He walked out of his building, still pondering the case. Jennifer hadn't given him a lot to go on, but he had plenty to think about. The buildings of the city looked rough in this light. The streets were uncrowded for ten o'clock on a Tuesday. He watched a Camaro swerve to avoid a skateboard as it clambered by. What a troublemaker, he thought. Across the street a computer geek wearing a sweatshirt came out of a novelty shop. You don't see that very often anymore. His first stop was at a Hallmark shop to pick up a flag. No luck; they were sold out. Well, no time like the present to stop by the shoe shine booth and pay Fuzz 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 aquamarine. There might be a storm brewing, he thought breathlessly. He walked past a beautiful man carrying a smelly watering can. 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 Vietnam or Laos, meeting glamorous and shiftless people, pulling out his syringe and whacking anyone who got in his way. Sorry to disappoint them; his worst problem was boredom.
He arrived at the shoe shine booth a bit late...
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