It was a briefcase.

An expensive one, I could tell that even being covered in dust and debris.

While I stood there, dumbfounded, a spider crawled out of the hole. I remember that clearly.

I let it crawl away, as I knelt down for a closer look.

It took a while to pry back enough of the boards to get what I saw down there out of the hole. My living room looked like a construction zone. Luckily, I don't have any neighbors way out here.

I just stood there looking down at it for some time, holding the pry bar, breathing hard.

It started with a broken floorboard.

I have only lived in this house for a few months. I didn't even notice the weak spot in the floor until my foot went through the boards.

I'll never forget pulling my scratched and bleeding foot back out of that hole... and looking inside.

It's time to start crossing people off my list. I have written it in blood this time. Just a drop, mixed in the ink.

Names written carefully.
Each one spelled correctly.
Addresses committed to memory.

This is where it starts.