comes in for coffee before work, and she didn’t today. I should call her.” Haley pulled her phone back out and punched in some numbers. She stood there, phone in one hand and biting the thumbnail on her other hand.
“Jill? Thank God you answered,” Haley said, and I could see her body relax with relief. “I was freaked out because I’m at work and someone just robbed your store, at least that’s what I assume happened.” She paused for a minute and I could hear a voice through the phone talking, but I couldn’t tell what was being said. “I don’t know. I couldn’t tell from here. We just heard shots being fired, and then a man ran out of the store. But it all happened too fast, and he was too far away for me to see what he looked like. How am I supposed to know? Listen I’ll call you later.” Haley looked exasperated as she once again snapped her phone shut and put it in her pocket. She looked at me. “Family.”
“I feel you there. At least she’s at home and safe.” We watched as several police cars screeched to a stop in front of the store, followed closely by an ambulance. A few seconds later the alarm was silenced and news vans pulled up. The police who hadn’t gone inside were putting up police tape to keep the reporters away from the building.
“I wonder what happened?” I said to Haley.
“No kidding. We sure don’t get this kind of excitement normally. Oh my God, is that a dead body?”
The EMT folks were coming out of the store with a gurney and on the gurney was what I assumed was a body bag. I grimaced. “I don’t think they would have a body bag on the gurney if they didn’t have a dead body.”
“Now I’m doubly glad my cousin wasn’t working this morning. Even if she is annoying. Look, the news vans must be doing a live feed,” Haley said pointing to the television that was mounted in the corner of the coffee shop where we could see it from outside. I looked to see that a view of the jewelry store came on the screen. “Let me turn it up,” she said walking inside to the set and standing on a chair to reach the volume button. I followed her in so I could hear what they were saying.
“Shots were fired just moments ago at the long–standing jewelry store, Gemstone’s Unlimited. Police aren’t giving us much information yet, but it does appear as if there was a casualty. We will keep you updated as this story unfolds. Tune in tonight at six for more cutting edge news.”
The station then switched to a story of a recent school election. Haley turned the volume back down and walked over to where I was now standing. “Wow! How’s that for a morning’s excitement?” she said, shaking her head in disbelief.
“I guess it just shows that bad things can happen anywhere.”
“Yeah, it’s kind of freaky. We open at six in the morning and don’t close until midnight. Sometimes, during the odd hours, it’s just us employees in here. I’ve never been afraid before but this…” she trailed off.
“You don’t work alone during those odd hours, do you?”
“No, but they weren’t alone in the jewelry store either.”
“Good point,” I agreed.
“Oh, well. You can’t go around worrying about things that could happen. We’d never get out of bed in the morning if that were the case.”
I laughed. “Very true.”
Chapter 3
S houldn’t you be getting ready?” Cooper asked, walking into the living room, looking surprised that I was planted on the couch waiting for the news to come on instead of in the bedroom primping for the evening’s gala. As much as I wanted to look good, I also wanted to get the scoop on the day’s crazy events and see if there was more information on the Gemstones Unlimited thing since the earlier news report.
“The thing doesn’t start until eight, I’ve got plenty of time,” I said, not even looking at him but keeping my attention focused on the television. After already watching twenty painstaking minutes of news covering things I
“Jill? Thank God you answered,” Haley said, and I could see her body relax with relief. “I was freaked out because I’m at work and someone just robbed your store, at least that’s what I assume happened.” She paused for a minute and I could hear a voice through the phone talking, but I couldn’t tell what was being said. “I don’t know. I couldn’t tell from here. We just heard shots being fired, and then a man ran out of the store. But it all happened too fast, and he was too far away for me to see what he looked like. How am I supposed to know? Listen I’ll call you later.” Haley looked exasperated as she once again snapped her phone shut and put it in her pocket. She looked at me. “Family.”
“I feel you there. At least she’s at home and safe.” We watched as several police cars screeched to a stop in front of the store, followed closely by an ambulance. A few seconds later the alarm was silenced and news vans pulled up. The police who hadn’t gone inside were putting up police tape to keep the reporters away from the building.
“I wonder what happened?” I said to Haley.
“No kidding. We sure don’t get this kind of excitement normally. Oh my God, is that a dead body?”
The EMT folks were coming out of the store with a gurney and on the gurney was what I assumed was a body bag. I grimaced. “I don’t think they would have a body bag on the gurney if they didn’t have a dead body.”
“Now I’m doubly glad my cousin wasn’t working this morning. Even if she is annoying. Look, the news vans must be doing a live feed,” Haley said pointing to the television that was mounted in the corner of the coffee shop where we could see it from outside. I looked to see that a view of the jewelry store came on the screen. “Let me turn it up,” she said walking inside to the set and standing on a chair to reach the volume button. I followed her in so I could hear what they were saying.
“Shots were fired just moments ago at the long–standing jewelry store, Gemstone’s Unlimited. Police aren’t giving us much information yet, but it does appear as if there was a casualty. We will keep you updated as this story unfolds. Tune in tonight at six for more cutting edge news.”
The station then switched to a story of a recent school election. Haley turned the volume back down and walked over to where I was now standing. “Wow! How’s that for a morning’s excitement?” she said, shaking her head in disbelief.
“I guess it just shows that bad things can happen anywhere.”
“Yeah, it’s kind of freaky. We open at six in the morning and don’t close until midnight. Sometimes, during the odd hours, it’s just us employees in here. I’ve never been afraid before but this…” she trailed off.
“You don’t work alone during those odd hours, do you?”
“No, but they weren’t alone in the jewelry store either.”
“Good point,” I agreed.
“Oh, well. You can’t go around worrying about things that could happen. We’d never get out of bed in the morning if that were the case.”
I laughed. “Very true.”
Chapter 3
S houldn’t you be getting ready?” Cooper asked, walking into the living room, looking surprised that I was planted on the couch waiting for the news to come on instead of in the bedroom primping for the evening’s gala. As much as I wanted to look good, I also wanted to get the scoop on the day’s crazy events and see if there was more information on the Gemstones Unlimited thing since the earlier news report.
“The thing doesn’t start until eight, I’ve got plenty of time,” I said, not even looking at him but keeping my attention focused on the television. After already watching twenty painstaking minutes of news covering things I
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