Coffee Talk and Death

Sabrina

Russell: "Connor's on his way. You already have a coffee?"

Danielle: "Yep. Just waiting for the gossip."

Russell: "I prefer to think of it as news."

Danielle: "Whatever, I'll allow that. You can put your backpack there, in that chair. My bag's already there."

Russell: "Did you want a snack?"

Danielle: "Of course. Food is my love language."

...

Danielle: "Hi Connor. Russell is at the bar."

Connor: "Okay. Can I get you anything while I'm up there?"

Danielle: "Russell's already bringing snacks, so I'm good. Just put your bag there."

Connor: "Is that the official bag chair."

Danielle: "I declare it so."

...

Danielle: "So, Russell, you came up with something about the hole man?"

Russell: "Maybe. Give me a sec; I'll show you."

Danielle: "Wait, did you tell Connor about last night?"

Connor: "I saw it on the news. Unless you're talking about something besides a body being found."

Danielle: "No, that's it."

Russell: "Anything new on the Neighborhood app, Danielle?"

Danielle: "There's a lot of drama. That's why I have it. But nothing substantial. The lady down the street needs to pick up after her dogs, if that helps."

Russell: "That might be useful at some point. So, here's the deal. I took the name Justin Barringer and plugged it into a web search. Then I looked at all social media. I found _so many_ people."

Danielle: "So many."

Russell: "The web search led me to a person on TikTok who wasn't Justin Barringer."

Danielle: "Well, that's useful."

Russell: "Don't discount it. I looked at that other person's TikTok account and one of their followers is named Justin B."

Connor: "Oh my God. I'm getting goosebumps."

Russell: "So, I look this other person up on Facebook and found their profile. They are friends with somebody named Justin Barringer. This Justin Barringer had a very similar profile image to Justin B on TikTok. Here's the image."

Danielle: "There's the dress shirt."

Russell: "The thing is, this other person is in California."

Danielle: "Our man died in Austin, Texas. That doesn't mean that he lived here, though."

Russell: "Exactly. The only reason I thought anything about it is that in a comment on Facebook recently, Justin Barringer said he would be in Texas."

Danielle: "Connor, do you know if there is going to be an obituary for him?"

Connor: "They haven't asked us, as far as I know."

Danielle: "So, what are we trying to figure out here? If we already have the name."

Russell: "I don't know exactly. 'Why'. I'd like to know why he was killed and left in a hole for children to find."

Connor: "Maybe if we find something about him we can... come to our own conclusion about it."

Danielle: "As long as it satisfies our own curiosity."

Russell: "And anxiety."

Connor: "Have we just given up on the Austin Police Department?"

Russell: "Yes... no. No. I'm sure they can do their job..."

Danielle: "I know there's something else we're looking for; I just can't put my finger on it. You've done a good job of speaking what's on my mind so far. Do continue."

Russell: "Otherwise, we just sit here. Waiting to learn if there's a serial killer out there that we should be worried about."

Danielle: "Speaking of which, have you found anything else at all about the man from last night?"

Russell: "Nothing so far. Connor, if Repo Depot gets this body, you have to tell us."

Connor: "I'll keep my eyes open.

Danielle: "How's Grandma across the street?"

Russell: "I haven't talked to her since I learned about last night. I could try to beat her to the punch with information, but I'd rather she not get used to asking me what I know. At the moment anyway."

Connor: "Does her family live nearby? Y'all call her 'Grandma'."

Russell: "Her son lives a couple of blocks up the road. She calls herself Grandma, so that's what I call her mostly."

Danielle: "That's nice to have the family so close by."

Russell: "I hardly saw my grandparents growing up. I'm kind of jealous."

Connor: "My mom's parents were in Austin. Her mother's still here. It wasn't walking distance, but we did grow up with them."

Danielle: "Have you met her grandkids? Is that why she calls herself Grandma to you?"

Russell: "Yes I have. That's how I met Sabrina."

Connor: "Remind me who Sabrina is?"

Danielle: "Yes. Tell us a story."

Russell:
"Okay. The family in the house across the street is always friendly to me. Always has been, since I moved in. They're Mexican, and the lady brings me food and salsa. She and her husband sit on their front porch in the afternoons. She talks to me from across the street. She has to yell, but she does it. She asks about where I'm from, about my family. She's super nice. It's like, she reminds me what a neighbor is supposed to be like."

Danielle: "That's Grandma?"

"Yep. One day her grandson and granddaughter showed up at my door with a fluffy kitten and asked me if I needed company. The little girl could barely carry it. I looked across the street Grandma was watching. She was just smiling and making 'go-on' motions. Then the girl just held the kitten up to me. I mean, what could I do? I took it in one hand. It barely filled my hand. She was meowing and looking around. Like, what the hell is happening? I held her to my chest, but she climbed up my shirt to my shoulder. Using her tiny little claws. Grandma across the street bent over laughing at me. Here I was, struggling with this kitten, trying to pull her down while she hung on for dear life, screaming in my ear."

Connor: "You're supposed to pick them up by the scruff."

"What the hell did I know? That's when the grandson handed me a bag full of cat food cans. They waved and said good-bye. Like, their job was done. When they got to the curb, the boy put his hand in front of his sister. They made a big show of looking both ways. There wasn't a car on the street, except the ones parked on the curb, of course. He held her hand and they walked across street"

Danielle: "They knew Grandma was watching."

"Exactly. Then the girl ran up to Grandma jumping up and down. And the little boy looked back at me, like, 'I'm sorry'. When they went inside Grandma was just looking back at me, laughing.

"And that's how I ended up with my cat, Sabrina."