However, I put a lot of things aside during the big push, and have been trying to get caught up, plus now Christmas is impinging--trying to design a christmas card, buying gifts (the first few), making plans, etc.
In the last few days before the deadline, I started writing scenes instead of chapters, and I haven't had time to go back and get the scenes in order and turn them into chapters. I'm just writing random scenes. The problem with this is that I may have them going to breakfast at Cosmos 3 times in a single day or something--I really need to get a grip on the tale as a whole--BUT when can I do that?
OK, so here is a scene where Jody reports to Rune about what happened with the police detective. I have not found where it goes in the novel yet.
Report from
Jody,
move this to a location shortly after the poisoning, after Rune talks to Jody—we
may have to change to time and location of the meeting.
Jody was waiting for Rune outside of class ((or, depending on when this is,
somewhere else)). They headed down to Marshall Street and sat in a back
corner at Cosmos. Since Rune had been doing a better job of getting up,
now that she'd moved the alarm clock across the room (much to the distress of
her flatmates), she didn't need breakfast. She ordered toast and coffee with
extra jelly, just to pay for their spot. Jody, who had decided to be on a
diet, suddenly, ordered a boiled egg and cottage cheese. Rune thought
that she spoiled the effect of boiling the egg by adding two pats of the extra
butter she'd asked for tot he egg and melting it into the egg with lots of
salt. But she refrained saying anything, since she too had been known to
make similar errors in judgment.
One the waitress was gone and they'd surveyed the room for people they knew and checked their bags and clothes for bugs, Jody said, "I called Kathy Collins ((Brenda Crandall?)) and we met for lunch. I told her about what happened to Colin and Eliza. She was horrified when I told we thought it was a murder attempt, and why. She said she's talk to her boss about looking to it.
"I was really excited that we might get some help, but she texted me in my criminology class to say ((her boss)) was having none of it. He forbade her to look into it. She told me that she would make a few calls and stuff anyway. She had calls to make on another case.and she would do whatever she could squeeze between other cases.
"Man, that shits green," Rune said, "what was his reasoning for forbidding it?"
"She said he said that mycology professors were a bunch of fools in the same category as those religious fanatics who handle poisonous snakes. He said they are always collecting poisonous mushrooms and poisoning themselves and then trying to point a finger at someone else. He said there was a long history of self-poisonings."
"That seems like an entirely unfair comparison," Rune said. "I mean, I don't know much about those people who handle poisonous snakes except that rather lurid scenes in certain movies and novels, so I suppose I shouldn't diss them, but mycologists are trained and educated. They handle poisonous mushrooms with care and respect. I think there might be some religious sects who eat or drink poisonous substances to prove their faith in God, but McHaggerty and Eliza are not among them. McHaggerty knows what he's doing and talking about.
"I don't think those four mycologists from Cornell made a terrible mistake; I think they were murdered. But, if they did make a mistake, it would, under the circumstances, be somewhat understandable." She told Jody what Eilyn had told her about her experience with the dead professors and how exhausted they were and how dark it was. She left out the part about Eilyn and Calyx. She considered sharing the juicy bit of gossip, but decided to maybe tell her later. For some reason, telling that piece of it seemed like a betrayal of Eilyn. She would share it if it became relevant.
"How are you doing?" Rune asked Jody. "I bet this whole business throws a complicating monkey wrench into your emotional soup. I mean, if you care at all about McHaggerty, even though you wanted to get free of him, it must be hard knowing he could die. And even though you like Eliza and are relieved for an excuse to leave McHaggerty, you must have mixed feelings about her predicament, too."
Jody stared off into space.
"You're right," she finally said, "About all of that . . . and more."
"More?"
"I have mixed feelings . . . mixed feelings . . . about . . . about you, Rune."
"ME? You don't think I somehow poisoned McHaggerty, do you? Or do you think I was lying when I said I never slept with him? Or what? Wait, I don't get it."
Jody looked down at her hands, which were folded in front of her on the table. She looked sad. Rune got up and went over to Jody's side of the table and put her arms around Jody. Jody leaned her cheek against Rune's.
"What is it?" Rune finally asked, after Jody said nothing for a long time.
"Never mind," Jody said, "I'm too confused and upset. I can't articulate it." She said nothing for another minute or two, then, "I have to go, I have a meeting with Dr. Leslie, you now, the criminal Psych prof. We're meeting at Starbucks."
"Do you want to work on the McHaggerty case with us?"
"Sure, as long as I don'y have to talk to Colin, Elizabeth or Eliza."
"Do you think Dr. Leslie would be interested in it?"
"I don't know. I'll feel him out, I mean I'll test the waters, I mean, oh never mind. I will tell him a little and see if he's interested at all."
"Good!" Rune got up to let Jody out, gave her a hug and they paid their bills up front. Jody strode off down Marshall Street toward Starbucks and Rune sat on "The Beach," the steps across the street where students sometimes hung out people-watching and smoking. Or, on cool days, sunning themselves.
