a fake grin and shook his head. "Collin, you are such a sneaky bastard, buddy."
With a mischievous smile, Collin said, "I know."
After sighing, Ian finally gave in. "Fine, if you really want to know, I'll tell you."
"Awesome! That's what I like to hear!"
"Yeah, yeah. Well, I actually feel bad for you."
"Huh? Why?"
" 'Cause when you see how stupid this whole thing is, you're gonna be disappointed you tried to force it out of me."
"Oh, well. Let's just hear it."
"Fine, fine. About a week before Scott kicked the bucket, Nick and I had an argument."
"What was it about?"
Ian's face was a mix of surprise and sarcasm. "Like I remember! It was probably something stupid like a political belief or something."
"And?..."
"I remember saying that that stupid mayor Menkino shouldn't be re-elected for another term like he has been for the past, like, thirty bazillion years, and Nick just got all fussy and was like, 'Hey, he's a great mayor!'. And I said, 'He's the worst mayor I've ever seen,' and he's like, 'Oh, yeah?!'. And the next thing I know, he started trying to punch me."
"What?!" Collin yelled. "That's how the fight started?!" There's no way that's right…I gotta hear Nick's side of this story. Not even NICK would just lash out like that.
"No lie. All I did was say I thought Menkino was a bad mayor and he punched me for no good reason. And Man Law says you never strike preempti…"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. But you guys haven't really talked to each other since?"
"I didn't want to talk to him. He's an idiot, anyway."
"And…what happened?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, what happened to you guys after the fight?"
"Aw, we were both suspended from work for the week."
"You were?"
"Yeah. See? I told you it was nothing big."
"Hmmm…well, thanks anywa…" Wait a minute! When I was questioning Nick with Teneire the other day…
" Anyway, yeah. I wasn't working then."
" You mean you didn't have the job yet?"
" Ugh…well, I had it, but I didn't show up for work once the entire week."
" You didn't?" Teneire asked. "Were you on vacation?"
" Something like that," Nick cryptically answered.
So that "vacation" was really him getting suspended from the park for picking a fight? , Collin realized. But does that have anything to do with this?...
"Uh…thanks, Ian," Collin said. His voice gave away how puzzled he was, but Ian hadn't noticed it in the slightest.
"No problem, bud."
"Uh…great. Well, I…uh…better get back to my post."
"You do that, buddy."
Quickly nodding, Collin turned around and started walking away from the lifeguard post. When he was about fifteen yards away, he heard, "Hey, Collin!"
He turned around and saw Ian staring at him. "What is it?"
"Blackmail me one more time like that and your head'll be stuck in that sand so fast you'd think the Sandman just punched you in the face!"
"…I'll keep that in mind."
As he continued walking further from the lifeguard tower, he realized one more thing and ran over to Ian. "Wait, I forgot to ask you something!"
"What is it?"
"You remember anything weird about Jess's knife?"
"Jess's knife ?"
"Yeah!"
"You mean the thing that the police say killed Scott?"
How many 'Jess's knives' do you know?! "Yeah, that one!"
"Uh…I'm not sure I follow."
"Like, did someone borrow it or something?"
"Hmmmmm…kinda tough to remember small things like that, buddy. Uh…I think I remember Jess telling me she lent it to Nick."
Awesome! So Nick DID have it! "Thanks, Ian! You're the best!"
"Yeah, I know, but why'd you…"
"See ya!" Collin yelled as he excitedly ran off before Ian could finish his sentence. He was too excited to even notice that his colleague wasn't finished talking.
After running back to his post (today he had his least favorite job: monitoring the bathrooms-all seventeen of them), Collin started thinking about what it meant that Jess did indeed lend her knife to Nick. But Nick didn't seem all too suspicious right now, and Collin quickly began to think
With a mischievous smile, Collin said, "I know."
After sighing, Ian finally gave in. "Fine, if you really want to know, I'll tell you."
"Awesome! That's what I like to hear!"
"Yeah, yeah. Well, I actually feel bad for you."
"Huh? Why?"
" 'Cause when you see how stupid this whole thing is, you're gonna be disappointed you tried to force it out of me."
"Oh, well. Let's just hear it."
"Fine, fine. About a week before Scott kicked the bucket, Nick and I had an argument."
"What was it about?"
Ian's face was a mix of surprise and sarcasm. "Like I remember! It was probably something stupid like a political belief or something."
"And?..."
"I remember saying that that stupid mayor Menkino shouldn't be re-elected for another term like he has been for the past, like, thirty bazillion years, and Nick just got all fussy and was like, 'Hey, he's a great mayor!'. And I said, 'He's the worst mayor I've ever seen,' and he's like, 'Oh, yeah?!'. And the next thing I know, he started trying to punch me."
"What?!" Collin yelled. "That's how the fight started?!" There's no way that's right…I gotta hear Nick's side of this story. Not even NICK would just lash out like that.
"No lie. All I did was say I thought Menkino was a bad mayor and he punched me for no good reason. And Man Law says you never strike preempti…"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. But you guys haven't really talked to each other since?"
"I didn't want to talk to him. He's an idiot, anyway."
"And…what happened?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, what happened to you guys after the fight?"
"Aw, we were both suspended from work for the week."
"You were?"
"Yeah. See? I told you it was nothing big."
"Hmmm…well, thanks anywa…" Wait a minute! When I was questioning Nick with Teneire the other day…
" Anyway, yeah. I wasn't working then."
" You mean you didn't have the job yet?"
" Ugh…well, I had it, but I didn't show up for work once the entire week."
" You didn't?" Teneire asked. "Were you on vacation?"
" Something like that," Nick cryptically answered.
So that "vacation" was really him getting suspended from the park for picking a fight? , Collin realized. But does that have anything to do with this?...
"Uh…thanks, Ian," Collin said. His voice gave away how puzzled he was, but Ian hadn't noticed it in the slightest.
"No problem, bud."
"Uh…great. Well, I…uh…better get back to my post."
"You do that, buddy."
Quickly nodding, Collin turned around and started walking away from the lifeguard post. When he was about fifteen yards away, he heard, "Hey, Collin!"
He turned around and saw Ian staring at him. "What is it?"
"Blackmail me one more time like that and your head'll be stuck in that sand so fast you'd think the Sandman just punched you in the face!"
"…I'll keep that in mind."
As he continued walking further from the lifeguard tower, he realized one more thing and ran over to Ian. "Wait, I forgot to ask you something!"
"What is it?"
"You remember anything weird about Jess's knife?"
"Jess's knife ?"
"Yeah!"
"You mean the thing that the police say killed Scott?"
How many 'Jess's knives' do you know?! "Yeah, that one!"
"Uh…I'm not sure I follow."
"Like, did someone borrow it or something?"
"Hmmmmm…kinda tough to remember small things like that, buddy. Uh…I think I remember Jess telling me she lent it to Nick."
Awesome! So Nick DID have it! "Thanks, Ian! You're the best!"
"Yeah, I know, but why'd you…"
"See ya!" Collin yelled as he excitedly ran off before Ian could finish his sentence. He was too excited to even notice that his colleague wasn't finished talking.
After running back to his post (today he had his least favorite job: monitoring the bathrooms-all seventeen of them), Collin started thinking about what it meant that Jess did indeed lend her knife to Nick. But Nick didn't seem all too suspicious right now, and Collin quickly began to think