Background
A serial killer, a housewife and a little detective.
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He checked her mail once. He knows her name and now he is watching her. Sometimes from across the street, sometimes when she is in her car. He watches her with her son, her husband and sometimes when she is alone. It's when she is alone that he pays close attention. This one doesn't seem to have any real daily patterns.
Some days she stays at home, other days she runs errands. The only regular thing she does is drop her son off at school and later pick him up. There is nothing particularly special about her except that her circumstances should be different.
She lives in an affluent area, and it seems her husband has a good career. Probably something to do with the hospital, most likely a doctor judging from the stethoscope that he frequently hangs around his neck. But why does this woman drive an older car and doesn't wear designer clothing and why does she live beneath her financial abilities?
Perhaps her husband is preventing her from doing the things afforded her station. Maybe he is controlling and doesn't allow her any freedom. Freedom is what she needs. He needs to help her with that. For now, he watches her. Lately she seems to be busier than usual. She has been seen going in and out of an accounting firm. She is usually only there for a few minutes at a time. Lately, something is different. It doesn't matter that much to him, only that it is different. He may have to use another tactic to gain access to her. He is going to have to think harder, so no suspicion is on him. With this house, it can't be here, they probably have some kind of cameras or security system. He will have to watch for her outside the house.
Oh look, there she is with a puppy. She's taking the golden puppy out for a walk. A walk in her neighborhood. This could be something. She knows many of her neighbors and frequently waves hello or stops for quick conversations as she passes. Well, there is a park nearby, perhaps there. There he can start to gain her trust. There he can be seen by her and there he can learn her reasons for his help.
Aliss takes Goldie out for a walk. She likes the stroll around her neighborhood and has used this opportunity to get to know her neighbors. Sheila and Frank next door. Davis and Maisy across the street, Michael and Cloe on the corner. All nice people. Aliss thinks about maybe having a neighborhood barbeque or block party. It would be a great way to meet everyone. Her musings keep her mind busy, most days.
Today is different. She keeps rolling over and over in her mind about the files in her husbands' secret office. After the puppy's walk, she is going to try out the lock pick set that came in yesterday to see if she can get that little door open. As she strolls along, time slips away and soon she finds herself at the back area of the park. A little further than she usually walks. Well, Goldie seemed to like the extra stroll. So, she does an about face to head back towards home.
Ploop! Straight into the chest of the person walking behind her.
"Oh, my goodness! I am so sorry! I have been so distracted I wasn't paying attention, are you alright?" She asked the man whose chest she just bumped into.
"Oh no, its ok. I was bird watching myself and wasn't paying attention." His crinkled smile looked down at her.
"Well, I'll call my insurance company and you call yours. We will get this straightened out, I'm sure!" Aliss said with humour.
"Oh no. I can't do another deductible. No more claims." He replied his hands in the air, picking up on her joke. Both shared a little laugh.
"Well, be more careful in the future, I wouldn't want to call the cops!" She shouts back at him as she walks away.
Cops, no. He definitely doesn't want that.
Aliss quickened her pace and got home in record time. She wasted too much of it meandering the neighborhood. Now that the puppy is walked and tired, she can get to the task at hand.
Aliss goes into the hall closet and secreted behind her winter boots is her little lock pick kit. She takes a few minutes to read the directions and heads downstairs. She had made copies of Mark's secret keys and now has one of her own. She unlocks the door, slips inside the room and locks the door behind her. Soon enough she is next to the little door in the wall.
Try as she might, she can't get the little lock pick to work. She re-reads the instructions and just can't seem to get it done. Exasperated she plunks herself down in the chair at the desk. What now? How in the world is she going to get that door open. If she calls a locksmith, will Mark find out? She has already taken the time to copy all of the files in the drawer and practically has the day planner memorized. She knows when and where her husband is going to be for most of his work days. Hmm. What now?
Of course! She reaches to the back of the bottom right-hand drawer and pulls out the little box. She never thought to open this thing yet. Maybe she can practice her lock picking skills on this before attempting to unlock the door again.
She slips the little rods inside the keyhole and turns carefully. Well, look at that! It unlocked quite easily.
Why is she nervous about opening this box? Is the one of the last secrets her husband has? Does she really want to know? Of course she does! Up and open. Hmm... the box is empty. Nothing in it. Weird. Why keep and empty box locked in a drawer? Her 'Nancy Drew' mind starts winding up. She both loves and hates the secrets. She hates that her husband has them from her but loves the intrigue and the discovery. Oh, well. She closes the lid and pick it up to put it away. Just when she does that she feels and slight sliding feeling inside the box. Like on small item is still inside there. But she looked, there wasn't anything in there. So, she shakes the box. There is a distinct sound of something sliding around inside the box. Ok, lets open it again. She slips her lock set in and plunk! It is quickly opened again. She can feel the little trickle of adrenaline slinking inside her and giving her a little more energy.
With the lid up, still nothing inside. She shakes the box and can still feel the distinct movement of something inside the box. She inspects the interior and picks at the sides of the box. Maybe there is a hidden pocket or something inside? She inspects the lid and pulls on the inner lining. Hmm...there...what is that? A little tiny tab of some kind. She can barely get her nails and fingertips on it, but she does and she pulls gently. It gives way! And when the lining dropped down so did one shiny silver key.
So many secrets and so many questions. Could this be the key? Could she be so lucky to find the exact thing she needed? Hmm, strange little key. She had never seen one quite like it before. It had a normal looking grip end but the other end had what almost look like a dental set. It had geometric lines in it and it was slightly curved. No wonder she couldn't get the lock pick to work. If this was the key to the door, it would be nearly impossible to pick.
Why is she nervous holding this key? Why is she suddenly scared to open that door? What could be in there and did she really want to know? Holding the key, she turned to look at the door. What she assumed was the last little secret her husband had from her. The last vestige of his privacy.
She stands up and walks over to the door. The key slips in easily until the last little bit. She had to press while she turned, like there was a spring on the end. The door is unlocked. She pulls open the door while the key stays in the lock.
It was dark in that space, however the light turned on automatically once the door was completely opened. Inside, one could not stand up and it was only a few feet deep. Aliss, being smaller could get inside slightly crouched.
To her left was an angled wall, as if this was under a stairwell. To her right a smooth cement wall and in front of her a bookshelf. On this bookshelf were stacks of papers, files and accounting books. A few magazines and some old newspaper articles. There were some file folder pouches with elastics on them. The shelves were full. Aliss reached up and grabbed an old newspaper article.
The title read, 'Alistair Conners, elected Mayor of Bozeman in a landslide victory!' She quickly looked at more and most of the newspapers were about Mark's father and some about his mother. All about their careers and victories. On the bottom shelf was an old shoe box. This Aliss takes out and walks to the desk.
She opens the box and inside are pictures of Mark as a child, his parents and some photographs of buildings and cars. She carefully looks at some and others she just pushes aside. One picture catches her attention. In it is a beautiful dark-haired woman. She is walking in profile to the camera and is wearing a green sequined dress that has a slit all the way up to the woman's hip. Her long high-heeled leg slender and clad in silky stockings, the top of which has beautiful lace attached to a garter. It is obvious that this woman didn't know the photo was being taken. Behind the woman is a warehouse, with one simple door in it. There is a couple walking toward that door in the background. The photo could be around 20 years ago, judging by the cars in the scene and the clothing of the woman in the photo. Aliss turns the photo over and written, in Marks handwriting is, 'Plato's Retreat'.
Aliss lost track of time. She can hear the puppy up to something upstairs. Damn! She has to put things back, exactly as she found them. Everything back on the shelf. The door carefully closed and the key back inside the lid of the box. The box back inside the drawer. Aliss slips out of the room and can hear her husband greeting the over excited puppy.
"Aliss? Where are you?" he shouts to the house. Just then, Aliss comes up the stairs with a bottle of wine in her hand. Her heart pounding out of her chest.
"I thought maybe a nice white wine with dinner tonight. I am making branzino. Hello dear." She kisses his cheek and heads towards the kitchen.
"Woman, you are so full of surprises lately. Something I need to know?"
Author Notes
Trying my hand at detective writing with no previous experience. I spent a lot of time researching, to make sure the details are accurate.
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