and she knew that Alex would find the news interesting. Still, she figured there was a danger of blowing the whole thing up out of all proportion,and she didn’t fancy a whole morning of Ben-centric smalltalk, not when she was facing the same thing when she got home. “Nothing. I’m totally on it.”
“That’s good to hear,” he replied, looking down at the papers on his desk. “Wouldn’t want you falling asleep while we’re checking out a bin that got kicked over in the night.”
“Sounds like another fun day. Did any trash get spilled?”
“No. It just got kicked over. Either that, or maybe it just fell. It’s that one on Pencester Street, you know? Outside the Co-op, where it can get a little windy.” He paused, clearly giving the matter a great deal of thought. “I think it fell.”
“Well, that’s…” She paused, trying to think of something to say, but for a moment all she could think about was the big, soft, warm bed at home, and the fact that it would be another twelve hours or so before she had a chance to crawl back under the covers. “You know,” she continued finally, “sometimes I think you actually want people to be up to no good, so we’ve got something to do around here.”
“Ha,” he muttered, reading the printout for a moment. “You know, someone kicked over a bin by the bus station last month. You think we’ve got a serial bin-kicker on our hands?”
“Either that,” she replied, “or faulty restraining screws and a few gusts of wind.”
“Huh.” He paused, before looking across the office for a moment. “You’re right, though. It is kinda -”
Before he could finish, the phone on his desk began to ring, giving them both a slight jump.
“Wow,” Alex muttered, “it still works. You want to do the honors, or should I?”
She gestured for him to answer.
“Maybe we should get a new secretary after all,” he continued, before picking up the receiver. “The budget’d just about stretch, but…” He cleared his throat. “Bowley police department, Alex Gordon speaking. How can we help you on this fine day?”
As she watched, Jane realized the color was slowly draining from Alex’s face.
***
Opening his eyes suddenly, the stranger saw that morning had arrived. He blinked a couple of times, trying to remember exactly what had happened the previous night, but his memories were a little hazy and all he knew for certain was that he’d gone to an all-night store after leaving the bar. Rolling over, he looked down at the floor and saw a one-third empty bottle of whiskey.
“Jesus,” he muttered, squinting as he looked over at the window. “Does everything have to be so offensively bright in this goddamn town?”
A moment later, a police siren could be heard speeding past. Listening, the stranger started to smile, and finally he chuckled to himself.
***
“Yeah, I’d cut this part,” Jack said, striking through a paragraph with a red pen. “It’s extraneous to the core of the story, you know?”
“Okay,” replied Daniel, the intern, with customary eagerness. “Anything you say.”
“And then maybe -”
Stopping suddenly, Jack looked over at the window as he heard a police siren getting closer. A moment later, he saw a car flash past the newspaper’s office building.
“Huh,” he said with a frown.
“Something wrong, Sir?” Daniel asked.
“No.” He paused, before turning back to him. “No, I just… I guess my wife must be having a busy day.”
***
“Of course not,” Bob whispered, as he stood naked in the bathroom with the shower running nearby to make some noise. He was holding his phone and peering out the window, and after a moment he saw Beth leading Lucy to the car. “No, tonight’s fine. I’ll see you there.” He listened for a moment. “No, I didn’t, not yet. Just let me handle that part, okay? No! I told you! Just meet me at the same place and same time. I’ll be there, I promise.”
***
“Are you going to work
“That’s good to hear,” he replied, looking down at the papers on his desk. “Wouldn’t want you falling asleep while we’re checking out a bin that got kicked over in the night.”
“Sounds like another fun day. Did any trash get spilled?”
“No. It just got kicked over. Either that, or maybe it just fell. It’s that one on Pencester Street, you know? Outside the Co-op, where it can get a little windy.” He paused, clearly giving the matter a great deal of thought. “I think it fell.”
“Well, that’s…” She paused, trying to think of something to say, but for a moment all she could think about was the big, soft, warm bed at home, and the fact that it would be another twelve hours or so before she had a chance to crawl back under the covers. “You know,” she continued finally, “sometimes I think you actually want people to be up to no good, so we’ve got something to do around here.”
“Ha,” he muttered, reading the printout for a moment. “You know, someone kicked over a bin by the bus station last month. You think we’ve got a serial bin-kicker on our hands?”
“Either that,” she replied, “or faulty restraining screws and a few gusts of wind.”
“Huh.” He paused, before looking across the office for a moment. “You’re right, though. It is kinda -”
Before he could finish, the phone on his desk began to ring, giving them both a slight jump.
“Wow,” Alex muttered, “it still works. You want to do the honors, or should I?”
She gestured for him to answer.
“Maybe we should get a new secretary after all,” he continued, before picking up the receiver. “The budget’d just about stretch, but…” He cleared his throat. “Bowley police department, Alex Gordon speaking. How can we help you on this fine day?”
As she watched, Jane realized the color was slowly draining from Alex’s face.
***
Opening his eyes suddenly, the stranger saw that morning had arrived. He blinked a couple of times, trying to remember exactly what had happened the previous night, but his memories were a little hazy and all he knew for certain was that he’d gone to an all-night store after leaving the bar. Rolling over, he looked down at the floor and saw a one-third empty bottle of whiskey.
“Jesus,” he muttered, squinting as he looked over at the window. “Does everything have to be so offensively bright in this goddamn town?”
A moment later, a police siren could be heard speeding past. Listening, the stranger started to smile, and finally he chuckled to himself.
***
“Yeah, I’d cut this part,” Jack said, striking through a paragraph with a red pen. “It’s extraneous to the core of the story, you know?”
“Okay,” replied Daniel, the intern, with customary eagerness. “Anything you say.”
“And then maybe -”
Stopping suddenly, Jack looked over at the window as he heard a police siren getting closer. A moment later, he saw a car flash past the newspaper’s office building.
“Huh,” he said with a frown.
“Something wrong, Sir?” Daniel asked.
“No.” He paused, before turning back to him. “No, I just… I guess my wife must be having a busy day.”
***
“Of course not,” Bob whispered, as he stood naked in the bathroom with the shower running nearby to make some noise. He was holding his phone and peering out the window, and after a moment he saw Beth leading Lucy to the car. “No, tonight’s fine. I’ll see you there.” He listened for a moment. “No, I didn’t, not yet. Just let me handle that part, okay? No! I told you! Just meet me at the same place and same time. I’ll be there, I promise.”
***
“Are you going to work
Similar Books
