Page 54 of Spark

“Ah, yes. The heat of passion can be a very good motivator. Oftentimes, the emotion will reveal more about our hearts and souls than we realize.”

“Yes, absolutely.” Mia nodded, relief flooding her veins. She had several more pages she typed the prior night that she hadn't sent. She had to reserve some for days when her motivation was lacking.

“Well, next week, our page numbers will double, as you know. We only have six weeks left, and these dissertations have to be done and submitted no later than two weeks from the end of term.” Mia nodded again, feeling like she wasn’t as close as she thought. “Keep working. Maybe pick a fight with your beau again to get the juices flowing more.” Professor Brown smiled at her, gave her a wink, and grabbed his bag.

“Thanks, see you next week.” Mia headed to the door, thinking about the other juices that Aurelio could get flowing. She went to the cafe, phone in hand, ready to dial Aurelio, when it vibrated in her hand. Detective Daniels name flashed across the screen.

“Hello?” She answered, heading outside for some privacy.

“Hello, Mia. This is detective Daniels.” He responded. “Charles, if you please. Do you have a moment to chat?”

“Sure. Sorry I missed your call yesterday. I meant to call back but haven't had a minute.”

“Not to worry,” he assured, tone casual as always. “I just wanted to ask a question about your car.”

“My car?” she asked, thinking about Aurelio with the old girl. “What about my car?”

“Well, according to memory, you have a very unique car, correct?”

“Yeah, I guess.” She never considered the old metal VW Bug special, just old.

“I remember thinking it was quite unique, when we chatted.” He gave a small laugh. “I hadn’t seen metal bug in years, so I looked in the parking lot as we were leaving yesterday.” Mia swallowed hard. “I was surprised to not see it.”

“Yeah,” Mia paused, mind scrambling. “She’s an old girl. I fixed it up with my dad.” She paused, a plausible lie forming. “She was my first car, and I'll keep it for as long as she keeps running, but yesterday she was giving me trouble.”

“Hmm, I see.” Detective Daniels cleared his throat. “Is that why it was parked downtown, by the cherub fountain, yesterday afternoon for several hours?”

Mia's heart launched into her throat, tightening her vocal cords. The silence on the other end was heavy, anticipating the lie she knew he knew she was about to tell. Her eyes scanned the quad for anything to help create a reason to hang up. Finding nothing, outside or in, she drew in a deep breath.

“Mia?” Detective Daniels’ voice came through the line, prompting her to answer.

“Yeah, I'm here.” She shook herself from her trance, breathing deeply to calm herself. “Yeah, that's right, I was parked down there for a bit.” She tapped her foot, unable to sit still while thinking.

“Any particular reason why?” His tone was a little more serious, the allegations under the surface.

“Yes,” she said, drawing the picture of what happened in her mind to relay it accurately. “I went downtown yesterday, hoping to treat myself to a nice lunch. I found myself with an unexpected extra couple of hours before work,” she began, creating the memory, making herself believe it. “I parked and walked around, looking for a place I could go. Unfortunately, I realized they were all way out of my price range.” She nodded as she spoke, seeing herself walk alone down the sidewalk, her face a mix of disappointment and frustration. “I headed back to my car, but, as I said, the old girl was giving me some trouble. When I went to start her up, the old girl just did not want to work.”

“Uh-huh.” That was all she got from him, encouraging her to finish the tale. Pulling at the strings in her mind, she found the right detail to tie it all together. “I called my friend, Mac, to pick me up. He drove me to work, and then later, we went and picked up my car. He gave it a jump,” she finished quickly, hoping the story was enough to satiate him.

“I'm glad you weren't alone to pick it up. Where is it now?” he asked, and Mia honestly did not know.

“Mac has a friend that's a great mechanic, or at least, that’s what he told me. I let him take it this morning to get it looked at.”

“Where is this mechanic?” Detective Daniels inquired, like a dog with a bone. “Did Mac give you the address?”

“No, but I trust him. I told him to have the mechanic drop it off at the diner when it was done.”

“I thought you were at school?” he asked, his voice rising a little.

She slipped up, and he knew it. “I am, yes.” Her mind raced, trying to patch the hole she made.

“Then how are you getting to the diner to get your car back?” He was right there, scissors ready to cut down the web she was spinning. She had to be cautious. He had no real reason to think she was doing anything untoward. Not really. The college was a 10-minute drive if you went by highway. Walking was too much to ask him to believe. She bit her nail, coming up empty and then it clicked.

“Mac,” she told him evenly. “He's coming to get me in case the car isn't done before my shift.”

“Mac? The one who took your car to the mechanic?”

Her answer was totally plausible. “Yep, same one,” she said with a triumphant smile. “He works the same shift as me, so it works out. And the mechanic can take his time fixing her up.” She glanced at the time on her phone; it was almost two. “If that's it, I am at school and need to go.”

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