Gloria Trask straightened her collar and tie in the mirror over Ruth’s dressing table. It was very convenient that Ruth got off (she smiled at the pun) an hour before Gloria had to clock in. She smiled into the glass at Ruth’s touselled reflection. She started to speak but the thought was interrupted by the beeping of her cell phone.
“Trask” she responded. “Yes, sir… No, sir, everything’s been real quiet. No, sir, no new horses have arrived…That’s too bad about the fires, but what’s Virginia Beach got to do with us here? … I see, well, sure I’ll keep you informed. Good bye.”
Ruth came out of the refrigerator with a Coors Light for herself and a V8 for Gloria. “What fires, pookie?”
“Bunch of barn fires in Virginia Beach. Seems to be targeting stallions. A number of horses died. A few escaped injury and the owners bugged out. My boss wants to know if any new stallions show up here.”
Ruth dropped the Coors from her lips and said suspiciously, “Why would he want to know that?”
“Well, I quess because if the targets are stallions, it would be a bigger risk for the agency to cover.”
“Hmmm, but if it was a bigger risk, would your boss send backup? Someone else for you to do rounds with?” Ruth asked thinking about how inconvenient THAT would be.
Gloria considered, “Well he might.”
“Do you really need to tell him about any new horses that arrive?” Ruthie smiled coyishly.
Gloria responded with a slow grin. “I guess not.”
“Ruth? Ruth- are you there?” It was Erik on the intercom. “I know it’s after hours, but can you come down here? We just had two new horses arrive and I’d like to talk to you about them. By the way, has that security guard shown up yet? I’ll need to talk to her, too. These horses will need some extra security. Can you come down now, please?” He clicked off without waiting for an answer.
Ruth and Gloria exchanged troubled looks. The abstract had become real, and although they had no way of knowing it, someone else had already reported the new arrivals to his boss.
