by Barry Ergang
I grabbed the ashtray off the nightstand and smashed it against his temple. Howling, he toppled off the bed to his knees.
“You bitch,” he moaned.
“Don’t you mean son-of-a-bitch?” I said in the lower register I affect at Danforth.
Whether realization of my identity penetrated his pain and disorientation, I could not determine. I did not take time to gloat. He was much taller and stronger than I; if I had to struggle with him I would surely lose the fight. I struck again with the ashtray, this time at the back of his skull, and he fell forward to the floor, still moaning.
I strangled him, appropriately, with my brassiere.
I dressed calmly, wiped surfaces and items I had touched after removing my gloves, ascertained I had left nothing behind to incriminate myself, and departed.
Mother would not have understood her pragmatic daughter Erica. But perhaps Claymore, of all people, would have. It was he, after all, who had said, “A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.”
Sometimes, so does a woman.
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About the Author
Former Managing Editor of Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine and First Senior Editor at Mysterical-E, Barry Ergang’s fiction, poetry and non-fiction have appeared in numerous publications, print and electronic. He was the recipient of a Derringer Award from the Short Mystery Fiction Society for the best short mystery story of 2006 in the Flash Fiction category. His website address is http://writetrack.yolasite.com/
Discover other titles by Barry Ergang at Smashwords.com:
The Play of Light and Shadow & Writing “The Play of Light and Shadow”
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/24377
Stuffed Shirt
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/24385
Slow and Quiet, Drift Away
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/23417
PUN-ishing Tales: The Stuff That Groans Are Made On
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/24380
A FLASH OF FEAR: Six Very Short Stories
(http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/22337)