Read Online Red Tape by Michele Lynn Seigfried - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Michele Lynn Seigfried
Ads: Link
notice it at first. But then I heard it…. drip, drip, drip .
What the F? I thought. Oh well, I’m too busy to deal with whatever that is. Back to advertising ordinances.
Drip, drip, drip.
I called out, “Bonnie, is that getting louder or is that my imagination?”
Drip, drip, drip, drip, drip.
Bonnie said, “Yeah, where is that coming from?”
I stepped outside my office into the space where Bonnie sat and looked around. It took me a few minutes, but there it was—the ceiling was leaking.
“Where is the water coming from? It didn’t rain. Do you think the air conditioning is broken?”
Bonnie looked at me blankly and shrugged.
I bent over to get a garbage can to collect the dripping water and I heard a loud crack. I gasped. Gallons of water burst through the ceiling tiles and landed on my head and back with a huge splash. I was soaked.
Bonnie burst out in laughter. She was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down her face. I just stood there in the huge puddle with my eyes wide, mouth opened, and hair plastered to my head. I was dripping from everywhere.
I suddenly heard laughter from outside of our counter area. Oh no! It was Officer Gorgeous walking by, witnessing the mess. Could I be any more embarrassed in front of this man? When Bonnie saw him, she laughed that much harder. I felt the sudden urge to beat her over the head with Mr. Trigger’s pet rock. I was frowning at her and cursing her in my head when all of a sudden… crash ! More water smashed through the ceiling tiles, landed on Bonnie’s head, and kept gushing. She jumped out of the way, but not before she was soaked through all her clothes as well. She stopped chuckling, but I couldn’t control my laughter at this point.
“My shoes!” she screamed.
Of course, Bonnie would be worried about her shoes.
“They are Cesare Paciotti’s and I just got them on sale! Seven hundred dollars right down the drain! They’re ruined!” She started to cry, but those were no longer tears of laughter.
I guessed I’d be a little upset too if I had paid seven hundred dollars for my shoes. Fortunately, I got them for thirty bucks at the outlets and I was pretty sure the water wouldn’t affect them. What I was more worried about was the damage to our records and our office. I ran outside into the lobby to check on the boxes. Those boxes contained permanent records and I was hoping they hadn’t gotten wet.
Luck was on my side. The boxes were dry. I inspected the ceiling for signs of a leak, but couldn’t see anything. I silently cursed Mr. Triggers again for having me bring boxes over. I was going to be really pissed off if anything happened to them. I placed garbage cans under each of the drips and called the public works department in a panic for help.
Public works arrived with wet vacs and buckets. They brought over tarps to cover the boxes and equipment, and crates to use as a base for the boxes in case the leak spread to the hallway. The mechanic headed upstairs with his tools. The rest of the guys started sopping up the water in our office. I closed the window to our office, then Bonnie and I headed home to change.
* * *
First thing Monday morning, I pushed through the doors to the municipal building and noticed it was like the Heat Miser’s lair. Tex was already waiting in my office.
“Oh boy,” I said. “Why do I not think this is not a friendly visit? You only seem to come around anymore when there is trouble.”
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it appears that you had the flood because someone tinkered with the HVAC system. And when I say tinker, I mean that they did so much damage, that it’s irreparable.”
“Do we know who did this?”
“I’m going to need a list from you of everyone you can remember who was in the building last week.”
“Oh geez! That is going to be a long list. I probably won’t remember the names of the residents who came in, unless they paid for something, then I would have
What the F? I thought. Oh well, I’m too busy to deal with whatever that is. Back to advertising ordinances.
Drip, drip, drip.
I called out, “Bonnie, is that getting louder or is that my imagination?”
Drip, drip, drip, drip, drip.
Bonnie said, “Yeah, where is that coming from?”
I stepped outside my office into the space where Bonnie sat and looked around. It took me a few minutes, but there it was—the ceiling was leaking.
“Where is the water coming from? It didn’t rain. Do you think the air conditioning is broken?”
Bonnie looked at me blankly and shrugged.
I bent over to get a garbage can to collect the dripping water and I heard a loud crack. I gasped. Gallons of water burst through the ceiling tiles and landed on my head and back with a huge splash. I was soaked.
Bonnie burst out in laughter. She was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down her face. I just stood there in the huge puddle with my eyes wide, mouth opened, and hair plastered to my head. I was dripping from everywhere.
I suddenly heard laughter from outside of our counter area. Oh no! It was Officer Gorgeous walking by, witnessing the mess. Could I be any more embarrassed in front of this man? When Bonnie saw him, she laughed that much harder. I felt the sudden urge to beat her over the head with Mr. Trigger’s pet rock. I was frowning at her and cursing her in my head when all of a sudden… crash ! More water smashed through the ceiling tiles, landed on Bonnie’s head, and kept gushing. She jumped out of the way, but not before she was soaked through all her clothes as well. She stopped chuckling, but I couldn’t control my laughter at this point.
“My shoes!” she screamed.
Of course, Bonnie would be worried about her shoes.
“They are Cesare Paciotti’s and I just got them on sale! Seven hundred dollars right down the drain! They’re ruined!” She started to cry, but those were no longer tears of laughter.
I guessed I’d be a little upset too if I had paid seven hundred dollars for my shoes. Fortunately, I got them for thirty bucks at the outlets and I was pretty sure the water wouldn’t affect them. What I was more worried about was the damage to our records and our office. I ran outside into the lobby to check on the boxes. Those boxes contained permanent records and I was hoping they hadn’t gotten wet.
Luck was on my side. The boxes were dry. I inspected the ceiling for signs of a leak, but couldn’t see anything. I silently cursed Mr. Triggers again for having me bring boxes over. I was going to be really pissed off if anything happened to them. I placed garbage cans under each of the drips and called the public works department in a panic for help.
Public works arrived with wet vacs and buckets. They brought over tarps to cover the boxes and equipment, and crates to use as a base for the boxes in case the leak spread to the hallway. The mechanic headed upstairs with his tools. The rest of the guys started sopping up the water in our office. I closed the window to our office, then Bonnie and I headed home to change.
* * *
First thing Monday morning, I pushed through the doors to the municipal building and noticed it was like the Heat Miser’s lair. Tex was already waiting in my office.
“Oh boy,” I said. “Why do I not think this is not a friendly visit? You only seem to come around anymore when there is trouble.”
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it appears that you had the flood because someone tinkered with the HVAC system. And when I say tinker, I mean that they did so much damage, that it’s irreparable.”
“Do we know who did this?”
“I’m going to need a list from you of everyone you can remember who was in the building last week.”
“Oh geez! That is going to be a long list. I probably won’t remember the names of the residents who came in, unless they paid for something, then I would have
Similar Books
