This is very long-winded but it is entirely true.

It was my first day driving to work, and it felt good to no longer be at the mercy of the bus. I like the bus, and it is well-run and friendly, only it is better to have my own car. I arrived exactly on time at nine o'clock and Mr. Mattingsley went over the day's activities, as is normal. He'd be leaving shortly and may be gone as long as one o'clock. I may be staying until three or four. Okay, that's fine. Several books in the last batch had stickers till on them that you missed. Nothing really crucial, they're easy to miss. Sometimes they blend in, that's all. Be thorough. Never mind whatever Patricia may have told you. We use tape at a minimal, but be through, alright? Okay. Also, you may want to check the bathrooms. Some unsavoury people have been in there, and I noticed that a cieling tile was a little off. I think it may be the street people, do you mind just checking on that? No, that's fine.

A few more instructions and he was gone, and I went into the bathroom and looked up at the tiles of the ceiling. Yes, the one above the toilet was off. That's cool though. I'll do the regular cleaning first, then check on it. Probably it is nothing. Okay, probably nothing. I hope it is something though. It would be fun if it was something.

So I did my usual cleaning and then I got the step-ladder out and lined it up with the out-of-place tile and climbed up and slowly lifted the tile. It lifted easily with little complaint and directly to the right was a grey plastic bag and behind it a white one. Ohcrap. Ohholycrap. I climbed back down and grabbed some gloves from the hardware drawer, and back up the ladder and back down to lock the door and then up again. Carefully I reached up and took out the grey bag. I thought it was marijuanna at first, when I reached in, because of the softness of the bag, but then I saw it was only some clothes. I didn't open it, but dropped it down to the floor and reached up for the white one, and it was a white dress shirt, but because both bags were tied tightly I didn't want to open them. I was pretty nervous now, and I carefully reached back behind where I could not see and I felt something hard and metallic. I drew back my hand quickly and closed the tile and climbed back down. Now what. Now what do I do. I have them down, so now what. I picked them up and carried them to the work area in the back and put them under the table. Why would anyone keep clothes there, anyways? Maybe he killed someone, and needed to get rid of the bloody evidence, but he knew not to throw it in the dumpster. Obviously he wants it back. I have to open the store in fifteen minutes, and I'm alone here and he may get angry if he can't find it. Don't be so morbid. It's making you nervous. Remember, there is no wrong choice, it's just that some choices could result in a very bloody death. I chuckled to myself now, and decided I'd die of curiosity anyways if I didn't explore some more up there, so I got back on the ladder and reached up and felt into the darkness and pulled out a metal horseshoe-shaped object. I was dissapointed at it's harmless visage, and I put it with the bags and put away the ladder. The best thing would be to lock that bathroom door, but there is no key for it that I am aware of, and so it could be an error. It was now time to open, so I unlocked the main door and began working. So involved I was with what I was doing that I did not notice when the banging first began. I listened carefully and it was immidiately obvious that there was someone in the bathroom. I listened for not much longer, but went and locked the shop's three inner doors, so that no one could enter from the hall where the bathroom was. My legs felt odd, as if they wished to run, but my mouth was not dry and so I knew I was not very badly affected. I listened very carefully and heard him exit the bathroom and walk to the hall. I know that he must have heard me shut and lock the doors, and so then he must know that I am suspicious, and he may be scared, and very dangerous now. He tried all three of the doors, quietly at first and then again louder, and then he cursed and went up the stairs. I waited until I heard the cheerful voices of several people coming down the stairs before I opened the doors again and it all felt like a dream, but then I went into the bathroom and saw that the toilet seat was down and there were crumbs of the ceiling tile about the floor.

I went back to the shop and there was a Jewish man there who had some books on hold, and I selected them for him and added them up and as I swiped his visa card he said to me:
"What do you believe about life after death?" and then, "or are you too young to think about death?" and I said "Everyone should think about death. And I am not too young to die." "Yes," he said, "that's true." In Memory of Petey
[Dave]
Time:10:58 PM

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