Working the Case

19

𖤍𝙵𝚒𝚗𝚗𖤍

Evie told me things would blow over once the right person was behind bars. She told me the town would forgive the small mistake the agents made when arresting me, and all would be fine. Remotely normal, at the very least.

She wasn't wrong.

Vicky and her mother, Janet, step inside the inn this morning. Vicky leads the way inside happily, as if nothing is wrong in this town.

"Finnegan!" Vicky yells out like she always has. I've known this girl and her mother for most of her life, which is why she was going to help out around here with me.

"Victoria!" I return with her full name instead of the nickname everyone knows her by just as I always do. Everyone knows of nicknames around here. Only the nicknames are usually used with friends, not with everybody. Vicky and I introduce ourselves using the nicknames rather than our full names. Almost no one knows us as our full names.

We both have decided our full names are stupid.

Vicky grins at me as she steps up and leans up against my desk. I lean back in my seat and look at her mother behind her before I look at her. "What can I do for you?" I coax on a hum.

"You're not a crazy fuckin' murderer anymore, so I want to work here."

"Vicky," Janet scolds her with wide eyes. Something tells me there's been some talk in that household.

I laugh at that and nod at her. "All right." I accept. "Got a résumé?" I raise a brow.

Vicky frowns at that. She glances down at my desk and quickly reaches forward to snatch up a stack of sticky notes and a pen. I sit here and smile as I watch her scribble something down on the sticky note. Meanwhile Janet shifts on her feet behind Vicky.

Janet might not be comfortable with this yet, which I don't blame her for. I'd be concerned if she was completely comfortable with it, to be honest.

"Okay." Vicky grins proudly as she slides the stack across my desk at me.

I clear my throat dramatically as I turn the sticky notes towards me instead of even attempting to read it upside down. Vicky waits anxiously as I go over what she just wrote down.

"Those are all my talents." Vicky explains as she gestures to the sticky note. I hum in acknowledgment.

Babysitting
Infinate knowledge
Winged eyeliner
Folding shit
Spelling (Won 5 fourth grade spelling bees)
Tv watching
Swimming

I nod at the very short list and look up at her. "You spelled infinite wrong." I inform as I slide the sticky note back.

Vicky frowns as she leans more on my desk to check her spelling. "What? No way." She scoffs. "That's right." She argues.

"I-N-F-I-N-I-T-E." I spell the word out slowly for her. "You might want to erase the spelling part." I suggest.

Vicky pouts and grumbles to herself as she crosses out the last one. Janet huffs at her while she does it.

Janet steps up closer to my desk while Vicky fusses over the sticky note. "Vicky, why don't you go get a snack." She suggests, shooing Vicky away.

Vicky looks up from the sticky note. She hesitates to do as her mother told her. Eventually, she frowns and starts to step away. I straighten up while Vicky wanders off towards the kitchen area and look up at Janet, fully prepared for whatever it is she needs to threaten or warn me about.