Mark Coggins and Michelle Gagnon huddle in a dark corner of the Seattle Mystery Bookshop. A few rays of the winter sun sift through the windows, barely making a dent in the frigid room temperature.
Michelle: Good Lord, it's cold.
Mark (teeth chattering): Freezing.
Michelle: My coffee just froze. She taps the bottom of the cup against the table. Brown slush slides around inside.
Mark: We won't make it if we just sit here. I suggest we strip down and huddle together for warmth.
Michelle: I'm too afraid of your wife.
Mark: She'll understand. It's purely for survival.
Michelle: Or, we could just burn some books.
Mark: I don't condone book burning.
Michelle: Like you said, it's for survival. She picks up a stack of Lee Child's "Bad Luck and Trouble." There have to be a few dozen copies of these. No one will miss a few if we burn them.
Mark: Lee will never forgive us.
Michelle: Lee will never know. She lights a match. A merry flame dances up the spine as the covers curl and smolder.
Mark: How about these? He holds up a stack of Michael Connelly's "9 Dragons."
Michelle: Burn 'em.
They warm their hands over the flames.
Michelle: God, that's so much better.
Neither of them notices as the flames dance up toward the ceiling. The white tile directly above the burning pile of books begins to smoke.
Cut to: Fifteen minutes later. Mark and Michelle stand in the middle of Cherry Street, surrounded by fire trucks. Fran and JB stand beside them. JB does not look pleased.
JB: You burned down my store.
Mark (pointing): It was all her idea.
Michelle: Traitor.
Fran: I'm sure they didn't mean to do it.
Michelle: Thanks, Fran. So...can we come back next year?
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