Here are some short gems!
Excerpt 6a
She wouldn’t go to Tyler’s. She would go to Eddy’s house. Well, he might not be at home. If he weren’t at home, he might be at either the hospital or at work. If he were at work, he’d probably be either incredibly bored or out on a case, so she didn’t feel like trying the police station. It wouldn’t feel right to go to the animal hospital, somehow. It was as if she would be invading on his personal time with his dog. And, of course, it would just be crazy to show up on his doorstep. Then she smiled, put the car into gear, and pulled down the street.
If there were any word to describe her, it would probably be crazy.
Excerpt 6b
She knew that Tyler was there. It was obvious from the fact that Eddy was using full sentences. “Tyler, you going to put your two cents in?”
“How did you know I was here?” Tyler asked in a genuinely surprised voice. “Do you have eyes in the back of your head?”
“I, unlike you terribly deceived guys, actually have my tricks,” Reine lied easily. It was better to just make it look like she and Tyler were best friends in front of Eddy. Because, of course, it was always good to lie to the detective.
“Right,” Eddy said, drawing it out much longer than it needed to be. “Well, are you going to start the coffee or not?”
“I’m rubbing off on her,” Tyler teased lightly.
Reine straightened quickly, or at least she would have if she weren’t already straight as it was. “You better not be! What would my mom say?”
Excerpt 6c
Elisa Atwell sat down in the chair and leaned forward slightly. “You haven’t started seeing our psychiatrist,” she began.
“Actually, I was going to find a private one,” he quickly answered. “I’ve had time to start looking.”
“Yes, well, I think you need a break.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Oh, it’s nothing you’ve done. Yet. You’re going through quite a bit, Eddy, and this is probably best for all of us. Safety reasons. Guidelines. I have nothing to do with it.”
“Except for enforcing it,” Eddy pointed out, suddenly aware of caffeine bringing his system to life. “And while I’m gone, not that I think you’ll have time,” he made sure to add, “but if you do, I would appreciate it if you’d think about getting me a different partner.”
Atwell sighed. “Sorry, Eddy, you guys are together for life.”
Eddy grimaced. “I was afraid you’d say that. Now I just might do something desperate.”
Atwell shot him a glance, and he quickly assured her, “I’m just wound a little tight today. Don’t take me seriously.”
“No pun intended, I take it,” she said, motioning toward his arm where it lay somewhere under layers of gauze.
Eddy followed her gaze and smirked slightly. “I guess I got my wish.” In answer to her raised eyebrow, he clarified again. “The coffee finally kicked in.”
“Yeah, well, no flashbacks while you’re driving if you don’t mind.”
Suddenly this entire conversation made perfect sense. “You let my Gomer Pyle partner convince you that I’m mentally unstable because I was thinking about my wife twice this morning?”
“Not that I haven’t been intending to talk to you,” she put in.
“Okay. I’ll give you that. And I can’t help but thank you for giving me a break from him, even if it meant you had to listen to him to do it.”
“Well, don’t come back until you have a clean bill of health from both kinds of doctors. Signed. Got it? And please, Eddy,” her voice took on a slightly teasing but more seriously pleading tone, “no forgeries this time.”
Excerpt 6d
He walked into the darkened room. The other man jumped up, but neither of them could see each other. “You can call me Sir. You, I will call Jr. Got it?”
“Got it, Sir.”
“Good. That’s one thing done. Now, in case you didn’t know this, I asked you here because I needed you to help me out with something. You know what I do?”
“I’ve seen some of your work, yes.”
“I’m thinking of making it my full-time job.”
“Isn’t it already, Sir?”
Sir sighed. “No, Jr. What I do when I do what I do.”
Jr. jumped with realization. “Oh! That? Why on earth?”
“Because my ex-girlfriend is running around with a man I hate. And I want her eliminated. Expeditiously.”
“Sir? Wouldn’t it be easier to just eliminate both of them, especially if they’re together a lot?”
“Kill him?” The big man sighed with the air of a man who enjoys his work. Then he gave a dark chuckle. “I’d rather let him live. Live with the knowledge that she died with his name on her lips, fully expecting him to save her. That will be my revenge, Jr. Naturally, she wouldn’t say anyone else’s name, would she?”
Sir laid a strong hand on Jr.’s shoulder. Jr. pulled back instinctively. “You’re a murderer!” he whispered hollowly.
“Murderer? My boy, I prefer to think of myself as a mortality technician. But you’ll be the one doing the job.” He dropped his hand and lowered his voice. “Go home, Jr. Go infest yourself with hatred for Tyler Newman. By the time you kill her, you’ll relish it like I do.”
Excerpt 6e
When he saw her face, he realized he needed to do something to lighten up the situation. “Hey, don’t worry! If you die, I’ll update your Facebook status to ‘Chillin with God’!”
Corrine’s mouth dropped open, and she grabbed for a pillow to throw at him. She was sitting on the wrong seat, however, and the only thing within her reach was a book. She picked it up and lobbed it at him.
Tyler almost ducked, but he couldn’t remember what was behind him, so he let it hit him. He was really trying to catch it, but there was a reason he was never really into sports. The book fell to the floor, and he leaned down to pick it up. “Did you just throw that at me?” he asked.
“No, I dropped it.” He stood up and raised an eyebrow. She flushed slightly. “Horizontally.”
He grinned. “That’s a good one. I’m surprised it came from your mind!”
She shot him one of the classic Harris glares. “I believe you’ve been talking to my daughter too much, Tyler.”
Tyler laughed and glanced down at the book in his hand. “A Bible?” He began walking toward the table where it came from. “Figures.”
To be continued…
Ariel Rae 