Ours was a secret society, government sanctioned, FDA-approved, accredited. Individual achievement was encouraged, homogeny enforced. It was all code—zip, dress, conduct, Morse, silence. From our cinderblock cubicles, we learned reading and writing...
It wasn’t much to look at. A hole-in-the-wall doorway in the middle of a strip mall. You’d miss it if you weren’t already on your way there. People went for the pie. For the pie and for Sadie. The pie was blueberry with a twist of lemon. The citrus...
The last thing I expected to find in the woods of New Hampshire was a beautiful seductress. Jim Haines had persuaded me to go hunting and as a New York City psychiatrist with too many clients and not enough time, it seemed the perfect escape. It was...
The knock on the door startled me. I looked at the clock in the foyer. It was half past eight. We had just gotten the kids down and were getting ready to finish up some work in the office upstairs in our home when I heard the thud, thud, thud. ...
“Look, I’m telling you that man is a murderer!” I whispered over my shoulder. “Marge, stop looking out the window. You’ll get us reported.” Frank rattled his newspaper. “For God’s sake, quit your gawking and go get me a beer.” I drew a deep breath...
Dr. Humboldt was strapped into a safety restraint in a space ship hurtling through the universe at almost half the speed of light. He wasn’t sure whose safety the restraint was for. He had been pretty demonstrative of his feelings when he had been...
The ancient Egyptians thought we couldn’t know the color of the gods, but I know we can—they have a greenish hue—at least the ones I saw did. As usual, I’m getting ahead of myself. Maybe I should start at the beginning. My name is Roger Preston and...
It was my fourth time in the urgent care center. At this point, they practically knew my name without looking at my chart. Again, Jamie sits at the front desk and gives me some forms to fill out. As I walk into the waiting room, I am surrounded...
Mildred and Lois were riding in Mildred’s Smart car on their way to bingo. Mildred noticed behind them a young man in a small SUV who was talking on his cell phone. At the next red light she turned on her hazard lights, grabbed a pen and paper and...
The single lamppost cast my shadow across the pavement. It is strange, isn't it? Cars. They are the oddest of contraptions. I don't usually spend time reflecting on something like that, but today as I walked towards my small SUV (the last vehicle...
“How do you do it, Jack—How do you track them?” Ten years working with Jack Reilly and I was still feeling like a rookie. I found it hard to believe FBI profilers made the trek from Quantico to tiny New Haven, just to interview my partner and garner...
For many years I carried life; I held it all. Laughter bellowed from within me, tears splattered upon my surface, I learned how one absorbs, eventually dries, too. I knew what it meant for life to move quickly, and the times we spent in union came...
Stuart was blissfully locked into his routines. Wake up. Eat breakfast. Make lunch for the girls. Shower and dress. Then drop off the girls at school before heading off to the office. It was comforting. He always knew which way he was heading. On...
