Read Online Unfinished Business - Barbara Seranella by Barbara Seranella - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Barbara Seranella
Ads: Link
"never
the bride."
Munch opened her trunk and retrieved her
air-conditioning gauges, a case of Freon, and her evacuator pump. St.
John waved to her, smiling around the half-smoked cheroot clamped
between his teeth. His shirtsleeves were pushed up past his elbows.
He had grease on his hands. She walked over to where he was working.
Her composure lessened with every step. By the time she got to him
she was breathing hard and fighting back tears of rage.
"What happened?" he asked.
She showed him the note. "I found it pinned to
Asia's coat when I picked her up today."
"At school?"
"Just now."
"Okay get ahold of yourself."
For just a moment, her agitation switched to him. The
first order of business shouldn't be calming the little lady.
Besides, he was only seeing a tip of how she really felt. She was
already holding on to herself as hard as she could. Not trusting
herself to speak, she glared at him until he continued.
"Let's call the school. No, better yet, I'll
call the watch sergeant over at the station and have him dispatch a
unit. What kind of security do they have at the school?"
Munch thought of the middle-aged woman who presided
over day care. "None to speak of. I mean, they don't let kids
leave with strangers, but it would be pretty easy for anyone to get
in there."
"I'll have the patrol officer speak to whoever
is there and see if anyone unknown to them was around the school
today. That's all we can do for now."
"Should I keep Asia out of school tomorrow?"
"I'll have to think about that."
She looked over at her kid. Asia was still happily
playing with the dogs. She'd made them all capes out of old beach
towels and they were deep into a superhero fantasy She was calling
the new dog "Brownie."
Munch and St. John went inside the Bella Donna to
make the calls. As always, she was slightly overwhelmed when she
stepped inside the train. It was like being instantly transported to
another world, another era. The walls were covered with red velvet
flocked wallpaper. Doorknobs and light fixtures were ornate brass
affairs. The top halves of the windows were leaded glass. The
lime-green satin shades were up, letting in the light but more
important, providing a clear view of Asia.
In the far right corner of the lounge section, behind
the small antique practice piano, and across from the bar, was a
small mahogany table that came out from the wall. As with most things
on the train, this piece of furniture served a dual purpose. The
table lifted out and the bench seats on either side slid down and
together to form a bed. There were small brass hooks in the ceiling
where the porter would hang a curtain for privacy. The phone was on
the table amid a mass of paperwork.
St. John called the police station first and
explained the situation to the watch commander. The desk sergeant
promised to dispatch a unit immediately and to call back with any
news. He would also run patrol checks throughout the day and add the
incident to the briefing items at roll call.
Munch next called the school. The principal, Mrs.
Frowein, was still there and was understandably upset when she heard
what had happened. Munch didn't reassure her that it was probably
nothing, or some kind of stupid prank. Whoever had done this had
crossed way over the prank line by bringing Asia into it. Mrs.
Frowein promised Munch unceasing vigilance in the school yard from
now on.
"Let's get to work on your AC," Munch told
St. John. She wanted to make use of the available light, but even
more than that, she needed to retreat to the safety of work.
Mechanical problems she knew she could deal with. Unlike the rest of
life, where either the same issues kept popping up to haunt her or
brand-new shit hit that she didn't even see coming. And only time
would tell if she needed to worry about something. By then, of
course, it was too late.
They walked back outside. She checked the AC pump for
oil and found it was filled to the proper level. St. John hovered
over her with his
the bride."
Munch opened her trunk and retrieved her
air-conditioning gauges, a case of Freon, and her evacuator pump. St.
John waved to her, smiling around the half-smoked cheroot clamped
between his teeth. His shirtsleeves were pushed up past his elbows.
He had grease on his hands. She walked over to where he was working.
Her composure lessened with every step. By the time she got to him
she was breathing hard and fighting back tears of rage.
"What happened?" he asked.
She showed him the note. "I found it pinned to
Asia's coat when I picked her up today."
"At school?"
"Just now."
"Okay get ahold of yourself."
For just a moment, her agitation switched to him. The
first order of business shouldn't be calming the little lady.
Besides, he was only seeing a tip of how she really felt. She was
already holding on to herself as hard as she could. Not trusting
herself to speak, she glared at him until he continued.
"Let's call the school. No, better yet, I'll
call the watch sergeant over at the station and have him dispatch a
unit. What kind of security do they have at the school?"
Munch thought of the middle-aged woman who presided
over day care. "None to speak of. I mean, they don't let kids
leave with strangers, but it would be pretty easy for anyone to get
in there."
"I'll have the patrol officer speak to whoever
is there and see if anyone unknown to them was around the school
today. That's all we can do for now."
"Should I keep Asia out of school tomorrow?"
"I'll have to think about that."
She looked over at her kid. Asia was still happily
playing with the dogs. She'd made them all capes out of old beach
towels and they were deep into a superhero fantasy She was calling
the new dog "Brownie."
Munch and St. John went inside the Bella Donna to
make the calls. As always, she was slightly overwhelmed when she
stepped inside the train. It was like being instantly transported to
another world, another era. The walls were covered with red velvet
flocked wallpaper. Doorknobs and light fixtures were ornate brass
affairs. The top halves of the windows were leaded glass. The
lime-green satin shades were up, letting in the light but more
important, providing a clear view of Asia.
In the far right corner of the lounge section, behind
the small antique practice piano, and across from the bar, was a
small mahogany table that came out from the wall. As with most things
on the train, this piece of furniture served a dual purpose. The
table lifted out and the bench seats on either side slid down and
together to form a bed. There were small brass hooks in the ceiling
where the porter would hang a curtain for privacy. The phone was on
the table amid a mass of paperwork.
St. John called the police station first and
explained the situation to the watch commander. The desk sergeant
promised to dispatch a unit immediately and to call back with any
news. He would also run patrol checks throughout the day and add the
incident to the briefing items at roll call.
Munch next called the school. The principal, Mrs.
Frowein, was still there and was understandably upset when she heard
what had happened. Munch didn't reassure her that it was probably
nothing, or some kind of stupid prank. Whoever had done this had
crossed way over the prank line by bringing Asia into it. Mrs.
Frowein promised Munch unceasing vigilance in the school yard from
now on.
"Let's get to work on your AC," Munch told
St. John. She wanted to make use of the available light, but even
more than that, she needed to retreat to the safety of work.
Mechanical problems she knew she could deal with. Unlike the rest of
life, where either the same issues kept popping up to haunt her or
brand-new shit hit that she didn't even see coming. And only time
would tell if she needed to worry about something. By then, of
course, it was too late.
They walked back outside. She checked the AC pump for
oil and found it was filled to the proper level. St. John hovered
over her with his
Similar Books
