hiya! sorry for the shortness of this chappie; i kinda ran out of ideas on this one. but not to worry; the last two chapters - especially the epilogue! - will have more content. funnier stuff too, hopefully.
thanks for the comments! it feels great to have beaten the reviews from my first story - Cupid Schmoopid (which is still in progress; will be picked up when Valentine's is close) - & reached the 30-goal. :] thank you for sticking around & for keeping up with my stories.
so, read quick, read slow, whatever you like. the last two chapters should be up soon, so no need to wait on the edges of your seats. =P
happy reading!
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December 23rd
The shrill ringtone of her cell phone broke the comfortable silence of the elevator. She made sure to remember to send Verizon a thank-you note for giving her a signal in the cramped space.
"Duquesne."
"Hey, it's me. They finally got my car towed in, stupid company. They tell me three hours; turns out to be three days. I'll give them a piece of my mind and comment on their services by dropping off a basket of poisonous muffins with a tag saying 'anonymous'. That'll teach them."
She chuckled softly. "Calm down, Ryan. It's Christmas – everybody's cars are breaking down, either because of all the presents they buy, or because –"
"– because they eat like it's a buffet every single meal, yeah, I know. But still. If there happens to be a murder there any time soon –"
Now it was Calleigh's turn to interrupt. "Ryan! I can't believe you'd be wishing someone over there a death wish. Take it back. And don't even think it!" He could hear the smile in her voice. "What was it that you wanted?"
By this time she was casually walking down the hallway. Then she stopped and leaned against the wall, putting a leather-booted foot on the wall.
"I just wanted to ask you if you could check that all my stuff's still in there. And if something's missing, I'll throw in a bottle of cyanide-laced wine to my present for them."
She rolled her eyes and thought that Ryan probably knew she would. Ignoring him, she continued, "How am I supposed to know what's in there?"
"Cal, I'm OCD. There's a list clipped onto the visor of the driver's side. You probably won't need it – I'm almost certain their hands are constantly stained with oil. That's how they pretend they're working when they're lounging around. Well, with my generous donation they'll be relaxing for the last time."
"You're never gonna stop, are you?"
A moment passed while he mulled over her question.
"Not any time soon, no. It's too much fun."
"All right, I'll do the favor for you. But promise me one thing."
"Okay, okay. I won't send the towing company a basket of poisonous muffins or a bottle of spiked wine."
She waited. He sighed.
"Or anything that would sever their life spans considerably. I promise."
"Good, because we don't need to investigate an alleged murder on Christmas day, or you spend it in a holding cell."
Before Calleigh could say goodbye Ryan spoke up.
"I'll have the card say 'From Eric Delko' instead."
Abruptly he hung up. Calleigh shook her head. That guy – her guy – never gives up.
--
Calleigh approached the garage where the towing company left Ryan's car. They must have misunderstood when the orders were to bring it to the crime lab; they thought it was a piece of evidence rather than an employee's vehicle. So they brought it to the garage where cars involved in their cases were examined.
As she neared the swinging double doors she heard muffled noises coming from the room. Maybe Ryan came down to check on his car himself and turned on the radio to see if the company workers messed up his reception or installed a hidden camera.
Still, she kept walking to make sure it really was Ryan in there. The noises began to sound like foreign music. She couldn't quite put her finger on the actual instrument.
A singing voice accompanied the sound. Paul McCartney? What was he doing with… Hold on. Are those… bagpipes?
The blonde pushed the doors. Her ears were not ready for the blasting notes coming from the Scottish instrument. She ran to the stereo and noticed a CD case beside it. A post-it was stuck on the plastic cover.
TRACK ONE WILL EXPLAIN EVERYTHING.
Calleigh lowered the volume a couple decibels before following instructions on the note.
The soft, calm voice of Ryan Wolfe relaxed her. She was still baffled, but at least now she wasn't baffled and going deaf.
Hello there, lovely! I didn't get to thank you for doing this for me, so I'll do it on record. So thanks, Calleigh, for doing this for me.
She laughed along with his recorded laugh.
Before I clarify things, I feel that I should let you know that today is the eleventh day.
And for the third time in less than two weeks he cleared his throat and starting to sing.
On the eleventh day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Eleven pipers piping
Okay, so at first I thought of gathering eleven pipers. Like, actual people who smoked with pipes. But then it wouldn't be very Christmassy for me to arrest them right after for smoking in a public – and government funded! – building.
And then I thought of getting eleven plumbers holding pipes. But then that sounded kind of stupid.
So my incredible researching skills led me to bagpipes. Apparently this verse was supposed to be about bagpipers. Here are your eleven pipers, Calleigh. Eleven artists who have incorporated the phenomenally loud bagpipe into one of their songs. AC/DC, Dropkick Murphys, and Sting are among the set. And yes, that was Paul McCartney you were listening to.
The songs are actually pretty good. I never really appreciated the bagpipe, but I think after preparing for this day, it's a pretty sweet instrument.
So fill today with bagpipes galore, and if you still want to, we can find some sexy low-riding plumbers and have them hold toilet pipes for you.
Isn't giving both of us that image such a nice way to end my audio letter? I'm starting to hate the vividness of my own imagination.
Yours,
Ryan
PS. The moment of truth comes the day after tomorrow. Oh, oops. Did I forget to mention that you're going to sing to me the whole song on Christmas day? So get in front of that mirror and practice, practice, practice!
ooh, do you think Calleigh will be able to sing it in two days? come back & check.
&&, before you leave, how about a review?
