The Entomologist's Perfect Crime Chapter 10

A few days later, my wife came back in a good mood.

She invited me to go skydiving on Saturday.

I pretended to know nothing and played along.

But on subsequent nights, I poured out the milk she gave me outside the window.

Friday night, I didn't pour out the milk. Instead, I heated another cup.

I held the milk and placed it on the island counter, saying:

"After all these years, I've gotten used to drinking the milk you prepare for me, but I've never thoughtfully insisted on heating milk for you every night. Today I'll prepare a cup for you too."

My wife still smiled radiantly. As she reached for the milk on the counter, I suddenly stretched out my arms and hugged her.

Then, where she couldn't see, I switched our cups.

That night, after my wife fell into a deep sleep, I took her keys, got up with my tools, and headed to the neighbor's house.

I put on gloves and shoe covers. To be extra safe, I also wore a diving cap.

The villa layout was similar to ours. They must have been renovated at the same time, possibly even by the same company.

I came to the reptile room. Besides common turtles, frogs, and lizards,

There were also various butterflies, beetles, ants...

In the room was a row of ants, all rare, precious, and poisonous species.

Bullet ants, Maricopa harvester ants, fire ants, bulldog ants, jumping ants...

I quietly watched them for a while. They were tiny, crawling densely over the sand.

These little creatures were among the world's known most venomous insect species.

When studying them, I never found them frightening, only marveled that such small bodies could contain such great power.

I opened the Maricopa harvester ant container, applied glue to the box, and closed it again.

I toured the room, admiring each living creature.

I must say, my wife kept a very wide variety. This place could fascinate any insect researcher.

I stopped in front of a terrarium, opened it, and took out the little creature inside.

It was called a Texas horned lizard.

I placed it in my palm, looking at its beautiful little body.

Then I placed it on the floor.