It took a few tries... well maybe more than a few tries, but I finally unlocked the door.
I turned on the light to reveal exactly what I expected to see: a small closet with lot of shelves and cleaning supplies.
I carefully considered my options until my eyes landed on a clipboard and I suddenly had an idea.
I slid my sunglasses off and put them in my pocket. Then I grabbed a pair of tinted goggles and slipped them on. They sort of reminded me of the goggles chemistry students wear, only tinted black instead of being clear. Then, I pulled on some gloves and grabbed the clipboard.
It had a lot of information on it that seemed important and upon reading it, I realized it was some sort of inspections checklist. I grinned.
My plan was simple: work my way through each floor and find the rooms marked as crime scenes. If anyone asked, I'd say I was a janitorial inspector or something.
I left the closet and made my way towards the elevator. From there, I went up one floor and began walking down the hallway.
I searched every room blocked off with yellow tape, trying to find clues as to who could have stolen my victims, but as I continued searching rooms and moving up floors, I began to lose hope that there was any evidence left behind.
I hadn't had to explain myself to anyone, which made things go by faster. At least, that was until I had almost made it to the top floor.
I started to pretend I was examining a window just as two people walked out of a room with crime scene tape draped across the door. When I glanced to look at them, I realized one of them looked familiar— she looked like the girl I had seen last night.
I pretended I was writing something on the clipboard, hoping they would walk away, but they didn't.
The older woman walked towards me and began to question me.
"Excuse me, sir? Can I ask what you're doing here?" She questioned, seemingly analyzing my every move.
I took a calming breath and replied, "Of course ma'am. I'm the janitorial manager and I'm searching for areas in need."
She stared at me for a few more seconds while the girl with (h/c) hair stared at both of us.
"If you're just searching for areas in need, then why are you wearing a mask and goggles?" She asked, clearly suspicious of me.
I gulped.
"I'll be honest with you ma'am, I'm a little sick, but I couldn't afford to miss work. So, I wore the mask as a precautionary measure to make sure I didn't get anyone else sick," I replied, erupting into a series of coughs.
"And- and as for the goggles, these are goggles that are specialized to make things like bacteria and mold easier to see," I explained, hoping she didn't ask anymore questions.
"Ah, I see. I'm sorry for interrupting you then," she answered. It seemed she was satisfied with my answers.
"It's alright ma'am. Are you all done in that room? I'm supposed to make sure it's vacancy hasn't left it as a health hazard," I lied, pointing to the taped off room they had just left.
"Yes, yes, we are all done there. We will be just down the hall. Go ahead," she responded, moving away.
I nodded my head and walked carefully into the room as I heard their footsteps go down the hall. I quickly searched the room, but came up with nothing once again. As, I walked down the hallway, I sighed.
Then, I heard voices.
"Do we know how the killer got into the apartments? I know it's a stupid question, but I just realized that it doesn't seem like any of the locks were broken or anything..." a voice trailed off. I immediately realized it was the voice of the (h/c) haired girl.
