My 25th story. Make what you will of it. Possibly it’s a milestone. We’ll see. Ellen Carstairs was driving from her home to the local news agency in the mountain suburb in which she lived. This small business was one of a dozen which comprised the shopping centre of this remote community which was considered a backwater by the inhabitants of the large urban metropolis to the east. But its locals liked their quiet, tranquil locality and would not have changed it. ...
“What’cha doing, dear?” my Significant Other asked. “What does it look like?” I replied as I fed another sheet into the shredder. Like most families anymore, a lot of our mail consists of things best not read by others—so we shred them on general principle. I was working my way down through our monthly stack of credit card come-on’s, invitations to retirement and time-share deals, and other nonsense. “Probably destroying vital evidence, I’d guess,” she said with a mischievous grin. That sparked an idea. ...
King vs. Pawn. Peter is it? That what your driver license says. Sorry about the tazer. I have your accomplice. As you can see, she failed. But more about her later. Unfortunately I cannot let you go. Nor do I have any information about your level of involvement in all of this. But I will. You’re in my private dungeon. My testing area for all sorts of ways to extract information. That is what I do. I won’t bore you with details. But I am paid to do nasty things to bad people to protect god and country. ...
“So, what did you get on the test?” Karen asked as she caught up with Teri as she headed out of school. “An 89.” Teri said, the tone of her voice indicating disappointment. “Good for you!” Karen praised, although there was a bitter edge to her voice. “I got a 67!” “Ouch!” Teri said sympathetically. “Ah, not a problem anymore!” Karen said smugly. “Once I turned 18, my parents were locked out of my school account! Now it’s nobody’s business but my own! What’s even better is that they can’t beat us anymore! Once you turn 18 your parents can’t legally touch you! We’re adults now, responsible for our own selves.” ...