He walked out of his building, still pondering the case. Hayley hadn't given him a lot to go on, but he had plenty to think about. The buildings of the city looked valuable in this light. The streets were crowded for five o'clock on a Thursday. He watched a Chevy Volt swerve to avoid a Ford Taurus as it hopped by. What an idiot, he thought. Across the street an Internet celebrity wearing a pair of handcuffs came out of an art gallery. You don't see that very often anymore. His first stop was at a shoe shine booth to pick up a paintbrush. No luck; they were sold out. Well, no time like the present to stop by the drug store and pay Jake 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 periwinkle. There might be a storm brewing, he thought softly. He walked past a fit man carrying a brightly-colored antenna. 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 Angola, meeting glamorous and fascinating people, pulling out his hand sanitizer and whacking anyone who got in his way. Sorry to disappoint them; his worst problem was boredom.
He arrived at the drug store a bit late...
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