the cashier rang up her order.
“Sure … Hey, Kaitlin, this guest would like to talk to you,” the man said, leaning back and shouting a bit so that his voice carried across the working line.
Susan followed his voice and saw the tattooed, thin, nearly-a-girl-woman pouring milk into a cup. Rickiment ( call her Kaitlin, Susan ) looked back down the line and found Susan’s eyes. Immediately Rickiment’s face grew guarded and Susan couldn’t help but notice.
She doesn’t trust me. Might not even like me, she thought.
The woman put the milk down and walked over to the register.
“Hi, can I help you?”
“I was just wanting to know if you had a minute to speak with me.”
“Do I have a choice?” Rickiment said.
“Yes, of course. This isn’t official business. I just wanted to see how you’re doing,” Susan said.
Rickiment hesitated, appearing unsure if Susan was serious.
“I promise, just a few minutes,” Susan said.
“Okay.” Rickiment nodded. “Give me just a second to finish up.”
Susan smiled and took her coffee to a small table against the glass. Even though she smiled, she realized the entire conversation she only thought of the girl using her last name.
Good luck helping her if you can't even call her Kaitlin. Definitely inspires trust.
She sipped her coffee slowly, looking at the people around her. Almost every one of them had something in front of their faces, either a phone or laptop. She couldn’t see anyone who sat like her, watching the world around them. They were all lost in their own heads, not realizing a world existed outside of their thoughts.
Is Alan like that now, only instead of a phone keeping him busy, it’s this murder? Does he realize there is still a world outside of it?
Susan didn’t think so. Susan thought he might have the worst case of whatever afflicted all these people around her.
After another few minutes, Kaitlin Rickiment left the counter and sat down in front of Susan.
“Why’d you come here?” Rickiment ( Kaitlin, Susan!) said. The pretense of politeness gone.
“I seriously just wanted to see how you were doing. The whole series of events weren’t easy.”
Kaitlin was quiet for a second, looking straight into Susan’s eyes—as if searching for truth somewhere inside them. Susan couldn’t read minds, but Kaitlin looked like she wanted to trust her, wanted to have someone to speak to—but something about Susan scared her.
“I’m a cop,” she said. “A lot of people love us and a lot of people don’t. There isn’t much middle ground on feelings about my profession. I’m not here as a cop right now, though. I go home just like you do and my job doesn’t define me, just like I’m sure this shop doesn’t define you.”
The girl looked away, down at the table.
“I can’t stand Starbucks’ coffee anymore,” she said.
Susan smiled though she heard the tears in the girl’s voice.
“Not as good as advertised?” Susan asked.
“Not after your millionth cup.” Kaitlin laughed, reaching for a napkin and dabbing at her eyes.
“So what’s been going on, Kaitlin? I promise, whatever you tell me is between the two of us. I’m not on the clock. No badge anywhere on me.”
“I’m scared,” she said, still not looking up. “I feel like someone is following me all the time. I feel like I’m being watched at night. Like someone knows what I told you.”
Susan was quiet for a second, letting Kaitlin’s thoughts settle and trying to gather her own. She didn’t want to go at this like a cop, asking for evidence and statements. “What makes you feel like that?”
“I don’t know. I’ve always had feelings, about all kinds of shit. My mom calls it intuition. She has it too. We just seem to know things that we shouldn’t know. I don’t have any idea if it’s supernatural, or if our senses just pick up on tiny details that other people can’t, but it all comes to the same.” She looked up. “I was driving a couple of my
“Sure … Hey, Kaitlin, this guest would like to talk to you,” the man said, leaning back and shouting a bit so that his voice carried across the working line.
Susan followed his voice and saw the tattooed, thin, nearly-a-girl-woman pouring milk into a cup. Rickiment ( call her Kaitlin, Susan ) looked back down the line and found Susan’s eyes. Immediately Rickiment’s face grew guarded and Susan couldn’t help but notice.
She doesn’t trust me. Might not even like me, she thought.
The woman put the milk down and walked over to the register.
“Hi, can I help you?”
“I was just wanting to know if you had a minute to speak with me.”
“Do I have a choice?” Rickiment said.
“Yes, of course. This isn’t official business. I just wanted to see how you’re doing,” Susan said.
Rickiment hesitated, appearing unsure if Susan was serious.
“I promise, just a few minutes,” Susan said.
“Okay.” Rickiment nodded. “Give me just a second to finish up.”
Susan smiled and took her coffee to a small table against the glass. Even though she smiled, she realized the entire conversation she only thought of the girl using her last name.
Good luck helping her if you can't even call her Kaitlin. Definitely inspires trust.
She sipped her coffee slowly, looking at the people around her. Almost every one of them had something in front of their faces, either a phone or laptop. She couldn’t see anyone who sat like her, watching the world around them. They were all lost in their own heads, not realizing a world existed outside of their thoughts.
Is Alan like that now, only instead of a phone keeping him busy, it’s this murder? Does he realize there is still a world outside of it?
Susan didn’t think so. Susan thought he might have the worst case of whatever afflicted all these people around her.
After another few minutes, Kaitlin Rickiment left the counter and sat down in front of Susan.
“Why’d you come here?” Rickiment ( Kaitlin, Susan!) said. The pretense of politeness gone.
“I seriously just wanted to see how you were doing. The whole series of events weren’t easy.”
Kaitlin was quiet for a second, looking straight into Susan’s eyes—as if searching for truth somewhere inside them. Susan couldn’t read minds, but Kaitlin looked like she wanted to trust her, wanted to have someone to speak to—but something about Susan scared her.
“I’m a cop,” she said. “A lot of people love us and a lot of people don’t. There isn’t much middle ground on feelings about my profession. I’m not here as a cop right now, though. I go home just like you do and my job doesn’t define me, just like I’m sure this shop doesn’t define you.”
The girl looked away, down at the table.
“I can’t stand Starbucks’ coffee anymore,” she said.
Susan smiled though she heard the tears in the girl’s voice.
“Not as good as advertised?” Susan asked.
“Not after your millionth cup.” Kaitlin laughed, reaching for a napkin and dabbing at her eyes.
“So what’s been going on, Kaitlin? I promise, whatever you tell me is between the two of us. I’m not on the clock. No badge anywhere on me.”
“I’m scared,” she said, still not looking up. “I feel like someone is following me all the time. I feel like I’m being watched at night. Like someone knows what I told you.”
Susan was quiet for a second, letting Kaitlin’s thoughts settle and trying to gather her own. She didn’t want to go at this like a cop, asking for evidence and statements. “What makes you feel like that?”
“I don’t know. I’ve always had feelings, about all kinds of shit. My mom calls it intuition. She has it too. We just seem to know things that we shouldn’t know. I don’t have any idea if it’s supernatural, or if our senses just pick up on tiny details that other people can’t, but it all comes to the same.” She looked up. “I was driving a couple of my
Similar Books
