A three AM phone call about a locked room changed everything

the fifty-dollar bill open in the empty air.

I went to the checkout lane, where the cashier slid my milk across the scanner with a dull beep that felt too loud.

The school parking lot at three fifteen was packed with station wagons and minivans, their tailpipes blowing white steam into the cool autumn air. I sat in my Buick with the heater on low, watching continue reading …