Tom didn’t usually curse, but he was certain something very ugly would come out of his mouth soon. Winnie had cleaned the old house so completely there just wasn’t anything to find. Not even a cobweb dared to form in the corner of the newly painted walls. The woman was a clean freak.
He had no idea if she always had been so meticulous or if this was a new practice designed to cheat him out of finding something to pin on her. Either way, it was stopping him cold.
He’d started in the living room, looking for false walls at the tall built-in bookcases guarding either side of the stone fireplace. Giving up on that, he’d pulled up rugs looking for loose boards or a trap door but again, nothing. After briefly patting down the chairs and sofa, which he knew was a complete waste of time since they were so new, he had moved on to the kitchen, searching cabinets, the pantry, and the appliances. Filled with frustration, he’d searched the formal dining room, but it held so little that it took only moments.
The lack of success wouldn't deter him. He checked his watch, wondering just how much time he had before Winnie came back. Knowing this could be his only chance alone in the house for a while, he sprinted up to her bedroom. Opening a window so he could hear her car approach on the gravel drive, he quickly searched the single closet, filled with lots of new clothes, many of which still had sales tags attached to a sleeve or waistband. Twenty boxed pairs of shoes lined the floor of the closet, ten over ten. An assortment of different colored purses hung from three nickel-plated double-hooks on the inside of the door. Each one staggered so several purses could fit on each hook without interfering with the purses hanging below.
The single top shelf held three medium sized, taped cardboard boxes. As far as he could tell, there was nothing written on them to identify the contents. He debated pulling one down and checking inside, as he had no idea if he could make it look the same if he re-taped it. Deciding it was worth the risk, he chose the box furthest away, knowing it would be less noticeable once returned to its spot. It was heavy, very heavy, piquing his interest further.
He maneuvered it until it pulled free and lowered it to the floor. Anticipation hummed inside his body, making him want to rip the tape from the box, but caution had him gently pulling the strip, making him wince when the cardboard’s brown outer layer pulled away with the tape. Committed to the task now, he bit his bottom lip, pulling off the remainder and flipping open one flap.
Like it? Click here to buy.
0 comments:
Post a Comment