"I know why you have come. Just let me see Marta, and I am willing to confess," he said.
"Okay, but we need to change the order. First confess, then you can see Marta."
"I want to see Marta first."
Luke interrupted, "Hey, it seems you haven't figured out who's in charge here?"
Luke assured, "I never lie."
Henry Rogers gazed at Luke with a grim look, sighed after a long pause, and said, "You win, I am willing to confess."
"That's the wisest decision you've ever made," Luke pondered briefly then asked, "How many people did you kill?"
"Whatever number you found, that's it."
"I asked you to speak."
"Rona Post, Gelina Sweeney, Helson Sweeney, and a street walker."
"Who did you kill first?"
"Why did you kill her?"
"That bad woman had been persuading Marta to leave me.
She was destroying our family.
I warned her many times, but she just wouldn't listen, and ultimately Marta left me under her influence.
I was furious, I confronted her about Marta's whereabouts, but she refused to tell me.
"Describe how you committed the crime?"
"I strangled her until she passed out, then sawed open her throat and decapitated her, burying the body in the yard, and her head was kept in preservatives. You should have found it by now."
"Why did you decapitate her?"
"Did Marta ever talk to you about my tragic childhood?"
"Your father died early, and your mother, busy with work, sent you to a foster home."
"Correct, but that's only part of it; I haven't told Marta everything.
I was little at the time and didn't want to go to a foster home. To keep me company, my mother sent our pet cat to the foster home with me.
But the cat didn't want to stay at the foster home and ran away several times, yet I always caught it and brought it back.
I was heartbroken, my mother had abandoned me, and now it wanted to leave me as well.
No one could answer me, and I had to find the answer myself.
The last time it ran away, I killed it.
I was in pain, heartbroken; I didn't truly want to kill it, but I wanted it to stay with me.
So, I cut off its head and hid it.
But back then I was just a kid, didn't know anything about preservatives, and soon enough, the cat's head decayed.
That was the first time...
Since then, I kept this habit.
I've had some pets since... But, I guess they're not of your concern."
Luke inquired about the second victim, "Why did you kill Gelina Sweeney?"
"Her situation was more complicated.
Helson Sweeney, her husband, was my friend, and we shared similar hobbies and experiences. He and his wife were separated, and Marta had left me.
These similar experiences gave us a lot to talk about. He was a good drinking buddy. Having a drink with him and venting about our wives made me feel much better. He understood me, a rare confidant."
"Then why did you kill your confidant's wife?"
"Since Marta left, I often lost control of my emotions. I had been looking for various ways to alleviate those feelings, like drinking, turning to streetwalkers, and also killing. I found the latter to be the most effective.
After killing Rona, my emotions were released, I felt excited, thrilled, and much lighter. It was a great feeling.
But it was temporary; I needed to occasionally find new targets." Henry nervously picked at his fingernails,
"As I said before, Helson Sweeney's situation was very similar to mine; his wife was a good target, a bad woman like Marta, no, worse than Marta.
At least Marta did not use my money to pay for rent.
But this woman, separated and renting an apartment, was spending her husband's money, a textbook bad woman.
I saw her as a substitute for Marta."
Luke said, "Choosing a friend's wife as a target carries certain risks."
"You are right, I had this concern in the beginning and hesitated about choosing Gelina Sweeney as a target, but after deep consideration, I decided to go through with it.
The first reason, as mentioned before, she was a bad woman like Marta, and I was drawn to her.
The second reason, I knew I couldn't control my emotions and might continue killing. I didn't want to, but I really couldn't help it.
The police would eventually notice, so in a critical moment, I could find a scapegoat.
The third and most important reason, Helson Sweeney also wanted his wife dead.
Once, when he was drunk, he kept complaining about his wife, saying a lot of bad things about Gelina Sweeney, and I pretended to be drunk and asked him what he would give me if I killed his wife.
He said after realizing his wife wanted a divorce, he had secretly stashed some cash, around one hundred thousand US dollars, and if I could kill Gelina Sweeney, he was willing to give me the money.
So, I just went along with it."
"You killed for money? That doesn't seem like your style."
"It wasn't just for the money, you know? I have few friends; I'm quite lonely. I also hoped to have a kindred spirit."