Ben checks the clock. Good Lord, I worked right through lunch. He's still curious about what Lushi/Alia is doing, but if Warren is leaving, there's no reason for him to stick around. And he wants to spend some time with his kids to ease their discomfort with moving to a new town.
He shuts down his computer, arranges the papers on his desk, bids farewell to anyone left in the office and walks out.
Can you put a puzzle together when you don't know what the end result should look like? When pieces from other puzzles get mixed in, can you see enough to toss them aside or do you waste time trying to stubbornly force them where they don't go? When you stand back to take in your work, can you say "That looks great!" and ignore the gaps where critical pieces ought to go, if only you knew what they were?
One man's serious puzzle is another man's inconsequential game.
After ten minutes with no activity, the overhead lights flick off and cast the room in darkness.
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