He walked out of his building, still pondering the case. Magnolia hadn't given him a lot to go on, but he had plenty to think about. The buildings of the city looked multicolored in this light. The streets were crowded for five o'clock on a Friday. He watched a Kia Soul swerve to avoid a Nissan Maxima as it struggled by. What a renegade, he thought. Across the street a fisherman wearing a pair of safety glasses came out of a café. You don't see that very often anymore. His first stop was at a tattoo parlor to pick up a jar of olives. No luck; they were sold out. Well, no time like the present to stop by the shoe store and pay Conrad a visit. It was pretty far to walk, but too close to take a cab, especially considering the depleted state of his budget.
The sky had a tinge of red. There might be a storm brewing, he thought mysteriously. He walked past a roly-poly man carrying a fresh Bible. A bit unusual, but it probably meant nothing. As he walked, he felt other people staring at him. He glanced at the faces. If they knew he was a detective, they'd probably think he leads an exciting life, jetting to the Sandwich Islands or New Guinea, meeting glamorous and merry people, pulling out his battle axe and whacking anyone who got in his way. Sorry to disappoint them; his worst problem was boredom.
He arrived at the shoe store a bit late...
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