by JD Jones
*******
Saturday morning Finnegan was not required to go to the office. It was his day off. He slept in until eight. He smiled as he remembered it was his second day of sleeping in this week. As an afterthought, he checked the clock on his nightstand. It was still working correctly.
He lumbered down stairs, not caring about stepping lightly or walking upright even. He stretched and explored all the new aches that arrived each night while he slept. Amazing how, as a man grew older, the muscles he had always depended on left him sore and aching from just sleeping. Somehow it just didn't make sense to him. Muscles always worked better if used often when he was younger. Now, as an older gentleman, they required less use. Why would his muscle tissue change like that? Strange.
He retrieved a cup of coffee from the automatic Bunn coffee machine on the counter. It smelled good. He loved the smell of coffee. He did not drink it like he used to when he was younger. Doctor said avoid caffeine. But he allowed himself a little transgression on the weekends.
Pulling the half gallon milk container from the fridge, he noticed it was empty. That was strange. He was sure it had plenty in it last night when he had a glass before he went to bed. Besides, he never put an empty container back in the fridge before. He sighed heavily and laid the container on the counter. This case was getting to him. He was concentrating so much on the case and all its gory, unbelievable facts that he was missing his own life. He was walking through his days and not even seeing what was around him. He had to finish this so he could get back on track.
He went to a cabinet and got down the powdered creamer he kept there for the times when he forgot to get milk. Carefully he stirred the white powder into his coffee, listening to the music of the spoon clicking against the side of the ceramic cup.
Sipping lightly at his coffee, he retrieved the paper from the front steps and closed the front door, locking it behind him. Sitting in his favorite chair he perused the headlines and sipped his coffee. For the moment, he was putting the case out of his mind. Maybe not all the way out, but far enough away to let him enjoy a good cup of coffee, a quiet morning at home and a leisurely browsing of the paper.
He was half way through the paper and thinking about another cup of coffee when he thought he heard a noise upstairs. He stopped and listened but the sound did not repeat itself. He folded the paper and tucked it between the cushion and the arm of the chair. Standing, he felt his entire world give way. The room started to spin and his stomach was trying to climb up into his throat. Suddenly he felt very hot and it felt like there was something crawling through his skin. He took a couple more steps and felt the floor cave in beneath him. A yawning, dark opening appeared beneath him and he fell into it. He let the darkness swallow him up because there was nothing else he could do.
