Chapter Four
February 21st, 12:30 PM
Julia Wright sat in the newsroom, staring at her computer screen, her mind a blank.
What to write about today?
She had nothing to say and everything to say. Nothing, because since her last article on the mysterious disappearance of the Blue Lynx, she had discovered no new leads. The police, the press, random people on the street: none of them had seen or heard the city's "greatest" superheroine in weeks. Her published call for information regarding the Blue Lynx's sudden vanishing had flooded her answering machine only with dumb jokes, bad impersonators, and requests that she, Julia Wright, find another line of work, a job more suited to her trashy inclinations.
Nothing to say... But everything to say, too. There was no news, but that didn't mean there was no story. In Blue Lynx's void there appeared a bevy of questions. Like, why? Why did the Blue Lynx leave so suddenly?
Did she retire? Was she finally just sick of fighting crime? (Julia wouldn't blame her, in this crazy city.) Perhaps it was a thing in her personal life? The death of a friend or family member? Maybe she'd had a bad break-up with a longtime partner?
Where did she go? Did she move out of town? Young millennials were doing that, weren't they? (She was confident that the Blue Lynx was in her early twenties.) Maybe the Blue Lynx went to New York to find bigger, better criminals. (Young millennials were doing that, too.)
Or maybe she was injured? She had never seen the Blue Lynx hurt before. But all it would take is one bad jump and, boom, there's a sprained ankle. The Blue Lynx was a superheroine, but she was also human. She'd need time to recuperate if she had broken a bone or ripped a tendon or something.
Or was her long vacation driven by fear? She must've known about Julia's writing, about the great public interest in seeing the Blue Lynx unmasked. Maybe she felt like people were getting too close, that the theories developed in the newspaper had some truth to them.
This was the angle she'd work, today. The Blue Lynx was in hiding, she'd say, because we're getting warm. We're putting the pieces together and forming a coherent picture. It won't be long before we discover who she really is.
She sighed and smiled. This job was just too fun.
The telephone on the desk to Julia's right rang. Julia snapped out of her reverie and picked up the receiver.
"This is Julia."
A soft, clear, subtly powerful voice. "Julia Wright. Good afternoon. This is the Blue Lynx."
Julia gasped and almost dropped the phone. She scrambled her fingers back up the receiver and quickly pulled a pad of paper and pencil out of the drawer, flopping them on the desk. "Oh, Blue Lynx! You're finally getting in touch with me!"
"Listen up. I want to meet with you. Give you an interview."
Her voice was feminine, girlish even, but also terse and authoritative. It was a superheroine's voice, for sure.
"I want to meet with you, too," Julia said. "Let's set up a date."
"Just you and I," Blue Lynx said. "At a place where I choose. And a time when I choose."
Julia nodded. "Yes, of course."
"If I get any inkling of funny stuff, then it's off. You'll never hear from me again."
Julia smiled. "Oh, don't worry, Blue Lynx," she said, crossing her fingers. "There'll be no funny stuff."
"I need to set the record straight with you."
"Okay, alright," Julia said, impatiently. "Just tell me where you want to meet, and I'll be there."
There was a pause. And then, "Your office. Will it be empty tonight at midnight?"
Julia nodded. "Yes. I can definitely be here."
"Good. I'll see you then."
And the Blue Lynx hung up.
Julia put the phone back on the cradle.
She couldn't stop smiling. She couldn't believe her luck.
She had thought this was a slow day! And then, seconds later, who should call but the Blue Lynx herself! Asking for an interview! In the newsroom, of all places!
She wondered why the Blue Lynx would choose such a venue. It was Julia's home turf, after all. Probably just a signal of some kind, a message that the superheroine would not be intimidated. She was ready to meet the press and give them a story, providing there was no "funny stuff."
Julia smiled as she thought of this, and even let out a small laugh to herself.
There certainly would be "funny stuff" tonight.
She couldn't sit still. She had to get up, move around. She left her desk and went to the newsroom's kitchen and brewed a pot of coffee. She drummed her fingers on the counter, waiting for the pot to fill, thinking of all the wild possibilities a visit from the Blue Lynx might entail.
When she came back to her desk, the phone was ringing. She put down the coffee and picked up the receiver.
"This is Julia."
"I know that," a old voice rasped from the other end. "You're the reporter who does the Blue Lynx stories, right?"
Julia cleared her throat. What was this, now?
"Yeah, that's me. Can I help you?"
The old voice laughed. "You can, Ms. Wright. And I think we can help you, too."
"Help me with what?" Julia asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Why, with your little cat problem, of course," the voice said, erupting into laughter.
It almost made Julia want to laugh, too.
"Huh," Julia said. "It's funny you should mention it..."
On to Chapter Five
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