It would be easy for me to put it down to boredom, but that would be too simplistic. There were complex undertones and shadowy nuances that played a part in all the decisions leading up to everything I did. But, I was too intent and a glaring flaw in my plan was discovered. A flaw … Continue reading Boredom
Previously: Paisley, rosemary, and time A half-eaten deli sub, still partially wrapped in its butcher paper sleeve, lay bleeding olive oil on Det. Sean Webster’s desk. His rumpled shirt and tie were splattered with the greasy effluence and tiny orts of focaccia dotted the thighs of his dark, too-tight pants. June Chapel sat across from … Continue reading Drawing blood
Previously: Paisley, rosemary, and time Alone in a gloomy room, furnished with a graffiti-etched table and four stained office chairs, Paisley sat the table with a can of flat soda and a bag of stale potato chips. Across the room from her was a large one-way mirror. Watching the girl was a homicide detective and … Continue reading You don’t know, what you don’t know
Up before her parents were out of bed, Paisley sat in a white plastic chair on the patio outside their hotel bedroom. She tried to be very quiet opening the sliding glass door, but it screeled when its rollers skidded across the accumulation of grit in the tracks. Paisley, not big enough to pick up … Continue reading Sea breeze wishes
The good news was that I woke up face up, the bad news was I was alone in a marsh of yellow wildflowers in the middle of nowhere. After wondering where I was and why I was there, I thought that under normal circumstances the tiny daisies were sort of pretty, in a random, out-of-focus … Continue reading Wildflowers
The portal would only be open for a short time. Preparations for the transfer began months ago. Beyond the threshold, a white light shone, so bright anything on the far side of the divide was obscured by the brilliance. The only sound escaping was a hum like the drone of an antiquated fluorescent light. A … Continue reading The solution
Stacks of vandalized newspapers were haphazardly strewn around the room in stark contrast to the neatly clipped articles laid out chronologically across the dining room table. Each item reported on a rash of neighborhood thefts. Dubbed the Porch Pirate by the press, Martin Becks was stealing postal packages left on door steps. Random addresses, random … Continue reading Return to sender
