Thursday, October 13, 2011

Random (and truthful) event in the life of a night writer. *

Last night, I was plotting how to finish off the third victim of a serial killer for my current manuscript when my mobile phone began playing They tried to make me go to rehab, I said, "No, no, no." I haven’t changed ringtone since Amy Winehouse’s demise a few months ago.

“José, did you guys change the office locks without telling me?” It was my boss.

“No,” I replied. “What happened?”

“I can’t open the front door. It sounds like all the internal parts came loose inside the lock.” He said.

“Really? I can be in the office in ten minutes.”

“Don’t worry, what need is a locksmith. But it’s kind of late.”

“It’s no problem. I have certain experience with locked doors.”

As promised, I got there as soon as I could. Okay, okay, it took me twelve to fifteen minutes.

After trying the key and a gentle shove, the door remained closed. It was time to put my money where my mouth was.

I handed my boss a flashlight and told him where to point the light beam. Can’t tell you how much fun it was to boss my boss around.

Using an old laminated ID card, I pressed the spring latch between the door at the frame and within a minute, I pushed the door open. Easy as cake.

“Wow. I’m impressed, you’re fast!” He said as I ran to punch in the security code.

“Well,” I said coming back to the door, “there is a reason why the main character in Treasure Hunt is a thief.”

So, once again, a proof that the time invested in research is time well spent.

*Night Writer has nothing to do with Knight Rider, so if you got here looking for the TV show, check your spelling and Google again. lol

5 comments:

Toni V.S. said...

I've often wondered if the old credit-card-through-the-door plot worked. Glad to know it does.

jrlindermuth said...

Yup, time spent on research is never wasted. Nice to have something to hold over your boss, too.

J. H. Bográn said...

Toni, it does. I've use it often. Why I have friends prone to lockinkg themselves out of their cars or houses is a whole separate issue. Lol

John, thanks for droping by. Research is one of my favorite parts. Especially when I like what I'm learning. ;-)

Viola Russell said...

I love research. Most of my research involves very ancient settings, but I've also researched topics for mysteries that I'm sure have me on some homeland security list.

J. H. Bográn said...

Viola, I bet the data thatnget you on the HLS list are the ones you like best. :)