1,217 word so far today, taking me just over 14.5K. I plan on doing another session later, if only to bring myself over 15k, which was my hope for the weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is the beginning of Week 2, where things might start to fall apart. The plot starts fizzling out, characters start being stubborn, and writers start doubting themselves and their ability to write at all. Knowing that all this is possible is a good way to keep my sanity on my way to the next goalpost: 25K. As for the direction of my story and the beat sheet, no other major changes have popped up, and I feel mostly on track. We’ll see if that continues…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
—————————–<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Immediately upon hitting the floor, Not Jack curled up into himself, presenting as small a target as possible. \u201cTake anything you want,\u201d Not Jack said in a small voice. \u201cMy camera bag is by the door. My wallet is on the kitchen counter. Just don\u2019t hurt me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I quickly put my gun away. \u201cI\u2019m not going to hurt you. But I do need to ask you some questions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not Jack peeked out from behind crossed arms. When he saw I had holstered my weapon, he seemed to visibly relax. As he looked up from my hands to my face, he stiffened again. \u201cYou\u2019re him,\u201d he gasped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes. I\u2019m him. And who are you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis wasn\u2019t supposed to happen. How did you find me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow about you let me ask the questions? You know who I am, so you know what I am.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not Jack unfolded himself and sat up, his tan pants soaked with beer. Other than that, he was impeccably dressed. A white shirt with sharp creases and a black tie still tight around his neck. His face was edges and angles and could have been ripped right out of a fashion magazine. \u201cI do know what you are. You are a cop who has illegally trespassed into my home. I could call the police and get you into a lot of trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I knelt down next to him, making sure to avoid any shards of glass. \u201cYou could do that. But I imagine they would have a lot of questions about why you\u2019ve been taking all the photos of a police officer. Probably would not go very well for you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not Jack chuckled. \u201cFair enough. Seems like advertising this encounter would be a lose lose situation for the both of us. Best thing would be to get down to business, then? Ask your questions and be on your way?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His forthrightness threw me off my pace for a second, but I quickly recovered. \u201cI will ask my questions. As to the second part, it will depend on your answers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not Jack stood up, dusted himself off, and then picked up the tripod. He started to open it back up and place it before the window, then changed his mind, closing it and setting it back down on the floor. \u201cI suppose I won\u2019t be needing to set that up anymore now.\u201d He then calmly sat on the chair and crossed his right leg over his left, resting both hands on his knee. \u201cAsk away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I stood up and began pacing slowly in front of him. \u201cWhy don\u2019t we start with your name?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSure, we can start with that. My name is Xavier London.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd, Xavier, why have you been following me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Xavier looked down and picked an invisible thread off his pants. \u201cBecause someone paid me to do it. That\u2019s usually how it works in my profession.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd what profession is that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m a private investigator,\u201d he said, smiling and focusing back on me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWho hired you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Xavier chuckled. \u201cYou know I can\u2019t give you that information. Client confidentiality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd tell me, does client confidentiality still hold when your client is responsible for murder?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Xavier\u2019s smile faltered. \u201cNothing has been proven.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I stopped pacing and leaned in towards him, grasping the armrests to either side of him. \u201cPictures that you took were found at the scene of a young girl\u2019s murder. I imagine you know all about that because someone leaked it to the press. Now, what do you think is going to happen when you\u2019re discovered as the one who took those photos? Do you think client confidentiality is going to save you? Or is it more likely you\u2019ll be spending some time behind bars until you divulge that information?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Xavier\u2019s Adam\u2019s apple bobbed as he appeared to be considering his options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLook,\u201d I said, lowering my voice and trying to adopt a soothing tone, \u201cI\u2019m not interested in you. I really don\u2019t care what your involvement is. I\u2019m after your client. He is an evil man I have been chasing for a long, long time. The police have no idea about you, and it can stay that way. I don\u2019t need to bring you into this. But I can only do that if you cooperate with me. You help me\u2026I help you.\u201d I stood back up and crossed my arms, waiting for his response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Xavier looked down at his pants again. \u201cYou promise you can keep me out of this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI can\u2019t promise. But I will do my best.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Xavier sighed. \u201cGuess that\u2019s the best I can hope for. You have to understand, before this gig, I was barely making a living. Working for the occasional jealous husband. Or wife. Nothing worthy of note. Then this gentleman calls me on the phone and offers me a ridiculous sum of money for what seemed like an easy job. He wanted me to follow you around and take pictures of you. As long as I grabbed several pictures a week, he was satisfied, and I kept raking in the cash. He even paid for this apartment, so that I could use it as a base of operations. I haven\u2019t had to worry about any expenses, any bills for years now. It was too good to be true, and now I guess it\u2019s over.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWho hired you?\u201d I repeated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Xavier shook his head. \u201cI don\u2019t know. I\u2019ve never met him. I leave pictures for him at a preset location, and the next day, I pick up my money. I\u2019ve asked no questions, because when you get something this good, you don\u2019t want to, as they say, look a gift horse in the mouth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This was proving less useful than I\u2019d hoped, but I might still be able to use this to my advantage. \u201cAre you still dropping off photos?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cActually, I just came from the drop spot. I\u2019m supposed to be picking up my money tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen\u2019s the next drop?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s every Tuesday.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019d have to wait a week to try to catch Jack, but this was still something more than I\u2019d had coming in here. \u201cOkay, Xavier, this is what\u2019s going to happen. We are both going to pretend this meeting never happened. You are going to drop off the photos next week, like you usually do. You are going to tell me where this drop spot is, and I\u2019ll be waiting for your client.\u201d I leaned in again. \u201cBut let me be perfectly clear. If you warn your client, if you do anything to make him suspicious to the point where I lose this opportunity, I will make sure you are tied to this murder and I will do everything in my power to get you maximum punishment for your involvement.\u201d I stood up again. \u201cAre we clear?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCrystal,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Back at home, I slipped into bed. Cat was already there waiting for me. My nerves were jangling. I was close to catching Jack. I could feel it. It would be a long week, but there were other things I could work on in the meantime. A week was long enough for Jack to try to kill again. Would he be bold enough to use the Twin Palms again? I resolved to keep a close eye on the motel, just in case.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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