I lit up a cigarette and started to read, occasionally putting the book down to have a sip of whiskey. The room smelled like books and candle smoke. I was exhausted. I had been doing all kinds of work around the house, especially the garden, since it required a lot of work after wintertime.

The week had been exhausting overall. There had been news of women disappearing all over town. To keep my mind off of all of it, I started cleaning. Not to have a clean house, but to have a clean mind. And it really helped.

I didn’t really get into the book i was reading, so i just stared at the ceiling while getting drunk on whiskey. But my mind couldn’t stop racing. Every noise and every creak made me jump. The more drunk i got, the more paranoid i got. It felt as if someone was watching me.

Later that night, i woke up to the sound of my front door closing. I was paralyzed. Did someone leave, or did someone come inside? One of my candles was still burning, and its soft, delicate light filled the room. After a while of pure panic, i decided to go and check.

Every floorboard seemed to creak under me, and everytime it made me cringe. As i finally got to the hall leading up to my front door, to my relief, no one was there. However, the closet door beside the front door was slightly open. I had not left it like that.

Something on the ground caught my eye. An envelope. I slowly lifted it up and opened it. A shiver travelled up my spine as I read the note that was inside.

“I know about your little secrets in the garden. I know what you’ve done.”

In shock, i dropped the note and immediately opened my closet door. The shovel was gone.

Someone knows.