My husband locked himself in the bathroom every night for two hours. One evening, I grabbed a torch, crept in to investigate, and behind the tiles, I found a holefilled with strange little bags
Lately, my husband had been acting oddly. At first, I thought he was having an affair. Hed disappear in the evenings, and at home, hed sit silent for ages, lost in thought. But then I realisedit wasnt another woman on his mind.
Every night, hed lock himself in the bathroom. The door would click shut, the tap would run to muffle the noise, and hed stay in there for hours. He never took his phone, so he wasnt talking to anyone. I asked him more than once:
“What are you doing in there so long?”
And always, the same sharp reply:
“Nothing. Mind your own business.”
My curiosity grewand so did my fear. What was he hiding? Why was he acting so strangely?
One night, after hed fallen asleep, I decided to take the risk. I grabbed a torch to avoid switching the light on and crept into the bathroom. Everything seemed normalclean tiles, white bathtub, the usual soapy smell.
Then I noticed something odd.
Behind the toilet, scratches and cracks marred the wall. But wed only just redone the bathroomwhere had they come from?
I touched one of the tiles. It shifted. One pulland it came loose, revealing a dark hole behind it. My blood ran cold, heart pounding. Something was hidden inside. I reached in and pulled out a plastic bag. Then another.
My hands shook as I tore them openand I nearly fainted from horror. Inside were womens jewellery: rings, bracelets, necklaces all stained brownish-red. Dried blood. One ring still had a strand of someone elses hair caught in it.
I felt sick. Later, I learnedmy husband had taken these things from crime scenes. I dont know how many women hed hurt, but every piece was a trophy, a reminder of his monstrous acts.
In a panic, I stuffed everything back into the bags, shoved them into the hole, and replaced the tile.
I didnt sleep a wink that night. I lay beside him, listening to his calm breathing while the images of those bloodied jewels burned in my mind. The man sleeping next to me was a monster.
In the morning, I said nothing. I packed my things, slammed the door, and went straight to the police. I never saw him againbut Im certain they locked him up for good.
