Six Sentence Sunday - Week 47- Missing: one admiral and something else...

From Large Target, Josephine and the admiral's daughter find a defense contractor dead in the floor of the admiral's cottage. Jo checks around...

I made a quick circuit of the cottage looking for signs of another victim. There were no obvious signs of struggle or a search effort except in the farthest corner of the bedroom where a Mosler GSA Class 5 Security filing cabinet stood—all four drawers open and empty. I recognized it as identical to the one in my father's home office, part of his ties to the civilian portion of the intelligence community. The Navy might do things a little differently but the admiral's security clearances must be functional.

On the floor in front of the cabinet was a single sheet of paper with Top Secret printed on it in red letters two inches high with a paper clip on it. Nothing was clipped to it.


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Six Sentence Sunday Week 46 - one cottage complete with murder victim...

From Large Target, Josephine and Amy, the admiral’s daughter, go looking for him after Amy receives a suspicious phone call. The cottage where the admiral was staying is filled with an acrid smell and a foot is sticking out of the open bathroom door:

Looking around the door, I saw a man sprawled face down on the floor in a Hawaiian shirt with one outstretched hand that seemed to be reaching for a small plastic funnel-like apparatus on the floor next to him. My mind registered that it was an asthma inhaler at the same time that I realized the man was totally still, his stretching hand too stiff for sleep.

Amy gasped and pushed past me to look. "It's not Dad," she said, putting her hand to her mouth. "It's Stewart Meade.

So where was the admiral?

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45th Six Sunday - Ladies and Gentlemen, our murder victim has arrived...

Josephine finally contacts the admiral’s daughter but their interview is interrupted by a strange phone call from the admiral, who seems to be in danger. They drive to the cottage where he was staying:

"Dad!" Amy called, pulling the screen door open and pushing the front door inward, and I followed her in.

There was an acrid smell in the air, unidentifiable but strong enough to make my eyes water. We walked across the cool tile floor of the living room past old-fashioned wicker furniture and bamboo blinds. That burning, choking smell was even stronger.

Something was sticking out of the half-open bathroom door. It was a man's foot, lying still, too still.

The Six Sentence Sunday writers for this weekend numbered 177 last time I checked. Lots of snippets and lots of fun at Six Sunday.

44th Six Sunday - from Large Target, an encounter with Genghis Ron

A pivotal moment from Large Target, just released last week. Investigator Josephine Fuller has a special assignment looking for an admiral’s daughter who may be in the grip of a fanatical organization. Unfortunately Jo walks into a family house party and runs into the admiral himself, drunk, grabbing at women guests and living up to his nickname “Genghis Ron.” He tries to aim a minicam up her skirt but Jo shakes him off:

"Thinks she can get coy," he brayed, gripping my skirt for purchase and holding out the minicam with the other hand.

"No," I said as I shook the can of soda with a thumb over the hole and aimed it at his eyes. The spray at close range startled him enough to send him back on his rear while I jerked my skirt from his grip.

"Whoa!" the admiral exclaimed, shaking his head and looking around as if he weren't quite sure how he had landed wet-faced and back on the living room floor.

Several guests applauded as I retreated into the kitchen where a woman handed me a dampened dish towel and took my dripping soda can with a smile, "Here, honey," she said, "we all enjoyed that."

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