Rachel stumbled down the basement steps of the library and fumbled with her cell phone to get enough light to see.
"Peter?" she called out.
There was no response. She took a few more steps and called out again. Again there was no response. Almost by instinct she slowly started walking towards the area where they had their set-up but she tripped over something and went crashing to the concrete floor. Rachel yelled and swore, her cell phone smashed into the floor and the light went out. She felt around for her bag and once she found it she searched it for her lighter. She flicked open the metal lid and the flame burned bright enough for her to see what she had tripped over.
"Peter?" Rachel gasped when in the light of the flame appeared a foot. She moved the lighter up toward the head of the body to discover it was in fact him.
"Oh God! Fuck, fuck, fuck! Peter wake up!" Rachel screeched. She shook his shoulder and when there was no response she reached out, shaking, and pressed two fingers to where his pulse should have been. There was nothing.
Rachel grabbed her bag and the pieces of her phone and ran back toward the door and up the steps out of the library. She looked around to see if anyone saw her before searching for a pay phone and dialing 9-1-1.
"9-1-1 what's your emergency?"
"There's a m-man," Rachel said. "Peter...Patches. The man that sleeps in front of the library. He's in the basement, he's dead."
"Are you sure?"
"I checked his pulse, there was nothing."
"What's your name?"
"I-I'm sorry, I have to go." Rachel hung up the phone and pulled her jacket tight around herself.
She heard the rumors that went around town after that. He'd died of a heroin overdose. She clipped out the small obituary that was in the paper and tucked it in her desk drawer.