Tuesday Tales 2024-3-12 Swallow

Welcome to Tuesday Tales, powered by a small group of authors, where word prompts inspire passages in the books we’re writing. Today’s word is swallow. 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.

I flung open the door to Jack and Dovie’s bedroom and flicked on the light. Relief flooded me like the tide sweeping out. There was no mess of papers, books, clothes, and belongings. The room looked the same as it had yesterday when I helped Dovie with her bags. Feeling tilted, I leaned against the wall for a moment and covered my midriff with trembling hands. The drastic drop in adrenaline had sapped my muscles. Ever since my return to Glisten, I had been bombarded by one bombshell after another. I could barely get one emotional response calmed down, when here came its evil twin. I waggled a finger at myself. “But this is a good thing! No one invaded this room.”

On the way back to the kitchen, Roy raised his eyebrows at me through the open door, and I gave him an okay sign. He nodded.

Determined to be productive, I reheated my tea and decided to consider all that had transpired since my unfortunate jaunt down the trail. Pelier’s questioning led me to believe that he suspected me and also Luella. I couldn’t swallow that Jack’s cousin had killed anyone. My godfather was a good judge of character. But who did? Who had motive, opportunity, and the wherewithal to murder? Investigative sounds from the office dwindled in my awareness. Names, faces, and heated words from yesterday came uppermost to my mind. I pulled out a scratch pad.

After a while, Roy cracked open the door. “Pelier and Officer Parrish took off.” He glanced at his watch. “I’ll find a quiet corner and give Vicky a call.”

“Tell her I said hi.”

He went.

More time passed, more words and images from yesterday and murder doodles on the scratch pad. Hearing the door creak, I looked up to see him standing there again.

“Did you reach Vicky?” I asked.

“Yep. Where did Luella disappear to?”

As he moved closer to the table, I casually rested my arms atop the scratch pad. Roy had enough on his plate. He didn’t need to know I had been idly doodling a concept map populated with potential murder suspects. It would only worry him. “She was exhausted and went to bed. I think she’s nervous about being questioned tomorrow.”

“It will go all right for her, as long as she is upfront and truthful.”

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed the piece inspired by the word swallow. 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