Thursday, March 17, 2011

Dark Night of the Soul, Issue 7

My Thursday went rather quickly for an unseasonably warm February morning. I spent the day in my office doing research and tidying up. I also made sure to clean my .38 – It’s better to be safe than sorry, especially when the forthcoming meeting could turn sour in a hurry.

The sun relinquished and left a much colder, windy night. I glanced at my watch. Almost time for me to meet the woman. As the seconds ran out, my heart rate shot up. I thought I was nervous the first day I met her, but that feeling couldn’t touch the mangled knots in my stomach. My usual remedy wouldn’t work tonight, although I did look longingly at the glass bottle sitting atop my desk. I needed to be sharp for this encounter. I had to retain every detail and be completely aware of my surroundings in case things went south.

I threw on my trench coat and my hat and then checked - and double checked my revolver. I grabbed an ink pen off of my desk and put it into my coat pocket with my notebook. With one big breath, I was out the door and down the old stairs.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Dark Night of the Soul, Issue 6

I climbed the rickety stairs towards my office and fumbled with my keys. The headline had shaken me to my core and I instinctively knew that the mysterious blonde and the mayor’s son were somehow connected. Call it my sixth sense.

As I closed the door behind me, I set the newspaper on my desk and immediately went to mile file cabinet in the corner. I opened the top drawer and moved the recent files to uncover a spare bottle of scotch.

Sitting at my desk, I bypassed the glass entirely and took a mighty swig straight from the bottle. My nerves were finally starting to settle down enough that I could function. As I sat there reading and rereading the front page article, I kept reliving the conversation I had with the blonde. I thought back to every word. I analyzed and memorized her inflection of every syllable. I made note of her posture and mannerisms. I may be a man, but I’m a well trained, highly attentive man – and right then that woman was the only client I had. I was forced to take this job, and by god, I would make sure that it was done correctly.