It’s time once again for Wednesday Words. I was the judge last week for Thursday Threads so no exciting news about how impressive my words were. That said, I did use the prompt and since I was under no word constraints, rather than the 250 required by the flash fiction challenge, I ripped out almost 400. Yay. The prompt was: *”There were always jobs to do.”*
Today’s snippet takes a little detour. Rather than visiting with Ariel, this scene is all about Sade and her marching orders. While the book might be about Ari and Aisling, the series is more or less about Sade so of course, she has to get involved at some point. The conterxt should mostly be obviousl
****
The intercom on Sade’s desk buzzed. She ignored it. Sixty seconds later it buzzed again. She waved her hand as if flicking at an irritating fly but her focus remained on the file she’d opened on her computer. The information there wasn’t making sense, despite the fact she’d read the damn thing three times. When the intercom sounded once more, she growled.
Third time being the charm, she had to answer it.
“What!”
“Don’t get snippy with me, missy.”
Sade closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, reaching for patience she’d never had. “I’m in the middle here, Alice. What’s up?”
“The director would like to see you.”
And she’d like to see her way through this mishmash of a case. As if reading her mind—and with Alice, one never knew, the Director’s admin spoke before Sade could muster an excuse.
“It is important, Agent Marquis.”
Well, crap. When Alice got formal, shit got real. “I’ll be right up.”
She took a moment to save the document on her monitor then headed up to the directors office. Alice met her at the door, a cup of steaming coffee in her hand. The small woman handed it to Sade.
“Here, dear. You’ll need this. Go right in. He’s expecting you.”
George Bailey leaned back in a desk chair built to handle his bulk. He’d been a hellava field agent once. Now the dark skin of his face sagged a bit, pointing an accusatory finger at the stress that came with his job.
Sade started to sit but stopped when he said, “Don’t bother. I want you on the next flight to Rochester.”
“What about—”
“Take those files with you. You can work on them in your spare time.”
Happy she hadn’t taken a sip of the coffee, she snorted. “What about your one case at a time rule?”
“There’s something going on up there. You need to find out what it is.”
“Can’t someone—”
“No. This needs your particular brand of…” He trailed off, searching for a word. He finally found it. “Finesse.” He waved his hand, dismissing her.
Alice handed her a thin file and a plane ticket. “Take your umbrella, dear,” the woman said. “It rains a lot in Rochester.”
Sade just nodded. No one ever argued with Alice Cooper. And, there were always jobs to do when you ran the FBI’s MAGIC Unit.
****
There it is. Yes, it’s rough and needs work but hey, it’s a new scene in the book. Writers, if the prompt moves you, move with it and build a scene. Readers, do you agree that there are always jobs to do? Just nod. I know y’all are busy. 😉
Silver James 