The paper, when uncrumpled, was blank on one side and on the other had an advertisement for a circus that was visiting, or rather had visited some months ago. A shadow of disappointment crossed the man’s face as he scoured the lurid text, hunting for clues. He looked along the surface of the page for any telltale indentations a writing implement would have made. Nothing. He slowly let his arms fall, his expression hardening into resolution. He stood for a minute, thinking intensely, still clutching the leaflet. His eyes closed and his fists clenched, squashing it in the way it must have been crushed before being put in the fan. At this point, his eyelids flicked back open. He looked again at the paper in his hand and seemed to be studying the creases. It was randomly crushed apart from a series of faint diagonal folds that must have been made beforehand. He worked gradually and meticulously to reform them. Most words and letters were now hidden, the upturned sections revealing only a few characters. The man flattened the leaflet back out, tore it into tiny pieces and put them in the sink. A half smile played on his thin lips.
Outside, the evening had started to draw in. The dog waited in the street, sniffing at invisible scent marks along the pavement. It growled quietly as a passerby walked their dog by but it gave them a wide berth. The passerby glanced momentarily at the dog and walked on. Elsewhere, the town got on with its business. Shops put up their shutters, a few cars took people home along the few streets. A few children played on quieter roads. Life continued as usual.
The man gave a questioning glance to the dog as he left the house and then crossed the street to the town’s main car park. He assessed each car in turn before walking casually towards a small grey hatchback. He pulled a piece of twisted metal out of his pocket and thrust it between the glass and the doorframe. Inside, the lock popped up. He swung the door open, sat and closed the door in one smooth motion. An onlooker would have noticed nothing strange, but there were no onlookers. Seconds later, the car pulled onto the road and he continued his journey east.