I Came Home Early For My Daughter’s Birthday

Just a faint smear where a palm had pushed it open. The mud on the mat was the wrong kind for our yard. I crouched.

Two sets of prints. One light, toeing in like they knew to be quiet. One heavier, heel-first, confident.

Inside job.

My hands stopped shaking when they had something to do. I pulled the doorbell plate, the one I installed after a package continue reading …