TUESDAY TALES - WORD PROMPT "GRAPES" #suspense #tuesdaytales #romance #shortstory

Welcome! We have another episode of "The Chase" this week. Sorry about the cliffhangers. Scroll down to Tuesday Tales. Thanks for coming!

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Rennie got up and made her way to the kitchen, waving the letter as she walked.

“What? What? Where are you going?” Tim jumped up and followed her.

“Food. I need food.” She put the letter down on the counter and pulled out a plate barely holding a mound of cheese slices and a tangle of grapes. She broke off two grapes and stuffed them in her mouth. Tim reached for the paper. Rennie shoved the plate in his hand instead. Plucking the letter up, she pointing to the couch.

“Okay, okay.” He followed her out. When they were ensconced on the plush sofa, he spoke.

“Comfortable?”

“Yep.”

“Good. The letter?”

“Oh, yeah. You want me to read it, right? Out loud?”

He grabbed a slice of cheese. “Yes.”

“Okay.”

Tim leaned forward as she read.

“Dear Gwen,

You were right. I should have asked you to come with me. I’m asking now. Yes, and proposing. Come to London. I’m leaving on the QE2 on December 30. I’ve made arrangements for the captain to marry us.

I love you totally. I was stupid, a real jerk. Can you forgive me? Meet me at Pier 90 on West 54^th Street. We’re boarding at noon. Sail away with me. We’ll have that adventure you always talk about. And we’ll be married, so you parents can’t object.

Please, sweetheart. I love you. If you don’t show, I’ll have my answer. There are no second chances. I’m sailing one way or the other. So please, be there, come with me, and be my forever love.

                                                                                         All my love,

                                                                                         Bill

“Oh, shit.” Tim he fell back against the cushions.

“Ten days.” Rennie’s gaze met his. “We have ten days to find her.”

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TUESDAY TALES - WORD PROMPT "SURFACE" #shortstory #tuesdaytales #suspense

Welcome! We have another episode of "The Chase" this week. And the star is still that mysterious letter. Scroll down to go back to Tuesday Tales. Thank you for coming. 

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Tim stared at her. “What? Open it? Didn’t you just say something about stealing mail is a crime?”

“Yeah, yeah. But this is different. She’s moved out. She’ll never get this letter. We need to see if it’s important enough to forward.”

“Do you have a forwarding address?”

“No, but well. We don’t even know if we need one.”

“I’m sure it’s personal.”

“What if it’s some acquaintance she made on Fire Island, say, three years ago and he’s sending her a flyer for his new, his new,” she trained her gaze on the ceiling and bit her lip. “new dog walking service.”

“And if it is?”

“We chuck it. No worries.”

“And if it isn’t?”

“Let’s take a look first.

Rennie ran her finger over the surface of the envelope. “Hmm. Dust.” She examined the front. “Postmark says it was posted in New York, like four days ago.”

“So it’s been sitting there? You’re sure she’s moved out? I have the keys, we could go in and check.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Before we steal her mail, we might check on her apartment. Just to be completely sure she’s gone.”

“Okay. Good idea.”

Rennie grabbed her keys and padded across the hall. Tim knocked and waited a few minutes before shoving a silver key into the deadbolt lock. He twisted it and opened the door.

“Ladies first.”

“Scared?” She narrowed her eyes at him before passing through. She stopped in the center of the small living room and cast her gaze around the room, turning to take in every bit. Dust had accumulated on the floor and plastic coffee table. A lone chair accompanied an empty bookcase, with dust-coated shelves.

A small, dirty area rug sat where she imagined a couch used to be. A floor lamp with a white pleated shade that had seen better days stood in one corner. Rennie approached it.

“She even took the bulb.”

“This is a dump. An empty dump.”

“I’d say she’d gone.”

They wandered into the bedroom. A chill shot up Rennie’s spine, making her shiver.

“Cold?”

She shook her head. “Gives me the creeps. Like something died in here.”

“She didn’t die, did she?”

“Not that I know.”

Tim slid the warped wooden closet door open, bringing a mess of empty wire hangers into view.

“Gone, I’d say.” He gestured around the room. “No bed.”

“That’s the clincher. No bed. No sofa. Gone.”

Back in her place, Rennie sat cross-legged on the floor by the fireplace. As she warmed her bones, she slapped the letter on her thigh a couple of times.

“So, we open it?” She raised her eyebrows and glanced at him.

