Going Under Cover

Chapter 9

9

The day was another stuffy, close one. I tried to convince myself in the morning that wearing shorts was a bad idea, especially in a country like this where weather was so unpredictable but now, I was kind of glad of my choice in clothing. My heavy, thick jumper was going no favours though and I had the urge to take it off and wrap it around my waist, something that I would have done a lot in Primary School but it seemed so childish now, even though it clearly wasn't and would be the smart thing to do.

Still, I endured the sweltering heat which was so unusual for Ireland. Who would have thought that the weather could be so good at this time of the year?

Not me anyway.

The town was even more hot, maybe due to the cars or maybe even because there were more people. But whatever the reason, I would be glad to leave and to be home again so I could have a drink of water. Sure, I could go to a shop but somehow, I felt like that would be like turning my back on Longhall's store and Mr Smith.

I didn't want to be that person who would do such a thing like that, which was foolish. It was only another shop after all.

Nevertheless, as I stepped out of the double doors, I promised myself that as soon as I got back to Longhall I would go home before heading to work for the day and I would take a good, long swig of water from a glass. Maybe I would even buy a bottle at the shop for the rest of the working day. Because God knows that being cooped up indoors for a significantly long period of time was not good in such weather.

I wished that Mr Smith would give me longer breaks so I could go and take a stroll outside but he was a 'busy' man and couldn't hold the shop for any lengthy time. So that was off of the cards for me. Although he was nice enough, he could be pretty strict at times. But that was only when he wasn't being too much of a pervert, which wasn't too often. Sexual harassment seemed to be a full time job for him nowadays.

Like yesterday, for example, he said I could 'explore his wiener', making a small pun on his name. I shuddered even to think about doing such a deed, it was a truly hideous image that had formed in my mind. I did not want to make an acquaintance with his little buddy, thank you very much.

I had nearly been glad to get a call from Steve in the afternoon telling me to come into the station the following day to give my official statement of the events that occurred on the days of Gale's unfortunate passing. Mr Smith couldn't say 'no' to official police duty, much to his annoyance. Although, he did offer to close the shop and come in with me, just in case I need some 'hand-holding,' which was his idea and not mine. I had of course politely declined his invitation, knowing all too well that he would take this as an opportunity to try and 'woo'  me on our 'date'. That French man had little to no manners when it came to being subtle.

With the police station behind me, I started on the steps down to the small car-park, which was all, in general, filled with cars that had 'Gardaí' written on the side of them. Men and women alike walked about here with a purpose, the door that lay back there opened and closed multiple times. Clearly, this was a busy time of the year for them. I would have always thought that they would be lazing about because nothing big really happens around here but it just showed how little that I knew about these kind of things. In all my (nearly) six years of residence here, I had never once visited the station, which had always been a positive thing. But because of that, I never really understood their line of work or how busy they were. And it made me feel a little guilty. I made a mental note to come back with some food and drink for them soon. They had been polite and kind toward me, so it was the least that I could do.

It wasn't something that I would normally do, but heck, there was no 'normal' after what had happened recently.

'Normal' had taken a jump out of the window, just like the clumsy one that Mr Killer had taken.