Evan turned south on Commercial toward the new residence of Molly Brandt or Wolf. He hoped she could keep this new name long enough for them to meet again. As he made his way through the foggy streets, he attempted to assemble the odd-shaped pieces of the past twenty-four hours. The picture was missing more…
Evan stepped out onto the street in front of his office building and looked up at the sky. The fog was so thick by that point that it had erased the top floors of the bell tower at Athens State University. Evan felt closed in by the misty ceiling and thought it fit his mood…
It was ten-thirty by the time Evan had laid down, got up, put himself together and, entered his office. All the while, his mind took its sweet time getting up to speed and was barely able to maneuver his face into a smile when he saw Sophie Landis positioned at her desk, pleasantly sorting through…
Outside his apartment building, Evan spied two men standing by the front door. They stood under a streetlamp, giving Evan plenty of opportunities to get a bead on them before the fog made him visible. The first man leaned all his weight on the lamppost and stared at his shoes. The other man paced like…
Evan stood at the front door of his office and stared at his reflection in the glass. The diffused moonlight spilled on just enough of his body that he could see his shape without his face. Just the shell of a man, Evan thought. He took one more deep breath before inserting his key in…
The phone jangled to life, waking Evan after several difficult hours of sleep. Fumbling to locate the ringing contraption through closed eyes, he eventually managed to get the receiver next to his ear. “Gold… uh huh… what time is it? … That’s so much earlier than I hoped… no, I’m not doing anything. I mean,…
Evan arrived back at his office, looked over his shoulder one more time before fishing his keys from his pants’ pocket, and slipping the key in the lock. He then pulled open the glass door painted with “SILVER AND GOLD DETECTIVE AGENCY” in golden, block letters with a broad, black outline. He had long since…
Gabe knocked off early to get ready for his rendezvous with Jason Charles and Molly Brandt, which left Evan alone staring out his grimy window, wondering what had come of his life. His marriage was a wreck, the landlord and bank were breathing down his neck for money he didn’t have, and he worked with…
An instant later, Gabe Silver strode into the office. All Brylcreem and Aqua Velva. He moved in the office like a refreshing spring breeze pushing out the cramped, stale air of winter. He dressed better than his income, and his smile was broader than a roadside billboard. Gabe made a habit of entering this way,…
Less than a half-hour later, Evan heard the front door open, followed by the sound of muffled voices in the reception area. Evan straightened his tie and smoothed his hair as he listened to the click-clack percussion of high heels approaching on the waxed floor tiles. Letting out a long breath and bracing for Sophie’s…
