The character I’m writing is a 44-year-old former medical examiner who suffers from an antisocial personality disorder, is a practicing sadist, and the wife of a former Marine turned governor who is the president-elect of the United States. She’s hidden a great deal of her unsavory behavior from her husband in part because her parents are aware of her full condition and have always done what they can to hide it from others (including her husband who they desperately wanted her to marry because of his wealth). The fact her husband was an active service member for the first years of their marriage helped. He caulked her distance, aloffness, and sometimes flat out hosility towards him as punishment for leaving her to serve. Now, however, she’s about to become incredibly powerful, and a former sexual partner (who was paid off by her family in exchange for him signing a NDA) is having an attack of conscience and is about to go to the press with all he knows. In evaluating the situation, the character knows that he’ll never go forward with the information if she dies (his motivation is stopping her from getting more ability to do what she’s been doing if her husband weren't going to win he wouldn't be talking). She also knows that if she dies tragically or rather boringly, the press and public will eat it up (ala Princess Diana—as a political wife she’s been a rock star, and people love her).
All of this is background to ask if this rationale would be believable for her to decide to end her life as well as how it would be possible for this character to commit suicide without it getting easily IDed as such? I’ve thought about her staging an accident, but the fact she has Secret Service protection at this point makes that very hard to work out. My thought was that she’d be able to do it with some medication she’s kept on standby for years (she’s like a boy scout-- always prepared), but I don’t have the medical knowledge how that would be possible.
If you're wondering, the husband has increasingly realized something is wrong with his wife, but he's never been entirely able to get a hold on what it was.
Also, I know one issue that might get pointed out is that surely someone in this position would have a VERY well-documented autopsy and investigation into their death. The ME gets pushed to find a quick and "simple" cause of death by people both in her family and her husband's team after they all get told what was really going on with the MC by her parents. They all have a feeling it was suicide, but they don't want to have it confirmed.
All of this is background to ask if this rationale would be believable for her to decide to end her life as well as how it would be possible for this character to commit suicide without it getting easily IDed as such? I’ve thought about her staging an accident, but the fact she has Secret Service protection at this point makes that very hard to work out. My thought was that she’d be able to do it with some medication she’s kept on standby for years (she’s like a boy scout-- always prepared), but I don’t have the medical knowledge how that would be possible.
If you're wondering, the husband has increasingly realized something is wrong with his wife, but he's never been entirely able to get a hold on what it was.
Also, I know one issue that might get pointed out is that surely someone in this position would have a VERY well-documented autopsy and investigation into their death. The ME gets pushed to find a quick and "simple" cause of death by people both in her family and her husband's team after they all get told what was really going on with the MC by her parents. They all have a feeling it was suicide, but they don't want to have it confirmed.
