Something Missing by Matthew Dicks Page A

green stripes stretching down opposite sides and a green on/off button in its center. The brand was Braun. Alongside one of the stripes were the words “Plak control ultra.” The upper portion of the toothbrush, containing the bristle attachment, was also white and marked by the phrase “Oral-B.” Other than these few distinguishing features, there were no other marks on the brush. No model or serial numbers. Martin was pleased with his decision to take the brush with him. Finding a match with this limited information would have proven difficult.
    He also recognized how fortunate it was that the toothbrush,bristle attachment included, appeared to be fairly new. Had Cindy Clayton not been so vigilant about changing the bristle attachment, switching it for a new one would have been impossible. Still, Martin would need to compare the new bristles to these contaminated ones before he made the switch, to ensure that they were similar enough to pass for the old ones. He was suddenly appalled to realize that he had failed to factor this in while standing inside the Claytons’ bathroom.
This is what happens when rules are broken and work is rushed
, he thought to himself as he shifted into drive and made his way out onto Route 3.
    Eliminating Walgreens because of its distance from the Clayton home, Martin refrained from finalizing his decision between Stop & Shop and CVS until the last possible moment, hoping to receive divine inspiration during the eight minutes it took to enter the plaza’s crowded parking lot.
    None came.
    In the end, Martin chose CVS because he knew the store carried electric toothbrushes of some kind, and armed with this bit of information, he made the decision. But in choosing a parking spot, he chose to hedge his bet, landing a spot seven rows deep between the two stores. Throwing the car into park and checking his watch (3:41), Martin uncharacteristically raced toward the pharmacy’s automatic doors.
    Upon entering the store, Martin headed for the back, knowing well that toothpaste, dental floss, and mouthwash were found in one of the back rows of his own local store. As he walked quickly through the magazine aisle, an elderly man pushing one of CVS’s miniaturized shopping carts gave him an odd stare and continued to stare until Martin turned the corner and entered the “Oral Hygiene” aisle.
    “Bingo,” he whispered to himself, standing in front of a large display of electric toothbrushes. Reaching into his pocket,Martin removed Cindy Clayton’s toothbrush for a second time, suddenly realizing that he was still wearing the latex gloves that he had put on before entering the Clayton home. This triggered another realization. He was also still wearing the hairnet that he had put on as well, and because he had apparently lost his hat somewhere between the Clayton home and the pharmacy
(Did I take it off in the car?
he wondered), he must have looked fairly odd to anyone who had seen him, including the old man in aisle 4.
    Martin quickly removed the hairnet and stuffed it into his coat pocket but kept the gloves on, still loath to make contact with the contaminated toothbrush. Holding it up in front of him, he began slowly moving it from left to right, comparing it with the wide variety of electrics on display. In less than a minute, he had located the brand and type for which he was searching, but much to his horror, could not locate the green color that he required. Navy blue and maroon were present in great numbers, but no green.
    He considered asking a clerk to check the supplies in back, then looked again at his watch (3:45) and determined that trying Stop & Shop would likely be quicker. In less than two minutes, he was once again facing a display of electric toothbrushes, this time in the wider and better-lit aisles of the grocery store, and to his relief, saw the required toothbrush in the required brand and color almost immediately. Grabbing it, he ran toward the register, fearful of the