Wednesday, July 2, 2014

A Jack O'Callahan Mystery: The Curious Death of Mr. Grove, Issue #7



     Jack stared out the window of his office. The view was blurred by the downpour of rain. It had been raining for three days now. The orange ember of his cigarette was reflected in the glass. He looked down at his watch; 21:13:15//FRI/SEPT4.43. Where is Cordell? She said that she would have my information before Friday, he thought. He took the cigarette from his lips and flicked the ash from the end. He strode over to his desk and pushed the ember into the cigarette tray. He reached into his jacket and withdrew a mobile phone. He selected his contacts and found Cordell’s CommNet Information. He clicked her name and the tone began to beep. The phone clicked and Cordell’s sultry voice could be heard through the speaker.
     “Hey there sweetie,” she cooed.
     “Do you have my information?” asked Jack seriously.
     “Oh, I’m sorry. I meant to stop by, I got caught up at work. Why don’t you stop by? I’ll cook you dinner,” suggested Cordell. Jack thought about it for a moment. His stomach growled. Cordell is a fantastic cook, he reminded himself.
     “Yeah sure. Just let me close up the office. Same place or did you move?” asked Jack.
     “It’s the same apartment,” said Cordell, “Let me know when you arrive, so I can buzz you in.”
     “See you soon,” said Jack.
     “I look forward to it” said Cordie with a flirty tone and she hung up the phone. Jack dropped the phone onto the desk. He exhaled and ran his hand through his hair. His stomach churned with butterflies. It had been so long since he and Cordie had spent any time together. He pulled on his coat and placed his hat his head. He picked up his coat before exiting the office. Jenn was still sitting at her desk. He jumped when he spotted her.
     “Oh! I didn’t know you were still here!” exclaimed Jack. 
     “I was just getting ready to leave. I wanted to finish some things first,” she explained. 
     “Well, I’m going to meet my contact on the information that you discovered,” stated Jack.
     “Be careful,” smiled Jenn.
     “I’ll try not to lose my pants,” said Jack. Jenn raised her eyebrow.
     “What does that mean?” she asked. Jack realized what he said.
     “Never mind,” muttered Jack.
     “Wait, is Cordell a woman?” asked Jenn. Jack blushed.
     “Uh.. Umm…” stammered Jack. Jenn’s face lit up.
     “SHE IS!” cried his assistant.  Jack pulled the brim of his hat over his face, masking his rosy cheeks. 
     “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow,” murmured Jack, heading towards the door and leaving the blonde girl grinning at her desk.

*****
     As Jack stepped out of the cab in front of Cordell’s apartment, he was presented with a torrential downpour. His coat was completely soaked by the time he reached the door. He stepped up to the intercom panel, found Cordell in the touch screen directory and tapped the Buzz option. The screen displayed a visualizer of sound waves. 
     “Yes?” came Cordell’s voice.
     “It’s Jack,” said the detective. 
     “I’m opening the door,” quipped Cordie. There was a buzz and the distinctive click of a lock opening. Jack opened the door and stepped into the lobby. Rain dripped off his hat and and coat and began to form puddle on the hardwood floor. He could feel his socks squishing into his soles of his shoes as he walked to the elevator and pressed the Up button. The elevator arrived and he stepped in and pressed the button for Cordell’s floor. The car began to rise. Jack’s stomach churned again with nervousness as the elevator opened to her floor. He stepped into the hallway. He swung left and found No. 1523. He could hear the buzz of  jazz through the door. He hesitated before knocking. He took a deep breath and rapped on the door.
     “It’s open!” came Cordell’s voice from inside. Jack tested the door nob, the door swung open. He could make out the words being sung.

What would you do if I died in your arms?
Would you hold me tight? 
Would you cry? If I died in your arms…

     He entered into a small hallway. Closet doors to the left off the entrance. The smells of a home cooked meal wafted from the kitchen. He stood on the door mat, rain water dripping to the floor. A smiling face peered around the corner.
     “Hey you!” Cordell came around the corner. Her blue hair was pulled back into a short ponytail. She wore a soft off the shoulder shirt, and a pair of black yoga pants. Her feet where bare, and her fingers and toes were tipped with burgundy. Her make up was rather modest compared to what she was wearing earlier. 
     “It’s really coming down out there,” stated Jack.
     “I can see that. You’re soaked.” remarked Cordell, smiling. Jack pulled off his coat; she took it from him and hung it in the closet.He then pulled off his shoes and socks. She placed his shoes underneath his coat and hung his socks on a spare hanger. Surprisingly his suit was dry. She took his hand and led him into the living room. Her hips swayed as she walked. Jack’s eyes were fixed on her back side. She peered over he shoulder, and spotted him. She spun around.
     “Like what you see detective?” she flirted, her eyebrow raised. 
     “Uh… no,” said Jack, flustered. She placed her hands on her hips and glared at him.
     “Oh really?” she hissed. Jack was taken aback. Her thin lips cracked into a grin and she slid close to him and planted a kiss on his lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist. 
     “Well, there you are,” said Jack.
     “Here I am,” whispered Cordell. She slide her hands down his arms and placed his hands on her bottom. Jack jumped. She grinned, “Just a little taste of dessert.” She reached up and their lips brushed against each other. Cordell broke off the kiss. 

     “Come on. Don’t want to eat a cold dinner.”  Cordell smiled.

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Picture Source: http://www.sadmuffin.net/cherrybam/graphics/graphics-couple/couple120.gif
Issue #8 Coming Wednesday July 9th



1 comment:

  1. I really enjoyed this scene! Interested to see where their relationship goes. I'm curious: if they were this close 2 years ago, would her simply changing her hair color and length be enough for him to not recognize her a few issues ago? I'd think more would have to change about her than that. But maybe I missed something.

    I also liked your description of her nail color as being "tipped in burgundy". I've never heard that before. It's a nice turn of phrase!

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