Technical Support (preview)

My (fingers crossed) next book is out on submission. It’s pretty good. Lady in the Lake meets Goodfellas. Kind of. If you’re looking for a book with Avalon, mob goons, cosmic dragons, many cans of SpaghettiOs, and an (possibly) evil chair, then this will be it.

In the meantime, I’m working on the next book. Like most books in progress and the early stages, things are subject to change, but here’s a sample of a short chapter introducing two characters. Enjoy a free sample of something that might not even make it into the final draft, but it’s fun, so probably will.

Chaz and Andy sat in their car across the street from the call center. They couldn’t enter the parking lot proper. They didn’t have I.D.s. Also, ancient covenants perhaps older than the universe meant they’d explode if they set foot on the property.

Chaz was a sour-faced man with a thin mustache and a twitchy eye. He gave off the vibe of a guy up to no good. Always had. Which was why he’d given up on fighting it at a very young age. If biology was destiny then Chaz was put on this earth to be a pain in the ass to society.

Andy was a clean-shaven farmboy-type. People trusted Andy with all manner of things: money, their children, their car keys, their darkest secrets, nuclear launch codes. In a different world, he would have been a slightly corrupt politician that didn’t do much but kept getting elected anyway.

Andy tossed a bottle in the backseat and opened another mineral water.

Chaz glowered. “I don’t know how you drink this stuff. It’s like drinking dirt.”

“It’s good for you.”

Andy offered Chaz his bottle, which Chaz pushed away. “You shouldn’t be drinking anything on stakeout anyway.”

“So we just sit here, not talking, dehydrating?” replied Andy. “No, thanks.”

Chaz chewed on his toothpick. Sometimes he went with matchsticks. It completed the look. “I don’t get why the boss can’t just blow the place up.”

“Against the rules.” Andy held up a bag. “Macaroon?”

“No, thanks.”

Andy, smiling, shook the bag. “Come on. Everyone loves a good macaroon.”

Chaz grabbed a cookie from the bag, took a bite. “This isn’t very good.”

“Best I could get from that store down the street.” Andy stuffed two cookies in his mouth.

They watched the call center in the fading dusk. Chaz had broken the nearby streetlight allowing them to sit in the shadows. Being the only car parked on this street under the only broken light made them more suspicious. Andy suggested maybe breaking some others, but it seemed more trouble than it was worth.

Chaz asked, “What are we waiting for anyway?”

Andy replied, “The boss says we’ll know when we see it.”

So they waited in the waning light of dusk. Not talking. Chaz dehydrating. Just watching. Until Sarika exited the call center.

The phone in Chaz’s pocket rang. He answered.

“She’s the one,” said the voice.

Chaz scanned the unassuming woman. “Are you sure?”

“Do you question me?”

Andy, having pushed his head close enough to listen in, said, “No, sir. Just doesn’t look like an important person.”

“One day, soon, the fate of your universe will rest on her shoulders,” said the boss.

“Right.” Chaz pushed Andy away and put the boss on speaker. “So you want us to get rid of her then?”

“No. She is simply the person who will be in the right place at the right time through circumstances greater than herself.”

“And she’s working for the other side, right?” said Chaz. “Seems like we should take care of her.”

Andy nodded.

“If she were to die, another would simply take her place.”

“Ah, okay,” said Andy. “What do you want us to do then?”

“Keep an eye on her.”

“Yeah. We can do that,” said Chaz.

“Hey, we didn’t call you,” said Andy. “How did you know we saw the one when we didn’t even know?”

“You are my agents,” said the boss. “I see the world through your eyes.”

“What? Like all the time?” asked Chaz. “Like even when we’re in the bathroom.”

“No, not bathroom time.”

“Can you hear us talking?” asked Andy.

Chaz elbowed Andy. “Don’t be stupid. Why would he call us if he could hear us talking?”

The boss’s voice filled their heads, vibrating their bodies. “I can speak to you directly, but it would slowly kill you.” The voice went back to the phone. “Easier for everyone this way.”

Chaz opened his door and threw up a little.