A woman hustles through the driving rain carrying a scrap of paper with a name on it. The ink's started to run so she picks up her pace. Around her the buzz of the city feels oppressive and she ducks into a liquor store doorway to dodge a passing motorist's rain puddle splash. In the echo of thunder she eyes a dilapidated sky scraper, searching the crumbling facade for a number.
Inside she hesitates, caught by the eerie silence after the cacophony of car horns outside. The name next to a buzzer matches the one on her now useless scrap and she lets it tumble into an overflowing waste basket. She checks the buzzers again and notices a different name, one she wasn't sure she'd find. The man she spoke with told her it had been a long time Since Percy and Louise Slate ran All Seeing Investigations, and that if it was still there then he must need money in a bad way.
She checks her pocked for what seems like the hundredth time, reassured by the weight of the money she's carrying. In the spur of the moment she decides not to ring, in case she spooks him. The woman begins climbing the stairs. Outside thunder roars on, and from above she thinks she hears someone yelling.
Fans of the ongoing 'Skeleton Unburdened' in Second Saturday Stories won't want to miss this week's chapter. They are introduced to the mysterious woman above who comes into Percy Slate's life with a problem only he can solve. Will he take up the mantle from his past, or is his heart too hardened to care? Find out today at 3:00pm, keep a look out for "Chapter 4: A woman Apart" with the Second Saturday Stories title card. You won't want to miss this one.
New readers who love thrillers, or those who need a refresher are welcome to catch up with the chapters below.
