A Good Marriage
Encyclopedia
A Good Marriage is a novella
by Stephen King
, published in his collection Full Dark, No Stars
(2010).
accounting firm, for 27 years. They have two children, Donnie and Petra, who have left home for college. They also have a mail order
business selling and appraising rare coins
. But one night, while Bob is away on a business trip, Darcy goes into the garage to search for batteries. When she rummages through Bob's belongings, she stumbles across a pornographic magazine showing images of sadomasochism. Unnerved by the magazine—and the fact that it is in Bob's possession—Darcy finds a secret compartment behind the garage's baseboard and makes a more horrific discovery: a small box containing the ID cards of Marjorie Duvall, a victim of a serial killer
called "Beadie".
Bob calls Darcy from the road and senses her distress; she lies about the reason for her anxiety. Afterwards, she Google
s Beadie and cross-checks Bob's business records with the locations of the murders, finding that Bob was within the proximity of most of the crimes. Shocked and distraught, Darcy falls asleep...but wakes up the next morning to find that Bob has returned home early. Having deduced Darcy's discovery after his phone call, Bob came back to find that she found the box and did the Internet searches. He proceeds to calmly explain his insanity
to a horrified Darcy, recounting how he and a sadistic friend named BD—from which Beadie's name was derived—planned a school shooting as teenagers. BD was hit by a truck before they could carry it out, but Bob claims he had "infected" him with "certain ideas", resulting in his urges to kill.
Bob claims that after Darcy married him and helped raise his children, the alter ego
inside of him—named after BD—never drove him to kill again for several years. He pleads to Darcy to put the matter behind them, for the sake of herself and their children. After mulling it over, Darcy feigns an agreement to do so, on the condition that he bury Marjorie Duvall's ID cards behind their house instead of sending them to the police, as he had done with his previous victims. Bob believes Darcy has put the truth behind her, when in fact she is trying to think of a way to stop him from killing again. A few months after Darcy's discoveries, an elated Bob finds a rare 1955 doubled-die cent, and the couple goes out to Portland to celebrate. When Bob becomes drunk from champagne, Darcy devises a plan to murder him.
Upon arriving home, Darcy has Bob fetch some Perrier
while she waits for him upstairs, ostensibly for sex
. However, when Bob arrives, Darcy pushes him down the stairs, breaking his arm, neck, and back. She then manages to shove a plastic bag and a dishwiper down his throat, killing him. Darcy manages to convince the authorities and the children that Bob had died in a drunken accident, and isn't suspected of committing any foul play
. Darcy assumes the ordeal is over.
However, not long after Bob is buried, a retired detective
named Holt Ramsey visits the house. Ramsey investigated the Beadie murders and had questioned Bob after the death of another victim, Stacey Moore, who worked at a restaurant that Bob frequented on his business trips. Ramsey tells Darcy that he suspected Bob for the murders, since his Chevrolet Suburban
was seen in the neighborhood of each victim. Darcy realizes that Ramsey has figured out her role in Bob's own death. Once she admits the truth, Ramsey assures her that she "did the right thing" and leaves; before he does, she tells him about Bob's late friend BD. After Ramsey departs, Darcy realizes how Bob was close to being caught and wasn't as smart as he thought he was. She also finds that she can now be at peace with herself.
for Full Dark, No Stars, King stated that the character of Bob Anderson was inspired by Dennis Rader
, the infamous "BTK Killer". Like Rader, Anderson gruesomely tortures and kills his victims, then mails his victims' identification to the police; Anderson's victims, like Rader's, are women and children. Also like Rader, Anderson is a pillar of the community who is well regarded by his friends and colleagues. King said that he felt inspired to write the story after the public outcry against Rader's wife, Paula, who had been married to him for almost thirty years yet seemed to have no knowledge of his crimes.
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
by Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
, published in his collection Full Dark, No Stars
Full Dark, No Stars
Full Dark, No Stars, published in November 2010, is a collection of four novellas by the author Stephen King, all dealing with the theme of retribution...
(2010).
Synopsis
Darcy Anderson has been married to Bob, a partner at a Portland, MainePortland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
accounting firm, for 27 years. They have two children, Donnie and Petra, who have left home for college. They also have a mail order
Mail order
Mail order is a term which describes the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote method such as through a telephone call or web site. Then, the products are delivered to the customer...
business selling and appraising rare coins
Numismatics
Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, and related objects. While numismatists are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, the discipline also includes the broader study of money and other payment media used to resolve debts and the...
