The Days After: The stats came out, within hours. In the us, was figured between 5 and 30 million, but with fake news,

who could know, and frankly, could care less.  The weird sibling or neighbor - or the guy in the soup line - is gone.  Good riddance.  Our ex-interrogator found real  work, shortly thereafter.  He was so glad that plant-gig he was doing, for that brief time, was done.  Qwik backtrack: about a month, before - prior to, whatever number of people, supposedly, vanished in thin air - he had taken the plant part-time position.  Our villain was having cash-flow issues; and he had a history of being let go.  

As a matter of fact, the last church he had "visited," had been his third.  He hadn't a good fit at the church before that one; but you know, it wasn't his fault.  That old fat guy shouldn't have been allowed to drive, and when the geezer backed up, he had come within a half inch of ex-interrogator's pre-owned toyota.  Needless to say, ex spewed out certain words, and of course, was politely asked to leave the premises.  So, it didn't take long for word to get back to the bureau.  He, however, was offered one final chance.

But anyway, that's in the past, and ex works a 9 to 5 getting apartments ready for new tenants.  The pay isn't half bad, when you consider, what you can put in your pocket, and - if halfway discrete - put in your vehicle.  Ex is the proud owner of a coin, from around 1517; it's worth, to the best of his knowledge, about 10 grand.  Needless to say, our villain is not completely stupid.  He so did NOT google that coin - or any other.  In his neighborhood, is a vintage book store.  What went into his car, was a solid silver dinner-plate, and two (Pennsylvania made) Lennox Barclay teacups with matching saucers, (probably worth about a 1/2 k) a cigar box containing several unmatched sterling silver eating utensils (maybe another 1/2 k) and some 1/2 decent clothing he could wear - shirts that covered his belly (sensitive issue).  Have to say one thing about those odd-balls, he thought to himself, they bought and took care of things - things a person can use.

So, the cramped ugly toyota is gone.  He has a new car now.  As for the unpaid balances, that should become manageable within the following year.  He has resigned himself to let his lover move in, in order to share expenses.  Sure, that will cramp his style - bigtime, but only for about a year - then he can show the b*tch the door.

So, what happened to everyone, that Sunday, around 10:30 am?  No one really knows, the news doesn't talk about it - and, so, people don't ask about it.  Sure, like anyone else, he ponders questions - but is savvy enough to keep his thoughts on the matter (and a half dozen other matters) to. him. self.

Just as an aside:  when it happened, he thought perhaps, he'd gotten hold of a bad supply.  And since then, he's somewhat laid off the stuff.  He has a sibling who flipped out from a bad dose, and has been in a mental facility - and probably won't get out anytime soon.

That morning, there had been a few cars abandoned on the expressway.  The one vehicle he had recognized - one you couldn't miss.  Down the road from him, lived an old guy, who drove a 1976 - YES, a 1976 Nova.  Where that guy was able to get parts?   But then again, he knew cars - would take apart engines and transmissions, fix em, and put em back together.  And the cars would run just fine.  Well, the car didn't sit in the off-ramp for too long, before the hubs did a disappearing act - along with two of the tires, the back bumper, the so-70s hood ornament, and the tech stuff inside.