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This Will Be Exciting

“The nerve?” Bryce’s jaw dropped. “To see me?”

“Well, yeah.” She slid forward in line. “I was really mad but then I was embarrassed because I realized you were just trying to be nice and then I was scared because I was afraid I had messed everything up. Did I?”

“No, you just confused me. I was afraid I had messed everything up.”

“By trying to be nice to me?”

“You can understand my confusion.”

“Oh, so you just think I’m nuts.”

“No offense, Veronica, but based on prior experience I think all girls are nuts. All of you. My sisters. My friends. That lady over there with the tinfoil hat. Every last one of you.”

“All the world is queer except for me and ye.” She said dramatically with a bad English accent.

“And I’m not altogether certain about ye.”

“Okay, I’m going to let that slide because that grilled turkey panini smells incredible and I don’t want to eat lunch alone.”

“You came all the way over from Sunnyvale because you don’t want to eat lunch alone?”

“Well, don’t make me sound so desperate. I wanted to see you about this Krampus situation.”

“I didn’t know there was a situation. He didn’t throw any more coal at you, did he?”

“That’s not the point.” She pulled a pickle from the barrel with the plastic tongs.

“Those are so, so good.”

“What?”

“Those pickles. I don’t know what they’ve got in that brine but it’s addictive.”

“Can you focus?”

“I’ve been focusing all morning. I’d still be focusing but you couldn’t wait until dinner time.”

“What in the world are you talking about?” She grabbed a foil-wrapped turkey panini and a bag of corn curls.

“I was working, Veronica. I was taking product shots so I could post some stuff for sale on my web store.”

“I thought you were a photographer.”

“I am but coffee table books don’t bring steady revenue. I buy stuff, mostly photography equipment and accessories, then I flip it with a substantial markup.”

“So, you’re just a middleman who sometimes takes pictures.”

“That’s one way of looking at it, I guess.”

“I figured that since you’re a photographer, you’d like to come solve the case of Krampus with me.” She grabbed a bottle of cran-apple cocktail from the fridge. “What? If I’m going to have a turkey panini, I might as well have some cranberry.”

“Well, sure, I guess.” Bryce grabbed a bottle of cinnamon cola. “You lost me at Krampus. What does me being a photographer have anything to do with it?”

“Oh, my God. I thought Dilyn said you were smart.”

“Dilyn told you I was smart?”

“Yes, Bryce. Now focus.”

He followed her to the cashier in stunned silence.

“You’re a photographer.”

“Yes.”

“You took all of those bridge photos from impossible angles.” She said as she paid for her lunch.

“Well, actually…”

“So, I was thinking that we might actually be able to catch this Krampus guy in the act.”

“But I didn’t even see him when he was right above us.” He paid for his lunch and followed her to a table.

“Well, of course not. We weren’t expecting him.”

“Of course not. We didn’t even know he existed until he tried to drop two hundred pounds of coal on you. I’d think that was reason enough to avoid him.”

“This will be exciting.”

“I don’t really do exciting, Veronica. Chasing down criminals is what the cops get paid to do. I get paid to sell stuff.”

“So, it’s just about the money for you, Mr. Scrooge?”

“Mr. Scrooge? I’m just saying I have work that I have to do.”

“Well, how long will that take?”

“Unless something comes up, I should have all of my listings done by tomorrow night.”

“Great. We can go out on Thursday, right?”

“We could but where would we even start? I’m not the Creature.”

Veronica started laughing.

“Now what?”

“I’m just picturing you with a cherry red Mohawk.”

Bryce blushed angrily. He bit into his meatball pizza slice and glowered at her. She studied his face. The gold in her eyes reflected the afternoon sun. He softened at the sight of her cheerful smile.

“I’m d’Creechah.” She said with a growly voice and burst out laughing.

He couldn’t help but join her. “Okay. Let’s say we go looking for this loon.”

She laughed so hard she snorked twice.

“Good God, now what?”

“The Creature is going to hunt down the Loon.” She laughed and snorked and laughed some more.

“I guess I walked right into that.” Bryce rolled his eyes. “Anyway, how do we find him?”

“Well, read those clippings I brought you and I’ll figure something out for Thursday.”

“I guess that makes you Golden Gal.”

“Darned tootin’, pal.” She popped open her cran-apple cocktail.

“So…”

“What?”

“Did you find something for your cousin?”

“Too soon.”

“Sorry. How are your auditions going?” He took another bite of pizza.

“No word yet. I have three auditions tomorrow.”

“Well, watch out for falling bags.”

“Don’t even joke about that.”

“What’s to joke? It already happened once. Who knows what this guy is up to?”

“That’s why I want you to come with me on Thursday.”

Bryce pulled out the clippings and thumbed through them. He looked at the dates on the articles and realized they were out of order. He sorted them chronologically and then studied the articles.

“What is it?”

“Looks like he started nine years ago.”

“You got that from six articles? Maybe you are the Creature.”

“You’ve piqued my curiosity. I’ll have to do a little research when I get back to work but I think I have an idea what this guy is up to.”

“You do?”

“I’m going to look into it a bit and let you know on Thursday.”

“Oh, you can’t leave me hanging like that.”

“Sure I can.” He smiled devilishly. “Besides, the Creature doesn’t shoot from the hip. I want to be sure the idea makes sense before I lay it out for you. How’s your panini?”

She scowled at him and chomped on her pickle.