Part 1 of 1
Read the full text, as well as the show notes, at http://flashpulp.com
Tonight, private investigator Mulligan Smith finds himself asking hard questions in a dingy roadside store.
The Skinner Co. Network
FP288 - Mulligan Smith in Legacy, Part 1 of 1
[music] Sunday's gloomy, my hours are slumberless Dear is the shadows I live with I'm underless Little wife flowers will never awaken you Not where the braculture soul has taken you [music] Angels have no fire ever returning you Or they be angry if I so don't join in you Ooh, Sunday Welcome to Flashpulp, Episode 288 This evening we present Mulligan Smith in Legacy, Part 1 of 1 This week's episodes are brought to you by the Ice and Fire Convention [music] What do we say to the God of Death? Not today What do we say to the Ice and Fire Convention? Yes please Find out more about the con running from April 26th to 28th 2013 in New Plymouth, Ohio at iceandfireconvention.webs.com [music] Flashpulp is an experiment in broadcasting fresh pulp stories in the modern age 3 to 10 minutes of fiction brought to you Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings Tonight, private investigator Mulligan Smith finds himself asking hard questions in a dingy roadside store Mulligan Smith in Legacy Written by J.R.D. Skinner, Art and Narration by Pope and Acts and audio produced by Jessica May [music] Mulligan Smith stood before a shelf with Pringles cans Though his eyes were directed towards the parade of gas and trucks beyond the store's broad window His ear was cocked to the shopkeeper's current discussion As he talked with his back turned Andy Marlin pushed at the nub of a tall commercial coffee dispenser and filled a cardboard cup with a top stop logo printed on it Yeah, he built it 50 years ago and I worked here the better part of the time The first 20 years I was just a changed jingler Once Pops finally left his post I started having to pump the gas as well Ha, joking of course We haven't been full service in over a decade Smith had heard the same gag told three times in as many days and he felt the repetition had done little for its comedic merit The customer at the receiving end of the conversation accepted his steaming caffeine and gave the old man behind the counter a nod and shrugged his battered denim jacket against the chill and pushed open the glass door Though the fuel flowed constantly outside most payments were handled at the pump allowing Mulligan a moment alone with a pop belly proprietor The private investigator watched himself slide from fish-eyed mirror to fish-eyed mirror as he approached the front of the store No angle was left uncovered but dotted between the round reflectors were the endlessly winking red lights of security cameras Mulligan happened to be familiar with the models High definition units wirelessly connecting back to a central recorder It appeared the station's owner had sprung for a package generally reserved for warehouses and large offices There was nowhere to sneeze in the building without being watched by at least four lenses Before the countermen could begin his spiel, Smith stepped in with his own You keep the place alone? Must suck always being chained to the spot Marlin raised a brow This is my legacy My father picked this place like a prospector pants for gold He drove up and down three states to find this spot and I've been working this counter for the thirty years since he died Those doors have been open every day but one The day of Joni's funeral That's the only time I've ever wanted off Smith shrugged I hear what you're saying but I see you saying it from behind a thirty year old counter The counter that mainly sees the sale of cigarettes and energy drinks to long haul truckers I mean, wasn't a trailer involved in your wife's death? A cowboy making a lane change without looking? It was late She was mine in the till while I had some supper Who are you to be asking? I'm the snoop Misha Taylor hired A smile came to Marlin's face fully formed Her alarm response has automatic as the thick recess security shutters slamming down He said Who? The wife of the guy who drifted into oncoming traffic and a single mom with her three kids in the back seat It was a couple of weeks ago You might have seen it in the newspapers you never managed to sell What does any of that have to do with me? That's what I'm asking Maybe you had a grudge against the big rig guys But I think it was more than that I think you were angry about watching so many people a day hop on that highway and slip away All you see is tail lights You never see the journey I don't think the resentment is over your wife alone I think it was because you are anchored here A twitch formed at the edge of Andy's grin Did you stop here to do meth in the bathroom? I've had to run your kind out before You should have just sold the damn place You could have been telling stories about her father's legacy was an ocean side condo down in Florida But speaking of high powered chemicals You have a tough time sleeping Andy? Those pills only come by prescription Marlin's hands seem to grow flatter with each statement And Smith worried they would soon break through the transparent plastic that housed the scratch tickets beneath "Things change," said Smith "And not always for the better" You either flow with that change or you risk losing yourself to it Look at those mirrors, the shutters, the cameras Look where the money is going Not in presentation, not in building on what your father handed you It's all invested in distrust My theory is that you hate this place And the people who visit it But it's all you have Because you're too afraid to change anything You bury it deep But it's there The problem is Change, well... You need to roll with change Or change or tramp with you These cameras, for instance Your system works fine But you still got the default password on everything I spent the last three days sitting in your parking lot with a laptop I figure, maybe you didn't mean to hurt anyone when you started dropping those antivans in with their Joe When you began, maybe you figured you'd teach those rig wranglers a lesson by forcing them off the road for a nap I did the math Pretty simple really Those boys moved quick Which saved you for a while They'd be a state or two away before they'd finally pass out and coast into a ditch Oh, I'm sure planning them bunked down first But I pulled together a bunch of news reports on an online map Basically gave me a big circle And from there, it was just a matter of making it smaller and smaller Took a while But you'd be amazed how much trucker makes in a year And me sure loved her husband dearly Time was all it took to make the circle This tight as these walls Flashpulp is presented by flashpulp.com And is released under the Canadian Creative Commons attribution non-commercial 2.5 license Text and audio commentaries can be sent to skier@skinner.fm or the voicemail line at 206-338-2792 But be aware that they may appear in a future flashcast We'd also like to thank the Freesound Project found at freesound.org For a full listing of effects used during the show As well as credits for the users who provided them Please check this episode's notes at flashpulp.com And thanks to you for listening If you enjoyed the show, please tell your friends ♪ ♪ Some day it blew me in my hours of stumbling ♪ Here is the shadows I lived with our lumberland ♪ (upbeat music) (dramatic music)