The Perfect Plan
*2 Years Later*
Chapter 1: Amy
They say life has a funny way of working itself out. I would tend to agree. My life has never been better. You would think since the "incident" two years ago that my relationship with Nick would be rocky; some might even say "trust issues." But, quite the opposite is true. In fact, Nick and I have never been better.
It didn't take long for Nick and the rest of the world to realize that I was not pregnant. I know, I could have staged it to make it look like I was in fact pregnant. I don't want to get into all the boring details, but lets just say there was a child on… hold for me. But, the only reason I told Nick I was pregnant was to get him to say around. He may be able to leave me, but he would never be able to live with himself if he left behind his child. The truth is, Nick and I were doing so well three months into the pregnancy that I decided we did not need the stress of a new born. And, since Nick was going to stay for me with or without a baby it could not be more perfect.
So, me, Amazing Amy, announced her miscarriage first to her loving husband, who was absolutely heartbroken. He rubbed my back as we fell asleep the night and I fell asleep to the sounds for him crying. What a fool. But, my fool anyway. Then, I announced my miscarriage to the world. They loved it. "Oh, you poor thing" they said. "You've been through so much," "not a survivor- a warrior" they all said.
Now, over two years after announcing my miscarriage, Nick and I have fallen into a peaceful routine. We wake up at eight o'clock every morning and eat breakfast together. Then, he goes to work. That whore Andie is no longer apart of his life. Thank god, Nick is smarter than to do that again. I follow Nick nearly everywhere he goes to make sure that she isn't with him. I am always watching. Thankfully my husband now knows that.
My life is good; my marriage is good. Nick and I are happy. Everything works out exactly how it is supposed to; at least it does for me anyway.
Chapter 2: Nick
My wife is a crazy bitch. I do have to say, Amy's first plan was very well executed, flawless in fact. She thought of everything… Well, you know what they say. The only way to beat crazy is to be crazy yourself…
Amy thinks she had the perfect plan. A plan that brought us together again, got rid of Andie and gave her the fame to take her out of Amazing Amy's shadow. Little does she know, her plan was good but mine will be better. Two years is a lot of time to wait for the perfect time to get revenge. But, this has to be perfect.
It didn't take me long figure out that Amy wasn't pregnant. At first, there was no evidence to prove Amy was not pregnant, but I knew better than to just take her word for it. Once I caught one clue, the rest just kept coming. For as well as she planned her abduction you would think she would be better at about faking a pregnancy. It started one night when I left the bar early. There were hardly any costumers that night and Margo insisted that I go home to get some sleep. When I got home, the sound of the door shutting caused Amy to jump out of her chair and run to put something away. I took my time taking off my shoes and hanging my jacket to give her enough time to hide whatever she wanted to hide. I was a loving husband who was not trying to catch my perfect wife in an act. When I walked into the kitchen I found Amy sitting at the table reading a magazine.
"Hi, darling," I said.
"You're home early. What a wonderful surprise!"
I leaned down to kiss her. I have been doing that a lot. Lots of hugging, lots of kissing. For two reasons: to give the impression that I love her and she was forgiven and to get close enough to pick up on clues to her lie. That was my first clue, her lips tasted of red wine and I could smell it on her breath. As evil as Amy was I knew that she would never harm our child; she would never drink if she actually was pregnant.
After that first clue, the rest came painlessly. The first check up with her doctor happened to fall
on a day that it was impossible for me to get off work. Another time Amy wanted "to surprise me" by not telling me about a check up but coming home with an ultrasound. When I asked her when her next check up was she answered a vague "In three weeks. It is the doctor my mom recommended, Dr. Lee, so I'm sure my mom will come with me again." I took the liberty upon myself to call the doctors office to ask when my lovely wife's next appointment was.
An older woman with a warm voice answered the phone. "Hello? Doctor Lee's office, how may I help you?"
"Hello, my name is Nick Dunne. My wife, Amy, seemed to misplace her appointment slip. I know her next appointment is in three weeks at your office, but we completely forgot the exact date. Would you please look it up for me so I can write it down in my calendar?" I said in my most gentlemanly voice.
"Nick Dunne? As in Amy and Nick Dunne? From the news?" this happened a lot ever since Amy's disappearance. "I'm sorry, Mr. Dunn. I am afraid you have the wrong number, your wife is not a patient here, I would remember."
"Oh I'm sorry for wasting your time," I couldn't help but smile. "Thank you so much anyway."
