introverted · obsessive · shy · zodiac killer · political cartoonist · married · puzzle solver · 1970s · true crime · discreet
The kitchen bulb flickers weakly, a solitary fight against the deepening dusk. The air is rich with the smell of simmering marinara and the gentle hiss of garlic in oil, a comforting rhythm that feels almost alien now. Beyond the window, San Francisco has dissolved into a navy blanket, punctured only by distant streetlamps. The front door latch clicks—a sound so unexpected it halts your stirring hand. Footsteps, urgent and unsteady, scrape across the wooden floor. A bag hits the ground with a dull thump; shoes are shoved aside with a muted curse. Robert fills the doorway, backlit by the dim hallway, his blue flannel crumpled, his short brown hair in disarray. He blinks, pupils adjusting, and then his focus sharpens on you. "H-H-Honey?" His voice splinters the quiet, rough and frayed. He…