"Read 'em and weep," Doug Penhall said, laying down his winning hand.
"Great," Tom Hanson replied.
They were sitting cross-legged on the hard-wood floor and, due to the storm putting out the electricity, playing by flashlight.
"It's time to swap over, guys," Harry Ioki called over his shoulder. He took off the headphones and tossed them down on the table, before running a hand through his black hair and letting out a yawn.
"Good," Judy Hoffs sighed, "If I don't lie down soon, I'm gonna fall down."
Doug began packing the playing cards away, as Tom went to take Judy's place at the surveillance screen.
"Anything at all," he asked, staring into the television, which was hooked up to a camera aimed on the rainy street outside.
"Nothing," Harry replied.
"You guys wanna play?" Doug asked Harry and Judy, waving the pack of cards in the air.
"No thanks," Judy said, sprawling out on a couches.
"I think I'm gonna try and get some sleep," Harry confirmed, dropping down into an armchair.
The dark apartment was suddenly lit by a flash of lightning, and a few seconds later a deafening crack of thunder sounded out across the night sky.
"Well, good luck," Doug quipped. He turned his attention to the surveillance screen and remarked; "What a way to spend Halloween."
"If you weren't here, you'd only be at home rotting your mind with some lame, slasher movie," Tom shot back.
"Says who?" Doug challenged.
"Said you," Tom countered. "Remember? Before we got stuck with this case, you asked me to come over for Halloween, 'cos you have a whole stack of horror movies," he mimed Doug's voice, "That I just have to see!"
Doug looked at him blankly.
"Horror on Elm Street, and the A Candy Nightmare, and The Amityville Man," Tom gave a contemptuous snort.
"I never invited you," Doug replied.
"There's no need to get defensive about it!" Tom said. "It's nothing personal; I just don't like horror films. If you must know, even mentioning them freaks me and gives me nightmares."
"You're being so weird tonight," Doug remarked. "Why are you being so weird tonight? Perhaps," he put on a booming theatrical voice, "it's the full moon! Whoooaaa!"
"Can we just work?" Tom snapped.
"Yes sir," Doug replied, giving him a salute. "Let's see what we got here," he slipped on the earphones.