"Oh no problem at all, son. And good luck to you and your wife! Congratulations! I cannot think of two people who deserve this more."
I hung up without saying goodbye.
"You're sure it was the right doctor's office?" Margo asked me the next day at the bar.
"Yes, positive. I even called her mom to get the phone number."
"A fake pregnancy… Well, I'm not at all surprised." Go shook her head in disgust.
Within a month, Amy sat across the table from me, held my hand and told me that we had lost the baby. That night I lay in bed and rubbed Amy's back. 'Keep your friends close, your enemies closer' was the line that kept replaying in my brain. What kind of a person lies about being pregnant and then fakes a miscarriage? My wife…
That night I cried myself to sleep. Not because my wife had a fake miscarriage. But, instead because my wife was the kind of person who would fake a miscarriage. How did my life come to this?
Chapter 3: Nick
It was around the time that I found out that I was never going to be a dad that I realized that Amy needed to die. I spent the next month planning the perfect murder. There were no repercussions for Amy's actions against me, and there were going to be none against me for my revenge. They say that you become most like the three people you spend the most time with, so lucky for me marrying Amy did have its perks. When you spend time with someone that insane, it is easier for you to channel your inner crazy.
The next month was spent sitting in my office in the bar planning. Go would bring me water and food, she would be there to read my ideas, help me build them to perfection. At first, I was afraid to tell Go, I wondered what she would think of me. But, it didn't take long for me to remember that Go hated Amy even more than I did, if that was even possible.
Within a few weeks we had the perfect plan. But, it could not be executed right then in there. No, that would be greedy. Instead we took slow steps in the right direction.
Chapter 4: Nick
I walked into the kitchen at the back of the bar and immediately though of the irony, how it was Amy's idea to put a kitchen in the bar in the first place. "People can drink more and stay longer if they are eating" she would say. Who would have known that the place Amy created would be the same place that killed her? I smiled to myself with satisfaction.
The plan was set in place on a beautiful Tuesday night nearly thirteen months ago. I went into the kitchen behind the bar and turned the gas valve on the oven ever so slightly. I would make millimeter turns to the knob every other day, so not even the kitchen staff would realize the extra gas. One day, about a month after my first turn, my chef, Pete, peaked his head into my office.
"Nick, I think something might be broken in the oven. It is getting too hot too fast. I don't think it is a big deal, I'll just turn the temperature down a few degrees… just thought I should let you know."
"Thanks, buddy. I'll make sure I take a look at it," I said and couldn't help but smile.
That night I called a mechanic to come look at the stove. A few days later he came to the bar to look at the problem.
When he turned on the oven he said "Oh yeah, it seems your gas valve is loose. There is a lot of gas coming out at once." Within fifteen minutes he had pulled out the oven, tightened the gas valve and pushed the oven back into place.
"Well, that was easy. You guys should be all set," the mechanic said standing up.
"Thank you so much for coming," I said walking him out.
Chapter 5: Nick
About two weeks later I went back into the kitchen and shut off the gas line behind the oven. Even with the oven on, no gas was going into the oven. This time Pete came running into my office.
"Boss, the damn oven won't get hot. I've tried everything. It turns on, but nothing happens. We are opening soon. I need to start cooking." The oven weighed nearly three hundred pounds, I had to use a lever and cart to move it, and only Go knew that I had them. I knew that Pete couldn't check the mechanics of it, even if he wanted to.
"What the hell?" I said storming off to the kitchen. That day Go and I played the distressed bar managers perfectly. I scheduled the mechanic for seven the next morning and told my kitchen staff it was the absolute earliest I could get an appointment. So, that night, we closed the bar and all headed home. Margo and I stayed at the bar and after everyone left, we fixed the gas line.
At one point I saw Amy's car drive past the bar from the window, by now I recognized her license plate. 'Good, he is still there. Dead night at the bar. I'll have to be careful, he might be home early,' She must have thought to herself as she saw the empty parking lot.
Go followed my eyes out the window to Amy's car, "She still stalks you? Ugh, that psycho bitch needs a hobby. If only she knew what we were doing in here… she would probably wish you were still sleeping with Andie," she laughed.
I hit my sister's arm laughing.
Within the next months the oven had had every problem you could think of involving the gas valve. Too much gas, too little gas. The mechanics were all getting frustrated because they could not seem to fix the problem. Something was always wrong. No matter what they tried.
One day a mechanic, Joe, who had come in several times before said, "You know what? I know they are expensive, but I think its time you buy a new oven. Gas lines are not things you should mess with… They're dangerous, man…"
I agreed with Joe and promised I would buy a new oven. And I did.
