If you've been paying attention here you've noticed that I've been struggling to get my blogging back on track since last year when everything went off the rails. And today, when I was sitting down for Camp Nano and contemplating what I was going to write and how much pressure I wanted to put myself under, I stumbled across this thing called the blogging A to Z Challenge.
Fortuitous, right?
Since it's Camp Nano this month as well I'm going to do my daily blogging in flash fiction. That means every day but Sunday in the month of April I'll be posting roughly five-hundred words of flash fiction. These stories should all connect, though given it's me they may not appear to in the beginning.
Fortuitous, right?
Since it's Camp Nano this month as well I'm going to do my daily blogging in flash fiction. That means every day but Sunday in the month of April I'll be posting roughly five-hundred words of flash fiction. These stories should all connect, though given it's me they may not appear to in the beginning.
A: Association
Three years ago, an undisclosed spring day.
She left Dottie on the tarmac in Chicago.
The Russian is in play, Dottie’s last text message insisted.
She stared at the message notification for several minutes before she powered Dottie’s phone off. If there were an emergency in Dottie’s life in the next few days they would inform her in other ways. She stored the dinged, rose gold smart phone in her carry-on and pulled out the sleek black high tech, high security device De Luca carried.
White.Rabbit: Kakapo inquiring if reservations need to be made.
DeLuca: Negative. Will contact with needs at arrival. Please forward relevant law enforcement information to this device.
The fasten seatbelts light turned off and she stood and walked purposefully to the small bathroom. Gently curled hair was twisted up into a severe bun held in place by a pair of sharpened turned wood hair sticks that would pass as knitting needles. Dottie’s light green sweater was replaced by a soft gray shell and wrinkle-resistant double breasted jacket. Dottie’s ballet flats fit into the false bottom of the carry-on and she slid her feet into severe ankle boots. Contacts replaced Dottie’s purple framed glasses.
By the time she reached her seat again she had a file notification.
“Can I get you anything, Miss?” the attendant asked.
“A bottle of water please.”
The bottle appeared. “Would you like headphones?”
“No, thank you.”
She beamed the documentation to her privacy screened tablet and started paging through personnel files of Philadelphia’s greatest. She’d read the kidnapping report before leaving Chicago. The organization would have a car waiting for her in Philadelphia. She would contact the family once she landed.
With luck Dottie would be home by the day after tomorrow.
She looked back at the law enforcement files, and stopped on the lead detective. Former DEA experience, and a reputation for a certain lax attitude to authority and rules. She’d been warned he didn’t like their involvement in his kidnapping case.
The organization had dealt with his kind before.
She watched out the small plane window as they touched down in Philadelphia. Rain sheeted down on a steel gray city and she mentally added weather delays to her travel time to the bank. She should still make the drop with time to spare. She took her carry-on bag and walked with swift assurance toward the airport exit. The car would be waiting for her at the second door, as always.
She could navigate the Philadelphia airport structure just as well as she could any other, and in a minimum of time she was rolling her bags over the grating out the second arrivals door. The normal assortment of car services stood at the doorway, all wearing their uniforms with old fashioned hats and jackets. All but one.
Detective Ken Carmichael lounged against a black Dodge Charger that was so non-descript as to be instantly recognizable. A whiteboard with Ms. DL De Luca written on it sat forgotten next to his hip. He was staring at his phone, clearly assuming she wouldn’t have reached the door yet.
“I believe you are waiting for me,” she stated, stopping in front of him. A police escort would ensure she reached the bank in time to make the drop. It would also give her time to ensure he didn’t cause problems.
Feel free to leave a comment, and come back on Monday for B:Battle Weary
Edit: Now that the month is over I'm putting buttons that'll take you to the next part of the story. Awesome, right?
Three years ago, an undisclosed spring day.
She left Dottie on the tarmac in Chicago.
The Russian is in play, Dottie’s last text message insisted.
She stared at the message notification for several minutes before she powered Dottie’s phone off. If there were an emergency in Dottie’s life in the next few days they would inform her in other ways. She stored the dinged, rose gold smart phone in her carry-on and pulled out the sleek black high tech, high security device De Luca carried.
White.Rabbit: Kakapo inquiring if reservations need to be made.
DeLuca: Negative. Will contact with needs at arrival. Please forward relevant law enforcement information to this device.
The fasten seatbelts light turned off and she stood and walked purposefully to the small bathroom. Gently curled hair was twisted up into a severe bun held in place by a pair of sharpened turned wood hair sticks that would pass as knitting needles. Dottie’s light green sweater was replaced by a soft gray shell and wrinkle-resistant double breasted jacket. Dottie’s ballet flats fit into the false bottom of the carry-on and she slid her feet into severe ankle boots. Contacts replaced Dottie’s purple framed glasses.
By the time she reached her seat again she had a file notification.
“Can I get you anything, Miss?” the attendant asked.
“A bottle of water please.”
The bottle appeared. “Would you like headphones?”
“No, thank you.”
She beamed the documentation to her privacy screened tablet and started paging through personnel files of Philadelphia’s greatest. She’d read the kidnapping report before leaving Chicago. The organization would have a car waiting for her in Philadelphia. She would contact the family once she landed.
With luck Dottie would be home by the day after tomorrow.
She looked back at the law enforcement files, and stopped on the lead detective. Former DEA experience, and a reputation for a certain lax attitude to authority and rules. She’d been warned he didn’t like their involvement in his kidnapping case.
The organization had dealt with his kind before.
She watched out the small plane window as they touched down in Philadelphia. Rain sheeted down on a steel gray city and she mentally added weather delays to her travel time to the bank. She should still make the drop with time to spare. She took her carry-on bag and walked with swift assurance toward the airport exit. The car would be waiting for her at the second door, as always.
She could navigate the Philadelphia airport structure just as well as she could any other, and in a minimum of time she was rolling her bags over the grating out the second arrivals door. The normal assortment of car services stood at the doorway, all wearing their uniforms with old fashioned hats and jackets. All but one.
Detective Ken Carmichael lounged against a black Dodge Charger that was so non-descript as to be instantly recognizable. A whiteboard with Ms. DL De Luca written on it sat forgotten next to his hip. He was staring at his phone, clearly assuming she wouldn’t have reached the door yet.
“I believe you are waiting for me,” she stated, stopping in front of him. A police escort would ensure she reached the bank in time to make the drop. It would also give her time to ensure he didn’t cause problems.
Feel free to leave a comment, and come back on Monday for B:Battle Weary
Edit: Now that the month is over I'm putting buttons that'll take you to the next part of the story. Awesome, right?
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