SHORT STORIES
Pretty City Murder protagonists, Inspectors Hieu Trang and Larry Leahy, prove once again that nothing stops crime from happening, not even a pandemic like COVID-19, and that police officers have an important place in society. One truth all of us can agree upon is the police are "never wanted, always needed."
The following stories are meant to be read in succession.
Deaf
Trang and Leahy read a blog following a tip from Anonymous. The blogger, Rachel Spillane, is deaf, and her boyfriend, Brock Rocket, is a local radio personality. Anonymous asks the blogger how her boyfriend could be traveling during COVID-19, and Trang suspects he’s not traveling and may be the dead man found in San Francisco Bay. Trang discovers the ugly truth not spoken out loud. Trang speculates who Anonymous might be, and Leahy comments on how being deaf amplifies fear.
Anonymous
Trang and Leahy follow up on information obtained in the murder of the radio personality in “Deaf” by interviewing his brother, Terry Rocket. Trang suspects the murderer had help moving the radioman's body to the edge of San Francisco Bay and whoever that person is may be guilty of more crimes. Trang gets himself into some trouble but perseveres and trails his suspect all the way to the truth, causing Leahy to remark that an ugly dream can be a source of self-knowing or self-loathing.
Isolated
Trang and Leahy face another COVID-19 tragedy. Trick Doyle’s wealthy San Francisco parents are dead, his mother killed by COVID-19, his father murdered five days later. It was Terry Rocket from “Anonymous” who informed Trang and Leahy that one of Rachel Spillane’s johns had committed a murder, but Rachel would not say who. Trick's sister, Lafayette, cares more about money, forcing brother to turn against sister. Someone is in Rachel’s little black book. Who could it be? The solution comes fast, obliging Leahy to congratulate Trang on a job well done.
The next three stories should be read independently of the stories above.
Apartment 19
Leahy and Trang have double trouble on their hands when Milo’s fraternal twin brother, Marlowe, is found dead on a roof at San Francisco’s China Beach. Leahy’s instincts tell him this is no suicide, but his captain says it is and tells him to quit the case. Leahy goes solo without Hieu this time and looks for a killer among lovers. One of them is a scientist from abroad who claims to be researching a vaccine. Coronavirus, suicide, or murder? Try to figure it out before Leahy does.
Letters
Leahy and Trang seek the help of a forensic linguist to solve the death of Madeline Mingst. Her boyfriend, Big Red Hill, says, “It was a suicide,” and his son, Jake Hill, an inmate at San Quentin, refuses to cooperate. Forensic linguist Candy Hart identifies the author of a significant letter. Carole Chaski is the real-life linguist who allowed her system, ALIAS, to be placed into the hands of Candy Hart. ALIAS is not handwriting analysis. It analyzes letters or documents according to style and content, which is just what Leahy needs to catch a killer. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carole_Chaski)
Phantasmal
Leahy and Trang investigate a Halloween 2020 ghost. Hugo Miller is a squatter in a San Francisco mansion, and his guest, Sara Darío, falls down the decaying staircase. Hugo thinks he sees her ghost under a Blue Moon and calls on Father Johnny Baba, an exorcist, for help. Bats, an Alaskan Malamute, and a black cat round out the cast. Is an exorcism needed, or is this a case of phantasmal fright? Follow Leahy as he enters the house, questions the participants, and discovers what secrets underlie human frailty.
Copyright to all short stories held by, and all rights reserved to, Robert E Dunn, 2020
The following stories are meant to be read in succession.
Deaf
Trang and Leahy read a blog following a tip from Anonymous. The blogger, Rachel Spillane, is deaf, and her boyfriend, Brock Rocket, is a local radio personality. Anonymous asks the blogger how her boyfriend could be traveling during COVID-19, and Trang suspects he’s not traveling and may be the dead man found in San Francisco Bay. Trang discovers the ugly truth not spoken out loud. Trang speculates who Anonymous might be, and Leahy comments on how being deaf amplifies fear.
Anonymous
Trang and Leahy follow up on information obtained in the murder of the radio personality in “Deaf” by interviewing his brother, Terry Rocket. Trang suspects the murderer had help moving the radioman's body to the edge of San Francisco Bay and whoever that person is may be guilty of more crimes. Trang gets himself into some trouble but perseveres and trails his suspect all the way to the truth, causing Leahy to remark that an ugly dream can be a source of self-knowing or self-loathing.
Isolated
Trang and Leahy face another COVID-19 tragedy. Trick Doyle’s wealthy San Francisco parents are dead, his mother killed by COVID-19, his father murdered five days later. It was Terry Rocket from “Anonymous” who informed Trang and Leahy that one of Rachel Spillane’s johns had committed a murder, but Rachel would not say who. Trick's sister, Lafayette, cares more about money, forcing brother to turn against sister. Someone is in Rachel’s little black book. Who could it be? The solution comes fast, obliging Leahy to congratulate Trang on a job well done.
The next three stories should be read independently of the stories above.
Apartment 19
Leahy and Trang have double trouble on their hands when Milo’s fraternal twin brother, Marlowe, is found dead on a roof at San Francisco’s China Beach. Leahy’s instincts tell him this is no suicide, but his captain says it is and tells him to quit the case. Leahy goes solo without Hieu this time and looks for a killer among lovers. One of them is a scientist from abroad who claims to be researching a vaccine. Coronavirus, suicide, or murder? Try to figure it out before Leahy does.
Letters
Leahy and Trang seek the help of a forensic linguist to solve the death of Madeline Mingst. Her boyfriend, Big Red Hill, says, “It was a suicide,” and his son, Jake Hill, an inmate at San Quentin, refuses to cooperate. Forensic linguist Candy Hart identifies the author of a significant letter. Carole Chaski is the real-life linguist who allowed her system, ALIAS, to be placed into the hands of Candy Hart. ALIAS is not handwriting analysis. It analyzes letters or documents according to style and content, which is just what Leahy needs to catch a killer. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carole_Chaski)
Phantasmal
Leahy and Trang investigate a Halloween 2020 ghost. Hugo Miller is a squatter in a San Francisco mansion, and his guest, Sara Darío, falls down the decaying staircase. Hugo thinks he sees her ghost under a Blue Moon and calls on Father Johnny Baba, an exorcist, for help. Bats, an Alaskan Malamute, and a black cat round out the cast. Is an exorcism needed, or is this a case of phantasmal fright? Follow Leahy as he enters the house, questions the participants, and discovers what secrets underlie human frailty.
Copyright to all short stories held by, and all rights reserved to, Robert E Dunn, 2020