. But one night, while Bob is away on a business trip, Darcy goes into the garage to search for batteries. When she rummages through Bob's belongings, she stumbles across a pornographic magazine showing images of sadomasochism. Unnerved by the magazine—and the fact that it is in Bob's possession—Darcy finds a secret compartment behind the garage's baseboard and makes a more horrific discovery: a small box containing the ID cards of Marjorie Duvall, a victim of a serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
called "Beadie".
Bob calls Darcy from the road and senses her distress; she lies about the reason for her anxiety. Afterwards, she Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
s Beadie and cross-checks Bob's business records with the locations of the murders, finding that Bob was within the proximity of most of the crimes. Shocked and distraught, Darcy falls asleep...but wakes up the next morning to find that Bob has returned home early. Having deduced Darcy's discovery after his phone call, Bob came back to find that she found the box and did the Internet searches. He proceeds to calmly explain his insanity
Insanity
Insanity, craziness or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity may manifest as violations of societal norms, including becoming a danger to themselves and others, though not all such acts are considered insanity...
to a horrified Darcy, recounting how he and a sadistic friend named BD—from which Beadie's name was derived—planned a school shooting as teenagers. BD was hit by a truck before they could carry it out, but Bob claims he had "infected" him with "certain ideas", resulting in his urges to kill.
Bob claims that after Darcy married him and helped raise his children, the alter ego
Alter ego
An alter ego is a second self, which is believe to be distinct from a person's normal or original personality. The term was coined in the early nineteenth century when dissociative identity disorder was first described by psychologists...
inside of him—named after BD—never drove him to kill again for several years. He pleads to Darcy to put the matter behind them, for the sake of herself and their children. After mulling it over, Darcy feigns an agreement to do so, on the condition that he bury Marjorie Duvall's ID cards behind their house instead of sending them to the police, as he had done with his previous victims. Bob believes Darcy has put the truth behind her, when in fact she is trying to think of a way to stop him from killing again. A few months after Darcy's discoveries, an elated Bob finds a rare 1955 doubled-die cent, and the couple goes out to Portland to celebrate. When Bob becomes drunk from champagne, Darcy devises a plan to murder him.
Upon arriving home, Darcy has Bob fetch some Perrier
Perrier
Perrier is a brand of bottled mineral water made from a spring in Vergèze in the Gard département of France. The spring is naturally carbonated...
while she waits for him upstairs, ostensibly for sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
. However, when Bob arrives, Darcy pushes him down the stairs, breaking his arm, neck, and back. She then manages to shove a plastic bag and a dishwiper down his throat, killing him. Darcy manages to convince the authorities and the children that Bob had died in a drunken accident, and isn't suspected of committing any foul play
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
. Darcy assumes the ordeal is over.
However, not long after Bob is buried, a retired detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
named Holt Ramsey visits the house. Ramsey investigated the Beadie murders and had questioned Bob after the death of another victim, Stacey Moore, who worked at a restaurant that Bob frequented on his business trips. Ramsey tells Darcy that he suspected Bob for the murders, since his Chevrolet Suburban
Chevrolet Suburban
Chevrolet offered a station wagon body, built on the 1/2 ton truck frame. This model was specifically built for National Guard units and Civilian Conservation Corps units. Much of the body was constructed from wood, and could seat up to eight occupants....
was seen in the neighborhood of each victim. Darcy realizes that Ramsey has figured out her role in Bob's own death. Once she admits the truth, Ramsey assures her that she "did the right thing" and leaves; before he does, she tells him about Bob's late friend BD. After Ramsey departs, Darcy realizes how Bob was close to being caught and wasn't as smart as he thought he was. She also finds that she can now be at peace with herself.
Background
In the afterwordAfterword
An afterword is a literary device that is often found at the end of a piece of literature. It generally covers the story of how the book came into being, or of how the idea for the book was developed....
for Full Dark, No Stars, King stated that the character of Bob Anderson was inspired by Dennis Rader
Dennis Rader
Dennis Lynn Rader is an American serial killer who murdered ten people in Sedgwick County , between 1974 and 1991....
, the infamous "BTK Killer". Like Rader, Anderson gruesomely tortures and kills his victims, then mails his victims' identification to the police; Anderson's victims, like Rader's, are women and children. Also like Rader, Anderson is a pillar of the community who is well regarded by his friends and colleagues. King said that he felt inspired to write the story after the public outcry against Rader's wife, Paula, who had been married to him for almost thirty years yet seemed to have no knowledge of his crimes.