Out of Reach by Jocelyn Stover

chagrin I find that Mr. Johnson doesn’t have an office.
The only one on the team that has an actual workspace with a desk
and four walls is Mike, the head custodian. The rest of the
employees each have a full-length locker in their break room.
Sneaking around when the place is empty I see that Mr. Johnson’s
locker is still there but has been completely emptied of all
personal items.
    Damn it , I think to myself. This just isn’t
my day.
    Halfway up the first flight
of stairs to the lobby, my phone alerts me I have a new text
message. It’s from Gwen: Friday, China
Palace and The Spotted Dog. See you at 5p.m.

Chapter 12

    Marta drags her cart into Lab 4B, heading
for the back corner. She is meticulous about her work, always
starting in the back corner and working her way from left to right
as she cleans. Glenn Johnson weighs heavily on her mind tonight.
The fact Lab 4B was a part of his regular rotation only adds to the
feeling.
    Since his medical release from work, the
whole housekeeping crew has pulled together in order to get the
extra workload his absence has created done. Luckily tonight Marta
is a little ahead of schedule and has decided to get a head start
on Lab 4B. Hopefully it’s one burden she can take off Mike’s
shoulders. The poor man was asked to personally oversee not only
his duties but also those assigned to Glenn. Marta would hate to
see Glenn replaced, or Mike any more overworked and exhausted than
he already is.
    Turning up the volume of the small radio she
keeps, Marta sanitizes the worktop surfaces. Humming to herself,
she pulls out her mop and starts in on the floors. Along the
opposing wall, a slight glow begins to emanate from around the
seams of one of the nondescript cabinets, like someone had left a
flashlight turned on inside before shutting the doors. Bent to her
task, Marta is oblivious to the glow, which becomes more
pronounced, radiating out into the room itself. Just as quickly as
it started the glowing light fades, replaced by a thin, ominous
mist coalescing at the bottom of the cabinet. Thin tendrils of the
vapor slowly begin to inch their way out across the floor, like
spooky fingers winding their way around table and chair legs in a
uniform pattern. Stretching out, reaching, the mist works its way
ever closer to Marta.
    From behind her, a loud, unexpected bang
sends Marta jumping through the roof. Catching her breath, she
turns in the direction of the sound to see Mike standing in the
lab’s entryway. The resounding bang must have been from the door
swinging shut behind him.
    “Marta, have you taken your lunch yet?” he
barks out a little harsher than necessary.
    Unfazed because she knows he’s overworked
Marta just smiles.
    “Not yet ... I finished up early in Lab 3B
and thought I’d get a head start in here first.”
    “You know you are required to take a lunch
break within the first six hours of your shift, or HR will be all
over my ass.”
    “I’m sorry, Mike, I just wanted to
help.”
    “I know, I know, but take your lunch first.
Go on now, I’ll finish up in here. You can help me over in 4A when
you’re done.”
    Sliding her mop back into her cart, Marta
muscles the heavy contraption back up the ramp and exits the lab.
Mike watches her progress patiently. After her departure, he
continues to stand alone on the entrance platform, scanning the
room.
    Satisfied Marta has done a good job washing
the lab stations, he grabs his mop and heads over to where she left
off cleaning the floors. Working his way over toward the cabinets
lining the right-hand wall, he finds the floor damp in several
places. Not overly concerned, he shakes his head. A few decisive
swipes of the mop later and Mike has effectively erased all
evidence of the mist.

Chapter 13

Gwen
    Melanie and I are all polish and shine as we
exit my car, having undergone several careful hours of preparation
for our night out. She is stunning in a blue tank that ties at the
waist and just covers her tush. Matched