It was Sunday morning and as usual Gerald was on his way to get his laundry done. Sundays were his only day off from work, so he took those days to complete his chores. He chose to exercise Monday through Saturday only. This was because he always used his favorite black hoodie with white stripes while exercising and so it needed to be washed on Sundays to be refreshed for the following week. It was the only hoodie that he used for exercising because it was made from light-weight material which made it very easy to dry. He picked up his laundry but couldn't seem to find it. Gerald lived in an apartment complex that had a shared laundry room for all the tenants. This was great for him because it relieved him from having to travel to and from a laundry mart to have his laundry done.
"Where did I place that, if not right here then where?"
He was wondering this to himself. He didn't understand why he couldn't locate this hoodie when he usually left it hanging on the dresser. He proceeded to the laundry room hoping that he may have found it there even though that would not have seemed to make much sense but there was nowhere else that he could think of. While doing laundry, he checked around in all the appliances and the entire room, but he didn't find any missing apparel at all. This was no surprise as all the tenants including himself were very responsible and always cleaned up after themselves when it came to the shared spaces in the complex. He still thought that he should ask someone just to be certain. He couldn't have imagined where that hoodie could have gone to. He saw a young lady sitting on a chair in front of the dryer awaiting her clothing to dry.
"Hey, good morning. How are you?"
Without waiting for her to respond, he continued.
"Did you so happen to see any lost apparel around this area specifically a black hoodie with white stripes all over it?"
She was very pleasant, and he had seen her around the complex before, so he was pretty comfortable speaking with her.
"Am...no I haven't but, I heard a guy who had just completed his laundry mention to someone that he found something here and was taking it back to his room in case anyone was to ask for it. I'm not sure if it was apparel or not."
With a gentle smile she looked at Gerald very kindly then continued.
"You can check by his apartment if you like. He said that he stays in apartment five and that he had only recently moved in two weeks ago. Oh, and good morning to you too."
She was simply a beauty. Dark skin in complexion with wavy, curly, red-colored hair. Gerald appreciated the information and thanked her before moving along as if he hadn't even noticed how gorgeous she was. He didn't even ask her what her name was. He did notice her beauty, it's just that he hadn't had an intimate relationship in a while and wasn't planning on doing it any time soon. He decided to check with this 'new guy' quickly between the spin cycle of his wash in case he did have his hoodie, he could have it done with the next cycle. He approached apartment five and knocked loudly. Someone quickly and a bit frantically answered.
"Hey! You knocked so loudly for some reason I thought that it was the cops or something."
This explained why he answered the door a bit frantically. This response startled Gerald. For some reason the greeting was quite friendly as if they had met before or were at least familiar with each other. He went on to ask about his missing hoodie, but the guy didn't have it.
"I found a pair of sunglasses sitting in one piece on the dryer when I went in this morning. I was wondering whose it was but no one else was around so I took it for safe keeping. I did not see any clothing."
This was disappointing to hear as he really couldn't understand where in life this hoodie could have gone. He said his thanks and was about to walk away when the guy said something to him that was quite puzzling.
"I know you from somewhere. I've never seen you around here since I came in so it cannot be from here but...your face seems familiar."
Gerald stood a bit stunned. The guy was right; they had never met in the complex as he didn't even know that apartment no. five had a new tenant. He was of the impression that the old lady that he had met there when he had moved in was still occupying it. He replied with the next most sensible answer that he could have thought of.
"I work about twenty minutes away serving at Fried N' True. Maybe you've seen me there when you visit at times."
That made sense since Gerald barely frequented anywhere else in public. As he went to walk away again, he stopped him and insisted that it wasn't where he had been employed either.
"I've never even been to that place before. I know you from the therapist's office. I work there and I am the Clerk who schedules your appointments. I notice you from the picture we have for you on file."
Standing in a state of shock, Gerald paused, looking at him even more puzzled than before. He was wondering if this guy knew anything about his story and the information concerning his sessions. He was confused as to how much this guy knew about him while he knew nothing about him in return, not even his name. As if being a mind reader, the tenant calmed his thoughts.
"Don't worry. I am not allowed to read any information. They are not even available to me because the doctor keeps all records on her devices with passwords that only she knows. I've just seen your face enough times to recognize it."
With a sigh of relief Gerald loosened his then tense body and smiled.
"What is your name?"
He asked him for at least future reference.
"Ryan Stevenson."
Gerald officially introduced himself even though he was aware that Ryan most likely already knew his name. He left quickly to return to his laundry as he didn't want any of his remaining apparel to go missing from being left unattended. He completed his laundry this week in record time and on his way back to his apartment he noticed that the hallway was completely clear. That was unusual because it was common for others to be outside of their apartments chatting and mingling with one another nearly always.
He entered his apartment with his back first as it was easier to carry the basket in at the same time. When he spun around his eyes caught the tv that was left on from since earlier and he saw a live breaking news report being broadcasted. He placed his laundry basket on the floor and lifted the volume higher on the television to hear the reporting better and more clearly.
"This is sorrowful breaking news. A case concerning a twenty-seven-year-old woman who was reported missing since the last Thursday of last month by her family has now been updated to a kidnapping case. Authorities suspect that they may have to soon update it as a potential homicide after the release of a video showing a man leaving her apartment with a large, bag which may have contained her body. Her name is Ashley Pane and her family thought that she may have travelled after she went missing so abruptly. She was a Psychology student and was expected to graduate next semester. Police have released this video showing the person that they believe to be responsible."
As the video begins to play, sheer horror crawls through Gerald's entire body. The video shows a man, approximately the same size as he was with the same-colored hoodie that he is missing, carrying out a large, clearly heavy, black bag through the side panel of Ashley's apartment down the fire escape along her room.
"WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON? I can't find my hoodie and there's someone wearing a hoodie exactly like mine, doing exactly what I dreamt that I was doing in that reoccurring dream. What in the heavens is this?"
He questioned himself through his thoughts. His mind was running wild. He couldn't understand what was going on. Then suddenly,
"Knock. knock, knock!"
Someone was at his door.
"Hey! Would you like to watch the basketball game with me? We can order food if you're hungry."
With a heavy sigh, Gerald exhaled. It was Ryan at the door. He was relieved. If there was ever a time that he would be the happiest to have it be Ryan at his door, it would have been at exactly that moment.
"No....not right now. I'm busy. Maybe next time."
He replied with a shaky voice while needing to clear his throat. The news continued on.
"Police has released this photo of the man that they believe is the main suspect in the case of missing Ashley. They believe that he can assist them with their investigations..."
They showed a very clear, large picture of the suspected kidnapper on the screen and immediately the news reporter's voice began to trail off in the distance, all Gerald heard was complete silence. He stood frozen in time, completely horrified and confused while he looked at a picture of his face on the news segment being broadcasted for all viewers. Though his name was not published along with the photo, the authorities found Gerald Paul to be the main suspect in the kidnapping of Ashley Pane.