Empty Promises

disturbed when women kill because we believe that the female is the kinder, softer, and gentler sex. And as far as statistics go, they are. According to the Diagnostic Statistical Manual—the bible of psychiatrists—three percent of all males are deemed to be antisocial and without conscience, while only one percent of females seem to lack compassion for others. But the icy manipulations of that one percent are utterly fascinating. No one can be crueler than a woman without a conscience. Very clever bad girls rarely get caught; only the dumber femme fatales make headlines. In the running for Klutzy Killers of the Millennium are two San Diego, California, women—Carole Hargis and Teri Depew.

I n the mid-seventies, the Vietnam War raged and disco fever prevailed at the nightspots that Carole Hargis frequented. Carole was very feminine-looking, with a delicate but well-proportioned figure and long, wavy golden hair. She looked much younger than her thirty-six years. She met Marine Corps Sergeant David Hargis in the mid-seventies. He was a handsome drill instructor at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego. David was thirteen years younger than she was, but he assured Carole that age didn’t matter—he loved her. He wanted to marry her and he accepted her two sons from a previous marriage as his own. The only problem the couple had was an accumulation of debt. David reenlisted in the marines because they needed the bonus that came with re-upping. He paid off their pressing bills and, with careful budgeting, was chipping away at the remaining debt.
    Carole, David, and her sons lived on Laurel Street in a typical Spanish-style home with a terra-cotta tile roof. It was close to Balboa Park and their little house was high on the hilly street so they had a wonderful view of San Diego Bay.
    The Hargis marriage might have succeeded—but for Carole’s good friend, twenty-seven-year-old Teri Depew, who lived next door. Where Carole was blond and willowy, Teri was short and chunky and she cropped her hair as short as a boy’s. Her arms were covered with tattoos, and she occasionally wore a buck knife on her hip. A physical therapist who was temporarily out of work, Teri was proud of her physical strength.
    Teri had never married and didn’t intend to; she preferred girls, and she especially preferred Carole. Carole liked Teri, and they spent a lot of time together. Teri figured everything would have been perfect if it were not for David, who had to be the most trusting, naïve man ever to come out of marine boot camp. He was never concerned about his wife’s friendship with Teri; he considered them best friends who spent time together sipping coffee and exchanging girl talk.
    Soon after he married Carole, David took out a $20,000 double-indemnity insurance policy, naming Carole and her two sons as beneficiaries. He was in a very dangerous profession and he wanted to be sure they were taken care of if he should be sent to Vietnam and not make it back.
    But David wasn’t ordered overseas; he was so superior at training troops that he was much more valuable Stateside. Marine Corps drill instructors are among the toughest military men around. As they march recruits through deserts and swamps and lead them over obstacle courses, the DIs have to be in such good shape that they can run rings around the rookies. David was muscular and perfectly coordinated, and he could run for miles with his gear on his back. But he was softhearted when it came to Carole, and he was grateful when orders kept him in San Diego.
    Teri, Carole, and David got along as neighbors and even got together for beers and board games on the evenings when David was home. He liked Teri well enough, and she seemed to like him, although her opinion of men in general wasn’t favorable. She didn’t care much for the male sex.
    As time went on, Carole and Teri grew closer. They waited impatiently for David to be sent overseas and became frustrated when that didn’t happen. They were romantically involved and David was in the way. Carole had no skills or training and Teri was unemployed, and besides, they didn’t want to get jobs.
    Carole told Teri about the insurance policy David had purchased. It seemed the perfect answer for them; they wanted to enjoy a comfortable life without David, but even if he was sent overseas, there was no guarantee that he would be killed in battle.
    The women have never agreed about which of them suggested the first plan