Nett’s Shorts

The Judge The media called him a serial killer, although that’s not how he saw himself.  He was righting wrongs!  He was protecting the innocent!  He was… about to meet his match. Excerpt:     I could tell by the slope of his shoulders he was ready to talk.  I would be the first to hear the details of what transpired between Johnny Evans and his killer.      “Your honor,” I said in greeting.     He ignored me, continuing to stare at his hands, and I let the silence stretch until he was ready to break it.  When he did, his eyes did not meet mine.     “Evans had motive.  There was no one to corroborate his alibi.”      “And the murder weapon?  His were not among the prints they found.”     He waved his hand in dismissal.  “The box cutter was used by all the employees.  It was more suspicious that they weren’t on it.”     “The jury didn’t think so.  They consid...

Accountability Amanda Davidson is being hunted, forced to flee time and again from a vengeful pursuer.  But there is no escape from a guilty conscience. (This story continues in Culpability.) Excerpt:      Mandy threw her incriminating clothes across the bedroom with a growl and grabbed her robe before stalking to the kitchen.  She was pulling it on when she noticed a silhouette at the french doors.  A flash of lightning revealed it was Mick, but she was already giddy with adrenaline.      Her pulse kept its erratic tempo.  Though he was only a shadow in the downpour, she could imagine the hunger in his eyes.  Remembered the feel of his lips.  Thrilled at the memory of his eager hands.  Somehow she arrived at doors, still separated by the glass between them.  He placed his palm on its surface, vapor radiating from his hand in a smoky print.      She flipped the lever of the lock, gas...

Cutting Fences Dr. Amy Jensen has devoted her life to helping troubled children.  Little did she know how much one of them would end up helping her. Excerpt:      A moment of introspection prompts her to say, “Before she adopted me, I was in foster care for as long as I could remember.  Not all the families were great, but they were still families, you know?”      I nod, waiting to see how this connects to the topic at hand.      “I mean, they were there for each other, even if it wasn’t always in a good way.  Us kids were never…”      “Never what, Shannon?”      “Forgotten,” she sighs.  “My mom… sometimes she comes home and looks at me like she forgot I was there.”      My steps falter.  Jean has accused me of this, but I brushed it off with the rest of her complaints.  Hearing the same words from a traumatized child opens my eyes to the despa...

A Shadow Between the Trees Sasquatch, Yeti, Bigfoot, Abominable Snowman - we’ve heard the myths.  What if they really existed, but not as we thought?  What if they weren’t the monsters? Excerpt:      Ben dreamt he and his brother were in the woods being chased by a pack of baying dogs.  They were getting closer and closer, making him feel like a hunted fox.  Suddenly he was one, scurrying alone and scared with no place to hide.  Then he heard his name being called.  Frantic.  Desperate.  It sounded like his dad and Uncle Harley!  He tried to call to them, but as a fox could only yip and yowl.      A light hand on his mouth woke him and the sweet smell he had noticed the day before invaded his nostrils.  Florence was leaning over him and he thought she looked frightened.  Then he heard it.  “Ben!  Ben!” called over and over, faint but still audible amongst the cries of ...

Drafting Murder Daniel is an author with unconventional research techniques.  Will his strategy for a book about a female serial killer be the death of his marriage - or of his wife? Excerpt:      “Oh, I guess we didn’t tell you.  I shelved that story.”      They entered his office and he handed her the first few pages of a different project.  She skimmed the first paragraph, then stopped to look up at him.  “Why did you set aside the other one?  It sounded like a great idea.”      Daniel sat behind his desk, gesturing for Lena to take a seat.  “I need to understand the killers, get to know them, understand their motives and desires.  I wasn’t able to do that with Desirée.”      “That was your killer’s name?” she asked, opting to sit on the edge of his desk rather than the chair he had indicated.      Her long, athletic legs drew his eyes like a mag...