‘Well … Um … I had an event cancel unexpectedly and I just thought it was a beautiful day for a drive and a quick visit,’ I finished lamely. I knew it sounded weak but I couldn’t come up with anything else on the fly. In my rush this morning on the phone, I hadn’t gone much beyond asking Rosie if she’d be around today.

‘Well, luckily I have some free time last-minute today too. I was about to make a sandwich; care to join me?’

‘I already ate but don’t let me stop you. Actually, I do need to make a quick call. Do you mind if I use your office again?’

After a brief pause, he nodded and said, ‘Go ahead. I’ll eat my lunch and then after we can sit together and wait for Rosie to get home.’

I smiled appreciatively, trying not to let my nerves sneak onto my face. Cris walked to the kitchen and I darted into his office. The doors were glass so I had to be careful but he couldn’t see the office directly from the kitchen or dining room. I quietly closed the double doors and glanced around. Everything appeared the same, still impeccably organized and clean. I pulled open the first drawer in his desk and moved some pens and a box of paper clips around. My hand hit the back of the drawer and found nothing. The large drawer underneath held hanging file folders. I glanced through all of them: bills, medical records, taxes. They all seemed legitimate and nothing pointed to Cris being a killer. In between pulling out papers and inspecting them quickly, I kept glancing at the door, listening for any sign that Cris was coming this way. The room felt hot. After I closed the large drawer I unzipped my jacket and wiped a bead of sweat from my forehead.

Reaching down, I pulled the handle on the smaller drawer at the bottom but it didn’t open. It was locked. Why would he have a locked drawer? Only Rosie lives with him so what would he need to keep from her? I found a letter opener on top of the desk and tried jimmying the lock but it wouldn’t budge. The sound of footsteps approaching cut through my racing thoughts, sending a sharp chill up my spine. I quickly threw the opener back on the desk and straightened, pulling my phone from my pocket and holding it up to my ear as if I was still on a call. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the letter opener was crooked. He’d surely spot that. I lunged forward, straightening the opener to the position I thought it’d been in before I messed with it. Cris came into view just a second later. I held a finger up to say one minute and then pretended to end the call.