Worse Than Death — a mystery thriller excerpt

Chapter one

The sink was clogged up again.

It happened on a regular basis, at least once every three months. Amy had been after him for two years to have the pipes in the front yard replaced.

Roots from the giant elm tree had worked their way through the cast iron main line, and every time one of them would use the garbage disposal for extra large disposing jobs, the kitchen sink would back up.

He driven to Home Depot and bought a snake after the third time. Amy told him he was being silly, he didn’t have the patience to snake out a drain.

He could barely put a bookshelf together without entertaining the neighborhood with a litany of curse words that would make a sailor blush.

Still he told her if they had the snake they could save fifty bucks from every plumbers visit, and besides he could use it in the bathroom when the sink clogged in there too.

Two hours later the plumber showed up.

It was the beginning of regular visits, once every four months, unless the sink decided to act up earlier, which it off and did.

Like today.

He wondered what Amy would have said.