Morning all. I hope you are doing well today. Today is what we call an indoor day. The air quality is bad today and going out to breath it feels like a really bad idea. The computer seems to agree with me as it keeps flashing warnings about the air quality. I know it is just a rotating message between the temperature and the notice, but it feels a bit like one of those warnings you get at the beginning of an apocalyptic movie from the 1980s. You know, like the ones where Haley’s Comet spewed deadly dust as it passed or there was a uranium cloud for reasons no one ever really explained but always seemed to have to do with some secret government project going awry. I know it isn’t but the shift between temperature and warning notification just seems to have that vibe for me. Maybe it will be better after coffee. But first, to the writing prompt, Batman!
This one will require some though and mostly putting all sorts of separate pieces together but I do want to find out the deal between John and Carl. It will go into the file for later though. it needs time to percolate.
Thursday, June 29th: He baited his hook.
He baited his hook. It was a nice juicy morsel a man like Carl would be unable to resist. “I heard that they are expanding into the Freestone area.” John said the words casually, almost absently as he ran his eyes over the pages he was holding. “It might be worth looking into,” he added. He tried to sound as though he was talking to himself. That he had forgotten Carl was in the room.
His eyes didn’t take in the words on the bag, his attention mostly on Carl. He saw Carl stiffen and try to make himself quieter than he already was. He went as still as a statue.
John ignored him and turned the page, continuing his charade of reading the papers. Carl shifted and the floorboard beneath him sighed softly. It wasn’t much of a sound, but it was enough for John to use.
He looked up from the page and blinked. He let his eyes flit to Carl and then back to the pages. He cleared his throat. “Not that it is any of our concern, right.” He flipped the pages back to the first page and walked back to the desk. He placed the pages in the open folder he left there, closed the folder and put the folder in the desk drawer.
“Was there something I could help you with?” he asked. John wondered what excuse Carl made to come to his office this time. The excuses were always interesting even if they weren’t practical.
“Oh nothing much,” Carl said. His eyes strayed to the desk drawer. He looked as though he was trying to see through the wooden top and into the drawer itself by sheer will power. As if realizing his focus might be intense or an utter failure, he looked back at John and smiled broadly.
“I was in the area and thought you might want to get lunch so I stopped in,” Carl finished.
“In the area?” John repeated. “Really? What brought you out this way?”
“Oh we;;,” Carl began clearly not expecting that element of his story to be questioned. “I was going to meet someone, you don’t know them, someone from …” He waved a hand dismissively. “A long time ago, yes, been ages since I saw them. But they cancelled and then well I was in the area and since I was going to get lunch I thought of you.”
Carl trailed off.
John glanced at the clock. “It is a little past two,” he said.
“Is it?” Carl’s eyes widened. “Oh I didn’t realize it was that late, I will have to be going if I am going to get back, so sorry to have bothered you.” Carl turned and fairly raced out of the room before John could ask any more questions. John leaned back and smiled, wondering how long it would take before Carl took the bait and headed towards Freestone.
Ten til Midnight 