Wordzzle #14

This Week's Ten Word Challenge will be: flamingo, monster trucks, Darth Vader, cucumbers, sugar-free, banking, determinate, thurible, sarcasm, drums

Mini Challenge: procrastinate, memory lane, alley cat, argument, Florida

Go by Raven's Nest to read the rest of the stories.

"The Alley Cat Murders"

Sgt Johnson looked down at the plastic pink flamingo by the front walk. It looked out of place standing so stately and upright within the tumble of toy monster trucks, Darth Vader masks (complete with light saber) and various children’s toys. He followed the adjoining side path to the small garden patch replete with ripe cucumbers and melons.

As he stepped through the back porch door into the tiny addition that served as a store room, he noticed the upended case of sugar-free cola from the local discount store. Johnson was banking on finding more evidence here at the victim’s home than what he had worked with on the Heller case; the determinate factor on that investigation having been Heller’s political leanings and off beat personality. Who would have thought she’d had become a thurible to the anti-war effort. Her untimely death at the hands of a neo-fascist gang, the sarcasm with which the news of her death had been met and her body found stuffed in the band’s drums were just part and parcel of the bizarre elements in her disappearance.

Sgt Johnson was glad to be back from the north. Once home he’d had little time to procrastinate or take a trip down memory lane. Instead, he’d been reassigned immediately to the “alley cat” murders” and he had left without argument for Florida the next day after returning home.

When the evidence led local police to believe they had an interstate serial kidnapper and killer on their hands he was called in. Of course it had helped that the latest victim was a very well known and high profile individual.

He walked down the central hallway, exited at the front door and started looking at the crime scene for the second of what would be many times. He took a picture of the yard flamingo and wondered. What was wrong with this picture?

RT