His parents were dead—burned alive—and no one had even noticed 18 year old Diogenes Pendergast had been crying. The tears fell off and on the entire car ride to Baton Rouge, no one had noticed and no one had tried to comfort him.

...

He sat in the leather chair, slumped forward with his hands hanging between knees. His expression was grim, lost and just empty. It had been two days and he hadn’t spoken a single word, had eaten nothing. He had only showered and slept. (No one knew he’d snuck out the first night to see Charles Duchamp, a friend of his brother’s.) He was waiting for his brother Aloysius to arrive. Aloysius would know what to do; he always knew what to do.

A door banged open and...   read more »

She had been having the dreams for about two days. By the second day, they were no longer confined to her sleeping hours. She found herself “winking out,” as she called it, even when standing at the stove stirring canned soup, or doing dishes at the small sink. Always the same vision. Always a man, dressed in black clothing, face pale as if nearly drowned or nearly frozen, always the same message: help me.

When she could stand it no longer, having winked out this time sitting on the couch trying to read a murder mystery, she put the book down on the coffee table, laced up her running shoes, and went out the door, flinging on her hooded sweatshirt as she exited.

The boat shed was where she headed. She didn’t know why, or how she knew that, she just knew that was where she had to be and she...   read more »

(1)

Vincent D’Agosta lifted his liripiped blue cowl and adjusted his crow mask, straining to see the twin dials of his silver Rolex in the shade of the staircase. Seven-thirty-five, on the dot. Then, with meticulous, anxious consideration he checked the watch-face again, this time gauging...   read more »

The blow came from above. It was relatively painless, at first, more a physical shock than pain. Pain came later; right on the heels of it, actually, as if my head needed a moment to accept it was being assaulted. I was not totally surprised by the attack; I had been warned after all.

As the pavement rose toward my face, all I could think was, “Well, hell.”



The call came on a Saturday, around 11:30. I had just finished my last set and was in my dressing room removing my make-up when the phone rang. I paused, washcloth to my chin. No one knew that number except my agent, Tommy, and the owner of the club. I had just seen Tommy not ten minutes before, and Derek was on the floor. I looked into the mirror and met my own eyes. The anxiety might never pass. Several years prior, I...   read more »

Sophia desperately wished he would say or do something. The sexual tension in the rose-colored sitting room was overwhelming, as she stood face-to-face with Pendergast. His smooth skin and rigid posture made him seem like a statue wearing a black suit. A shudder of pleasure quaked through her body when at last he placed a pale hand on the small of her back and pulled her a few inches closer to him. She looked into his unusual eyes and saw a battle between reason and passion being waged. One long finger found its way to her full lips and gently traced their outline. She moaned when his mouth finally descended to hers. His kiss was tender and lingering. Pendergast lost control of himself for the first time in her presence, when she responded by pressing her whole body against him. His barriers broke, and passion won the war against reason.

Aloysius...   read more »

She is lying in the warm, swirling water of the oversized whirlpool tub which is sunken in the middle of the bathroom floor in the Pendergast Dakota apartment. Her long, brown curls are pinned up, and she is drowsing from the heat of the water and the delicious swirls enveloping her body. The steam carries a faint fragrance of lavender from the soap she has used. She hears the door open softly but hears no footsteps padding across the room which is bathed in deep amber from the glow of the dimmed lighting. Presently, she hears a deep Southern purr asking, “Would you care for some company, my dear?” “Mmmmmmm,” she murmurs, “that would be nice. That would be very nice.” A small smile of expectation blossoms as she hears Aloysius step down into the tub and feels him gently lay next to her in the golden-rippled water. She opens...   read more »

The air was close and rank as the small cluster of soldiers crept across the steamy jungle. Under the black grease paint, their faces were grim. Earlier that evening, they had made the gristly discovery that the 6th infantry division, their compatriots and friends had been massacred as they ate. It was a sickening sight, bodies everywhere. Some of the men had already turned in for the night only to become trapped in an infinite slumber, others contorted in agony, mouths agape in a silent scream. The smell of blood mixed with the smell of dinner, still bubbling on the hearth, creating a macabre effect.

The seven young soldiers that had managed to escape the me^le'e returned from the surrounding foliage arms laden with firewood. They were the youngest members and therefore always received the “grunt work” chores. The solders pushed through the brush talking and laughing until they became aware...   read more »

Catlike, he lets himself in.

I had been warned to expect an unusual client, and I am not disappointed. I’ve never worked under conditions like these before, and I am still not entirely pleased about the situation, despite the payment — three times my usual fee — already directly deposited into my account. Most especially I’m unsure of conducting the first session in my own home. But everything about this case promises to be out of the ordinary, and the client insisted it could be done no other way.

What is more important, this client represents a challenge. I get few enough of those, these days. People are distressing in the quotidian similarity of...   read more »