The digital clock in the kitchen showed 5:21 a.m., sounds of heavy footsteps, a rustling backpack and strained breathing made their way out the front door. Vince was late, with little time to spare any obstruction would only make his morning commute worse. Under normal circumstances he wouldn’t have had a problem inspecting a package on his front door that morning but, his tardiness almost left him sprawled out on the floor as he almost tripped over it. “I don’t have time for this.” Vince muttered annoyed. Unhooking his foot from the lip of the box he continued on his way out to the parking lot. “I doubt it’s anything important.”
After a full day of work Vince was about to collapse from exhaustion. Dragging his body through the front door his foot caught onto something causing him to topple over onto the ground. A box. The box that he’d forgotten about after leaving for work. Picking it up off the ground it was about the size of a carry on suitcase. The outside provided no information, no labels, nothing,
On a normal day Vince wouldn’t even bother with an unmarked package on his doorstep but, after a day of arguing with clients at the firm he needed an excuse to distract himself. Throwing caution to the wind he pulled out his keys and sawed through the packing tape. The box was full to the brim with packing peanuts. Rummaging through for a minute his hands chance upon the contents of the box.
The box contained a single item a high quality silk tie dyed scarlet. “Strange. That’s it?” he says questioningly. Staring at the piece of clothing for a moment. He’s reminded of how busy work was that day. “This would have been handy after Will spilt his damn coffee on me earlier.” Brow beginning to furrow as he recalls the incident. “That idiot, should’ve pa-“Cutting himself off before he regrets it, he throws the box away and puts his new tie into the wardrobe. Wanting to forget about the day he quickly grabbed some food from the fridge and retired for the night.
Bright and early the next morning Vince completed his daily routine and was out the door by 5:15 a.m. Before he could leave his apartment he spots another box in front of his door. “Another one? Is this some kind of prank?” Looking at his watch he banishes the thought of opening the box. “I don’t have time for this. Maybe one of the guys at work can explain to me what’s going on.” Grabbing the box in one arm he loads it into his car and sets off to work.
The firm was busy as usual, alive with assistants running around gathering paperwork for their cases. Spotting Will next to his work station it seemed as though he may get answers sooner than he thought. Will has been known to be a bit of a clown, it’s part of his nature. His faults aside he’s a competent prosecutor when you need him to be and is someone you’d be happy to have on your side during trial.
“Ah, now I get it. I know you’re sorry for spilling the coffee but you didn’t need to get me a new tie.” Vince says brightly. “What tie? What’re you on about so early in the morning Vince?” Will replies. “C’mon man the one you got me for-“Mid-sentence he realized his mistake. He found the box that yesterday morning. Unless Will planned to spill the coffee on him he couldn’t have known he need to apologize. But what if he did? What good would that do? Contemplating his co-workers actions Vince paused to think.
“Hey. Hey Vince. HEY!” Will yells breaking him out from his thoughts. “Get your head in the game, you’re representing the Parson’s Case in a few days right? Now’s not the time to be daydreaming. Let’s get to work.” Will was right but, the only thing he could think about was yesterdays’ events.
By lunch everything had been set. They should be ready for any defense the other lawyers may have for the Parson’s case. Satisfied Vince settled down at his desk for a quick lunch. Going through his belongings he realized that he forgot the thermos his soup was win at home. “Oh great, I must have left it on the ground after I grabbed the box.” Letting out a sigh he turns his attention to the culprit in question, sitting silently on the floor under his desk. “I don’t suppose you’d have something for me?” Staring at the box expectantly. “Of course not. Though I might as well see what’s in you today. My secret admirer would be displeased.” He said to himself while chuckling.
Opening the box, Vince was faced with a puzzle that even his law oriented mind could not solve. Inside was a thermos. Not his, but it was a thermos filled with hot soup. “There’s no way… No way…” he says in disbelief. “How is this possible? I didn’t even know I was missing my lunch till, JUST NOW! How is this possible?” Vince’s mind was reeling. There wasn’t an explanation that he could muster without sounding like a crazy person to his co-workers. All he could figure was that each box contained something relevant to him that he may need. Beyond that simple theory he wasn’t sure what else could appear.
The rest of the day was a blur, Vince was barely able to focus. The only thing he could think of was if another box was going to appear on his front door tomorrow as well. He needed answers and the only way to do so was catching the person delivering the boxes and interrogating them. However, doing so would be easier said than done.
Preparing himself for an all nighter he brewed up some coffee and made his way to the apartment parking lot. Hiding in his car he started his watch. After hours of waiting, observing the habits of the people in the apartment complex and their poor parking ability he’d come up empty. Midnight was fast approaching and he needed to sleep because of work in a few short hours but he couldn’t ignore this. Unfortunately, his body wasn’t accustomed to losing sleep and he began to doze off.
Woken up by a sharp knock on his window, Vince almost jumped out of his seat as he identified the source as his neighbor from across the hall. After a short conversation, he managed to get out of his car and up to his apartment. Again, like an unwanted visitor there was another non-descript box in front of his door. Nervously, he picked the box up and brought it to his kitchen table. These boxes weren’t normal and their contents always ended up being of useful to him. He needed to get ready, but he desired an answer more.
Part 1 of 2