A three AM phone call about a locked room changed everything

a kettle left too long on the burner. Alan walked into the kitchen carrying his brown leather suitcase, setting it flat on the green linoleum near the pantry.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

He did not look at me as he unzipped the main compartment, the metal teeth parting with a dry hiss. He went to the hall closet and returned with continue reading …