Worth It

I had become obsessed. Not for the first time since the disappearance of tiny Kendra, I arrived at work shamefully late, my shirt only half tucked into my pants and a coffee stain on the front. I couldn’t remember if I had showered. I did the sniff test... no.

I flinched as my boss screamed my name from his office across the sea of cubicles. My coworkers continued to stare at their screens out of morbid respect, pretending not to care.

“What is that smell?” He roared as I crossed his threshold. “Are you serious, Adams?” But it was no use trying to explain; nobody cared that it had been two weeks since Kendra’s disappearance and had begun to roll their eyes and clear the room whenever I launched into my tirades on the matter.

He sent me straight to HR and demanded I use the shower in the company gym upstairs when I had completed the hearing. I didn’t really listen as the balding suit told me this was my final warning and that even the smallest misdemeanour on my part would result in my termination. I didn’t care about anything he had to say really until I saw the maroon handkerchief folded on his desk.

Suddenly I began to take him in with a newfound interest. I noted everything from his large, stocky build to the details of his puffy face. I sat up straighter and faked concern for everything he was saying.

I skipped the shower, and when my boss found me lurking in the hallway just outside HR, he informed me that our afternoon meeting with our most important client would have to start later than planned due to airport delays, and I would be required to work overtime. He demanded again that I head straight to the showers.

“No,” I replied calmly. His eyes narrowed. “I’m not going to be able to make it today.” I knew what that meant for me, but I felt nothing as I quickly packed up what few items I had on my desk and raced down to my car, not even sparing a glance or final greeting in any direction.

I waited in my car until I saw the HR rep get into his. I followed him home to a surprisingly simple suburban house and parked at a safe distance, and when he finally left again that evening, I snuck around the back and looked for a way into his house. When I couldn’t find one, I kicked the door down. I found the door to his basement and kicked that down too.

I placed an anonymous tip to let the police know where Kendra could be found and watched from a safe distance as they discovered the poor girl tied up in chains. Even the ripped handkerchief from the crime scene would be easy enough to find. I slept fitfully for the first time in weeks, falling asleep to the sound of blues on my radio.