Mercer sat in his office that same evening, drinking a cup of coffee, even
though it was late. He hadn't slept the night before, come to think of it,
he hadn't slept in days. The cup trembled in his hand, the very same news
clipping Dennis had seen sat in front of him. It had come from a different
paper, but there it was. Some coffee spilt on the plastic paper protector,
and he jumped up, spilling the rest all over his shirt. "God DAMNIT!" he
cried, pulling open a drawer open so hard it came out in his hand. He let
it drop to the floor quickly, and flopped down in his chair. He ran his
fingers through his thoroughly ruffled hair, and glanced at the postcard
Dennis has written. It had been weeks since he had gotten it, but he never
answered. The truth was, he didn't know, and even though he though Dennis's
explanation was shit, he was terrified. He picked it up again and read it
aloud, even though he had it memorized. Mumbling an array of curses he put
on his jacket, and kicked the chair aside. He left his office that night in
disarray, and he never ended up cleaning it. "I have to get home, I haven't
slept in days!" he cried to nobody in particular. He staggered across the
street to his car, whispering a long stream of curses. He never knew she
was coming until her lights flashed in his eyes.
