Under the Rug

“Shit, stow it.” 

There was no flurry of movement, just an instant jerk like lightning and the floor was closed and covered in the reg in a single movement. The front door opened. 

“Damn guys traffic is nuts out there. Is it always like this?” Derel opened the door with his back and turned into the room, his hands full of tupperware, grinning.

Mike stood half way up, hovering, and then sank back down into the couch. A static grin was fixed on his face.

Ann wordless walked towards Derel, mind blank, playing for time. At the last second she spread her arms and hugged him awkwardly around his armful of containers. 

Derel laughed. “I missed you too Ann.” 

She started back. “Oh, sorry!” she said and Derel shifted his weight under the tupperware. 

Mike shot up. “Let me take some of those!” 

“Thanks!” said Derel, and with his load lighter he walked directly to the kitchen. 

The floor under the rug creaked as he walked over it. 

---

Derel turned around quickly, a knife in his hand. Ann screamed. 

“Jesus.” said Derel. Ann breathed heavily and started to laugh. 

“Too many horror movies.” said Ann. Derel looked at the knife in his hand, then back to the cutting board. “Sorry.” said Ann. 

“Don’t apologize.” said Mike. “That was hilarious to watch.” Derel laughed and went back to cutting his onions. 

“So you got all of this from your garden?” asked Mike. 

“All of it! It’s come a long way, hasn’t it?” said Derel. The doorbell rang. “I’ll get that.” he said. 

He walked out of the kitchen, but stopped when he reached the rug. Ann and Mike both started. They stared. 

Derel turned to face them, and stared back. “Is that ok? It’s your house.” 

Ann smiled and said “Oh that’s so nice of you Derel, go ahead. We’ll keep things going in here.”

Derel smiled, and turned again, going on to the door. The floor creaked as he stepped off of the rug. 

Mike sat down slowly and ran a hand over his face. Then he turned back to the stove. 

A few moments later the door closed, and Derel hurried back into the kitchen. Ann and Mike turned towards him. He looked up and shook his head, a grimace on his face. After a loaded pause he spoke. 

“Mormons.” 

---

“I’ve missed this.” said Ann, over the dinner table. 

“It’s been too long. What a year.” said Mike. 

Derel nodded with his eyebrows raised. “Yeah keeping up online just isn’t the same. It’s good to see you guys again.” They all ate in silence for a few more moments. “So what kind of trouble have you two been getting up to?” asked Derel. 

In the space of a second, Mike put a spoonful of food back onto his plate, picked up his glass, set it back down, realized what he’d done, and picked his spoon back up. A second later he realized he’d hesitated again and ate it. Ann smiled at Derel. “What do you mean?” 

Derel shrugged sheepishly. “I know I’m not supposed to ask, but it’s weird coming out of quarantine. I might not agree with your politics but I’d love to hear what you guys are excited about.” Mike dropped his fork, but caught it. Ann noticed, but she didn’t react. If Derel did, Ann couldn’t tell. 

Ann sighed. “It’s been hard, with the quarantine. Now that the pandemic is officially over every group is making plans, but nothing happening yet.” 

“Got any marches coming up I should know about?” asked Derel, grinning. 

Mike shook a finger at Derel. “You’ll know just when you need to.” Ann looked at Mike. Mike held up both hands. “Because we’ll apply for a permit from city hall exactly like we’re supposed to.” He looked back and forth between Ann and Derel. Derel laughed out loud. 

“Oh man.” said Mike. “I missed you guys.”

“What about you?” said Mike “Giving any exciting crimes leading you to give people all appropriate due process lately?”

“Well, I can’t talk about ongoing cases, for obvious reasons.” said Derel.

“Of course,” said Ann. 

“But we did just get some very nice new cars in the fleet and that’s been exciting.” 

Ann and Mike both smiled. They did not say anything. The three of them went on eating.

“Are you larp friends getting back together?” asked Mike. 

Derel wiped his mouth excitedly. “Ok, first of all, it’s HEMA, thank you very much, it is a Historial European Martial Art.” 

Ann playfully slapped at Mike’s arm. “You knew that.” Mike grinned. 

“Anyway, yes, my larper friends are meeting again and I cannot wait. You should come out Mike!” 

Mike leaned back in his chair. “Sorry man I have an allergy to getting hit with metal objects.” 

“Maybe I’ll take it up.” said Ann. 

“Now is the perfect time,” said Derel eagerly. “Everyone is out of practice because of the pandemic and we’re going to be working on fundamentals for a while.” 

Mike turned to Ann in surprise. “You’ve got to be pulling my leg. You with a broadsword?” 

Ann shrugged, and looked Mike in the eye. “The last year has really changed the way I look at risk.” 

Mike held a static grin on his face, then turned back to his food. 

---

“Ok.” said Mike from the front window. “His truck is around the corner. He’s gone.”

Ann pulled back the rug, and the flood under it swung down into a poorly lit room. A man below pushed a ladder up against the edge of this hole in the floor, and climbed up. “Why didn’t you tell me your friend was ICE?” he asked. 

Anne hung her head on the couch. “He saved Aidan’s life.” She paused. “With CPR, not from anything.” 

Mike looked him right in the face. “You can’t just ghost someone after that. Especially after your son is gone.” 

“Well, I’m glad you have that, but I could have died today.” he began climbing down again. “I can’t stay here anymore. Thanks for the help. 

“We understand.” said Ann.

“I’m sorry.” said Mike.