I walked back into the garage and stood in front of the bare inside wall.

Four dark screw holes showed in the white sheetrock where the brass padlock bracket had been anchored into the wooden stud.

I reached into my front pocket and took out the small silver key that had sat on my truck dashboard for the past four months.

I walked over to the blue plastic recycling bin by the side door and dropped the key in.

It hit the empty aluminum soda cans at the bottom of the bin with a sharp, clear click.