She nervously put on latex gloves and began poking through the medicine cabinet. Every container or tube was an over-the-counter drugstore item, but Val picked each one up, inspecting the label, writing down the name of the product, opening it, looking at it and smelling the contents. She progressed through this task in a purposely agonizingly slow rate. She could see Eddie shifting his weight from one foot to the next, crossing and uncrossing his arms, then glancing at his watch. He lost his patience when Val opened the box of Band-Aids and began removing them one at a time.

“Look, I really need to get to my truck. I have to work at four and if I don’t make it in on time my boss is going to fire me.”

Val let out a deep sympathetic sigh, shook her head and stated, “I know what it’s like. My boss is a real prick too. Why do you think I have to do all of this crap?” She pointed to the healthcare products spread out on the counter and gave him a knowing scowl of asshole bosses and oppressive working conditions, hoping to win his trust.

It worked. Eddie gave her a grin and the tension eased.

Val said encouragingly, and with a smile, “Go take care of your truck. I’ll get what I need and be out of your way in no time. Hell, if I don’t clock back in by four, my ass is toast too.”

He didn’t move and Val wasn’t sure what he was going to do. “I’ll be right outside, just let me know if you need anything,” he said.

She continued to smile and said assuredly, trying to hide any apprehension in her voice, “I’ll do that.”

He finally left the house.

From the window, Val had a partial view of the driveway. She waited until she saw Eddie walk towards his truck then hurried out of the bathroom and headed toward the bedroom; the room she really wanted to check.

In the bedroom, she had a much better view of the driveway and watched him pop the hood, beginning work on the pickup. She waited again, making sure he was involved with his job. Though it seemed safe, Val kept an eye on the window, glancing frequently to make sure he was still outside.

Quickly, she slid the bottom dresser drawer open. The last time she searched in here was the day Samantha was found dead. She was looking for drugs then. Today she wanted something else, and it was what she saw in this drawer that she needed to see again. Luckily, all of Samantha’s belongings appeared to still be here.

As she moved items around, her fingers finally hit something large and rectangular. Val smiled as she pulled out what she was hoping to find—Samantha’s photo album.