Photo credit@ Geogia Koch
Next Time
A copper tang mingled with the dockyard flotsam.
“Lotta blood. She been dead long?”
“An hour or two, hard to say for sure.”
“Cold?”
“Not really, just a little damp.”
The officer turned to face his partner; her uniform, wet and tattered, “Same MO, same perp?”
“Ya.”
“You look rode hard. How long you been chasing this asshole?”
“About two hours too long,” she said, her voice strangely shallow.
“Next time call for backup. You always gotta be a damn hero.”
“Sure, next time,” her words trailed off as her image faded to nothingness.
For more hard boiled crime fiction or nautical tales go to Friday Fictioneers hosted by the famous Rochelle Wisoff-Fields.
Gritty dialogue. Have to confess I don’t get the ending. However, I still enjoyed reading the piece. Thanks!
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Let’s just say the female officer never got a chance to call for back up. Thanks Paul.
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Oooo…a little crime drama, my favorite genre!
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And my least favorite genre. I’m not even sure where this came from. Thanks Dawn.
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Interesting….
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Love the hardboiled… I have a feeling next time is an hour or two late… alas.
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The backup definitely came too late for the dead officer.
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Dear Tracey,
Why do I have the hollow feeling there won’t a ghost of chance at next time? Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Death doesn’t allow do overs. Thank you Rochelle.
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A ghostly crime story, with realistically chilling dialogue. Well done.
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Glad to have chilled you Sandra. Thank you.
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Great dialogue and I could really picture the scene. Lovely twist at the end. Well done.
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Thank you Iain. I can’t seem to follow a straight line.
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Sounds like she should have called for backup this time too. Nice one!
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No chance to call from the afterlife, unfortunately.
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The dialogue reminded me of the Dirty Harry movies. You painted the scene well.
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Thanks, I find that descriptions of smell are the most powerful scene setters for me personally when I read. The smell of a large quantity of blood never leaves you.
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“…as her image faded to nothingness.” how does he react?
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In my mind she disappears at the same time that he turns over the murdered officer. Guilt, anger, suspicion. I’m guessing this cop doesn’t believe in ghosts.
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Loved this – a lot in 100 words and none of it straight froward. Reminds me a little of the best BBC crime series ever – River. Check out the you tube opening credits and scenes if you have a mo.
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I confess that I don’t actually like reading or watching crime stories. This just snuck up on me. Thank you for reading.
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Great dialogue, but the ending confused me. It must be a ghost story, I guess.
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Yes indeed. Thanks for reading Liz.
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Wow, bleak but powerful tale, Tracey.
Quite a kick in the hee-haws.
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Thank you, I wouldn’t want you to think that I’m always sweet and sentimental.
Tracey
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Y’know, Tracey, that was never on the cards!
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Whoo, I guess his hairs stand on end just like mine after finishing the reading. Great mixture of crime and ghost story. The best ones have that little pinch of fantasy woven in. Great voice, Tracey.
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Thanks. This was a stretch for me. That’s why I love Friday Fictioneers.
I do feel as though the killer isn’t far away. Now I’m scaring myself. ha ha
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Oh! I love the ending. Creepily good.
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