Merrick

I was back at work. Much as I wished to be pursuing the investigation, I had to have cash.

I felt deep in my soul, something had broken and we were right on the verge of cracking

it. But I couldn’t yet find the answer. It was there, niggling at the edges of my mind.

And, something had been said at the hospital, fook it what? Something that was of major

significance but I couldn’t access it…………….yet.

Crow, my foreman, brother of Shona gave me a knowing smile, said

‘Big job today my friend, we have to put…………

He pointed

The gaping vacancy at the top of the ninety story building,

‘A full two floors on today. It’s delicate and risky but I have my nephew, Cloud, with

you, he is an artist.’

I nearly laughed, asked

“I’m to call him Cloud?’

‘No, call him Brad.’

A heavy wind was coming in and normally, such a job would be called off but there was

Deadline, and cash call’s the ultimate tune.

For the first time, when I got up there, and heard that sucker howl, I briefly considered

the safety harness.

But….

One, it marked you as White…………..afraid.

Two……………..it impeded you and cut your work pace by half.

No harness.

Cloud was maybe twenty, terrific looking kid, like Johnny Depp way back. And worse,

he was a good guy, knew he was the best at what he did but didn’t Lord it. I asked

“Brad, you good to go?’

Gave me a radiant smile answered

‘Bring it on white eyes.’

Despite the wind, we got a rhythm going, like pure music, not me, I was just following

the kid but he was a sight to see. Like such heights were made for him, he danced, I

swear to God, he danced from girder to girder like it was fun. Maybe it was, for him.

We were getting the job almost done, late afternoon, and Brad was soaring, doing stuff

that if it weren’t so damn artistic, it would have been reckless.

And, you can’t figure every contingency. A girder, I’d have sworn I’d locked, cut loose,

went shooting out across the Manhattan sky like a stealth missile. I screamed the warning

but the wind was so fierce, it took my words and scattered them like wasted prayers on

the pavement, ninety floors below. The steel girder hit him full ferocity on the back of his

head and he never made a sound, just dropped like the smallest sigh.

I stood, dumbstruck.