Real talk, I have absolutely zero energy to be working on this tonight. Sick family has got me running ragged. Old me would definitely just not do it but we’re committing here to the challenge.
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Matthew quietly shut the door behind him, like he’d done every morning since he was twelve years old and started training for the cross country team. He had never been a strong athlete, but after being badgered by his father to join some extracurricular activity, he settled on running. Not because it appealed to him; because it satisfied his fathers requirement while still making him angry, a skill Matthew had become quite adept. What he didn’t expect was how much he’d fall in love with the sport. Running became an escape and then a springboard into university, and finally, a tranquil moment when his family responsibilities became too much. I’m not going to be like him he thought as the deadbolt sprang back into the door frame.
This morning he came back a little later than normal and the patter of little feet were already echoing from the kitchen. Matthew snuck down to the basement to get cleaned up before anyone could realize he’d gotten home. He bagged his clothes and put them next to the workbench in the boiler room. Those would need to be dealt with later.
He took his time in the shower. Careful to remove every bit of blood. You never get used the coverage. No matter how much you try to keep yourself clean, the fingernails, behind the ears, the tips of your hair, always try to give you away. His routine was thorough and methodical but he didn’t have as much time as normal. There was no doubt a nosey toddler would eventually make their way into the basement and things needed to look kid-friendly.
As Matthew turned off the water he was greeted with a smiling, tiny face at the door. Tessa had made her way down, as expected. Close call he thought to himself as he pulled the towel down from the warmer and stepped out of the shower
“Daddy!” Tessa squealed with excitement as she ran and leaped into her Dad’s arms. Matthew lifted her high above his head and just like he’d always done brought her nose down to his and wiggled. She laughed and screamed out, “Again! Again!” as the process repeated itself a few more times.
“Okay sweetheart. Back upstairs and get ready for school.” She didn’t want to leave, but with an extra kiss on the forehead and a helpful turn of the shoulders, she was off. Matthew finished drying himself off, grabbed a new set of clothes from the dryer and headed upstairs. He walked into the kitchen, the family was preparing some breakfast.
“Hi honey.” he said as he leaned over his wife’s shoulder and gave a quick peck on the cheek.
“You’re home later than usual?”
“I know.” Matthew began. “I couldn’t get this work problem figured out so took a longer route.” Lying about where he was had become second nature. And Allison never questioned it. He was a good provider, an attentive husband, and a great father. She never had reason to believe he’d be lying to her.
“Well you made it back in time for breakfast, so grab a seat and get some while it’s hot.” Matthew knew better than to try skimp out before eating so he dutifully sat at the table even while his mind was thinking about his next move. It was a just another normal day.
As the sun broke through the fog, Matthew finished up his breakfast, kissed his family goodbye and headed out the door. He hadn’t slept, but this wasn’t anything new. With last nights task out of the way he felt as though the rest of the week was going to simple enough. He drove a little slower than normal, recognizing that his reactions were slightly slowed. Before getting to the office, his first stop was the mailbox.
In his hand was an envelope. He’d be making a few mailbox drops this morning but this was the first. He parked a couple blocks away and walked to the drop off. Matthew kept his head down, avoiding small talk and eye contact with anyone on the street. He didn’t mind being in the open, but he wasn’t looking to get recognized any time soon.
One down four to go.
He headed for the next mailbox across town. The second mailbox was close to the marina a perfect location for a quick view of what was going on. It wouldn’t take him long to get there although traffic was starting to grow.
Matthew expected the marina to be busy. No doubt word of what had happened would have started to spread. Rumours travelled quickly amongst the sea-faring crowd as they loved a good story, truthfulness be damned. But what he didn’t expect to see was the CSI van parked at the clubhouse. How did they get here so quick? he wondered. It had only been a few hours and Matthew had thought his handy work would keep the body from washing ashore this quickly. He stared a little bit longer before heading off to the next mailbox. No time for admiration of his work or to watch the confounded faces of SFPD’s best and brightest. His job was just beginning.