Clarence Delaney

Clarence Delaney

"She wants you, hard, man,"

Harlen Joints

Faced by the chore of cleaning his own office Clarence Delaney decided he would not.  Most employees in Newtopian government agencies cleaned their own offices, lockers, or work area by vacuuming, dusting, and mopping if necessary.  Government employees were as familiar with their cleaning supply closet as their own duties.  But today his duties, family, and boss clung to his mind and cleaning would have to be done when he got back. Days earlier he had been scolded and then forced off of his previous, high profile case that was linked directly to Senator Baxoton’s murder.  He was in as dark a mood as the day was with its long, distant thunder and unbroken gray above low and slow.

The car shuttered to life on his first try.  It was a 2004 Newtopian Casper from the Carbonite line of Sedans with 49,509 miles on it.  Traffic was never an issue now that they moved south from the IIO’s headquarters.  In Nearport the only traffic was a bottleneck where route #3 and #4 met but right now he went unimpeded.  Clarence knew he would be home before anyone else.  The kids wouldn’t be back until six and Laura seven.  He would have the house to himself for an hour, at least. 

He thought back to last Friday when he had gotten off early as well.  ‘Friendly’ Jenny had let him and his partner off early when two of her bosses arrived.  Maybe Jen was being generous because she knew she was going to interrupt his case.  But Harlen Joints suspect Jenny wanted Clarence’s favor for another reason, “She wants you, hard, man.”  That was the counsel of his friend of twenty years and coworker.  He was a year older than Clarence at 43 but had always acted five years younger.  He too was involved with the Baxton case.  “She wants to sex-up Detective Clarence on that big ass desk of yours,” Harlen said laughing and ordered a beer. 

“Harlen isn’t a friend you bring home to your kids,” Laura had warned when she first met him, “Then added, “But he seems like a nice guy.”  He thought about Laura too as he pulled into his driveway.  Newtopian law requires divorced couples to maintain the same residency with their spouse and children until the children turn 16.  So when Laura returned on Saturday morning from her boyfriend’s Clarence should not have been surprise.  Kaley only at the last second heard keys jingle and cried, “Dad!”  When Laura finally let herself in she fractured his nose.  She swore and Donnie mimicked her.  But after it all Laura Bradley was really warm and brought her ex-husband to the hospital.

Clarence pulled into the drive way of his house that looked like the one to the right and left. I won’t mind leaving this neighborhood, Clarence thought, but Donnie will take it hard.  The move he would be forced to take for the new case will only be for six months as far as pay-roll was concerned.  But cases are cases and six months is a long time away.

In the gated community of Prince Grove most houses including his were duplexes.  It was quiet when he entered from the back door, much quiet than last Saturday morning.  The hallway guided him to his kitchen where he grabbed a beer.  He twisted it open and it whispered, “beer.”  Somewhere behind him someone whispered, “Clarence.”