I woke to the taste of dirt and blood.The sky was below me. For a few seconds, nothing made sense — the pines…
The dinner celebrating Clara and Edward’s tenth anniversary was held at an exclusive, opulent restaurant. Golden chandeliers cast a warm glow over the…
“Awaiting Your Command” The sting of his hand hit harder than I thought it could.A sharp crack echoed through the marble hall, slicing…
The Phantom of Thirty Years I. The Ghost of Thirty Years Omar Farooq, owner of “Clean Light Laundry” on Devon Street, Chicago, was…
The Golden Ticket Part I: The Dragon’s Vow The year was 1990. The sea was a vast, unforgiving blackness, the air thick with…
“The Silence of Willowbrook” When Sergeant Ethan Cole stepped off the bus, Willowbrook didn’t look like the home he remembered. Three years had…
“The Dog Who Barked at the Coffin” The rain hadn’t stopped since dawn. Thick gray clouds hung low over St. Bartholomew’s Cemetery, as…
The Echo of Gunfire: A Mother’s Plea, a System’s Collapse The sterile, echoing vastness of Union Station’s Grand Hall was shattered by the…
The Gilded Cage At seventy-two, Eleanor Vance believed her life was settled. A retired literature professor with a sprawling estate overlooking the…
The Days Before Saturday Three Days Juanita, sixty-four, stood amidst the opulent clutter of the grand ballroom. Silk ribbons, white roses, and the…