Doors
Stephanie had just drifted to sleep when a sharp knock roused her.
“Oliver, the door?” she slurred.
No answer. Not home.
She drearily shambled to the door, hoping it wasn’t the police with more questions about Mr. Evans. Looking through the peephole, she was surprised to see Bea MacArthur with a package in her arms.
Maybe a late wedding gift? Her brows furrowed, and she unlocked the door. After signing for the box, she returned inside and opened the box with her keys, not bothering to track down the ever-moving scissors. Still half-asleep, she fished out a note:
To Stephanie:
Good luck.
“Oliver, the door?” she slurred.
No answer. Not home.
She drearily shambled to the door, hoping it wasn’t the police with more questions about Mr. Evans. Looking through the peephole, she was surprised to see Bea MacArthur with a package in her arms.
Maybe a late wedding gift? Her brows furrowed, and she unlocked the door. After signing for the box, she returned inside and opened the box with her keys, not bothering to track down the ever-moving scissors. Still half-asleep, she fished out a note:
To Stephanie:
Good luck.
A line formed between her eyebrows, and she glanced around before delving deeper into the box’s contents. She pulled out two photos: one of her driving and one of her walking. They were each labelled with her name, the date, and a location. A knot developed in Stephanie’s throat. Her breathing became rapid.
Eventually, her curiosity overcame her feeling of impending doom, forcing her to examine the box’s final item: a stud finder. Had this been the only item in the box, she would have concluded that it was, in fact, a wedding gift. Alas, it was not, and Stephanie’s head could not stop spinning. Question after question surfaced in her mind, none of which she could answer. Who would send her such an obscure assortment of items? Who had taken her picture? Who should she talk to about this, and who already knew?
The sound of keys turning in the lock awoke her from her puzzled trance. Hurriedly, she put the contents back in the box and stuffed it inside one of the many empty cabinets. Oliver walked in only a few seconds later, greeting Stephanie with a hug and a kiss before collapsing on the couch. Stephanie smiled and began making dinner, questions still pulsing through her mind as steadily as her heartbeat.
Eventually, her curiosity overcame her feeling of impending doom, forcing her to examine the box’s final item: a stud finder. Had this been the only item in the box, she would have concluded that it was, in fact, a wedding gift. Alas, it was not, and Stephanie’s head could not stop spinning. Question after question surfaced in her mind, none of which she could answer. Who would send her such an obscure assortment of items? Who had taken her picture? Who should she talk to about this, and who already knew?
The sound of keys turning in the lock awoke her from her puzzled trance. Hurriedly, she put the contents back in the box and stuffed it inside one of the many empty cabinets. Oliver walked in only a few seconds later, greeting Stephanie with a hug and a kiss before collapsing on the couch. Stephanie smiled and began making dinner, questions still pulsing through her mind as steadily as her heartbeat.
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