In both the novella and films, she manipulates her husband's insurance agent, Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray in the 1944 production) to help her murder her husband. They first trick her husband, Mr. Dietrichson into signing a life insurance policy without his knowledge. The policy has a double indemnity clause whereby the company agrees to pay the stated multiple (i.e., double) of the face amount in the contract in cases of death caused by accidental means. They then murder her husband and try to make it seem like an accident on a train in an attempt to invoke the policy's double indemnity clause. Though they succeed in the deed, Phyllis soon runs into several problems in trying to invoke the clause and collect the money.