For this first Sunday of May 2024, I thought I would offer you a small excerpt from my story, Whatever Happened To….?, as seen in the recently released anthology, Notorious in North Texas: Metroplex Mysteries III. Published by the Sisters in Crime North Dallas chapter, edited by Michael Bracken, the book has 12 stories. My story is set in my part of NE Dallas and is current, though the past is never far away, everywhere I look.
WHATEVER
HAPPENED TO…? by Kevin R. Tipple
It all began with a power outage.
It was a Saturday afternoon, and the Texas heat was
not quitting. Once one gets past the State Fair of Texas over in Fair Park, one
can count on the heat dialing it way back. Not this year. It wasn’t backing off
much at all and power outages were a constant worry. It had gone out just after
two and the old family home had heated up quickly.
I finally gave up, grabbed my keys, the not-so-cold
bottle of water I had been drinking, and my library copy of the latest Craig
Johnson novel, and headed out. My initial plan was to hit the closest fast-food
joint, but just maybe, the nearby library still had power and would probably be
quieter.
There was an anxious moment as the starter ground on
my late wife’s car., a baby blue PT Cruiser. It had seen quite a few miles when
she was commuting back and forth to TWU and chasing her degree in Education and
her teaching certificate. Finally, the old car came to life with a roar. I had
not driven it in several days and the rough idle made that clear.
I took the long way to Lochwood Library, working my
way through my aging NE Dallas neighborhood past the homes of high school
classmates who had long ago left the neighborhood. After a few minutes, I hit
Jupiter Road, turned south, and kept an eye out for red-light runners and other
traveling idiots. Saturday afternoon was not my preferred time to go anywhere……
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3ydE1iL
Kevin R. Tipple ©2024
In addition to having been the multiple term president of the Short Mystery Fiction Society, Kevin R. Tipple’s short fiction has appeared in numerous places online and in magazines such as LynxEye, Starblade, Show and Tell, The Writer's Post Journal, Mystery Magazine, and others. His short stories have appeared in the anthologies, Back Road Bobby and His Friends, Crimeucopia-Strictly Off The Record, and Crimeucopia-Say It Again. His award winning blog of reviews, guest posts, and more is at: https://kevintipplescorner.blogspot.com/
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2 comments:
Kevin, I will look into getting a copy of this book. I am not buying books right now but maybe later in the year.
If you do buy it, do so because of the other far more talented folks in the read.
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