Saved By the Bell? Paul’s Story Starts Trickling Out …
Gunnar Olafsson A guard leads me to a monitored meeting room where my visitors were waiting. I recognize Mercury immediately. “Glad to see you,” I say. “Gets kinda lonely here, especially since…
2025
White Russians for Wanda … Thunder Stolen, Then Returned
Jenny Page Thankless. That is how people in this town are – thankless. No one will ever admit that I was right, that bringing in Theodora and her therapy crew was the…
Mercury & Silas, a Meeting of the Minds
I am half an hour early for brunch with Silas, tense already from strolling in on Lindy and his merry band of entrepreneurs. First issue jitters, I reckon, and with…
Shirley Finds Silas’ Jail Away from Home
I am anxious to meet Silas, the new guy in town, who we hope will sort out all our mysteries. We spoke briefly by phone last evening and agreed to…
Sunrise on the Lady Lux: Carson Ebbs, Lindy Flows
Carson arrives at the office on the yacht around 9 AM to meet with Lindy to continue forming the initial direction of the new magazine. The two of them have…
Grey Skies, Blues Sounds, It’s Silas’ Case, Hope Abounds?
I pulled into the parking space in front of the Courthouse, Louis Armstrong’s West End Blues playing on my Spotify. Seemed somehow appropriate for the setting. The pavement – two…
Wanda Steps In & Steps Up … to the Bar
Dad used to call it “resting bartender face,” the look he’d have when business was slow and he was forced to talk to patrons he either didn’t know or didn’t…
A Quiet Night in Middle Valley: Secrets, Scandals and a Cat Named Chuckles – Part 2
Dear reader, I’ve returned. Not heat, nor the dark of night would keep your Miss Comportment from walking the five blocks to the Riverside and collecting three fresh bottles. Mission…
A Quiet Night in Middle Valley: Secrets, Scandal, and a Cat Named Chuckles Amid This Small-Town’s Turmoil – Part 1
There is something luxurious about spending an entire evening at home. It’s rare, but what’s even more rare is that I’m really happy about it. No social obligations. No hunting…
From Badge to Behind Bars: Paul’s Singing the Jailhouse Blues
Another day in this hellhole. Haven’t seen anyone from Middle Valley in quite a while with the notable exception of my lawyer, that is, and he isn’t really helping matters…