@stevendbrewer@wandering.shop

"Where will you sleep?" she asked.
"I'll just sit by the phone." He put his big automatic on the table, then leaned a chair back against the wall by the phone. "Good night."
"Good night," she said.
She went into her room, shut the door, and was asleep in minutes.
(4/4) #wss366

She unlocked the door and went to step inside.
"Wait," he said. "Let me go first." He put his hand on the butt of his pistol and stepped inside. She followed cautiously behind.
He made a quick circuit of the house and came back.
"It looks clear," he said. "Go get some sleep." (3/4) #wss366

She unbuckled her seat belt and slid down out of the big truck. It felt #odd to return home to the empty house, knowing her mother was missing.
Jimmy got out of the truck too.
"I'd better stay here tonight," he said. "This is where they'll call when they're ready to meet." (2/4) #wss366

By the time they arrived back at the house, it was nearly midnight. Coral had fallen asleep on the drive, so Jimmy pulled to a stop slowly and then shut off the motor.
"Hey, kid," Jimmy said, shaking her shoulder gently. "We're back."
"Mmm," she said stretching. (1/4) #wss366

At the Peeper Party, I saw lots of mosses and lichens. #Mosstodon #LichenSubscribe #WesternMass

Happy May Day, comrades.

"This way!" Jimmy said, and led her down a narrow alleyway that came out near where his car was parked on the street.
"Did you plan this from the beginning?" she asked.
"Always use different routes in and out," he said. "That's Lesson One." (3/3) #wss366

"But this isn't the way we came before…"
"They watched which way we came in," he said, "so I don't want to make it any easier for them than I have to."
They entered a Metro station and went down an escalator, but then went back up a different escalator and came out a side entrance. (2/3) #wss366

Jimmy waited until the other man was out of sight then slipped a large bill under the cup and gestured for Coral to follow him. He set a brutal #pace and she practically had to run to keep up.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"For the moment, back to the truck." (1/3) #wss366

#WritersCoffeeClub How was this month for you, in terms of writing?

Not very good. I did write some blog posts and got some story fragments written, but didn't get much else done for most of the month. Yesterday, however, I had a new story idea and used Straw Dog Writes to work on it. It's starting to come together pretty well.

She opened her mouth to say something, but Jimmy put his hand on her arm and shook his head.
"I'll see what I can find out," the man said. He stood and walked away without looking back.
"What were…" Coral started to ask.
"His surveillance team. They were watching before he came out." (4/4) #wss366

Jimmy waited as the waitress returned with the cup of hot water.
"Thanks, honey," the man said.
The waitress glared at him, then walked away.
"Professionals," Jimmy continued. "Well-trained and well-supported."
Coral noticed flickers of light #shining or glinting from a rooftop across the plaza. (3/4) #wss366

"I wasn't expecting to ever hear from you again," he said.
"Do you know why anyone would be interested in the Orca after all these years?" Jimmy asked.
"The Orca," the man repeated. "Is your interest merely academic?"
"Someone picked her up yesterday."
"Someone?" (2/4) #wss366

jam forgesintaj, la malhelo kaj malvarm'… sen ajna sopir' / already forgotten, the cold and dark… without any longing #hajko #haiku #esperanto

Jimmy said something that Coral couldn't catch.
The noise of the fountain plus the #murmuration of the crowd made it difficult to hear.
"What?" she said.
"He's here," he repeated.
A slim, older man, with closely-cropped silver hair and wearing a jogging suite joined them at the table. (4/4) #wss366

"I've requested a meeting," he said, holding the door. "We'll go to a specific location and wait to be contacted."
Two hours later, they were sitting at a table at a crowded outdoor cafe near a fountain. Coral, who had ordered another cola, sipped through a straw. Jimmy had a latte. (3/4) #wss366

Coral heard a voice at the other end recite a string of numbers and then there was a tone. Jimmy cleared his throat and quickly recited another string of numbers. Then he hung up.
"Let's go," he said. He stood and started to walk to the door.
"Where are we going?" Coral asked. (2/4) #wss366

Jimmy went and picked up the handset, then placed it back on the cradle. He thought for a few moments, his forehead wrinkled with concentration. He picked up the cradle, punched in a number and waited as the phone rang. (1/4) #wss366

I got 13 likes of a picture of a dead tree that took 3 seconds to photograph. And 3 likes of an article that took 3 hours to write.

The Kwanzan cherries have started blooming in Amherst. This one is in Sweetser park. #WesternMass #BloomScrolling