EQMM, March-April 2010 by Dell Magazine Authors

Author:Dell Magazine Authors
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dell Magazines

Fiction: DEATH BY MISADVENTURE by John Buchanan

In 1964 EQMM published John Buchanan's story “Direct Hit,” which was subsequently chosen for inclusion in the Mystery Writers of America anthology for that year, as was another of the author's stories, “The Journeymen,” in 1965. He then turned his attention to nonfiction works on the Revolutionary War and Andrew Jackson. He has finally gotten back to fiction and we're very pleased that he chose to kick off this new phase with a short story for EQMM.

Her mother's looks and my brains, Jake thought, as he watched his sixteen-year-old daughter Kate wave goodbye before getting into the day-camp van that would take her and her sister Mimi, who was ten and nicknamed Ditto, upstate on a special Saturday outing to Bash Bish Falls. Kate was still a bit gawky, but the promise of becoming a long-legged beauty like her mother was definitely there, and she already had that sweet sweep of neck that had first attracted Jake to Lucy, who stood beside him as they waved to their girls.

"Watch out for Mimi,” Lucy called.

The door closed and the van pulled away from the house and down the circular driveway. Jake and Lucy waved again just before it drove out of sight on the winding, wooded, suburban road. People often remarked on what an attractive contrast they made. Jake lean, dark-eyed, and craggy; Lucy fair, blond, blue-eyed.

Jake looked at his wife and said, “Why don't you come with me."

Annoyance crossed Lucy's face, and she turned away and walked toward the house. “I told you, Jake, there are things to do around the house, and the garden needs weeding."

Jake followed her. “C'mon, Lucy, this tour promises to be—"

She stopped and spun around, blue eyes icy as she snapped at him. “I said no. I've been on the go all week. I don't feel like tramping around the woods all day."

He held up his hands in mock surrender. “Okay, okay. You don't have to take my head off. Is it so terrible that I love having you with me?"

Her features softened. “I'm sorry, Jake. I didn't mean to snap. It's just that I'm a bit tired and I'd like to stay home."

He smiled. “Okay, honey, I understand. Look, how about if I pick up a pizza on the way back? The girls would love that."

"They'll love even better what I've made,” Lucy said, as she turned and continued on to the house.

"What?"

"Lapin a la moutarde."

On their honeymoon, crisscrossing France in an old Citroen, they had lingered in Lyons to sample its bistros, and for the first time Jake had eaten rabbit in mustard sauce. Lucy had charmed the chef-owner with her looks and Middlebury French and he'd given her the recipe.

"Great. When did you make it?"

"Yesterday, while you were in the city telling all those boring Wall Street types what they should already know in the first place."

"That designer dress you wore to the Costume Institute shindig this year was paid for by boring Wall Street types willing to fork out my hefty fees.

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