The quiet murmur of conversation at the table ended abruptly as Councilman Baxter stepped into the chamber and closed the door behind him. Despite the fact that it was mid-afternoon at Town Hall, the isolation of the council chamber made the space feel timeless and detached from the rest of the world. “Thank you all […]

Olivia’s head was aching as she set up Mia’s movie. Andrew was out for the night at Iris’s, so it was just the two of them. She could turn on Lion King for the eight hundredth time and that would give her time to take a quick shower before Mia noticed she was gone and […]

Iris had two cases back to back today. Thankfully, both of them were follow-ups, so it probably wouldn’t be a lot of actual work. Most of the time she would be traveling between the sites, which wasn’t bad. First up to Colrain, then back to the Countess in Petersham, then hopefully meeting with Roman, Dr. […]

Roland didn’t have a face. At least not one that Iris could see. But it was as if her gaze was repelled from him, like if she tried to look her eyes would slide right over him. In fact, it was hard to keep her eyes open anyway, even if she tried to look away […]

Hugh was mopping the floor when Olivia got into work, clutching her thermos of coffee. He was on the far end of the room and clearly didn’t hear her walk in as he sang along absently to the radio. “Good morning!” she called as she walked in. He stopped, then turned and smiled at her. […]

Olivia’s phone rang as she was cutting watermelon for Mia’s lunch. She set down the knife, wiped her hands, and picked up the phone. The Caller ID display read an unfamiliar number in Worcester. “Hello?” “Hi, is this Olivia Walker?” The voice was professional and warm, male with a strong Boston accent. “Yes, it is.” […]

Roman sat on his back porch, trying and failing not to think about the fact that Minnie’s funeral was happening in an hour and there was no possible way he could go. Some otherworldly force had decided that he in particular was not welcome anywhere else in the world, and that included her funeral and […]

Iris was deciding between two particularly good looking boxes of apples at the general store when she sensed it. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she could feel the eyes on her, boring into her back. She froze, then tried to relax her posture. Whether it was a ghost or […]

Roman got to Minnie’s house fifteen minutes after the sound of his phone pulled him out of a sound sleep on the couch. But even rushing out without stopping to leave a note and driving way over the speed limit, he was too late. Janet and Dr. Degas were sitting with their backs to Roman […]

Minnie was dying. This had become increasingly obvious to Roman over the past week or so. Everything about her was slowing down. She moved slower, she talked slower. She was still coherent, but slept for much longer periods of time and only nibbled at the pizzas Roman brought. But there was still no sign of […]