Ghost Mortem (Bordertown Chronicle Book 1)
Page 32
“Of course I knew,” she said with a warm smile. “I'd know his distinct gait anywhere.”
“Right,” I said. “You and your gait recognition. Wait. Does dad even walk anymore?”
Vikki just laughed in lieu of a reply.
Man, is she cute!
All I could do was smile at her in admiration.
“What?” she said.
“Thank you, Vikki.”
“For what?” she said. “I didn't do anything.”
“Sure you did,” I said.
Thank you for being here. Thank you for being you. Thank you for making every day just that much brighter.
I couldn't say any of this of course. Not without thoroughly embarrassing at least one of us. Probably both of us. So I just smiled at her, and then looked out at the town we'd just saved. Our town.
Together, we gazed out into the mid-day hustle and bustle of Bordertown. Just down the street, a small group of werewolves played Frisbee in the parking lot of the Grim Morton's. The ghost boys outside the Heaven-Eleven were back out. They appeared to be heckling a young mother as she walked by with her baby. The mother smiled and shook her head as she walked by. Nearby, Ashley Pyle puffed away on a cigarette, and urged the boys to 'show the lady a little respect'. The sun was shining. It seemed like quite the moment.
Then a pair of pixies flew past Vikki and me, giggled, and left a trail of pixie dust, which seemed to propel them by shooting from their anuses, with dainty little farts. And the moment was gone.
“Tee-hee!” said one of the pixies as they flew past. “Wheee!”
Vikki and I burst into uncontrollable laughter.
Once we’d regained our composure, Vikki descended the courthouse steps toward her police cruiser.
As I stared after her, I realized something.
“I love it here,” I said to myself.
I reached into my pocket, took out a Marlboro Light, placed it between my lips, and fished around in my pockets for my Zippo.
Before I could light up, a giant, furry blur whirred past my face. Suddenly, my cigarette was gone.
I looked up at the source of the theft. As I predicted, it was the tanuki. His balls spun above him like the propeller of a helicopter.
The tanuki flew away with my cigarette in one hand. He blew the raspberry at me, pulling out his cheeks with both hands.
I shook my head and smiled. “I forgive you this time.”
Vikki called up the steps to me from the squad car.
“You coming, partner?”
I smiled back at her in answer, and followed her down the steps. We got into the cruiser, turned on the police radio and waited for the ten-one-eighties, the ten-two-twenty-twos, and whatever else the day might throw at us.
It wasn’t long before we got one either.
“We’ve got a ten-three-oh-three situation at Abaddon Hill Public School. Request immediate dispatch. Over.”
Vikki palmed her walkie.
“Dispatch, this is Deputy Valliant. We’re about two minutes away. Proceeding to investigate. Over.”
“What’s a ten-three-oh-three?” I asked.
“Oh, Gavin,” Vikki sighed. “You really need to learn your police codes.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know,” I said. “I'll get on it tomorrow. I swear.”
Vikki smiled slightly, rolled her glimmering, heterochromatic eyes, shook her head, and stepped on the gas.
Then we were off. Off to respond to a ten-three-oh-three. Whatever that is.
And that about wraps it up, really. For now, anyway. I'm just living my life here, one day at a time. I want to do my best to help Vikki keep the town safe, one monster at a time. Safe from the real monsters, I mean. I realize the term 'monster' has two meanings here in Bordertown. It's not exactly a politically correct term, either. But I think you get my point. Like Doc said, just because a trauma made you into a monster, it doesn't mean you have to act like one. I think, given time, you can make that trauma your strength. You don't have to let it consume you. You can let it give you better insight, and greater empathy for those around you. That's what I love about the community here. They really seem to get that. I think that's a Bordertown worth protecting at any cost. Don't you?
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About the Author
Gavin Masters is a Canadian actor and writer with a passion for crime fiction, the paranormal, and comedy. He lives in the frigid wastelands of Canada with his lovely partner-in-crime, Michelle.
About this Book
Back in 2014, my sister and I brainstormed an idea for a town filled with silly monsters, where our alter-egos could live, and where strange things happen. Not much became of this beyond the brainstorming phase; she kept hounding me for a script she could turn into a comic, and I kept procrastinating. I guess the format for writing comic scripts didn't come naturally to me.
In 2015, I wanted to enter the 3-Day Novel Contest. I decided to kill two birds with one stone and write a book about Bordertown. The 3-Day Novel Contest, true to its name, forced me to hammer out a draft of this novel in 3 days. (Really 2 days, when you consider I basically spent the whole 3rd day editing.) The result was a 40,000-word story called Bordertown.
In 2016, I was awarded 2nd place for the novel. I took this as a good sign. I decided to expand it into a full-length novel. By the fall of 2017, it had become the 97,000-word story contained herein, entitled Ghost Mortem.
The plan was always, ultimately, to turn Bordertown into a series. The eponymous Bordertown is a haven for monsters, who are hunted in the outside world. The series centers around Gavin Masters, a ‘mostly human’ journalist for the Bordertown Chronicle who goes on ridealongs with the B.T.P.D. It also features his younger, one-armed, brainiac, Goth sister Raven, the wily, jack-of-all-trades, Yiddish inventor 'Doc' Braunstein, and the determined, talented and lovely young Deputy Vikki Valliant. While many characters have series arcs, each novel is meant to function as a standalone.
For news about the upcoming sequels, visit BordertownChronicle.com, or stay up-to-date by joining my mailing list.