* music again, I'm on a roll! *
She dashed out of her apartment and tripped right over a Lego block lying in the middle of the hallway. Normally she would have seen it, but then again normally she would have been wearing her glasses. She swore, loud, and a mother from a nearby room shouted, "Language!"
She was wearing open-toed sandals and had stubbed her toe. Hopping painfully she managed to reach the elevator and took it down to the ground floor.
He can't have gone very far - I should still have time left to catch him! She saw the reception counter a few feet away and started hollering.
"Mrs Kendrick! Mrs Kendrick I need you help - whoa, you are not Mrs Kendrick."
She had reached the counter and the person sitting there wasn't the friendly married woman that sat there every day. Instead, it was a much younger person of the opposite sex, who had damp straw blonde hair, flat and sticking to his scalp. He was a pasty looking twenty-something, who had one of those very trying smiles that just made you want to punch him in the teeth.
"No, I am not Mrs Kendrick, nor am I Mr Kendrick. Lucky for you, I'm single." He arched his eyebrow in a suggestive manner.
"Okaaaayy. Um. Where is Mrs Kendrick?"
"She's gone off to visit her mother, who broke her leg painting the upstairs window. Really, I don't know why they couldn't have hired a professional painter. Why do something when someone else can do it for you? And their economy isn't that bad - I mean, sure, they could use a few hundred more dollars, but really, if you can't handle the job yourself then why not call in somebody else - "
"Okay!" Kyra raised both hands up, interrupting him. "You answered my question already. So next one. Who are you?"
"Oh, silly me." The man let out a - did he just giggle? "The name is Andrew. Andrew Johnson. I'm Mrs Kendrick's nephew. Don't let this fool you, I'm actually a very successful architect. I mean, I'm not currently employed of course, that's why I have the time to help out my dear darling aunt, but I'm sure I'll have a few companies calling me back soon. I sent out my resumes three weeks ago but they haven't reply, really, maybe I should have gone to private companies, the government organizations are just so slow, they should really hire much more efficient people like me, though or course I'm not going to be some old clerk at the desk - "
By God, couldn't he tell by the way she was anxiously tapping her foot that she was in a rush? And how could someone talk so much?
"Yeah okay, so I just want to ask another question - did you happen to see a man pass by here just now? Tall, handsome, green eyes? Holding a staff and......green glasses?" She waited. her nerves tensed, for his answer.
Andrew frowned. "Handsome? I don't know if you'd call him handsome, really, he was just rather average - "
"Andrew! Answer the damn question!" she practically yelled.
Andrew looked startled and prudishly offended. "Well alright, you don't have to raise your voice at me. I have very delicate eardrums. But anyway, yes, there was such a man passing by here. He looked quite angry to me, and when he spoke to me he was so curt and snobbish, I had half the mind not to help him - "
"What did he tell you? What did he say?" Kyra was on tenterhooks.
"Well, he told me to call for him a cab. So I did."
"Did he tell you where he was going? Did you hear him telling the cab driver an address or - or a name?"
There's still hope! I still have a chance!
"Well yes, actually I did. He said - "
And Andrew stopped.
Are you freaking kidding me?!
He narrowed his eyes at her, and his expression morphed into one of suspicion.
"But what does it matter to you? How do I know you are not going to use this piece of information for criminal intent?" Andrew folded his arms and tilted his chin upwards in a show of superiority. "I'll have you know that we do not disclose our client data to the public."
"Client data?" Kyra exploded. "Excuse me! I'm the client here! I live here in this apartment! Loki isn't your client, he just stayed in my house for ten days!"
Andrew shook his head. "And how do I know you aren't lying?"
"Well why don't you try looking into your damn system then? I'm sure my name is in there as a tenant!"
Several precious seconds ticked by as Andrew tapped on the computer keys.
"Hmm. Hold on a second. I'm rather new to all this, first day on the job you know." He threw her a wide smile - no no no, look back to the damn computer!
A minute passed. "Hmm. I do think I'm starting to figure this system out, if you'll just wait a little longer....."
Oh for Christ sake.
A memory triggered in her head, of Loki slipping them in to see the Asgard ships.
The key lies in being confident.
She whipped out her hand phone, and with wild exaggerated movements started to fake a phone call.
"Hello? Mr Nathan Wilde? Hi!" Andrew's head perked up at once at the name. Everyone knows the story. "Yes it's me, Kyra here. That's right, the journalist." She placed heavy emphasis on the word.
"Listen, I have this huge article for you, that would totally prove your innocence, and that Jennifer was a scheming wench after all...... yes of course I want to bring it to you right away, but you see the thing is, a thief broke into my apartment and stole my work bag, and the article was in it! I know I know, I'm trying to go after him, but you see my apartment receptionist refuses to tell me where he went....apparently he thinks the thief is a tenant here and he can't disclose client data to the public. I know, outrageous right?"
Andrew was barely typing now, his mouth opened in an "o".
"Oh, I'll have no choice but to wait, he needs to access the system and do something.......I don't know, the thief could be miles away by now.......what? You'll sue him as an accomplice in crime? Oh my goodness Mr Nathan, really, that's a bit too much, he's just a small little receptionist trying to do his job properly......yes yes, I'll get back to you as soon as possible, alright, bye!"
She switched off her phone.
"You - You're lying," Andrew stammered.
She raised an eyebrow. "Am I?" She fished inside the pocket of her jeans and pulled out her journalist name tag.
Andrew's eyes ran wild all over the place. "That wasn't the man you wanted! He - he only had that weird-looking staff, he wasn't carrying any work bag!"
She leaned in close over the table top, and now it was her turn to narrow her eyes. "Are you sure? Because I'm pretty confident that was the thief, and that he took my work bag. How do I know you aren't helping him? Maybe you really are an accomplice in crime!"
"He's going to the San Diego Convention Center!" Andrew blurted out.
Of course. That was where she had first met him, at the back on the stadium, in that mini park. On the day of the Comic-Con. That was where he had landed on Midgard for the first time.
She smiled and patted Andrew gently on the arm. "Thank you very much, Andrew."
She ran off, and behind she could hear him call, "Wait! Am I still getting sued?"
She didn't even look back. "I don't know, why don't you call up Mr Nathan Wide yourself!"
She reached the kerb and saw a taxi pulling up nearby. Getting in she leaned forward and said, "I'll pay you fifty bucks if you get me to the Convention Center in ten minutes."
The man nodded and the car went straight into gear.
*
Herrick had told him beforehand to meet him at the place where he first landed. Now he stood there, alone, his heart aching with grief.
He looked down at the glasses in his hand. His first thought had been to throw them away, but when he reached the nearest dustbin he found himself unable to do it. So he had clutched onto them instead.
Clinging on to a girl that never liked you back.
How the mighty have fallen.
There were footsteps behind him and he knew they belonged to Herrick. He took a deep breath before turning around.
It was time for him to leave.