Читать книгу Sqerm - James A. Moore - Страница 7

Chapter 3

A startled Sage awoke in his bedroom. For a moment, he was lost and could not remember how he got to his bedroom. His ear was itching uncontrollably. He sat up and did his best to put a finger in his ear in a vigorous attempt to scratch at the overwhelming inner-ear itch. As he struggled to reach the sweet spot, the itching suddenly subsided. He wiped his brow and reached for a water vessel that was on a nightstand near his bed. He took a long sip, but the tepid temperature of the water did little to quench his thirst. He winched himself out of bed and slowly made his way to his home office. He lazily plopped into his captain’s chair. The air in the cushions slowly, quietly hissed as it sought an escape. He reached toward his computer screen, hit the power button, and clicked on a web browser set to a news site. He began slowly scrolling through the various stories on the site.

A particular link caught his attention, and he clicked on it to access the site. It was a story that contained details regarding another murder in his city. He thought about the oddity that a story would start with the phrase another murder. He was interested and intrigued. He began to click away on the keyboard in a search for more detailed information. The sun started to show through the curtains, and an alarm on his phone sounded. The night had slipped past him.

He reluctantly shut off the screen and began to prepare for work. He headed to the kitchen, washed his hands, and began to make some coffee in a French press. He took a moment to select a piece of fruit from the fridge and rinse it. It was an apple, but not just an apple—his favorite, a Pink Lady. He paid particular attention to the act of drying it and sat it on a napkin on his counter.

Having prepped his morning snack, Sage went to his bedroom and opened his closet. There were casual shirts, dress shirts, and slacks. Everything was neatly organized and was neatly ironed. In the far right of the corner, there were two items not generally found side by side—a set of Marine Corps dress blues with sergeant stripes and the robe and tam of a doctor. He selected his clothing for the day: a white dress shirt and navy-blue pants. Next was a matching tie from a bundle that hung in the closet. He subconsciously aligned all his clothing items on his bed, being sure to smooth them with his hands. Sage smiled at his handiwork and to himself as he exited the bedroom and entered his moderately sized bathroom. He twisted the handle of the shower and let the sound of water hitting the shower floor and walls relax him. As a child, Sage did not find this sound relaxing; it was just noise. Now, he took pleasure in the uncomplicated activity of listening to the water run. He dropped to the ground to do a few push-ups.