Jillian Chantal

This week, the writers of Tuesday Tales are writing to the word prompt best. I am still in the same story. Am doing a deep edit at the moment, but still sharing some of the work. This week, the heroine is talking to the mother of a murder victim.

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Pearl looked horrified for a moment. “Is he still around? He’s not gone on to glory? I can’t abide that thought.”

“Actually, I have good news for you there. He saw the glow of the light immediately after he passed away and delayed going into it until he could see you.” Lu squeezed Pearl’s hand. “As soon as he told me his last wish, he said he saw his Aunt Jewell waving to him and he went right in the light to her.”

Pearl’s hand went to her heart. “My sister was there to greet him?”

“It seems so.” Lu smiled.

“You have been a gift to me in this horrible ordeal. I can rest easier now that I know that. If I can’t have my boy with me here, it eases my heart use to know my Jewell is with him. She’ll hold him close until it’s my time to join them.”

“I believe you can count on that.”

Pearl gave Lu’s hand one last squeeze. “Thank you for all you’ve done. Even though I may have sometimes sounded unappreciative and perhaps even hostile, I appreciate you sticking with it and making this stubborn woman pay attention to what you needed to tell me.”

“No problem. I believe I was given this gift for the very reasons I use it and I’m always available to assist when I can. May I wish you the best in your endeavors with Michael?”

“You may.” Pearl let out a gruff bark of a laugh. “I believe I’m going to need it.”

Lu nodded. She’d met plenty of people in her time as a nurse to know it was sometimes difficult to deal with interfamily relationships. Especially when it was a marriage that some didn’t agree with.

This week, the writer of Tuesday Tales are writing to the word prompt Harsh. My main character is in the morgue talking to a murder victim.

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She glanced around and finally noticed an open closet door. Now the dilemma was how she could investigate the area without giving herself away. Broussard paid attention to pretty much everything happening in his morgue so she knew he’d spot her move in that direction.

She sidled over toward the closet with a glance over at Malcolm, hoping he could read her cue.

He clearly understood the assignment. As she heard him say, “What about his clothes? Did you send them all over to forensics? Or do you have any here you can show me anything about? Was there anything that would help ID him?”

Broussard moved to the table near the wall, effectively turning his back on Lu. “I didn’t keep much. Just the socks and underwear. I removed some hairs from there to run the DNA and the tech got some from his head as well. To compare to see if there were any other donors of hair on the body. No results yet, but hopefully there will be something.”

“And no wallet at all?”

“Nope. Nope. Nothing.”

Lu whispered into the closet. “I’m here to help you. You can communicate with me if you want.”

Praying Malcolm would continue to keep the coroner busy, she whispered again. “Please let me know your name. We’re trying hard to find who killed you. Your name will let us learn about you and who might want to hurt you.”

A face eased its way around the corner of the closet door. “My name is Marcus Williams. I don’t know who did this to me.”

“Can you describe the person? Man or woman? Tall? Short? Dark or light hair?”

“No. Nothing. I never saw them. Came up behind me and then I was choking and fighting the person off. Without success as you can see.” He shuddered. “I can’t stand looking at myself that way. I’m hiding here since I don’t know who did this and I’m terrified the person will come back.”

Lu hated to break it to Marcus that he didn’t need to be afraid of anyone ever again. The worst had already happens to him, but she’s talked to enough spirits to know they were sometimes not ready to hear harsh truths so close to their time of death.

“Okay. You can stay there with no problem. But do you remember where you were found? Did you see the person who did this when your spirit rose?” She didn’t want to say “left your body” as that was kind of harsh too.

“I saw the person but they had on a bulky jacket. One of those with the puffy stuff. The person also had on a balaclava and hood. I wouldn’t know them again if they walked in here. That’s what scares me.”

Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week we are writing to the word prompt ride. I am still in my ghostly story.

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“What’s going on?” Malcolm had arrived at her side.

“I just got flipped off by a ghost.” She chuckled. “First time for everything, I guess.”

“I take it you weren’t successful in getting any information from him then?”

“His name is Brandon. No idea of his last name. He thinks I’m an old woman who wants to stalk him and he has some connection to the television station.”

Malcolm grinned. “Well that is a little bit of info.” He tilted his head and his grin widened. “A stalker, huh? I guess I can see that.”

“Don’t you dare call me old.” She swatted his chest. “Just remember, if I’m old, you’re old too since you were born before me.”

“Never old. Always cute.” He leaned close. “So cute, I’d kiss you right now if I wasn’t on duty and supposed to be in charge of this crime scene. It wouldn’t be a good look to have a display of affection but be assured, there is a kiss in your future. From me. Not the guy you want to stalk.”

“If I was a stalker, I’d choose you.”

“I’m honored.”

Lu got serious. “That young man, Brandon, is going to have hard reality hit him as soon as the coroner takes his body from this scene. If he hasn’t gone to the light—which I don’t believe he will since he doesn’t believe he’s dead—his spirit will travel to the morgue and he’ll be in shock.”

“There’s nothing you can do about that. We’ll get over there at some point and then you can see about continuing the conversation you tried to have here.”

“That’s all I can do.” She glanced around. “And now, to get home, we’re going to be in the thick of the parade traffic.”

“We’ll go north to go south. A few blocks out of the way and then I’ll have you home. Then I’ll head back here to continue the investigation.”

“I can walk. It’s only a mile or two.”

Malcolm touched her nose. “Nope. You’re already too cold. I see that red nose.”

She snapped her fingers. “Oh yeah. I forgot, that witness, Lisa, has a jerk of a boyfriend who left her here. I told her we’d give her a ride home.”

He handed Lu his keys. “Perfect. You take her and yourself. When I’m done here, I’ll get a ride to the station and you can pick me up there.”