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MGC Chapter Twenty-Two
Officer Gerulis was chomping on a bologna sandwich when we arrived at the station. I noticed for the first time the outdated posters on the walls, faded and peeling from years of exposure to the cigarette and cigar smoke of railroad magnates. Each one advertised the...
MGC Chapter Twenty-One
The diner’s bell resounded with less cheer on my second visit. Faye Jenkins, however, glowed behind the counter, red hair piled high like an undiscovered comedienne from the 50s. Vibrant energy lent a playful twinkle to her bright blue eyes. Her practiced knack for...
MGC Chapter Twenty
The vast expanse from the station door to Ollie’s island desk took a lifetime to cross before I halted in front of him and asked, “Just how unhinged is that Aidan Peale?” Ollie gaped. Settled back in his chair, thick fingers interlaced behind his head, he’d been...
MGC Chapter Nineteen
I parked the Tacoma near the entrance to Aidan’s property and edged along the piney woods twenty feet from the main pathway. This time around, I planned to get the drop on him before he prepared a story. A carpet of pine needles muffled my approach. Goosebumps from...
MGC Chapter Eighteen
A wooden sign carved with bold red letters greeted me at the entrance to Jenkins’ farm, promising lethal action against trespassers. I ignored its threat with the arrogant optimism of a nineteen-thirties gumshoe. The driveway twisted in serpentine fashion, with all...
MGC Chapter Seventeen
The Eureka Police Station was all sunshine and Santa Claus out front. At nearly half past 9 in the morning, the outer walls glowed with the intensity of the Mall of America at Christmas. Daylight gave the paint an extra dazzle, and the windows reflected the promise of...
MGC Chapter Sixteen
“Tacoma? Interesting choice,” Derek told me once we got rolling. His quilted overshirt smelled of rancid cigarette butts from an ancient ashtray. “Rides pretty nice.” He patted the seat back near my shoulder. I wondered if bringing him along would be worth the price...
MGC Chapter Fifteen
I drove through the dull-colored streets back to Lorna’s, hoping for directions to the Jenkins’ place. I also wanted to gauge the reaction of the Peale women when I tossed out Aidan’s accusation that they’d hidden Kayla with the couple. The two of them were expert...
MGC Chapter Fourteen
I pulled up in front of the police station with the sun halfway over the mountaintops. It was a brick-and-mortar operation, painted the color of tired sandstone after years of rugged mountain weather. An odd building for small-town cops with more presence than...
Mark Wm Smith
An overeducated, blue-collar cowboy, I grew up on along the banks of the Yellowstone River in Eastern Montana. Raised by a long haul trucker and a bartending waitress, I learned the hard ways of the modern frontier, scraping life from the unforgiving high chaparral.
Free Novella
