Page 35 of Greed

“May I make one suggestion before we go, Sir?” Shilo said, and I stopped on the flaking wooden steps to stare at him. “Just in case you see her, maybe a quick walk around here to learn a little about who this girl is would be wise. There could be valuable information as to why she has this unusual effect on you.”

I rubbed my chin as I pondered Shilo’s logic. “Alright, better to be armed with knowledge.” I marched back up the stairs and grabbed the doorknob.

She sat down at her desk and stared over where Penny would normally sit. Minetta had put in for a shift change while she was away. She wasn’t sure if what she’d seen at the house was real, but she had no intentions of putting herself in Penny’s orbit until it was sorted. It was a tough call to make, and she was pretty sure that Penny’s feelings would be hurt, but what could she say?

Hey just need some time away from you until I figure out if you are some fire creature that I think saved my life, but you could’ve been there to kill me, so until I figure it out, I’m gonna need a breather? It’s either that or I imagined the whole thing, and now I feel totally awkward for avoiding you. I hope you understand?

Penny was her only real friend, the person she would text or call when something weird would happen or if she had a bad fight with James. Even when she’d visit her mom and had a tough visit, it was Penny who had always been there to talk to and pick her up. While away, she’d ignored all fifty texts and the phone messages that had filled her mailbox.

Maybe she hadn’t made the right call.

The programs she used had barely fired up when her first call came in. “Nine, one, one, what’s your emergency?”

“Hi, I wanted to complain about a fire truck blocking the road. I can’t get down my street to my home. I mean, I know they have a job to do, but do they really have to take up the entire road?”

“Where are you located, ma’am?”

“Five, five, five, Lord Duffy Drive.”

She pulled the area up on the screen, and there was a major house fire in progress. The entire road was closed as the fire had already spread to another townhouse.

“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but there is an ongoing fire at that location. You won’t be able to pass through until it is safe.”

“Well, that’s not good enough. I have frozen food in my car, and I need to get it in the freezer, or I will be charging the city.”

Her line flashed with another caller. “Ma’am, I’m really sorry that this has inconvenienced you, but your concern is not a nine, one, one emergency. I’m going to have to let you go.”

“I want to speak to your supervisor!”

Of course, you do.

“One moment.” She transferred the call to her supervisor’s office and answered the next caller.

“Nine, one, one. What’s your emergency?”

“Ah yes, Hi. I just had my car impounded, and I want to know how I get it back?”

She shook her head and rubbed her eyes. “I’m sorry, Sir, this is not an emergency question or situation. I would call the company that impounded your vehicle to get the answers you’re looking for.” She hung up and hit the button for the next caller.

“Nine, one, one. What’s your emergency?”

“Um, yeah, Hi, I need some help.”

“Okay, Sir, what do you need help with?”

There was a long pause, and she could hear a female voice in the background encouraging him to answer the question. “I have a summer sausage in me,” the man groaned as her fingers stopped typing.

“I’m sorry, did you just say you have a…”

“Yeah, I did, and it hurts. It went all the way in. My ass literally ate the sausage.”

“So, there is a large sausage in your backside?” One of the other call-takers burst out laughing, and Minetta had to cover her mouth not to follow suit.

“Yeah, my wife bought it cause it was the size of my forearm. Said it would feel good, and it would be fine since it had a string. But it just shot up in there so fast, and it sucked the string in, right off my finger. I need to get it out, it was spicy, and it's starting to burn.” She bit her hand not to laugh.

“I will dispatch an ambulance to your location, Sir. What is your address?”

“No, I can’t have them showing up here. I don’t want my neighbors to know. Can’t you just help me?”