Part 1 of 1
Read the full text, as well as the show notes, at http://flashpulp.com
Tonight, Mulligan finds himself chatting with a golf club carrying killer.
The Skinner Co. Network
FP267 - Mulligan Smith in Use, Part 1 of 1
[music] Some days, gloomy my hours are slumberless Dearest the shadows I live with by nonetheless Little white flowers will never awaken you Not where the bright culture's all I'm taking you Angels have no fire of ever returning you Or they'll be angry if I so don't join in you Ooooh, Sunday [music] Welcome to Flashpulp, episode 267 This evening we present Malagan Smith in use Part 1 of 1 This week's episodes are brought to you by Haywire by Justin McCumber When the aliens known as the Hesrin invaded our solar system we were defenseless against them But from the mind of a maginius came our salvation The Titans, super soldiers encased in nanotech armor With the strength to tear starships in half They not only repelled the alien invaders But vowed to chase them across the galaxy Until the Hesrin were destroyed That was a hundred years ago Now, finally, the Titans have returned But they've been infected by a virus that's driven them insane Compelling them to destroy everything they'd fought so long and hard to protect Haywire is a science fiction novel written by Justin R. McCumber and published by Griffin Woodpress It's available in print and ebook formats from Amazon Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, and the iBook store To learn more, go to Justin McCumber.com [music] Flashpulp is an experiment in broadcasting Freshpulp stories in the modern age 3 to 10 minutes of fiction Brought to you Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings Tonight, Maligan finds himself chatting With a golf club carrying killer Maligan Smith in "Use" Part 1 of 1 Written by J.R.D. Skinner Art and narration by Opoponax An audio produced by Jessica May [music] Despite the July heat, Maligan Smith was still wearing his black hoodie As he sat beneath a broad-limbed elm and sipped at his coke, Slurpee The grass was thick and the sun was bright It was rare for the private investigator who spent so much of his time Wandering capital cities concrete to encounter such a plush expanse of green And Maligan was fighting the urge to take off his shoes If he hadn't had an appointment, he knew he likely would have Finally, his thoughts were invaded by the sudden landing of what looked to be a white egg Some 15 feet from his freedom yearning toes A few moments later, a woman appeared to claim the ball "Sure beats a public park, though," Smith replied to the surprise newcomers peaked eyebrow She was 44, with hair kept blonde by salon dies and a stomach kept flat by her time walking the course Beneath her white visor, which matched her ivory shorts, she wore thin-rimmed sunglasses "It's the privacy that makes it nice," the detective continued "What's the point of spending the effort in maintaining this pristine beauty, if so few get chance to use it?" The dark lenses made it tough to judge her reactions, but Maligan suspected she had an experienced poker face, even under the best of conditions "What are you doing here?" she asked "Waiting for you, Carol," replied Smith "Waiting for me in the rough at the fourth hole's dog leg?" As she spoke, she retrieved a club from her bag Her motions were calm, but then she had a weapon in her grip "Yes," said Maligan. "On Sunday, it takes you about 20 minutes to get from the office to here, and another 10 to hit the T "A little slow today, but I guess it's because you don't have to rest your boss heartily, now that you've killed him" "It was an accident, though, right?" "Anyhow, you've also have a terrible tendency to overpower your first stroke on this hole, so I figured this would be a nice place to meet for a quiet chat" "Name's Maligan, Smith, by the way" "How do you know all of this?" asked the golfer "She held off on her swing, but it was the only sign that he'd phased her" "Smith resolved to try harder" "I'm a PI," replied Maligan. "I spent most of last June following you from green to green" "Why?" "Your husband thought you were having an affair" "The woman snorted, then, with a near perfect roll of her shoulders, sent the ball high in the air" "It landed squarely on the fairway" "Nicely done," said Smith. "Of course, I discovered you were doing exactly what you said you were" "Getting heartly a mild bit of competition on the links while schmoozing" "In hopes of winning a promotion back the shop" "But the practice wasn't getting you anywhere, though, was it?" "Well, that is, not until it's funeral that September" Carol's motions were deliberate as she returned the fire-biring back to its wheeled bag "You can guess not, otherwise I'd be on the green" "It's been an interesting chat, but it's time for me to go" "From beyond her retreating shoulder," she added "If you follow me, I'll call security, expect a restraining order shortly" "I've got video," replied Maligan. She stopped and turned. "Video?" "Yeah, if you mean slices, and if you poorly timed hits the long ball, I'll aim to generally get your boss's noggin" "From over the rim of her glasses," Carol squinted. "Oh, I get it now. Blackmail." "Well, tough luck, pal. It was an accident. It wasn't me that killed heartly. It was his popping cyst, which I didn't know about." That's not what Craig says. He seems to recall you mentioning it repeatedly over the years. He remembers it especially because you don't often have the chance for conversation. Tough to prove a case like that, maybe, but between the recordings and your hubby's word, I think we can probably prod a sympathetic member of the local constabulary in action. I hear Ms. Hartley is getting married again. It might give her some comfort. Craig? But why? I don't know to hear him tell it. He's been pretty patient with your years of ass kissing, but even after cutting your green time down to just Sundays, once he'd learned that the extended work hours your promotion was going to mean, he realized your promise of having more time for him would never happen. I've been to your place, you know. It reminds me of this golf course in some ways. Shame to build such a beautiful thing without getting any use out of it. My client's ready to move on. He wants a divorce. He also wants the house and the Prius. Most of all, though, he doesn't want any arguments or lengthy legal proceedings. He knows how competitive you can get. Behind the tint of her glasses, Carol considered the proposition. At the hole's tee, the trio of frat boys had gathered. Their shaded eyes and exchanged shrugs had not yet worked them up to shouting something at the interfering loiterers, but Smith could tell, even at that distance, that it wouldn't be long. On Mulligan's left, the sound of sprinklers drifted up from the depths of a small ravine. "You know," said Carol, "I hate golf." The problem is that I got a reputation as a solid flair. And though it didn't help me with Hartley, it sure opened a few client's doors. Fine, tell Craig, tell him I'm sorry, and he can have all of it. Clearing his throat, Smith replied, "The courier of the paperwork to your office on Monday." She nodded, then leaving her ball where it lay. She walked from the course and towards the parking lot. Once she was gone, the detective stood and wiped the clean clippings of greenery from his jeans. In reality, although he had truly witnessed the near misses, Mulligan had no video. After a week and a half of observation, he'd been entirely confident of her marital integrity. And so, as he wasn't particularly a fan of amateur sports, he'd dumped the video to free up space for future-paying endeavors. Even if he'd kept it, however, he knew it was an aggrieved husband's word against his wife's, and unlikely to gain much traction in court. It seemed like poor justice, but he hoped that Hartley's widow might find some happiness. Now the way had been cleared for her impending marriage to Craig. Perhaps it was nothing more than their mutual sense of abandonment that had held them together since their meeting in a company function. But at least she'd get to spend some of Carol's money. With a shrug, Mulligan headed for his to herself. [MUSIC] [SINGING] [SINGING] [SINGING] (sighs) (keyboard clicking)