Narrowing the Field

I have another story up on the excellent e-zine Mysterical-E. It's called Narrowing the Field, and it's about a case of island paranoia that escalates quickly.

Here's the opening:

The conversation I overheard went something like this:

My wife: “No, I can’t meet you tomorrow.  It won’t work.”

The man on the other end said something I could not hear.  Three second’s worth.

My wife again: “I’m sorry but it’s impossible.  I know what he’d say, I don’t even need to ask him.”

There is another pause.  Longer this time.

“Look, I need to go.  Can we talk about this tomorrow?”

He must have agreed because they said goodbye and she hung up the phone. I heard all this as I was taking my winter coat off and hanging it on the rack by the front door. Bridget was in the den, a small room toward the front of the house.  My desk is there, plus several bookshelves, and my collection of illuminated globes.

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