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 214: Tucker studied him a moment.
Tucker studied him a moment. “There will be paperwork we will need you to go through.”
James nodded. Images of Carson and Morris flashed through his mind. “Will I be going back to the office in town?”
“No,” Tucker said. “We won’t take that chance. It will more than likely be here when we go through the paperwork. We’ll make sure no one follows.”
James again nodded. He felt it was a useless gesture and felt a bit like a bobble head for continuing to nod ad Tucker’s statements, but he was uncertain what to actually say.
“Is this the time you normally get home?” Tucker asked. “You aren’t coming from the office?”
As James was still dressed in the clothes he used to run, the question was more of a statement. “I’m training for a marathon,” James told him.
“I see,” Tucker replied.
“If I don’t stop for dinner somewhere on the way home this is my usual time home. I go from the office to the training class. Or do now until the training is done.”
This time Tucker nodded. It seemed like after the announcements of death and the promise of paperwork to come, Tucker had little left to say. They rose form their seats and walked towards the door. Tucker reached for the door knob.
“By the way,” Tucker said as he turned the handle. The casualness of the statement caused James’ spine to stiffen. “It seems your old friend Cassie has gone missing.”
James blinked. “Missing?” He turned the word over in his mind. “As in someone took her?”
“We think she ran,” Tucker said. “Money was gone and bags were hastily packed.”
“Run.” James repeated. He felt slow and stupid. He was used to knowing what was going on and now he knew nothing. These people seemed like strangers. Strangers who get shot in pretend muggings and flee their homes in the middle of the night.
“You think she is connected?”
“We think it is a possibility worth investigating. Do you know of any place she might go if she felt threatened? Anyone she might call?”
James shook his head and frowned. “No,” he replied.
“Well if you do, let me know.”
“I will.”
His last surprise sprung, Tucker opened the door and stepped outside. James wished him a good night and Tucker walked away. James didn’t see where he parked his car and wasn’t really in the mood to be curious about it. He closed and locked the front door. Still feeling as though cold was emanating from his bones, James walked back to the living room. He felt brittle with the cold, as though his feet could snap off leaving the jagged stumps of his ankles for him to walk on.
He sunk down onto the couch. In the back of his mind he heard Cassie’s voice. He closed his eyes and leaned back on the couch. Time slipped away as the memory came fresh to the front of his mind. Cassie’s car broke down. Tipsy and believing that she had something to do with the breakdown, she called James instead of anyone else. Everyone knew he knew about cars and she knew he would help him out. So she called him.
Ten til Midnight 