Jillian Chantal

This week’s word prompt for Tuesday Tales is smudge. I’ve started a new story where the heroine is a homicide detective and is investigating a murder of someone who used to be her friend but treated her abysmally. She’s emotionally torn as she remembers how their relationship deteriorated and the break up of the friendship but she never wished any such disastrous ending for the lady.

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They drove the few miles to the hospital where the morgue was located and made their way to the bottom floor of the facility.

Inside the morgue, Martinez led them to the table where Drusilla lay.

Maggie had to cover her mouth. It was always hard to visit this place but when it was someone she knew on the slab it made it that much harder. True, she and Drusilla had fallen out long ago, but it was still mighty difficult to see her there with the y-incision and the top of her skull still in the pan on the side table.

“What’s the cause of death?” she asked.

“You’re looking pale again, Blaine. You sure you want to be on this case?” Jacob asked.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re face is the same color as your hair. White on white isn’t your color, darling.” Jacob laughed. He leaned over the table and whispered to the coroner, “She likes to say she’s a natural blonde but have you ever seen hair that blonde?”

“Forget my hair. What’s the cause of death?” Maggie asked.

“It’s complicated but I think I’ve narrowed it down.” Martinez handed Maggie a piece of paper in a plastic bag. “Found this embedded in the fabric of her blouse in the back.”

She peered at the paper. It had a number of brown smudges and streaks on it that she presumed was dried blood. After she read it, she passed it to Jacob. What it said was true. Maggie knew from firsthand experience.

He read it out loud. “Back stabber.”

Looking up at Martinez, he asked. “You found this actually on her back?”

“When they CSIs got done with photos and rolled her over, the note was stuck to the blood on her back. Her blouse was in shreds where someone had stabbed her six times.”

“Was that the cause then?” Maggie asked.

“It would have eventually led to death. One of the wounds nicked her left kidney and another one hit the bottom of her heart. She was able to keep on her feet and walk out of her office.”

This week’s word prompt is toes. I am still working on my reunion story and this scene finds us with the heroine and hero after they’d had an intense conversation that was interrupted by his former wife. The heroine is off to tell her best friend she’s had enough and is going home.

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Walking down the hallway toward the End of the Alley Bar, Renee glanced side to side as there seemed to be a lot of people out in the corridor. She wanted to find Margie so she could tell her she was going home and not to worry.

Her toes hurt and she needed to get her stupid shoes off but first, she needed to take care of Margie.

Renee opened the door to the bar. Stepping inside, she peered around. Margie was on the dance floor with a group of women dancing to Lucky Love by Ace of Base. They were having a grand time and Renee realized her friend hadn’t even missed her.

She was good with that. More than ready to go home and got close enough to the dance floor to catch Margie’s eye. Pointing to her watch and then her feet, she jerked her head and thumb toward the door.

Margie nodded and Renee left.

Duncan and Jennifer were gone by the time she went past the fire truck which was perfect since she would’ve had to go right past them to get to her car.

Except Duncan wasn’t gone. She spied him leaning on the end of the brick wall across the street leading to the parking lot.

“Didn’t you know it’s illegal to loiter out here? I’m surprised a bouncer hasn’t come over and gotten on to you.” Renee smiled but darted her gaze from side to side in case Jennifer was lurking.

“One has come over but I told him I was waiting for my date to come out. He gave me five more minutes so I’m glad you came back out.”

“Your date?”

“What else was I going to say? I’m waiting for a woman I haven’t seen in twenty years? The guy would’ve sent me away for sure.”