Beta Shred #4 (Circling True North)
Raise my eyes to meet the boorish inquisitor, surprised to see a handsome face under siege of conflicting emotions. Stoic eyes, pressed brows, and grim slash mouth are pushed back and buried beneath long, slender hands as he flops down, into the visitor’s chair.
Struggle to rise onto my elbows, feeling like a weed attempting to uproot itself. I need to gauge exactly what is going on here. All I can see are flaring nostrils between his two hands. Seems a bit theatrical, not at all the behavior I would have expected from a CSA investigator.
Seargant Badass, ready to throw hardball questions when Nurse Beacham was in the room moments ago, is having melt down. A strange twist, but I do not have time for mysteries, or for him to snap out of it. A phrase comes to my mind – ‘Action is advantage.’
I open my mouth. Tongue, a shriveled turd in an arid badland, attempts to rise. Lips flap as if untrained in the ways of human language. A horrid croak comes out of me. I am reminded of a movie, years before the Restructure, legions of mysteriously animated dead devouring the living. I gag, snatch up a cup of melting ice and dump the contents into my internal desert. Eyes close, reveling in the heavenly slush cradled in my mouth, absorbing hydration.
“All I want to know is how.” he says, voice heavy. “How did you manage to kill a man like Mickie? How could you?”
I open my eyes like a spying neighbor peering through blinds. Sergeant Somerville leans forward in his chair, forearms resting on his knees, hands hanging limp from his wrists. He awaits my answer.
Kill was not a word I expected to hear today.
Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed this short excerpt (beta) from my upcoming serial novel “Circling True North”. Leave a ‘Like’ and a helpful comment if you please!
Thanks!
Joan ❤
©2021 Joan Wiley
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