***
Eight o’clock the next morning, my cell phone rings. I bolted up and looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. Then I saw my cellphone on a nightstand and answered in a groggy voice, “Hello.”
“Jax, I got a hot story for you to cover.”
“Who’s this?”
“David. You need to get going, okay.”
“Oh David. Ok shoot.”
“A person or persons broke into the Library last night.”
“No way? So some students stole some library books?”
“Not the college library. The Library Bar and Grill.”
“No kidding?”
“I need you to cover the story.”
“What’da I do?”
“Go down to the Library and talk to the owner and police. Ask as many questions as you can.”
“Okay. I can do that.”
Phaedra mumbled, “Who’s that?”
“Someone broke into the Library last night.”
“Someone stole –“ Phaedra stretched her arms and legs, shifted her weight, tucked her head between two pillows, and started snoring again.
I bent over to kiss her on the top of her head and watched her solemn face for a moment. Sleep my tuqburni. Then I hopped out of the bed, went into the bathroom, and locked the door. I pulled the money out of my front jean’s pocket and counted it – two thousand three-hundred and twenty-two dollars. I smiled. The dormitory food was playing havoc on my insides, so I would grant my stomach a reprieve and eat out for a change. Of course, I can afford to take my girl with me too.
I opened the bathroom door slowly and stuck part of my head out. Phaedra was still snoring. I closed the door. I divided the money into two stacks, jamming each stack into an empty front jeans pocket.
I showered, dressed, put on fresh clothes from my backpack, and went outside. I saw a sanitation truck turn onto Phaedra’s street. I tossed my old clothes and two cans of coke into a neighbor’s trash bin and walked to downtown as fog shrouded the buildings and trees. It felt surreal approaching the Library Bar as if I had dreamed my misdeed.
As I turned the corner and approached, two police cars were parked in front of the bar while two police officers stood on the sidewalk by the bar’s entrance and chatted to each other. One pointed at things and then he scribbled something in his notebook.
I walked to the bar’s entrance.
“Excuse me. The bar’s closed.”
“Hi, I work for the university newspaper.”
The officer holding the notebook walked in another direction while the other officer approached me.”
“What’s your name?”
“Jax.”
“Jax what?”
“Jax Gamble.”
“Do you have I.D.”
“I.D for what? I’m writing a newspaper article.”
“Sir. I need to see your I.D.?”
I pulled out my student I.D. and handed it to the officer. He studied it for a minute and passed it back.
“What happened here?”
“A crime.”
“Thank you sir. I don’t think I need Sherlock Holmes to tell me that one. But what kind of crime?”
“A burglary.”
“Do you have any suspects?”
“We’re following several leads. The suspects will be apprehended.”
“Who are the suspects?”
“That information cannot be disclosed at this time.”
“Okay. How much was stolen?”
“That cannot be disclosed until after the investigation is over.”
The other officer with the notepad came over. “I’ll take over. I’m Detective Anderson.”
We shook hands. I asked, “Can I quote you?”
“Of course.”
“How much was stolen?”
“Just a little over two thousand dollars.”
“What time did the crime take place?”
“We believe somewhere between two and five this morning.”
“How did the criminals enter the building?”
“They forced the back door opened.
“Do you have any suspects?”
“We are following several leads.”
“What can you say about the suspects?”
“We cannot release any details. However, we believe a burglary ring has set up shop in our small town.”
“A burglary ring? In this tiny town?”
The detective nodded his head.
Just then, a small, middle-aged man with thinning hair wearing spectacles and a brown leather coat slammed the front door shut of the Library Bar. He clenched his teeth and squinted his eyes as he glared at us. Then he stomped away.
I nodded my head in the man’s direction, “The owner, I presume?”
The detective nodded his head in affirmative. Then he said, “I must return to work.”
I ran to the owner. As I approached, he turned to look at me.”
“Hi, my name is Jax, and I work for the university newspaper.”
He stared at me.
“Can you tell me how much was stolen?”
The owner shook his index finger at me, “The police will catch those dirty bastards.”
“I understand your anger. I am here to help. Perhaps my news story will lead to the capture of those criminals. How did they break in?”
“I’ll offer a thousand dollar reward to anyone who can identify those thieves.”
I whistled. Then I added, “Wow. A thousand bucks. How did the thieves break into the bar?”
The owner yelled, “Not now.” He turned and walked away.
I pulled out my phone and called David, “Guess what. I have a front page story for you.”
“That’s great.”
“It’ll be a small article – few words.”
“Well, it’s a small newspaper in a little town.”
I slipped the phone into my front jean’s pocket. While looking down, I spotted a ball of used scotched tape. I turned to look at the officers who were busy inspecting the area.
I reached down and grabbed that ball of tape.
“What’d you find there?” The detective yelled as he ran to me.
I stuck the ball of tape under my notepad and held up the pen and shook it. “I dropped my pen onto the ground.”
Paying for College - The Novel Page 17