As I hurried up the stairs to the $2 million mansion, I dropped my cell phone out of my leather tote bag. Once I retrieved it, I stood back up to see a man peering out the window. I waved my hand and smiled at my boss. He opened the door and spoke, “Hello Idina, how have you been?” His eyes were always piercing blue, but tonight they almost looked black. His expression was dark; maybe it was just shaded by the porch light. I stared at him blank faced for a few seconds, surprised to see a fresh cut on his jaw line. “Are you all right, hun?” “Huh? Oh, yes, I’m good Mr. Green,” I pressed. He turned around and strutted through the heavy double doors, and I followed.

          I have baby sat for this family many times before, but I have an eerie feeling about them tonight. Their house is exactly the same as it has always been, but now it somehow feels different.

          “I will be home late, anywhere from eleven to twelve. The girls are in their rooms. I fed them already so you don’t have to worry about that. They should be in bed by nine but they can watch television in their rooms until nine-thirty. That should be about it, see you later,” Mr. Green rushed as if he was late. I nodded and watched him as he grabbed his coat off the coat hanger, pushed the door open, and drove away in the matte black Mercedes.

          I walked up to the stairs and yelled, “Tracey, Jenny, do you want to play a game?” I heard footsteps run from the end of the upstairs hallway and down the spiral staircase, where the girls met me at the bottom. They both greeted me with hugs and went to turn on the Wii. After the game, it was close to nine so I sent them upstairs to start getting ready for bed. Once their teeth were all brushed and their faces washed, I tucked them in for a little tv.

          I could hear the grandfather clock ring from downstairs, announcing that it had turned nine-thirty. “Lights out girls, goodnight.” They turned the television off and sung in unison, “Goodnight Idina.” As I shut their doors and walked down the hall to the stairs, I noticed white double doors ajar at the end off the corridor. Everything is always tidy in this house, doors are always shut and pictures never have a spec of dust on them. I feel as if someone wanted me to go inside. Curiously, I tiptoed toward the doors so the girls couldn’t hear me. As I pushed it open slowly, the door creaked. My face shriveled up, thinking I had awakened the girls. Not hearing a sound, I continued into the master bedroom that turned out to be Mr. Green’s.

          Probably the largest room in the house, this bedroom only had a king bed and a black dresser. I looked back into the corridor, making sure I’m alone. As I look around the plain room, I open the top drawer in the dresser. All that this drawer contains is folded jeans on one side and socks on the other. I shut the drawer gently, not wanting any of the content to shift around inside. As I opened drawer after drawer, I finally got to the bottom. It didn’t feel right snooping through my employer’s things, but something felt off. I placed my hand on the knob and pulled slightly, gasping when I see what is inside.

          The only thing in the drawer is a photograph, torn on the edges. Besides this one item, the drawer is barren. I lift up the picture, noticing whom it displays. Mr. Green and a blond, thin middle aged women. It takes me a minute to figure out who the women is, but then I realized. It is my mother.

          In the picture, my mother is looking into his eyes, grinning as if filled with love. He has his arm wrapped around her waist. I suddenly understood why my mom has gone out every Saturday night and why I have had to baby sit for Mr. Green’s kids every Saturday. They were going out together.

          I jumped out of my skin when I heard a car door slam in the driveway. I put the picture back in the drawer and shut the drawer. I speed walk out of the room, leaving it ajar. I went to the front door and looked out the peephole, seeing Mr. Green opening the trunk to his car. He pulled out what looks like a body bag, and I could tell that there was something, or someone, inside. I got spooked and moved to the window so I could get a better look. He was following the gravel path to the backyard when he stopped in his tracks. He stood there for a few seconds, then his neck turned and looked straight at me. He laid the bag down and started marching toward the front door, peering at me with a blood spattered face.

To Be Continued