Jillian Chantal

This week, the writers of Tuesday Tales are writing to the word prompt holiday. Mine is not the holiday that is this week. LOL! Hope you all have a happy season, no matter which holiday you celebrate. I am still in my fantasy story/murder mystery.

Check out the other tales here.

Lu’s shift seemed to pass slower than normal. She was anxious to hear from Malcolm about the progress of the investigation and if they’d located Marcus’s wallet or any tire tracks that might be helpful. She also wondered if Jackson would bring her any news from the spirit world. Back in December, they’d had a terrible case of copy-cat murders that tied into the spirit world and Malcolm would never have solved it—and gotten his medal—without the help of a lot of the local spirits. To be deceased, they sure kept their nose to the ground on things happening in their city.

She was sure Jackson would find someone who saw something. He was relentless when he was on a quest. She imagined he’d been the same in life when he was tasked with making a success of the various roles he filled back then.

There were only few patients in the population at the time of her shift, but she knew the craziness would start soon. It was almost the weekend before Mardi Gras and the parades and drinking along with reckless behavior would kick in soon.

Glad to be off the next three days, Lu sent up a prayer for an easy season for the revelers and her co-workers who would have to tend to them. She herself would be back for the actual day of the holiday, so she tossed up one for herself as well.

Just when she thought the shift would drag on forever with no word from anyone, when she looked up, sensing someone looking at her, General Jackson stood next to her door.

She jumped in her seat and her hand went to her heart. “Must you do that thing where you walk through my closed door and silently watch me work? One day, you’re going to give me a heart attack.”

“Nonsense, Lula Mae. You must have the healthiest heart of anyone I know. You are constantly out walking miles with your dog.” He grinned. “Besides, I enjoy watching you work so hard. I am very impressed by all the jobs women do in your time. We had some who would follow the troops and assist in cooking and washing and mending. Some even dressed as men and hid who they really were in order to fight for what they believed in, but most of our ladies—at least of my class—lived lives of leisure and barely got their hands dirty. I like to see how society has changed to allow women to do what pleases them.”