Sissy, said. She sat up, looking around the darkened room. “Where the hell did you go? Another bad dream? You had better stop taking those pills. They’re definitely not doing you any good.”
Montagno’s right hand reached up grabbing onto the bottom bed sheet. He pulled himself up and sat on the bed, getting his bearings.
“Fuck. It’s the same dream over and over. I’m in the woods walking around with a fawn and doe and some bow hunter shoots me in the neck. I swear, it’s like I’m a deer…I even feel like a deer.”
“How would you know what a deer feels like? Deer can’t think like humans. It’s probably a stupid reaction to your experience with the buck at Hermanski’s house. You guys think you’re such big shots. Boy, that deer sure is getting back at you.”
“I told you; we didn’t kill it. We found it dead, lying by a tree with a bow hunter perch attached. Damn it, I can’t sleep. I’m all stuffed up. I think I’m going to go over the accounts receivable for Monday. Hermanski’s on my butt to get it done before we create budgets for next year.
~ ~ ~
What the hell, these numbers don’t add up, Montagno thought. He sat by the desk in the soft leather chair in this study, leaning forward and struggling to make sense of numbers lined up in the printed ledger spreadsheet. Ever since taking his CPA exam ten years ago, he felt locked into accounting. He hoped that becoming a partner in Hermanski’s company would change that, but no such luck.
There it is.
He pushed back from the desk for a moment, then looked at the spreadsheet again. He had mentally added three columns of numbers in less than five seconds.
Shit. I adjusted these numbers last week--not good.
He flipped through several more pages of the ledger. Each time, verifying that the number on the bottom matched the sum of the columns on the page.
What in hell is going on? Whoa, hold on.
The room started spinning. Faster, faster, then stopped abruptly.
Montagno slumped back into his leather desk chair and passed out.
Chapter 10
K ottle leaned on Porter, legs entwined, both undressed in bed as Porter, stomach down and propped up by his elbows, continued typing.
“Not much of a story. Certainly not front page news,” she said, reading the words on the laptop computer screen.
“I think Sanguini’s right. I’m only presenting the bare facts for now and will take time to get the real story.”
“If Pillbock lets you.” Kottle pressed her chest against Porter’s back waiting for a reaction.
“Just one more click and I’ll have it sent for his approval. There, it’s finished.” Porter closed the laptop and flipped over to receive Kottle’s embrace.
~ ~ ~
Porter’s cellphone began playing reggae music.
“Pillbock,” he said, struggling to reach over to the nightstand.
“Not now. I’m just getting into it,” Kottle said, shifting from her straddled position.
“Yes, Chief,” Porter said into the phone. “Okay, I’ll make the changes and send it right back. Yup, saw the article. Why’d you send Louis to cover it? Oh…I just...well, I thought we had the exclusive. Okay, we’ll head over there in the morning. Katie, ah...she’s in the motel room next door. Want to talk to her?” Kottle held her finger to her lips, stepped to the motel door, opened and shut it. “Ah, she just came through the door...here.” Porter smirked and handed the phone to Kottle.
“Hello, Mr. Pillbock. What’s up? I...yes, I’ll do better, bye,” she said, and threw the cellphone onto the bed, bouncing it onto the floor. “God, he’s such an ass.”
“No, don’t do that. No wonder my phone never works. What’d he say to you?”
“Apparently, Sanguini told him about my being a little repulsed in the morgue. Doesn’t show the strength he’s looking for. He called me ‘girl’ again.”
“He’s just trying to drive that little girl out of you, like he’s trying to drive that little boy out of
Montagno’s right hand reached up grabbing onto the bottom bed sheet. He pulled himself up and sat on the bed, getting his bearings.
“Fuck. It’s the same dream over and over. I’m in the woods walking around with a fawn and doe and some bow hunter shoots me in the neck. I swear, it’s like I’m a deer…I even feel like a deer.”
“How would you know what a deer feels like? Deer can’t think like humans. It’s probably a stupid reaction to your experience with the buck at Hermanski’s house. You guys think you’re such big shots. Boy, that deer sure is getting back at you.”
“I told you; we didn’t kill it. We found it dead, lying by a tree with a bow hunter perch attached. Damn it, I can’t sleep. I’m all stuffed up. I think I’m going to go over the accounts receivable for Monday. Hermanski’s on my butt to get it done before we create budgets for next year.
~ ~ ~
What the hell, these numbers don’t add up, Montagno thought. He sat by the desk in the soft leather chair in this study, leaning forward and struggling to make sense of numbers lined up in the printed ledger spreadsheet. Ever since taking his CPA exam ten years ago, he felt locked into accounting. He hoped that becoming a partner in Hermanski’s company would change that, but no such luck.
There it is.
He pushed back from the desk for a moment, then looked at the spreadsheet again. He had mentally added three columns of numbers in less than five seconds.
Shit. I adjusted these numbers last week--not good.
He flipped through several more pages of the ledger. Each time, verifying that the number on the bottom matched the sum of the columns on the page.
What in hell is going on? Whoa, hold on.
The room started spinning. Faster, faster, then stopped abruptly.
Montagno slumped back into his leather desk chair and passed out.
Chapter 10
K ottle leaned on Porter, legs entwined, both undressed in bed as Porter, stomach down and propped up by his elbows, continued typing.
“Not much of a story. Certainly not front page news,” she said, reading the words on the laptop computer screen.
“I think Sanguini’s right. I’m only presenting the bare facts for now and will take time to get the real story.”
“If Pillbock lets you.” Kottle pressed her chest against Porter’s back waiting for a reaction.
“Just one more click and I’ll have it sent for his approval. There, it’s finished.” Porter closed the laptop and flipped over to receive Kottle’s embrace.
~ ~ ~
Porter’s cellphone began playing reggae music.
“Pillbock,” he said, struggling to reach over to the nightstand.
“Not now. I’m just getting into it,” Kottle said, shifting from her straddled position.
“Yes, Chief,” Porter said into the phone. “Okay, I’ll make the changes and send it right back. Yup, saw the article. Why’d you send Louis to cover it? Oh…I just...well, I thought we had the exclusive. Okay, we’ll head over there in the morning. Katie, ah...she’s in the motel room next door. Want to talk to her?” Kottle held her finger to her lips, stepped to the motel door, opened and shut it. “Ah, she just came through the door...here.” Porter smirked and handed the phone to Kottle.
“Hello, Mr. Pillbock. What’s up? I...yes, I’ll do better, bye,” she said, and threw the cellphone onto the bed, bouncing it onto the floor. “God, he’s such an ass.”
“No, don’t do that. No wonder my phone never works. What’d he say to you?”
“Apparently, Sanguini told him about my being a little repulsed in the morgue. Doesn’t show the strength he’s looking for. He called me ‘girl’ again.”
“He’s just trying to drive that little girl out of you, like he’s trying to drive that little boy out of
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