"Almost Perfect""Could you slow down a little? The spray's getting everywhere!" I held my hand in front of my face, trying to see through the water and the fog ( Read more... )

Too Close for Comfort

Jessie leaned against the frame of her front door, watching as her friends played a rousing game of Spin the Bottle. Hope things don't get out of hand. Turning to look outside at the rest of her graduation party, her face darkened as she saw them.

Marcus, her boyfriend of three months, saw her expression and walked over. "What's ( Read more... )

"Who Are You?"

A lot of my job is research, digging deep to find out who people are. In this case, the person I was digging on was me, and the research material was the back of my eyelids. It wasn't very stimulating reading.

The knock on the door interrupted me. "Come in," I called. The door opened to reveal a goblin looking dirtier than last week's ( Read more... )

"The Battle"

The Rock of Gibraltar loomed on the horizon as the wind kicked into our sails. Almost home, I thought to myself. It's been a long journey.

( Captain! )

"The Informant"

"There you are, sir," the glassman said. "Just as you ordered it."

I stood up from my desk and walked over to the door, looking at the engraving he'd put on the window. David C. Julius, Private Eye. Nothing fancy, just the facts. "Looks good to me," I said, handing him his fee. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got an appointment to keep ( Read more... )

"Speak Softly"

It had become a tradition, a Sunday afternoon ritual for the last eight months. Mario Fanucchi and Adele Pisano would have lunch at Cafe Nostra, then walk the mile or so down the pier and back. Though both of them led busy lives--he a casino manager, she a seamstress--this was their time, and nothing would stand in the way of it.

( Read more... )