Tuesday Tales: From a Picture

It’s Tuesday tales time again and this week, we are all working from a picture. Our scenes are only 300 words long, so enjoy. I’ve skipped a long a bit in The White Dahlia, The Harvester Files Book Four, and now they are interviewing the garbage collectors.

Here’s the picture I’m working from:

“That’s what I thought they’d done tonight. I wasn’t expecting no dead body on a cart—especially one with no effing eyes.” Phil made the sign of the cross.

“And you didn’t see anyone loitering on the sidewalk like those people are doing?” Al pointed to the crowd. “No cars that seemed out of place?”

“Like Gus said, might’ve been a van at the end of the alley—can’t say for sure. The only cars around here belong to the gangs, so even if I’d seen one, assuming I had, you can be damn sure I’ve forgotten all about it. Can we go now? Gus’s old lady needs him to get the kids to school. She’s expectin’ and don’t walk so good.”

“This van at the end of the alley that you didn’t get a good look at would’ve been under that street light, right?” Al interrupted the man.

“Yeah, so what? It wasn’t there long enough for me to give you make and model, but it was dark colored.”

“Panel van or passenger?” Al prompted.

Phil scowled. “Had to be a panel van since I didn’t see no windows at the back,” he admitted. “Gus, did you?”

The man shook his head.

“One more question,” Beth asked, once it seemed Al was satisfied. “What happens to the dumpster after you load it?”

He shook his head. “Same thing that happens to all of them. We empty it into the truck and then put the dumpster back under the chute. Where the garbage goes after that is anyone’s guess. They truck the contents out of state to a landfill or somethin’ but that ain’t my job. I’m just a link in the chain.”

“But no one would look at it? Examine it for recyclables?”

Phil laughed. “You want that job, lady, it’s all yours. Can we go now?”

That’s it. Stay safe and don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales.