Gemotions

He ran a hand over his freshly shaved head, the slickness not quite masking the prickling unease beneath his skin. The detective’s voice, a gravelly whisper, still buzzed in his ears: "Unsolved. Cold case. Nobody ever found out who did it." His jaw clenched. He shouldn’t have bought this place. He knew it in his bones. He knew it when the realtor told him that it was a steal. Now he had this ache.

He kicked a discarded paint can across the dusty basement floor. The thought of all the blood… it left him winded. The scent of old plaster and damp wood clung to the air, a phantom fragrance that made him want to retch. He glanced at the water heater. It suddenly loomed, gigantic and menacing.