At dawn, he drove to the precinct. Not the main station—too many moles. He found Detective Mariana Reyes, the only cop who still took reports from garbagemen seriously. She was drinking burnt coffee at her desk, shadows under her eyes.
“You’re late,” Paul said.
She walked away. Paul closed the door, turned on the faucet, and for the first time in three years—did not wash his hands. Clean.2022.1080p.WEB-DL.DD5.1.H.264-EVO-TGx-
Paul watched the news from his apartment, hands raw from scrubbing. Lena smiled on the screen, reunited with her mother. He didn’t feel like a hero. He felt like a man who had finally stopped running. At dawn, he drove to the precinct
“My mother’s dead.”
He looked at his boots. At the jumpsuit hanging on the hook. “Tomorrow’s route starts at 4:47. There’s always more trash. And sometimes, buried underneath it… something worth saving.” She was drinking burnt coffee at her desk,