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I am walking around the apartment, phone glued to my head, waiting for Pete to come back. I answered the phone and he immediately said, Hold on, leaving me waiting.
I stand next to the open window and look out at the quietness of the city at night. I hear Beethoven's ninth coming from somewhere, adding a certain, shall we say, grandeur to the image. The city is motionless, lights receding into the distance, and the music seems perfect somehow. One of those few timeless moments, where everything seems to stand still and you can feel your heartbeat, giving rhythm to the world, and you almost understand...
Where are you?, Pete's voice, anxious, breaking the moment in two.
What? What's happening? I say.
I tried calling Jordan on her cellphone, he says, But I keep getting a stupid message saying it's out of range or something, if you believe that.
Yeah, I believe that I say. Jordan went to her apartment to get something. But what's happening?
Well, he starts, but then his voice gets cut off for a moment before I can hear him again saying, ---he suits are on the move. One of them is almost pulling his hairs out. As he finishes he gets cut off again and again.
Call waiting.
Someone's calling me. This stupid call waiting, I say.
It might be Jordan! Take it! Pete says, with the half-second break that keeps interrupting him.
I pause for a moment, then I say, I don't know how. Never bothered to learn. You know, because...
Aw, come on! Pete cuts me off, Press the Flash button. Then press it again to come back to me. I'll wait.
Okay, I say, then I look at the phone and press the button, and I listen in again.
Hello? I say.
Hey, Jordan says, You were on the phone?
I am on the phone. Talking to Pete. The people at the meeting are ... a bit restless.
Great, Jordan says, sarcastically, I don't know what's happening to my phone. Took me a while to get you. Do you have the tape?
Yes, I have the tape. Then I say: I told you you should get a landline, I win!
Jordan ignores my small celebration and says, Tell Pete that I'm coming back to your place and we'll go back. Ask him what's happening. I'll hold.
I switch back to Pete.
It's Jordan, I say. She'll be here soon and then we'll go back. She wants to know what's happening.
What's happening is that one of them got up, probably to go to the bathroom, and discovered the door was locked.
Took them long enough, I say.
Well, yeah, but now they are freaking out, one of them is on his cellphone right now. I don't know who he's calling. Can you conference me in?
What? I say.
Conference call? Press star, then flash, he says, giving the explanation before I can moan about my distate for phone-company features that you don't want and you can never get rid of.
Okay, just a second, I say. Star. Flash. I put the phone back to my ear.
There we go, I say.
Pete is on the line, I say.
Silence. Hm.
I press Star, Flash.
Nothing.
Uh-oh.
Star, Flash, again.
--ello? Hello? I hear suddenly.
Pete? Jordan? I say.
Yeah, they answer in unison.
Okay, finally, I say. Stupid phone.
Jordan says, We'll be there soon, Pete. Maybe fifteen minutes. I have the stuff.
Pete says, okay, but ... wait...
I hear him type, then mutter, Oh, shit.
What? I say.
What? says Jordan.
You better hurry, Pete says, The police are here.
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7:08:03 PM 
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