Year of the Rhinoceros

Chapter 10: Joe Blow On Menu? — No Reasonable Grounds — The Pickering Disruption Test — Threshold Maneuvers in the Light — Laney Dracos vs. The Hunsecker

120 ~ Year of the Rhinoceros Chapter 10 Joe Blow On Menu? — No Reasonable Grounds — The Pickering Disruption Test — Threshold Maneuvers in the Light — Laney Dracos vs. The Hunsecker AT THE APPOINTED TIME of nine A.M., the staff of the OWC Investigative Division meet in the tenth floor conference room for the bi-monthly case review meeting. The room itself is windowless, wood paneled and hung with presidents. A pair of ten-foot high American flags frame a grand portrait of The Gipper at the far end. Upon entering, the staff members sit down and place their case files before them on a long mahogany table. All are present, except for the Hunsecker and Laney Dracos—the former routinely late for the review meetings, sometimes as long as half an hour. But his inevitability is always foretold in the variety of no nonsense personas adopted by the staff—the only exception today being Worm Quigley who slouches in his chair, his mouth sputtering with reproach at some imaginary hobgoblin perched lightly on the tip of his nose. While one hand remains slapped atop his head, the other extends into the air, high and wing-like, fragile and flapping, as if waving a grandfatherly farewell—the arthritis painkillers he’d taken earlier that morning already unhinging him a bit. To his left sits Varsana Pardo, her extremities magenta-glossed. Her large face looks almost Chinese and it beams in professional fashion at no one in particular. Across from her, Boyden unleashes a macho head nod. Manny notes the male bonding feeler and refuses to react. Instead, he demands a glaring fix from himself, his thoughts only of Keat’s future, his eyes black as eggs fried to a char on bureaucracy. Babs Easton, sitting next to Manny, notes his severity. She watches it screw in and tighten. Ignoring it though, she smiles and effervesces with: “It’s back to school time, Mr. Eden. This is your classroom.” M. B. Neff ~ 121 Manny doesn’t respond. Babs tries again. “Mr. Eeeeeden? Don’t be an Evaderrrrr.” Manny looks up, says nothing. Babs continues. “The first staff meeting for any new employee is a learning experience. Your teacher, Mr. Basil Hunsecker, will make certain of that.” Becky Bergstein, two seats down from Manny, glares at Babs, her eyes a few degrees below absolute zero. “Anyway, I hope you’ve done your homeworrrkkk,” coos Babs, the last word pealing out on a high note. “I hope so tooooo,” coos Manny, turning to face her, the imitation scowling the face of Babs ever so slightly. Becky suppresses a chuckle. But no time to predict an outcome. Before another word can be uttered, a disturbance grows in volume and violence in the hall outside the conference room. A raspy and lengthy scrape starts it off, followed by what sounds like a single claw of iron-tipped nails cutting slowly into six feet of marble. Could it be Varsana’s suspect returning? Had the fiend escaped its tour of solitude once again? Varsana links up with the after effect of gouge on her partition wall only days ago. Friction sparked by the noise evaporates all her faux gaiety. Her brows pinch like scorched caterpillars. Her entire face darkens with a rare form of cartoon rage. Other members of the staff react also. Boyden twitches at the noise, as though popped by a rubber shin hammer. Babs attempts a sappy grin. Becky simply looks irritated and shakes her head ever so slightly, as if regretting a pointless tragedy, and as she does, a second announcement overwhelms the clawing, only this new sound the more earth-devouring and oceanic, as if a heavy and segmented bulk several miles long were being monotonously dragged against the walls outside. “My God! What is it?” asks Manny Eden, somewhat alarmed. No one answers. Their minds have already lapsed as one into fear of allegation and reprisal. To distract himself, Worm begins a schizophrenic muttering on the “astral intelligence of matter.” Manny cannot pay attention. His eyes cast wildly about in search of Keat Linderhart’s body. Too long before he finds her glowing flesh laid in winter and subjected to debilitating 122 ~ Year of the Rhinoceros cruelty and humiliation—the kind only human beings can inflict. Her precious thoughts gnaw at him, her words and hope cradled by his morality. Seeing him, she bravely shakes off the pain and ice...