8/9/2019 Teaser Hurlyburly

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When the Hurlyburlys Doneby Susan Crawford

Liam pulls his cell phone out of a small black case attached to his belt that Shelley

always says looks like a gun in a holster, and scrolls to her name, pressing the selectbutton. Youve reached Shelley, her voice says, even though he hasnt. He snorts,

snapping the lid shut and sticking it back in the case. After a second or two, he pulls it out

again and this time he leaves a message. Call me back, he says, as soon as you getthis. Its important. Hes sweating, even though the thermostat in his office reads sixty

two degrees. He gives it a little ping, flicking his forefinger off his thumb like hes

flipping a crumb off a table or slinging a spitwad across the room, but the mercurydoesnt budge. Gimme a hand here! somebody yells, and Liam moves to the window of

his office, built in the middle of the warehouse, and stands looking out like Jonah in the

windowed belly of a whale. Whacha need? he hears, and then a series of short quick

pops, like a spray of bullets bouncing off a wall. He lights a cigarette, watching the

smoke curl into the air and stick itself to the polluted Plexiglas square of the sectionedpanes.

Hey, Liam! Behind him, Mr. Paulson of Paulson and Black Boilers Inc. lowershimself gingerly into a swivel chair and rifles several stacks of papers on Liams desk.

Wheres the inventory sheet on the Whitfield job?

Liam shrugs.Cindy said she gave it to you.

Nope. Liam stubs his cigarette into a metal tray on the edge of the desk and sets

the thermostat down to fifty-eight.

Whatre ya doing?Huh?

The guys are freezing their asses off out there. Whatre ya doing?Oh, he says. Sorry.What is all this? Paulson says. You got forty-three stacks of inventory papers

here.

Theyre copies, Liam says.I see that. Whyve you got em all stacked up in here?

You never know.

Paulson swivels the chair around and looks up at Liams sweaty face. You neverknow what?

You never know about Cindy, Liam says. When she might need a copy. When

she might be out. Have you seen her office lately? Looks like a tornado hi

Liam. Paulson leans forward and the swivel chair squeaks in protest. Whatsgoing on?

Nothing, Liam says. Why?

You sick?What? I make a few copies of inventory sheets and you think Im

Youre sweating.

Huh?

8/9/2019 Teaser Hurlyburly

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Its cold as shit in here and youre sweating, Paulson says. Plus, you have

forty-three stacks of inventory sheets youve got no reason to even have!

Like I said Liam shrugs, leaving the sentence unfinished. He tugs on the dooruntil it opens with a loud sucking sound, allowing him to step into the gaping insides of

the whale.

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