He was going through his father’s belongings when he found it.
He had come back from overseas, where he was now living, to attend the funeral. He was the only child and it fell to him to settle the affairs. His mother was long gone, having had a nasty accident in the garden when she was barely middle-aged. It was just about all over and he was sifting through a few odds and ends when he thought about the old man’s laptop. More out of curiosity than anything, he opened it up to see what was on it. There was nothing special, except for a protected file that was titled ‘Private Journal’. Despite feeling that he was being intrusive, he tried a few passwords that didn’t work. The hint read, ‘a backward animal’. Then, remembering his long-time companion, a bullmastiff named Boxer, he typed in ‘rexob’ and it opened.
That was easy, he thought.
With the opening paragraph in front of him, he started to read. ‘I was just fourteen when I first discovered my true calling. With careful planning, I was able to kill the woman who managed the florist shop. I did it in her back garden, making it look as though she tripped and cracked her skull. It was a full year before I went on to…’
With a sharp intake of breath, he grimaced and squeezed his eyes shut.
His whole body was trembling.
He managed to partly open one eye; just enough for him to hit delete.
