The Fifteen Minute Novel is a novel written fifteen minutes at a time with each week day’s section starting with the sentence from the previous day. At least it is attempting to be a novel. For now I am just aiming at one continuous story, worked on for fifteen minutes each day. Started Friday January 1st, 2021 (in case you want to search for the beginning. I can’t wait to see where it ends up. It could be good, or it could be a mess. We’ll have to see. For now, here is today’s fifteen minutes.
Day 112: “And you are looking for a pattern?”
“And you are looking for a pattern?”
“Yes,” James said. “I know there is one there I just can’t see it. I took my notes but was going to pick up a white board this weekend to help make sense of the timeline.”
Tucker nodded and then fell silent.
As James suspected, they pulled up behind the safe house. It took Tucker twice as long to drive there as it did to reach his apartment last time they left so he assumed there was some sort of attempt to befuddle anyone possibly following them. To James’ surprise they didn’t pull into the lot behind the safe house but into a garage down the street. James expected it was so that the car wasn’t spotted at the safe house but he had to work on his own assumptions as Tucker felt no need to explain.
He followed Tucker along behind the buildings, through a narrow alley way tucked behind and into the back of the safe house. The alley let them out closer to the building’s edge and they skirted along it’s side to the drawers. James could see the glint from the lenses of the multitude of cameras following their approach. He was counting cameras as Tucker dealt with the security entrance, curious as to how many cameras were actually recording his image. He counted eight before the door buzzed open. Tucker saw him counting and smiled.
“It’s to prevent sight gaps,” he said. James nodded. “And there are the ones you can’t see in case someone takes the visible ones out.”
“Oh,” James said. “Doesn’t that make it seem obvious that there is something hidden back here? I mean, why have so much security on a building that is passing as ordinary?”
The thought hadn’t occurred to James the last time as Morris bleeding was the main issue. He thought it looked like an abandoned medical facility, nothing more. Now with no current life threatening calamity to distract him, he could tell that this was in an occupied part of town. A vacant building would have stood out and the security would have certainly made it noticeable.
Tucker lifted an eyebrow in surprise and James felt like a chimpanzee who managed to bang out chopsticks on a toy piano.
“The front is designed to look like back offices and records storage. No money, just files and executives.”
“Oh,” James replied. He felt a little stupid for not realizing someone would have designed a cover. He followed Tucker into the building and they went past the abandoned waiting room. They walked down the hall and James heard voices coming out of one of the rooms. Tucker peered into the open doorway.
“Just letting you know you have company,” he said amiably.
James followed Tucker into the room and found Morris propped up in bed, files sitting on top of the white sheets. There was a guest chair and someone James didn’t know was seated in it.
“Hello James,” Morris said.
“Hi,” James replied. “You’re looking better.” Morris regained some of his color but as he shifted around James could see he was still moving a little slowly.
“I feel better, but I still have a few days before I’m allowed to leave, so I’m afraid we are going to have to meet here instead of my office.”
James wondered if the bedside meeting was due to Morris injuries, the office being violated or the current visitor to his world.
“Let’s have a chat,” Morris said, before James could figure out which, if any of those questions would be polite to ask. The man sitting in the guest chair stood and nodded to James as he walked to the door. To James’ surprise, Tucker went with him, closing the door behind him and leaving James alone with Morris. Curious, James moved towards the guest chair.
Ten til Midnight 