January is flying by! How has your weather been? Welcome to Tuesday Tales, powered by a small group of authors, where word prompts inspire passages in the books we’re writing. Today’s prompt is active. My snippet is from a cozy mystery set in fictional Glisten, Georgia. When you finish reading, make sure to visit all the talented authors of Tuesday Tales.
“Where should I start?” I inquired dryly.
“How do I know? I told you my mind’s muddled.”
“You mentioned your friends. Should I start with one of them?”
Her expression, already luminous, brightened. “Yes!”
“Which ones, do you think?
“Let’s see.” She considered, tapping a glowing finger on her chin. “There’s Langley, my boss. He’s quite active in the financial field.” She gave me a conspiratorial wink.
“Why did you wink?” I demanded.
“Well, if you must know, Langley and I have been more than friendly, off and on.”
When she seemed content to bask in some sort of blissful memory, I broke in. “Who else?”
“Monroe. No, I think I’m mad at him. I know–Skip! We had a drink—drinks—sometime or other, can’t remember.”
“Don’t you have any girlfriends?”
“Girlfriends?”
“You know, close female friends that you’ve known forever that you spend time with and know each other’s secrets.”
She looked perplexed.
I sighed. “When and where did you and Skip have drinks?”
Her luminosity dimmed a bit.
“Don’t pop out! I need information from you.”
“I told you it takes concentration to be somewhere.”
“Then concentrate! Where did you have the drinks?” I demanded.
“I—it’s no use. I can’t remember.”
“This is useless!”
“No! You’ve got to help me, Peri. I was told you would.”
“Told by whom?”
She shook her head, flicking off little trails of ectoplasm like beads of sweat. “I can’t say. You’ve got to find the killer. You’re the only one.”
“You can’t say. What does that mean exactly?” I pointed toward the window, out which officers and examiners could be seen working seriously and diligently, their intentions taut. In my mind’s eye, their combined efforts created a beehive shaped energy matrix to cocoon the area. “Everyone out there is working on your case, trying to find out what happened last night and who killed you. Above all, they want to find the perpetrator. You have the information needed to solve the crime, but you can’t remember. Instead of waxing poetic about old boyfriends and popping in and out of my sitting room, can’t you try telling me who would want to see you dead?”
I stopped speaking as the door swung open and Officer Parrish came in. She looked at me wonderingly. “Who were you talking to?”
I swiveled to where the spirit had been standing. There was no sight of the spectral apparition.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed the piece inspired by the word active. If you haven’t done so already, check out the other excerpts at Tuesday Tales.
Cheers & Happy Reading!
Flossie Benton Rogers, Conjuring the Magic with Spirited Stories
All rights reserved, copyright @ 2024 Flossie Benton Rogers
Damn those police, always coming in at the wrong moment!! This cliffhanger isn’t quite as bad as in the past, but I’m wondering who the killer is and why the spirit says she can’t remember and won’t tell Peri. Such an intriguing story. I’m still suspicious of the head cop, but I have a suspicious nature. Love this story. Great job!
Poor dead Vonna’s mind is muddled, leaving Peri in quite a fix.
haha – love their “argument” about popping in and out and thinking about old boyfriends. And asking if had any girlfriends at all. Very sisterly kind of argument. LOL! Jillian
This is a great scene! I love the officer walking in catching her talking with no one in the room.