‘A smoke up here is so much better,’ Derrick thought, gazing at the penthouse level apartments across the city.

“Yup,” his new partner sighed, as if to answer the unspoken words. “You really can’t beat this view.” Derrick nodded in agreement. “What do you do with your butts when you’re done?” he asked.

Derrick motioned to the can by the roof door without turning from the view. “The guy you replaced liked to send them flying and just watch them. That seems a bit fatalistic to me. I’d rather not be responsible for something like that later on if it hurt someone.”

“Well,” the new guy started, “by the time it got down there, the fire would already be out, dontcha think?”

Derrick rolled his eyes. “Maybe. That’s a chance I’d rather not have to answer for when I’m face to face with Gabriel, though.”

“Ha! You religious, then?”

“I prefer the term ‘karmaically aware,’” Derrick muttered into the wind.

“What was that? I didn’t hear you. Little loud up here. Windy, anyway.”

“Nothing. Just said I wasn’t religious is all,” Derrick replied, hoisting himself up off the ledge. He walked towards the door and let his dead cigarette fall into the stained coffee can. “You?”

His partner shook his head. “Nah. Family was never really into it growin’ up. My grandparents were mighty spiritual, but not my parents.”

Derrick hocked and spat into a far corner of the rooftop, letting the wind carry it far enough to not go over the edge. His partner sucked down the last millimeter of nicotine and dropped his butt into the coffee can as well. “So how long you been at this job?”

Derrick leaned back against the door with his leg up for support. “A little over five years. I’ve gone through more partners than most people for some reason. Not entirely sure why.”

“What happened to them all?”

He closed his eyes as he mentally counted everyone. “There was my first partner, Ryan, he went back to school and I did this job alone for awhile until the next guy, Roger, came along. Turns out he was just tryin’ to save up some movin’ away money. Said he heard California callin’ his name. Hollywood, most likely. Then there was Randall. He just kinda fell over the ledge. That was maybe three years ago, you might remember the story in the papers. After Randall’s accident and slow cleanup, there was Robert. Nice fella, had two kids. Worked hard,” Derrick said, waxing nostalgic.

“What happened to him?” the new guy asked.

“Pretty bizarre actually. He was waiting for the elevator and reading the paper. As near as we can figure it, the elevator doors opened up without the elevator being there and he just kinda walked in without looking. He was on the 42nd floor taking care of some penthouse electrical issue and then bam. I went to the funeral. I’d never met his wife, so I didn’t really know what to say to her,” Derrick replied, lighting up another cigarette. He looked over and saw the fright on his new partner’s face.

“Is this place haunted?” he asked.

Derrick shook his head as he inhaled. “I think it just doesn’t like names beginning with the letter ‘R’, as ridiculous as that might sound. We should find you a nickname quick if you wanna keep workin’ here.”

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