Chapter 3

"Arthur, you left your family at the guesthouse just to sneak out and have fun with me, aren't you worried your wife will get jealous?"

"That old hag? All she does is stay home washing and cleaning. Her body's gone completely out of shape–just looking at her makes me sick."

"And after having a kid? She's loose as hell. Nothing like you."

After a series of damp, intimate sounds, the woman's voice rang out again.

"But, that old man's corpse in the trunk smells awful. We're not actually going to do it in front of him, are we? That's kind of terrifying."

"You're such a pain. I'll get rid of it."

The recording cut off abruptly.

The car pulled over to the roadside. Someone got out, opened the trunk, took something out, and tossed it into a forest crowded with passersby.

That figure was unmistakably me.

My chest tightened.

I did not even leave the house yet. The car keys were with me the whole time and yet the dashcam clearly showed my face.

It was impossible.

Hannah stood outside the car, unable to see the footage, her voice tense with worry.

"Officer, what's going on? Did you find anything?"

The police looked at her with sympathy–then suddenly forced me to the ground.

"With a wife like that, and you still commit something so vile? You disgust me."

My five-year-old daughter saw me pinned down and burst into terrified sobs.

"Let go of my daddy!

"Mom went all the way to town today just to buy altitude medicine for him–he's already sick, why are you still bullying him?!"

My mind went blank.

I looked up at Hannah.

For this trip, we activated the facial recognition system on our SUV. Only she and I could start the car.

Before we left, we had a huge argument over the destination.

With both elders and a child traveling with us, I wanted somewhere bigger–somewhere with proper facilities. But she insisted on this remote location.

She said she sacrificed too much for this family, and this time, she wanted to fulfill her long-held dream of seeing the snowy mountains.

I could not win the argument.

After calming down, I did feel guilty for how much she gave up at home, so I agreed.

The entire journey, I tried to make it up to her–doing everything I could to smooth things over after that fight.

However, now,

If I never left the house, and she went into town, and in my previous life, she remained completely uninvolved–

Then the truth was becoming painfully obvious.

I lifted my head and said, "Officer, I think I know who the real killer is."