She turned back toward Jody just in time to see her slip Emmanuel, the black-skinned African American beggar who often sat outside Starbucks, a dollar bill. Rune smiled. She knew that Jody kept a dollar in her watch pocket at all times for Emmanuel. Rune herself kept her loose change there to pass on to Emmanuel, sometimes less than a dollar and sometimes more. If she had less than a quarter, she detoured around another way, embarrassed to pass with nothing to give him. Jody had leaned close to Emmanuel's ear and Rune imagined she'd asked him if wanted coffee. If he said yes, she would bring him some before she sat down with Dr. Leslie.
One the waitress was gone and they'd surveyed the room for people they knew and checked their bags and clothes for bugs, Jody said, "I called Kathy Collins ((Brenda Crandall?)) and we met for lunch. I told her about what happened to Colin and Eliza. She was horrified when I told we thought it was a murder attempt, and why. She said she's talk to her boss about looking to it.
"I was really excited that we might get some help, but she texted me in my criminology class to say ((her boss)) was having none of it. He forbade her to look into it. She told me that she would make a few calls and stuff anyway. She had calls to make on another case.and she would do whatever she could squeeze between other cases.
"Man, that shits green," Rune said, "what was his reasoning for forbidding it?"
"She said he said that mycology professors were a bunch of fools in the same category as those religious fanatics who handle poisonous snakes. He said they are always collecting poisonous mushrooms and poisoning themselves and then trying to point a finger at someone else. He said there was a long history of self-poisonings."
"That seems like an entirely unfair comparison," Rune said. "I mean, I don't know much about those people who handle poisonous snakes except that rather lurid scenes in certain movies and novels, so I suppose I shouldn't diss them, but mycologists are trained and educated. They handle poisonous mushrooms with care and respect. I think there might be some religious sects who eat or drink poisonous substances to prove their faith in God, but McHaggerty and Eliza are not among them. McHaggerty knows what he's doing and talking about.
"I don't think those four mycologists from Cornell made a terrible mistake; I think they were murdered. But, if they did make a mistake, it would, under the circumstances, be somewhat understandable." She told Jody what Eilyn had told her about her experience with the dead professors and how exhausted they were and how dark it was. She left out the part about Eilyn and Calyx. She considered sharing the juicy bit of gossip, but decided to maybe tell her later. For some reason, telling that piece of it seemed like a betrayal of Eilyn. She would share it if it became relevant.
"How are you doing?" Rune asked Jody. "I bet this whole business throws a complicating monkey wrench into your emotional soup. I mean, if you care at all about McHaggerty, even though you wanted to get free of him, it must be hard knowing he could die. And even though you like Eliza and are relieved for an excuse to leave McHaggerty, you must have mixed feelings about her predicament, too."
Jody stared off into space.
"You're right," she finally said, "About all of that . . . and more."
"More?"
"I have mixed feelings . . . mixed feelings . . . about . . . about you, Rune."
"ME? You don't think I somehow poisoned McHaggerty, do you? Or do you think I was lying when I said I never slept with him? Or what? Wait, I don't get it."
Jody looked down at her hands, which were folded in front of her on the table. She looked sad. Rune got up and went over to Jody's side of the table and put her arms around Jody. Jody leaned her cheek against Rune's.
"What is it?" Rune finally asked, after Jody said nothing for a long time.
"Never mind," Jody said, "I'm too confused and upset. I can't articulate it." She said nothing for another minute or two, then, "I have to go, I have a meeting with Dr. Leslie, you now, the criminal Psych prof. We're meeting at Starbucks."
"Do you want to work on the McHaggerty case with us?"
"Sure, as long as I don'y have to talk to Colin, Elizabeth or Eliza."
"Do you think Dr. Leslie would be interested in it?"
"I don't know. I'll feel him out, I mean I'll test the waters, I mean, oh never mind. I will tell him a little and see if he's interested at all."
"Good!" Rune got up to let Jody out, gave her a hug and they paid their bills up front. Jody strode off down Marshall Street toward Starbucks and Rune sat on "The Beach," the steps across the street where students sometimes hung out people-watching and smoking. Or, on cool days, sunning themselves.
She turned back toward Jody just in time to see her slip Emmanuel, the black-skinned African American beggar who often sat outside Starbucks, a dollar bill. Rune smiled. She knew that Jody kept a dollar in her watch pocket at all times for Emmanuel. Rune herself kept her loose change there to pass on to Emmanuel, sometimes less than a dollar and sometimes more. If she had less than a quarter, she detoured around another way, embarrassed to pass with nothing to give him. Jody had leaned close to Emmanuel's ear and Rune imagined she'd asked him if wanted coffee. If he said yes, she would bring him some before she sat down with Dr. Leslie.
1 comment:
great stuff!
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