Sept Dare Day 14 - A little progress and an excerpt

It seems like every day is a really long day any more. Maybe I was overly ambitious to think I could finish up this book this month. But I'm still trying.

Here is a little clip of the new material. I think it stands reasonably alone, even if it is from the middle of the book. I think all you need to know is that Karla is an intelligent ditz whose house was broken into and trashed the day before, George is slightly drunk, and Orson is a cat.

"The thugs opened my books," said Karla, all of a sudden. "They had to have, because when you just knock books straight off the shelf, they mostly stay closed."

"Do they," said George flatly.

"Because of paper suction."

"Paper suction?"

"You know, when there's no air between the pages so they stay closed."

"Do you have a lot of experience knocking books off shelves, then?"

"Orson does," she replied. "And when he does it, the books stay closed, mostly. Especially the new paperbacks."

"And your books were open."

"Some of them. And I know this sounds crazy, but the new paperbacks were kinda poofy."

"Poofy."

"They had air between the pages like someone fanned them. If they'd come straight off the shelf, they might be a little open, but they wouldn't be poofy. They'd be compressed. Because I had them packed in tight."

"Paper suction," said George thoughtfully. Then he suddenly sat up. "Karla, when you took care of Elias, was he ever in your house?"

"Sure. We watched movies after we went to the Playland. Why?"

"What if the thugs actually knew what they were doing?" he said. "What if the MacGyver actually is in your house?"

"MacGuffin, George. It's called a MacGuffin."

And though that is not all she wrote tonight, it's all I'll write here. Say goodnight, Gracie!