Okay, I have a slight hunch about what story this is (To Build a Fire by Jack London?) and if so, then D
It is likely that Tom picks Myrtle because he thinks she will be an easy woman to control. She is not wealthy, powerful, or socially connected, so she doesn't pose much of a threat to him. Myrtle also readily accepts Tom's fabricated story about being unable to divorce Daisy because "she's a Catholic."
$8.75 because 26.25 divided by 3 equals $8.75
Origin of gore
before 900; Middle English; Old English gor dung,dirt; cognate with Dutch goor, Old High German