Standard disclaimers, Mel, ya mind archiving this? Thanx. Comments,
questions and chocolate accepted at mistryder@hotmail.com . One more
note: I seriously doubt that the device mentioned here really exists,
but hey, this is fiction, right?

 

Pest control

By Megan Hull

It was half an hour past sunset when Nick moseyed into the morgue. "Be
with you in a moment," Natalie said, tucking away her instruments and
pulling off her gloves. She looked back at him and noticed the
definite downward turn of his mouth. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"When does Sorenson get back?" he asked without preamble.

Natalie laughed. The day coroner, Sorenson, was taking his vacation,
so Natalie was filling in for him. "In four days. Then I'll be back on
nights," she assured him, patting him teasingly on the cheek.

"If it weren't winter, I wouldn't get to see you at all," he continued
to grumble.

"But it is, and you do, so no more complaints," she admonished.
"Besides, it's only a ten-day vacation. You'll survive." She went to
gather her things. Nick gave her a hand pickiing up some packages she
had gotten before coming to work. As they approached her car, one of
the bags ripped, dropping her things to the asphalt.

"What's this?" Nick asked, picking up a device with a picture of a
running mouse on it.

"Oh, that's a sonic pest repellent I got. We've had some problems with
mice and rats this winter, and I want to make sure they stay out of my
cabinents. It emits a tone that really bugs rodents, but it's too high
for cats to hear, so it won't bother Sydney. See?" She demonstrated by
turning the switch on.

Nick winced and quickly reached out and turned it off. "Please
remember," he said, rubbing his ear in pain, "that I have a slightly
better hearing range than your average household rodent."

Natalie looked at him in surprise. "You can really hear that?"

"Yes. It's something life fingernails on a chalkboard."

"Jeez." Natalie stared at the device in her hand. "The volume's only a
third of the way up, too. I wonder what the hightest setting is for,
New York City sewer rats?"

"I guess," Nick laughed, recovered. He waves forlornly as Nat drove
off, the headed to the precinct.

Natalie tugged on the oversized tee-shirt she wore to bed and fed
Sydney. Then she locked the door and windows; ever since learning
about vampires, she had become nervous about sleeping during the
night. As she headed to her bedroom, the sonic device caught her eye.
She stopped and picked it up, considering.

A slow smile spread across her face.

Setting the device on the kitchen table, Natalie turned the volume all
the way up and turned it on. With a satisfied nod, she turned to her
room.

She slept better than she had all week.

End