A Twist Of Noir 493 - The Wife, The Mother, The Bird: Three From Jim Harrington

THE LAST PARTY - JIM HARRINGTON

Originally appeared at Flashshot

Rachel hovered over Francisco, his head resting on the carpet. He’d promised to cease his garish lifestyle after they’d wed. She’d arrived home a day early—before he’d finished cleaning up from the party. Now the blood puddle, his head, and the sangria stain formed a perfect Venn Diagram. Rachel skipped the eulogy and left.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY - JIM HARRINGTON

Disguised as an old woman, a shawl protecting her from the wind, Patrice marched along the highway towards Orchard Street, her capacious mind a reservoir of vitriol and bile. Just like her father had, Patrice’s husband was cheating. Unlike her mother, or perhaps in honor of her mother, Patrice planned to exact revenge for both.

IT WASN’T THE BUTLER THIS TIME - JIM HARRINGTON

Originally appeared at Flashshot

A savvy-looking macaw wearing an orange beret welcomed me to the aviary. I surveyed the body lying before me, applied my detective’s training, and determined it to be female, dead, and once upon a time gorgeous. A vintage derringer lay next to her right arm. Pecan shells spotted the stone floor near her bare feet. I looked at the macaw. He turned away. You’re under arrest, I told the bird. For what? he asked. I removed the plastic ties from my pocket to secure his beak and talons and answered. Macmurder.

BIO: Jim discovered flash fiction in 2007, and he’s read, written, studied, and agonized over the form since. His Six Questions For... blog provides editors and publishers a place to “tell it like it is.” In his spare time, he serves as the flash fiction editor for Apollo’s Lyre.