Torn Read Online Free PDF Page A

church.
    “Bef ore you thank me for seeing you …” Jeffers said. “Allow me to say you are fast becoming a pain in my ass.” He ran his hand over his head and walked to a canteen. “Coffee, Mr. Wright?”
    “No, thanks,” Chuck said. “How, sir, am I becoming a pain in the ass?”
    “ Four calls yesterday. …”
    “Which you didn’t return.”
    “One today. Two visits to Erie . …”
    “Well, I’m sure it’s nothing compared to other reporters.”
    “What other reporters?” Jeffers fixed his coffee. “The way you’re pursuing this , Mr. Wright, I’d believe I was some sort of big celebrity and you’re the paparazzi.”
    “Exaggerating, don’t you think?”
    “No.” Jeffers was polite, yet blunt. “Are you pining for a big newspaper job somewhere? Do you think you’re on the brink of breaking of huge story?”
    “Well, yes.”
    “Well …you’re wrong.” Jeffers raised his eyebrows. “There’s nothing to tell. I’m sorry.”
    “The ants in that Pittsburgh community, the. …”
    “Mr. Wright.” Jeffers cut him off. “Occasionally the earth gets a little too stuffed with nature, a nd it burps that little stuff out. That’s it. No more. Happened before, will happen again.”
    “ At t his magnitude?”
    “What magnitude?” Jeffers asked.
    “An entire street, sidewalks and all, removed, a huge lake hole dug into it.”
    Jeffers lau ghed. “The work of overreacting and neurotic borough workers. That’s it. Your information is also grossly distorted. I believe that street that was dug up was only a twenty by five foot section. ” He spoke nonchalantly. “Hardly lake - size.”
    “What about Erie?”
    “Smaller than that Pittsburgh c ommunity incident. Two bug mishaps do not a story make.” Jeffers smiled and walked to the double doors. “Mr. Wright, may I give you some advice?”
    Chuck nodded.
    “Let this go. Save your paper the expense, yourself the work and humiliation. There is nothing happening. We had two freakish incidents. That’s it.”
    “Only two.”
    “Yes.” Jeffers opened the door. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
    “One more thing.”
    Jeffers huffed, and gave a polite smile. “Yes.”
    “If they were freak incidents, and only two in E rie and Pittsburgh, then why, Dr. J effers, does the United States g overnment have an agricultural office, complete with military guards , set up in Canton Ohio.”
    Dr. Jeffers didn’t respond; he slipped back through the doors.
    That was it.
     
    W ith another bite of his cold McDonald’s sandwich, Chuck closed that memory and meeting. He glanced down to his phone, and lifted it. “Come on, Bret. What’s taking you so long?”
     
***
     
    A day off. A complete day off for Bret. She even forewent getting some sleep to enjoy the day. Got the kids off to school, cleaned her house, then settled on the porch for a while to watch the construction workers and fire department flood th at huge gap ing hole in the street that was fast becoming James Avenue Lake.
    She thought of Jesse while she was on the porch. How it could have easily been him out there working on the street, because that was the type of construction he was doing. In a way she felt fortunate he wasn’t, because her days were hers. She enjoyed watching other sweaty construction workers—her sweaty husband was not the vision she wanted to see .
    She stayed out for a short time; the progress was slow, and it was a bit boring. The only excitement came when occasionally someone would yell out, ‘Fuck, these things won’t die.’
    Inside she booted up the computer, a task she was supposed to do an hour earlier but forgot. Her plan to attempt—again—to send Chuck the pictures from the street was thwarted momentarily when Jesse walked in the door. She glanced at her watch, then at him.
    “What are you doing home?” she asked. “It’s only eleven o’clock.”
    “Why?” he retorted.
    “I asked first.”
    “We’re not working today. It’s