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A woman looking uncomfortable | Source: Midjourney
The cutlery drawer was open and the forks and knives were neatly arranged in it. The spice rack was neatly arranged in alphabetical order and every bottle was shiny.
The way I worked, I could say with absolute certainty that it was not my fault.
It gave me goosebumps.
My intuition told me something was wrong, so I grabbed my phone from the counter and started dialing Hank’s number.
A Perfectly Organized Closet | Source: Midterm
“Pick it up, pick it up,” I muttered.
As I waited for him to answer, I noticed a small piece of paper stuck between the coffee pot and the sugar bowl. It looked like it had been done out of hatred, almost as an afterthought. It was a simple sheet of paper, crumpled, with text I didn’t recognize.
You thanked me later, you needed it.
A folded sheet of paper | Source: Midterm
A folded sheet of paper | Source: Midterm
My heart was pounding. The note seemed so innocent and yet so disturbing. Finally, Hank answered the phone.
“Stay on the phone, Hank,” I pleaded. My voice was shaking and betraying my fear. “I’ll check the rest of the house.”
“Lauren? What’s wrong? What are you talking about?” Hank asks.
A woman on the phone | Source: Midjourney
A woman on the phone | Source: Midjourney
I mumbled what I had found, the words coming out furiously.
“I’m on my way,” he said. “I’ll be home with the kids, honey. Be careful. I’ll stay on the phone with you.”
I heard my husband calling the children urgently.
“We need to get home soon, mom needs us,” he said. “She’s on the phone with us, so don’t connect your phones to Bluetooth to listen to music.”
Shocked man sitting in a car | Source: Midjourney
Hearing their voices comforted me. I decided to visit the rest of the house. The living room was still intact, but the bathroom was another story.
The towels were perfectly folded, the toothbrushes were neatly stored in the holders, and the toiletries were sorted by size. And the mirror was spotless, which was a big change for us.
“This is really scary,” I mumbled into the phone, explaining to Hank what I’d gotten myself into.
A Perfect Bathroom | Source: Midjourney
A Perfect Bathroom | Source: Midjourney
“Who would do something like this? Do you think this is the old Winslow again? Or did you ask the assistant to come today?” Hank asks.
“No, she moved to another state last month, Hank.” “She hasn’t been here in a while,” I replied tensely.
Then I heard a noise coming from my son’s room. My heart almost stopped. I tiptoed down the hall and tried to make as little noise as possible.
A hallway in an apartment | Source: Midjourney
A hallway in an apartment | Source: Midjourney
But when I opened the door, nothing strange seemed out of the ordinary. I only saw that the cabinet door was slightly ajar.
I took a deep breath, knees shaking, and pulled it out, half expecting something or someone to jump on me.
But it was empty.
A teenager’s bedroom | Source: Mid-term
Except for the clothes, which were rearranged and sorted by color. I backed away slowly, because I wanted to get through the rest of the house. Then I heard the soft sound of keys jingling, followed by the soft click of the front door opening.
I jumped.
“What happened?”
“There’s someone there,” I whispered into the phone.
A person renting a set of keys | Source: Midterm
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