The Fifteen Minute Novel is an attempt to take a single prompt and use the last sentence written each day as a start for the next day. This year I had several prompts circling around a similar story, so I have combined them. However, the story starts the same way each day, with the last line from the day before and a timer set for fifteen minutes. The hope is to end up with a complete, if very rough draft by the end of the year. Some stories are better than others, but I always learn a whole lot about my own writing when I do this so for me it is not only a nice way to work out a story, but it is a tool for helping my writing get better. And so, we continue this story for 2024 with…
Day 229: Kevin dropped her off outside Havers and told her he would pick her up in the same place unless she called.
Kevin dropped her off outside Havers and told her he would pick her up in the same place unless she called. Sophie thanked him and went into the building. Linda was entering as she did.
“Oh so who is the new guy?” she asked. Sophie smiled knowing Linda was looking for gossip.
“Neighbor,” Sophie said. “Car trouble.” She kept it simple. She not only didn’t want to accuse Kristen without proof and knew the office gossip would immediately go to Kristen, but she wasn’t all that keen to be the center of another cycle of gossip.
Linda seemed slightly disappointed that the gossip wasn’t more salacious but was happy to switch to the drama of her daughter’s school play. Sophie was happy to listen and be amused as they rode the elevator up to the office. There Linda went to her space and Sophie to hers. She put her things away and set up her morning’s work.
As she did all of her catch up work before leaving Friday, Sophie was pleased to have a normal work week stretched out before her. ‘At least anything crazy should be out of the office.’ Her plan was to work as usual until lunch and then when the main office started clearing out for lunch, call the detective looking into her car and it’s issues.
‘Less of an audience,’ she thought.
She took out the files and turned on the computer, settling herself for what she hoped would be a typical day. The typical lasted until a few minutes after ten when her office phone rang. Sophie frowned, slipped out her ear but and turned off her pod cast. She reached for the phone.
“Havers, Limited, this is Sophia speaking how may I help you,” she said into the receiver even as she hit the save button on the file she was inputting.
“Sophia, this is Elizabeth, could you come upstairs to my office please?”
“Sure,” Sophie replied. “I’ll be right up.”
The call ended and Sophie quickly locked down her files, closing the one she had open on her desk top and locking her computer. She picked up her notepad and pen, wondering what the issue might be. As she rode the elevator upwards Sophie realized she was no longer trembling in fear when she visited the upper floors. She knew she was a valued employee and didn’t worry that every call was a notification of her dismissal.
‘Of course that would be when I did get dismissed,’ Sophie thought. At the moment though she wasn’t involved with anything in the office other than her normal job. ‘All the crazy is outside.’
The elevator dinged and let her onto the floor. The receptionist smiled at her with the same smile she gave every time Sophie arrived. “Go on back,” she told Sophie.
“Thanks.” Sophie went to Elixabeth’s office and found that Elixabeth and Sean were both there. Their faces were serious. Sophie felt her calm evaporating and a nervous flutter in her belly. “Is something wrong?” she asked.
“Come on in,” Sean said. “And close the door please. Sophie entered and closed the door behind her.
“We had a call from a Detective Kerson earlier asking about the situation with Kristen,” Sean began. “Something to do with your car?”
Sophie took a deep breath.
Ten til Midnight 