Where the Shadows are Heavy (Bastille)

CHAPTER 10

In all of their hours of talking, they hadn't thought up a plan. Or at least Dan didn't think it was a plan. His friends would definitely disagree with him, and insist it had taken all night to think up, when really they'd talked distractedly for hours after deciding on a stupid idea in five minutes.

"Kyle this isn't going to work." He muttered as they neared the entrance of the office. "I can't just put on a blazer over my shirt and walk in."

"You don't look that bad. You're passably smart," he said matter-of-factly.

Dan was questioning Kyle's definition of smart. He was wearing his normal converse and black jeans with a plain white t-shirt, and his old blazer over the top. It was fraying a little at the shoulders, and Dan was sure there was a moth hole in it somewhere. It didn't even fit him right. The sleeves were too short. It'd been the smartest thing he owned though, discovered at the very back and bottom of his wardrobe, even if it was the remainder of his school uniform. Where Dan had pulled the school badge off the front, there was a small tear.

Beside them Will remained silent.

Dan had no clue why he'd agreed to this idea, seeing as it was his life, or rather justice, at stake.

Head straight, walking somewhat confidently, Dan went through the shiny automatic doors, through the foyer, past the reception, and into the lift. How he'd managed it he still wasn't sure. He knew just that he had.

"Confidence is all you need." Kyle had said. Dan smiled glumly.

He stepped out of the lift on the first floor, and walked a couple of steps until he found the work register. A couple of people looked up from their desks, but their heads bobbed back down and he was ignored.

Scanning the names, Dan dragged one finger down the page, making sure to read each one. When he didn't find Anna's name, he went back to the lift, and repeated his search on the second floor, then the third and fourth, until on the fifth floor, he found Anna's name. They hadn't yet removed it. After all, she'd only just quit the day before.

He was guessing it was the previous day, as when Dan had met her she'd been wearing smart work clothes. But why she'd suddenly drop her job after finding her boyfriend missing, Dan wasn't so sure.

Next to her name, was Anna's location in her office, and luckily for Dan, she'd had her own room, so no one would notice him digging around.

Dan realised that a lot of his success hinged on luck and chance, and wasn't looking forward to the consequences when it finally ran out. And it would run out. Dan just hoped that it wouldn't be today.

He casually crossed the floor to Anna's office and slipped inside, closing the door carefully behind him. He reached for the light switch.

"Wait. Don't, there's enough light to see by in here, it's not dark and someone might think a light was left on and come to turn it off." Will told him.

"Yeah." Dan lowered his hand and stumbled over a box. Almost everything in the room was packed. Cardboard boxes lined one wall, and a few were sat on the desk table in the middle of the room. On top of one was a picture of Anna and Will together, but the featured ghost avoided it completely. As he neared the desk, Dan could see some paper and pens still strewn about. Oddly messy. Discarded paperwork.

He wandered around the desk to sit in the chair. It was comfortable, and wheeled around easily as he pulled himself forwards. There were four draws under the desk to his right. Sliding open the top draw, he found it empty. As was the second and third. Something rolled around and hit the back with a thud as he opened the last draw. It was just a dried-out glue stick. In the chair, Dan leaned back, pushing away on the floor, the chair trundling back soundlessly a couple of inches.