“We open it.” Tim pulled out a pocketknife, slit the envelope, then handed it to her.

“From Bill Hilliard.” Rennie fanned herself with the letter. She slipped two fingers in and pulled out a single sheet of paper. “Here goes.”

Tim watched her eyes skim across the page. “Oh. Wow. Yeah. We needed to open this.”

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Welcome! This week is picture prompt week. I've chosen the fireplace. And, yes, this week I am confining my excerpt to only 300 words! I hope you enjoy this episode of "The Chase", for want of a better name. Thanks for stopping by. 

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Rennie peeked out of the doorway.

“Damn. Yeah. It’s a letter.” She shivered as cold draft from the street hit her. “Look, it’s freezing. You’re not a serial killer, are you?” She bit her lip and looked up into his amazing eyes.

He laughed. “Nope. Not  yet. But some days on the subway…”

“I know what you mean. Grab that letter. I’ve got a fire going. I’m going to change. Why don’t you come in and get warm?” She opened the door.

“That’s damn nice of you. I’m freezing my butt off out here.” He slid the letter out from under the door across the way and entered the apartment. “Oh, nice and warm in here.”

“I’ll be right back.”

Rennie disappeared through a door and firmly shut it behind her. Tim sat on the sofa, facing the small blaze. The heat on his face felt good. It was about twenty degrees outside and he was underdressed, as usual.

While he waited, he looked around the apartment. There weren’t many tchotchkes around. He nodded briefly. Gotta like a girl with an uncluttered place. The walls held beautiful artwork, some modern and some stunning landscapes. She had good taste.

“Well? Did you examine the envelope?” She perched on the sofa.

He shook his head.

“Whatcha been doin’?”

“Looking around. This is a beautiful apartment.”

“Thanks. A subtle blush added to her beauty. She tucked a lock of her unruly hair behind her ear. Her slim frame wore leggings and a huge shirt, like big enough to fit Shrek. Too bad. It hid her curves from his curious eyes.

“Give it here.” She took the letter, sniffed it, held it up to the light, then read the front. “Hand-written. Clearly this is personal.”

“Agreed.”

“That means we have to open it.”

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TUESDAY TALES - WORD PROMPT "ROUND" - MORE OF "THE CHASE"

Welcome! This week we have another episode of "The Chase", until I come up with a better name. Scroll down to return to Tuesday Tales and read the fine stories there. Thank you for stopping by. 

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“I’m looking for the woman who lives in apartment one-A. Do you know her?”

“No.”

“Really? She’s lived across the hall from you for two years. You don’t know her?”

Tim peered in the small open space. His view, obstructed by a chain, was of a woman with messy dark hair, a tissue held to her nose and gorgeous blue eyes, giving him the once-over. He cleared his throat.

“So? This is New York City. Neighbors don’t necessarily know each other. What do you want with her?”

 Encouraged she didn’t slam the door in his face, he continued. “Miss Morgan is supposed to have moved out. I’m the real estate agent for the building. Super doesn’t have a key, and I need to get in there.”

“Yeah, she left months ago.”

“There’s a letter shoved under her door.”

“How can you tell? Did you get down on your hands and knees to look under the door?”

“Half of it's sticking out.”

“And did you open it?”

“That’s a crime. Stealing mail. I just need to get in and assess the damage. Get the place painted and find a new tenant.”

“Look, Mr…what’s your name again?”

“Chadwick. Tim Chadwick.”

“Yeah. Mr. Chadwick. I don’t know her. Just saw her with a couple of huge suitcases a couple a months ago. I assumed she moved out.”

“If she did, why she’’s still getting mail here?”

“Mail? Got news for you. The mailman doesn’t shove mail under the door. He puts it in our mailboxes. Just a minute.”

The door closed. Tim heard the sound of a chain scraping across metal and a lock turning. Gently, the door opened. The messy woman wore a bulky, ancient, pink terrycloth robe, sashed at her waist that didn't completely hide the soft roundness of her curves. 

She’d discarded the tissue and applied some lipstick. She pulled and poked at her long hair half falling out of a ponytail. His heart skipped a beat. If a woman could look this good with almost no makeup in a ratty old robe, she’d probably be a beauty queen when cleaned up. 

“Where?”

“Where what?” Tim’s mind had gone blank, but his libido clicked into overdrive.

“The letter? The mail? Shoved under the door?”

“Oh. There.” He pointed, still staring at her.

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