No-Knock

“Ready to rock and roll?” Clivers yelled. I could see his mustache through his kevlar face shield. “How confident are you the CI is good? You sure we have the right address this time?” “Lock and load!” He slammed the magazine into his MK18. He’d tricked the rifle out with so many gadgets and attachments…

Pity’s Sake

I stare at the snow. “The yard almost looks nice,” I say before realizing there’s nobody to hear the conversation. Habits of a lifetime are not easily broken. His shoes stand by the door, right where he stepped out of them. The fever and coughing kept getting worse, so we decided on the hospital as…

We Wait

She clutches her pearls in what has become a habitual gesture. At least her eyes are dry. Cried out, probably. “I’m glad you came, anyway,” she says, the last word an accusation. “It was the least I could do,” I answer lamely, thinking so that’s what I  did. The least I could do. “Your brother was……

Crossing The Line

The little shit almost smiled when he brought me the envelope from Corporate. “No deviations, Howard. It is to be read exactly as written.” I’d been with KGIM since the Nixon administration, working my way up from cameraman to morning sports and weather to the Big Slot, the daily six-and-eleven newscast. I’d won countless awards…

Oh Dolly

Jeff always liked to quote Mike Tyson:  Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.  And we didn’t even have a plan. How could we, for something like that? It was so unreal that I couldn’t admit it was really happening until I saw Dolly lying there, blood soaking the bright yellow…

Just Coffee

I don’t recognize her at first. Different clothes, different hairstyle. I smile, stand up. “Thanks for coming,” I say. “You want coffee?” “No thanks.” She sits. Her face is leaner, the high cheekbones defined. “You look great,” I say. “I’ve been doing crossfit.” “I hear that’s pretty grueling.” She flexes her bicep. “It’s paying off.”…