain to her that Father Wagner had no say in who gets into heaven, but she would not believe him. Mr. Arnold did not know what to do, so I decided I would solve his problem myself."

"The Police also said the killer is left-handed because the notes were written left-handed. I didn't know you were ambidextrous?"

"Yes, I guess I never told you I am ambidextrous, I could do most things with either hand, but I usually just use my right hand."

"How did you find the time to stalk your victims?"

"I didn't stalk my victims as I used hidden surveillance cameras similar to the one you used. So I could just sit back and watch my victims' routines, and I would always know when they were home. After committing the murders, I would remove the cameras so that the Police wouldn't find them. I also followed most of my victims on Facebook. It is amazing how much information people give out online."

"One more question, when did you devise this plan to get me involved with your killing spree?"

"It was after the second murder of Sharon Simpson. After this murder, I discovered that I was actually good at this, and maybe more importantly, I liked doing it. The thrill and adrenaline you get from killing someone is quite tremendous. It was then that I started thinking I should include you in my hobby, so that is when I started leaving you clues."

"But why did you think I would want to join your killing spree?"

"I think I know you well enough that you would eventually want to join in. Right now, you think this is a horrific act I just committed, but after you think about it for a while, you will discover that you were actually getting a thrill out of watching me commit the act."

"How did you know I was following you today?"

"I used the same method you used; I hid a tracking device in your vehicle. See how we both think alike; I think we would make a great team as serial killers."

"Ok, one final question. Why did you leave the notes?"

"I wanted the Police to know that the murders were connected, and the notes seemed like a good idea. Something the Police never mentioned to the press is that I signed all the notes with a 'Z'. I did that to throw the Police off. They probably think the killer's first, last or middle name starts with a 'Z', or maybe it is a nickname, or perhaps the killer is a fan of Zorro. The Police has wasted a lot of time trying to figure out who is 'Z'."

At this moment, Ross started moving and was trying to get up, as Jeff did not finish him before Michelle interrupted the attempted murder. Before Jeff could react, Michelle grabbed the knife from Jeff's hand and stabbed Ross in the back several times. After she stopped stabbing Ross, she was breathing heavily. Jeff grabbed the knife from his wife's hand and helped her up. "How do you feel now that you joined the club?"

"Listen, bud, the only reason I finished off Ross was because I didn't want you going to prison for the rest of your life."

"So you are not going to turn me in to the Police?"

"No, I am not going to turn you in because, one, I still love you, and two, you are right; all these people got what they deserved. So what do we do now?"

"You go home, but I want you to remove your disguises before you get home. If any of our neighbors spot you, I want them to recognize who you are. Once you get home, take all your disguises inside, as we will later dispose of them."

"What are you going to do?"

"I will clean up this place to ensure we didn't leave any forensic evidence behind."

"Are you going to leave a note like the other murders?"

"No, this one is a bit messy, so I will make it look like a break-in gone bad. I will steal his wallet and leave a fake shoe impression in the blood. It will be smaller than the serial killers' but bigger than ours."

"Ok, I will see you back home." Michelle kisses her husband and then leaves.

"Make sure you look outside before you leave to ensure no one is watching."

Michelle nods and looks outside the window, then leaves.

Later when Jeff returns home, Michelle greets her husband at the front door. "How did it go?"

"It's all good, as I made sure we left no evidence behind except for the fake shoe impressions, so the Police will not have any leads. And how do you feel after participating in one of my murders?"

"Surprisingly, I feel invigorated after participating. Just like you said, I would."

"So, are you considering joining me in my hobby?"

Michelle thinks briefly and then says, "Yes, maybe, but would I get a say on who we kill?"

"Of course, we will be a team, so we will together pick our target and decide how the victim will die."

"Are we going to continue using the murder notes to link any new murders to the older ones?"

"No, I think this serial killer has finished his murder spree. We will wait a few months before we start up again."

"Why do we have to wait a few months?"

"Because, my dear, this last murder was quite messy as you are just a rookie at being a killer. I need to teach you some lessons I learned so that once we start up again, we don't leave any clues that could get us caught."

"Ok, my love, when do I start my lessons?"

"We will start tomorrow; I want to make love to a killer right now." Jeff grabbed his wife's hand and lead her to their bedroom.