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dolevalanTitle: An Eye Out
Fandom/original: Original
Characters: Arthur Sloane
Rating: G
Word count: 355
He had been followed.
He knew it. Of course he did. He'd been counting on it. And now... now. Now he'd see just how stupid the man was.
Arthur Sloane slipped easily through a revolving door into the lobby of a nice apartment building. It wasn't his; in fact, he knew not one of the tenants. He didn't pause, just kept walking. Up the staircase on one side, down the staircase on the other. The echo meant he would have heard the footsteps, if there were any but his own. There weren't. When he re-emerged into the night, he tilted his fedora down to cover his eyes in shadow, shrugging his shoulders like an amateur trying not to be noticed.
It took three blocks before the tail found him again. He used all his professional skill not to laugh.
The place he finally chose to turn around was public enough to be smart, but private enough to get an answer. They were just off a busy intersection, with good sight lines to the public. But the noise of traffic and pedestrians chattering masked the words from anyone but the young man who though Sloane didn't see him. That is, until he said, "Look, kid, you wanted a word, I do have office hours."
At first the boy pretended not to notice he'd been addressed. But then he said, "Maybe there's nothin' to talk about."
Sloane sighed. "Look. Tell whichever one hired you that I'm done with it. They can carve each other up for all I care. I'm finished with the game."
The boy scowled as if he was intimidating. "Then why don't you retire, gumshoe?"
Raising an incredulous eyebrow, the detective said "Got bills to pay, kid. Finding little old ladies their lost handbags. Getting kittens out of trees."
"We've got our eyes on you."
"Yeah. I noticed."
The kid looked angry, but not angry enough to do something stupid. Instead, he shook his head and faded back into the crowd. Sloane watched him go, snorted once, then continued on his way. It was five blocks later before he allowed himself an unprofessional chuckle.
Fandom/original: Original
Characters: Arthur Sloane
Rating: G
Word count: 355
He had been followed.
He knew it. Of course he did. He'd been counting on it. And now... now. Now he'd see just how stupid the man was.
Arthur Sloane slipped easily through a revolving door into the lobby of a nice apartment building. It wasn't his; in fact, he knew not one of the tenants. He didn't pause, just kept walking. Up the staircase on one side, down the staircase on the other. The echo meant he would have heard the footsteps, if there were any but his own. There weren't. When he re-emerged into the night, he tilted his fedora down to cover his eyes in shadow, shrugging his shoulders like an amateur trying not to be noticed.
It took three blocks before the tail found him again. He used all his professional skill not to laugh.
The place he finally chose to turn around was public enough to be smart, but private enough to get an answer. They were just off a busy intersection, with good sight lines to the public. But the noise of traffic and pedestrians chattering masked the words from anyone but the young man who though Sloane didn't see him. That is, until he said, "Look, kid, you wanted a word, I do have office hours."
At first the boy pretended not to notice he'd been addressed. But then he said, "Maybe there's nothin' to talk about."
Sloane sighed. "Look. Tell whichever one hired you that I'm done with it. They can carve each other up for all I care. I'm finished with the game."
The boy scowled as if he was intimidating. "Then why don't you retire, gumshoe?"
Raising an incredulous eyebrow, the detective said "Got bills to pay, kid. Finding little old ladies their lost handbags. Getting kittens out of trees."
"We've got our eyes on you."
"Yeah. I noticed."
The kid looked angry, but not angry enough to do something stupid. Instead, he shook his head and faded back into the crowd. Sloane watched him go, snorted once, then continued on his way. It was five blocks later before he allowed himself an unprofessional chuckle.
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Date: 2007-10-09 09:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-10 05:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-10 08:29 pm (UTC)