Scratch that

Chapter 2

John Aberdeen was trying to hide his amusement. He chuckled quietly to himself. "So, Alice, could you get me to..." He looked at his notes on his phone. "The office of Joe Pluetski". Alice laughed. It sounded like a duck being strangled. "Everyone always gets the name wrong" his voice was light and fluffy. "Oh" John said, "Then how is it pronounced". John really didn't care but he thought that he might as well get the name right. People already hated him enough for the job, so he didn't want to push them of the edge. Alice rubbed his round chubby chin and sat for a while. "Well", John said, unamused by Alice's incompetence. Alice jumped back up, and snickered something to himself. "Joe, Plu-ski, the et is silent". John nodded and added a note in his phone. "So, where is his office"? Alice plopped down and browsed his computer as if he were going to kiss it. "Ahhh" he exclaimed, Story 2, office 24. Would you like me to tell him your". John cut him off abruptly. "NO"! Alice jumped like a scared mouse. "Ok, ok, I get it". John was relieved "Sorry bout that, just it's a surprise is all". Alice smiled a toothy grin. John wasn't the best liar, but he had his moments in his job. "Oh, and Alice, mind telling me where the stairs are"? Alice chuckled "to the right down the hall". John wasn't going in any elevator today. "Thanks", he heard Alice mutter in the background, "What a weirdo, who takes the stairs". John smirked, look who's talking he thought to himself. He briskly walked down the hall, his long, tan overcoat flowing with him. He jumped up the fleet of stairs. John, took a moment to pant at the top. His bad habit wasn't all to blame for this. He hadn't ran in years. John looked for a sign on the walls, there was only chipped paint and stains from God-knows-what on the blue carpet floor. John thought the janitor must've been fired, or worse died and left to rot on the floor. Either or worked. He found Joe's office and knocked 3 times on the polished wooden door. A tall, skinny man with bent metal glasses opened the door. "Welcome" he said quietly. He sounded very European. John stepped into his office to see 2 wooden chairs with yellow cushions. He took a seat, it wasn't comfortable. Joe however sat down on a big revolving chair, it looked like a throne. "So, what is it you wanted to talk about". Joe said while cleaning his glasses. John straightened himself up and cleared his throat. "I'm an auditor from the IRA, you have unpaid taxes, you've been served"! Joe's eyes widened and his thin eyebrows jumped to the moon. He let out a groan like the sound of a volcano. John sat still, he had seen this all before. "Yeah, we'll have a nice day". Joe collapsed from his throne.