Dimensional Trader in Marvel

Ring! Ring!

The shrill sound of the phone jolted Margaret from her sleep.

She turned on the bedside lamp and glanced at the clock - 3 a.m.? Who would call at this hour?

Her confusion didn't last long; Margaret quickly remembered her beloved sweetheart. Without hesitation, she picked up the phone.

"Hello?" Margaret greeted tentatively.

"It's me, Margaret!" came Josh's voice on the other end.

"Josh, why are you calling so late? Is there any news about the... matter?" Margaret's voice trembled slightly as she confirmed that it was him.

"Yes, there is news. But it has nothing to do with us," Josh replied, his tone strange, though Margaret didn't notice.

"I see - it has nothing to do with us," Margaret took a deep breath and replied.

"No, Margaret, I mean it literally: Tony Windis is dead, but it wasn't our doing!" Josh clarified bluntly and recounted the incident. Of course, he carefully left out the part where he had "lent a hand.

As long as that detail remained hidden, even if the call was monitored, Tony Windis's death wouldn't implicate Josh.

The police would easily conclude that Tony was driving drunk, crashed into another car, got into a conflict, and was accidentally killed.

Upon hearing Josh's explanation, Margaret was stunned for a moment, but soon joy overwhelmed her.

Although she had decided to get rid of Tony, as a former "good girl" she couldn't help but feel uneasy about it.

But now Tony was dead, and it had nothing to do with her.

This realization lifted an immense weight from her chest.

"Josh, I miss you..." A delighted Margaret began to talk sweetly on the phone, completely ignoring the fact that the deceased was her husband.

"Baby, I miss you too, but now is not the time. I suspect the police will visit you in the morning. When they do, put some pressure on them to wrap up this case quickly. Once it's closed, we can be together openly," Josh comforted her over the phone.

Margaret agreed.

The two exchanged sweet talk for a while before reluctantly ending the call.

After hanging up, Margaret, still intoxicated, didn't feel like going back to sleep. She happily opened a bottle of champagne.

Sipping alone, Margaret suddenly remembered something: her late husband had taken out several insurance policies as a tennis player.

Now that he was dead, wouldn't she receive a substantial payout?

Previously, Margaret hadn't considered this because Josh had planned to make Tony disappear.

And with mere disappearances, insurance companies could deny claims because there was no proof of death.

But now, if Tony was officially declared an accidental death, and the policy didn't have a third-party exclusion clause, the insurance company would have to pay the full amount. (A third-party exclusion clause in a contract prevents parties from being held liable for any issues that arise from information shared by a third party. This clause is used to protect parties from being responsible for information that they did not create or endorse.)

The policies had hefty premiums - Margaret had paid for them - and, of course, she was the beneficiary.

How much was the payout? A few million, perhaps?

What a windfall! With Tony dead, Margaret's net worth could double overnight.

What a good man!

Thinking about it, Margaret couldn't help but share Josh's sentiment: there were so many good people in this world.

Her hatred for Tony Windis completely vanished.

As a gesture of gratitude, she decided to give him an elaborate funeral. After all, with all those millions, it wouldn't be fair to skimp.

Morning came quickly.

As Josh had predicted, Margaret was enjoying her morning tea around 8am when the police arrived.

Leading them was none other than Lieutenant Dietrich, who had handled Josh's earlier case.

Although Tony had died outside Dietrich's jurisdiction, the victim lived within it.

And yes, there was no doubt - Tony Windis was dead, ded.

He'd been discovered by a passerby about 5 a.m. Due to the low temperatures, his body had already begun to stiffen.

The police found numerous bruises on Tony's body, evidence of a severe beating.

But the cause of death was a severe blow to the back of the head.

"Good morning, Lieutenant. What brings you in so early?" Margaret asked as she ordered a servant to prepare coffee.

"I'm sorry to disturb you so early, Mrs. Wendice, but I regret to inform you that your husband has passed away," Dietrich said.

"What? My husband is dead? What happened?" Margaret feigned surprise and showed no sign of grief - for she was not grieving.

Pretending to be sad would have been unnecessary, even suspicious, since the police would easily discover the couple's strained relationship.

"Mrs. Windis, your relationship with Mr. Windis seems to have been less than umm.. harmonious?" Dietrich inquired.

"Ha! What reason could there be for an unemployed husband to stay out all night?" Margaret replied calmly.

Dietrich suddenly felt he'd asked a silly question.

According to the investigation, Tony had spent the night before his death in a questionable establishment.

To neglect a beautiful, youthful wife like Margaret, to frequent such places? No one would believe that the couple had a happy marriage.

As Josh had expected, Dietrich had no suspicion on Margaret.

The crime scene clearly indicated that Tony Wendice had been beaten to death after a drunken car accident. Several suspects were involved.

Moreover, evidence at the scene, including the damaged car, had already led the police to link the case to a notorious gang of jewel thieves - none other than the four suited men Josh had seen.

Coincidentally, this gang wasn't just dirty; they were linked to several robberies and a murder in the past few months.

And the officer in charge of the case? Lieutenant Dietrich.

To Josh and Margaret, this was just another group of 'good people'.

In fact, there were so many good people.