“Yeah, but they have like, microfilm, right?”
“Microfiche,” said Jack automatically.
“Yeah, microfish,” said Boris with astounding confidence. “Anyway, the bigger question is, why are you so convinced that this matters? OK, maybe some asshole was messing with things he shouldn’t have. So what?”
Carla passed her cigarette to Jack, who took a grateful drag. “Because Enzo knows about the time loop.”
“You think he created it, or what?”
“It’s… possible.” She hesitated. “I—Look, weird shit happens around Enzo, alright? Cats go missing, he wears all this freaky jewelry and always smells like smoke, and I—I just think he’s got something to do with it.”
After taking another pull from the cigarette, Jack said, “You didn’t tell me that.”
“Well, I thought maybe you’d think I was crazy.”
Jack gestured around them. “After all this?”
Boris snickered.
“Fine, Jack, fine. I didn’t think about it, alright? Everybody in the family knows that Enzo’s creepy. You don’t wanna fuck with Enzo, because you don’t know what he’s gonna do to you. Whether he’ll shoot you or cast some kinda curse is up for debate.” She stormed past them to the coffee station, where she poured a cup with shaking hands. “You just don’t fuck with Enzo!”
“Sounds like we need to fuck with Enzo,” said Boris, catching Jack’s eye and smirking.
Jack shook his head, couldn’t help but laugh when Boris waggled his eyebrows at him.
“You look better today,” he said.
“Yeah, I used your fucking bed last night.”
“That’s fine. I wasn’t in it.”
“I think I know what you were in last night,” said Boris, gaze tracking Carla across the lobby. Something in his expression darkened.
Jack ignored him. “A warehouse?”
“If that’s what the kids are calling it these days, sure.”
Jack rolled his eyes.
They decidedto try the bookstore first.
Sirens blared as Jack and Carla stepped from the lobby into the street. An anxious Boris waved them off—as useless as he was, he couldn’t be cajoled from the front desk.
“I can’t lose this job,” he said, when Jack invited him to go with them. “I can’t just leave in the middle of the day. You gotta fill me in later.”
Carla rolled her eyes, snatched Jack’s hand and dragged him out the door. “I hate him,” she seethed, just loud enough to be heard over the screeching sirens.
“I know,” said Jack sympathetically. He hadn’t expected that Carla and Boris would hit it off. In fact, their introduction went better than he thought it would. Nobody got slapped, nobodystarted shouting. Overall, it was a roaring success. “Sorry, he’s kind of… rough around the edges.”
“Not your fault,” said Carla.
A police cruiser sped past, lights flashing.
“What’s happening? Do you think someone else disappeared?” Jack had overslept and missed the morning news. He’d tried not to worry about it, but there was no denying his nerves were properly aflame now.
“I hope not.”
“Me too.”
