draliman on life

Here is my story for Roger’s writing challenge Flash Fiction for the Purposeful Practitioner. The supplied introductory sentence is in bold in my story.

I had a go at some “1950’s detective” this week. It didn’t quite work but it was a bit of fun :-).

Image public domain

We were within a mile-and-a-half of the service roads when we found it. Right where she said it’d be.

She came ta the office yesterday. Bull Duggan Investigations. I’m Bull Duggan.  Pleased ta meet ya. She had legs up ta her ears so I had a listen. Said she knew where it was, tried to charge me for the location. I tried ta stall but she was tough, tough as my wife’s meatloaf. I caved. Paid the broad.

So here I am, slogging through Nowheresville USA like some schmuck on a hiking vacation. ‘Cept this hike’s about to hit the motherlode. I yell at the boy to get his legs moving. Lazy good fer nothin’ but he’s my cousin’s kid. Wanted me ta show ‘im the ropes. You know how that goes.

So we find the guy. He’s long gone. Deader’n a dodo spit roasted over an open fire. The kid chucks. He ain’t got the stomach fer this kinda work. I shoo off the vultures. Some don’t like ‘em, but they’re just surviving, live and let live. I pick through the body. I hit pay dirt.

There it is. Shiny like a brand new nickel. The Maltese Budgie. Pay day. Now to track down that broad…