COFFEE TALK
Harris hugged his woolen coat tight to his chest. Behind him, the sun struggled to defrost an icy horizon. The side street sat silent, parked cars lining the curbs. It seemed fitting, that these crazy days be filled with equally crazy weather. Cupping a hand to his eyes, he peered through the glass door ahead. Through the fog of his breath, a narrow staircase stretched up to a second-floor walkup. He shivered. The blackness felt rife with ghosts, with danger waiting to jump out and attack. USB drive in one hand, Harris thumbed the door buzzer. "What the heck?" Alex's voice crackled through the intercom. "It's me, Ms. Dalkowski. Harris Kagan." "It's 6:30 in the morning." "I need to speak with you." "I'll be in to work at 9." "It can't wait, detective," Harris said. The USB drive felt heavy in his hand. "And I'm not convinced I'd be safe in the Municipal Complex." Harris stood in the cold, shuffling from foot to foot for warmth, listening to Alex huff annoyance through the intercom. "Fine." The lock buzzed open. "Come inside, count to twenty, then come up."
