Excerpts from the chapter "The Introduction"

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Excerpts from the chapter "The Introduction"

But But, I loved
Published by Scott Denys in Chapter Excerpts · 8 March 2018
Meeting for the first time can elicit a number of emotions.  When our characters meet, one knows much about the other and the mystery is to find out the other.  Tell me what you think!
 
  
Excerpt 1:

 
“I will check.”  came the voice again.  Then I heard the click of the metal.  I hear the click again.  “I think he will figure it out.” Then the chair slide sound again.

 
I look to the right towards the kitchen table.  I see the doorbell phone off hook.  I slowly walk towards the kitchen table area.  I am looking up at the phone on the wall.  The phone is off hook.  Then I look down towards the table and sitting on the chair on her knees facing the chair back facing the doorbell phone holding the receiver in her hands is a most beautiful woman. She has not noticed me.  I walk closer looking at her.   

 
I tried to startle her with “And you are?”

 
“You drove Gary crazy with that,” she smoothly and unsurprisingly replied.

 
“With what?” I ask taken aback.  She knows Gary, my boss at the last radio station I worked?  “And how do you know Gary?”   

 
“It is not do I know Gary,” she corrected.

 
“Let me try again,” I started, “with what?”

 
“Starting your sentence with “And”,” she retorted. “You would always lead off the live newscasts with the word “And”.  It drove him crazy, but you kept doing it all the time.  Even after Tony  told you Gary didn’t like it.”

 
“How do you know Tony?” I quizzed.

 
“It is not do I know Tony,” she corrected again.

 
“And you are?” I tried again. “And what’s with that phone?  That is not even a real cord!”

 
“I would suggest then that this is not a real conversation I am having on it,” she exclaimed.

 
“The way you are dressed,  you could get arrested if you went outside like that!” I said.

 
“No problem.” she said.

 
“What do you mean no problem?” I asked.

 
“Easy,” she explained. “I won’t be going outside, I can’t.  It is in the rules.”

 
“Rules? What rules?” I drilled.

 
“The rules under which I am here and how I use this phone.” she explained.

 
“Why here? Why me?” I demand.

 
She continued to explain, “I was referred to you.  I was told that you could help me.  In fact I was told that you are the only one who could help me.”  She changed her position on the chair.  Now she had put her leg closest to me on the floor and was just sitting on one knee now.  She looked over her shoulder laying the receiver on her shoulder. “I was told that you have this most logical way of thinking mixed in with a curiosity which makes no sense to others, but gets results in figuring out mysteries.”

 
“This seems strange,” I thought.  “I do have a flair with logic and figuring things out.  I am most unconventional. But I haven’t investigated anything recently.  Who would refer me?  I haven’t been in the news reporting business for years.”

 
Again I asked, “And you are?”

 
“I’ll tell you” she said, “but don’t ask the question starting with “and”.”

 
“You are?” I asked, “who referred you to me?”     

 
“My name is Shea,” she answered, “I was referred to you by your father!”

 
Excerpt 2:

 
“But how does this work,” I asked.  “How do you communicate with my father?  In fact why are you here?  Why would he refer you to me?”

 
Shea explained, “the definiteness of heaven and hell are real.  There is a time factor of travel between Earth and Heaven, another road taken per se.  It all depends on the circumstances of one’s death.  Your father having been a teacher, and a very good one, along with his work routing trucks, has put him in the position of helping those of who passed under questionable circumstances.

 
“Where and When, How and Why I died I don’t know.   When entering Heaven you are given a choice as to find out what happened or just go in.  All I know is something is not right, and it is possible that it was something very bad, so bad, that it is still going on with others and the authorities have no clue what it is.  When entering Heaven, I asked for the sake of others if I it could be found out what happened to me.  If bad and there was foul play, the perpetrators can be caught and punished.  If there is no perpetrator, then I can go on to Heaven knowing otherwise.”

 
“The doorbell phone on the wall? I asked, “What is that all about?”

 
“It’s been re-purposed,” said Shea. “That is how I report back to your father.”  

 
“Can I talk to him?” I asked.

 
“No!” Shea excitedly proclaimed. “You are not of that world.”

 
“That world?!

 
“Trust me,” Shea assured, “Even if you hold that phone to year ear you won’t hear anything and if you talk into the mouth piece, you will not be hear but by yourself.”

 
Excerpt 3:

 
I recompose as there is a reason this is all happening.

 
“How was I found here?” I asked.  

 
“You have a history.”

 
“A history?”

 
“You have a history of looking beyond your base location to work.” Shea explained.  “You left Peoria for Minnesota when Peoria was drying up. You changed jobs when you saw either opportunity or a company malfunctioning.  You wisely changed roles noting an abused industry at the time.  When times get tight you manage to find opportunities but they always seem to be elsewhere. At the height of your photography, you found it easier to book gigs out of town.  You were able to convince someone in rural Wisconsin that you would be there ahead of time and give them a great product.

 
“Knowing that Illinois seems to bring down the Quad Cites, you jumped at the opportunity that with good weather can be a commute but comfortably it is best to stay close to work. You seem to like looking beyond where you are based. We also have our ways of keeping track of people…..and no, we are not in a direct line of communication with Santa Claus.

 
“What is important is you are going to help me and I am going to help you!” Shea exclaimed.

 
“I am going to help you and you are going to help me?” I asked.  “How can I help you?”

 
“You,” Shea began, “are going to find out what happened to me.  You are going to find out who I was, where I was, and why my life ended in the way that it shouldn’t have.”

 


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