Chapter 8

The morning spins for Luke. Nothing seems to turn out right for his best interest. He loses Penny Spills’s cell phone number, a new photographer Melner will be using in the near future to take authors’ pictures for the backs of book covers. He spills coffee on his white shirt; the rich and dark stain will never wash out. The shirt is ruined, and he might as well toss it away. The stain just happens to look like a drooping penis with balls—embarrassing!

The worst thing that happens brings blueness to Luke’s day. The horror writer, Mike Tungsten, cancels their morning meeting. He complains of a migraine and can’t make it. “I feel as if a nuclear war is going on inside my skull. It’s North Korea against America. Plus, I’m throwing up every half hour.”

Luke politely tells him it’s no big deal and they can reschedule a new day and time to meet, via email. He wishes Tungsten the best recovery from illness and ends the call.

At approximately 10:40, Perrin contacts him via text message.