69...

The overhead fluorescents were on in the backroom. The radio on the shelf was playing something off of the top 40 charts, and playing it softly. The lamp was turned on at the big desk against the wall, as was the adding machine with a good six and a half inches of paper coming out of the top of it. Alexis could even see the green digits on the face of the machine, reading 7,002.
"I sort of figured that Jeff would be back here," Louis said softly. He walked over to the time clock, grabbed his time card and pushed it in. "I don't have to wait for him or anything, do I?"
Alexis shook her head. She slowly took in the surroundings of the room.
"Cheryl, are you okay?"
"Yeah," Alexis said with a voice that sounded slightly distracted. "Jeff should be back here. Robin too."
"But I can go ahead and go. I mean it's time for me to leave. Legally he can't keep me here longer than I'm supposed to be here."
Alexis narrowed her eyes and pierced him.
"No one is keeping you, go ahead and leave."
"Sweet," he said under his breath and walked out of the room.
Alexis made another sweep of the room. Something was definitely wrong here and she could feel it. She was unsure which way to turn, where to look for an advancement at her back. She quickly punched out, deciding to make everything at least look like it was alright. She grabbed her purse from atop the employee bookshelf and started for the door. She wanted to keep Louis in her sights. She heard the air conditioning come on with a sigh, heard the air push some loose piece of paper on the desk with a whisper. Alexis let the door close behind her on the empty room.
"Ready?" Louis asked.
Louis was about twelve feet from the front door. Alexis quickened her pace towards him, feeling the air slap into her skin.
"Let's hit it."
Louis opened the front door for her. She reached over his head and grabbed the door allowing him to go out first. She followed him out and allowed the door to close itself behind her. Louis was walking across the sidewalk and into the parking lot, which still held a number of cars at an hour that was considered “getting late” in a Southern California suburb. He quickly turned around with a questioning gaze. She instinctively reached into her purse for anything that could be at least damaging if not deadly.
“Shouldn’t you lock up?” he asked with serious concern.
“I’m not a manager,” she said a little baffled. “I don’t have keys to lock up.”
He thought about this for a moment, slowly nodding his head. His face suddenly erupted in a childlike smile.
“Hey, come check out my car!”
He quickened his pace into the parking lot, waving behind him for her to follow. He stopped next to his prized possession, beaming.
The sodium parking lot lights turned the black of that Cadillac into the color of some long forgotten ink shade, the color of liquid night, the color of a curse floating through a revelation.