Page 71 of Puck You Both

Becker: Lena at the craft store believes in the mission.

Groover: The mission has personnel??

Lovely. The mission has a Lena now. I put the phone down, walk a lap of my living room, and pick it back up. The lap helps nothing. Laps have never helped.

Becker: POOL'S NOW OPEN. Lines: Campaign shit, 1:1, for cowards (you’ll be judged). Lost another bet, 4:1. Hostage situation, 9:1. Witness protection, 15:1. Wall hired a body double, 25:1

The cowards' money is, well, right on the money. Which nobody who owns fucking yarn will ever accept.

Ace: What if he just likes them?

My stomach drops through the couch.

Becker: LIKES

Becker: Ace, buddy.

Becker: We're being serious here.

Kane: Wall doesn’t LIKE people. He tolerates them at best.

And there it goes. The truth walks into the chat, gets laughed out of the building, and leaves. I’d feel insulted on its behalf, if I wasn’t relieved.

Petrov: Maybe Wall has two companions.

The phone slips and hits me in the face.

Becker: WOULD YOU STOP MOCKING MY INVESTIGATION????

Groover: Petrov, you can't just say words.

Petrov: I am observant. Put me down on $50.

Observant of what? What is there to observe? There's nothing to observe. There's a thread, a diner, a hotel room in Milwaukee—

There's plenty to observe. I need a lawyer.

Jesus, has he seen me on my phone? I've been on my phone a lot. Have I smiled at the thread at my stall? I've smiled at the thread at my stall, haven’t I?

Shit.

Becker: You are BANKRUPT. Easiest $50 of my life. Logged and pinned.

Pinned. Great. There's a pin now. A permanent pin with the correct answer under it, in a chat containing our entire team, significant others, and, for reasons nobody remembers, three bartenders.

Okay, damage control. I need to act normal.

Me: :skull_emoji:

Perfect. Inconspicuous.

Becker: HE'S HERE

Becker: The subject is IN THE ROOM

Groover: Nobody move.

So much for inconspicuous.