Chapter 6: Nick
That night Margo and I sat in my office drinking whiskey from the bottle.
"I can't believe that this is it," she whispered.
"Go, I don't know if I can do it… We have worked so hard on this place," I said looking around my office. We both took a minute to take in the place where we had spent all of our money and time. The place we owed everything to. "Is getting rid of Amy really worth getting rid of all of this?"
"Nicholas Benjamin!" Go snapped. She was the only one in the world who called me by my middle name. "Of course it is. I am so sick of you letting her control you. She can't keep getting away with treating people like her puppets. You have let her ruin your life. Now, you are taking your life back. We can make it without this bar. Hell, we can make another bar. You can't keep living with her ruining you. We are doing this. You are going to burn Amy at the stake like the witch she is. You are going to get your revenge."
I nodded. Go was right, she was always right. This bar was only a place. Amy was not going to win; she was not going to make me into her puppet.
That night Go and I joked and laughed in the place we had built. It was the perfect way to spend our last night.
Chapter 7: Nick
I woke up to the sound of my alarm. 8 am.
"Happy anniversary," I whispered in Amy's ear kissing her cheek. Her eyes opened with a smile on her face.
"Good morning. Happy anniversary," she said softly.
That morning we ate breakfast together like every morning. We smiled at each other from across the table and read the paper. "Don't forget, I have a surprise for you tonight. I'm closing the bar early so we will have it all to ourselves. I'll see you there at eight for dinner?" I said when it was time for me to go to work.
"I am so excited to see what you have out together for me! Yes, I will see you at 8," Amy replied smiling. I kissed her forehead and left for work.
Chapter 8: Amy
I know I said that my marriage was perfect. And it is… It's just… Maybe it's too perfect. I'm getting bored just siting around the house. The most excitement I have in my days is when Nick parks his car in a different spot at the bar, or a different section at the grocery store. I live for those seconds of heart racing satisfaction of the possibility of catching Nick in an act. How has my life become this? Sitting in boredom.
Maybe it was the history of our anniversary that got me thinking. But, enough is enough. It has been too long since I've been the real Amy. By the time I'm done with him, Nick won't know what hit him… again.
Chapter 9: Nick
When I got to work I logged onto my email. The first email that popped up read 'Your item has shipped it should arrive in 2-3 business days.' Everything was working out, exactly how I planned.
I sat in my office for most of the afternoon thinking about exactly two years ago, today. How Amy staged me for her murder. How that day two years ago ruined my life, ruined me. Eventually Go walked into my office interrupting my thoughts. "Are you ready? Today is the day? How do you feel?"
"I'm ready. Everything is perfect."
Margo smiled. "I'm proud of you. Do you know that? Most sisters wouldn't be proud of their brothers who were about to commit murder. But, I am. You are finally sticking up for yourself. I am so proud. You should be to."
At 5:30 I said goodnight to the staff as everyone headed home for the night. As Go was leaving I gave her a hug. She was the reason I was so strong. "I'll see you tomorrow," I told her smiling. Once everyone had left I went into the kitchen and turned the gas valve on my oven, that was actually working perfectly fine, on. And headed out to pick up carry out. Amy would think she was getting a home cooked meal, but I could not cook in that kitchen. Plus, this was easier.
By seven o'clock the bar looked perfect, there were lights hanging from the ceiling, Amy's favorite meal sitting on a candle lit table, jazz music playing over the speakers. Everything was perfect. Amy walked into the bar looking beautiful. Her eyes light up as she looked around the bar. "Oh, Nick." Were the only words she could get out. I lead her to the table and took off her jacket.
"Happy anniversary," I smiled. "I want to make a toast… Amy, to everything we have been through. Oh, shoot! Amy, I am so sorry. I forgot your gift in my office. Let me go get it,"
I walked into the back and headed out the back door, on my way out I dropped a match. It wouldn't take long for the room to get hot enough and make the gas explode. I locked the back door behind me. And hurried to the front entrance to lock it. Luckily, Amy couldn't hear the lock turn over the music. Then, I got onto the bike that I put on the side of the bar and started riding as fast as I could. When I got a safe distance away from the bar, I looked back at the building.
Boom.
I am finally free.
Chapter 10: Margo
No one questioned the fire that burnt down our bar and killed Amy. All the mechanics testified that the gas lines were all messed up and the investigators saw that my brother had ordered a new oven the same day Joe had told him too.
It was the perfect plan.