title: Dinner with the Thought Police
author:  Gail Loose 
description: Gail Loose is an ex-pat New Yorker living in the English countryside with her British husband, Jon - a potter and sculptor - and their bat-spotting dog, Dayo. Originally a software developer, Gail left her day job in late 2009 to fulfill her lifelong dream of telling stories by writing books. 'Dinner with the Thought Police' is her debut novel. She has had short stories published both online and in her writing group's 2014 anthology, 'Bright Familiar Surrounds'. She is currently at work on her second novel.
zlib_text: CHAPTER ONE
  Phoebe
  The police station was packed. It usually was on a Friday night. As I pushed my way through
  the crowd of people, my senses were accosted with the stench of stale alcohol and vomit. I started to
  gag, so I held my breath until I reached the reception desk. A middle-aged lady was sitting behind it,
  her hair in a tight bun and her oversize thick-rimmed glasses hanging just on the tip of her nose. I
  wasn’t sure if she needed them to see or if she was making some sort of fashion statement.
  “Hello, can I help you?” she asked without even looking at me. I wondered if she ever
  bothered to look at anyone, or if we were just nameless, faceless numbers that she had to contend
  with. I didn’t blame her. Her job wasn't one that I would want.
  “Hi, I need to file a missing persons report. My baby ran off, and I’ve been searching for him
  for the past two hours, and I’m really worried. He’s incredibly small, and who knows what can
  happen to him all alone out there!”
  I wasn’t sure if it