The Library
An index of fiction for paid subscribers
An index of fiction available exclusively to paid subscribers on The Second Sentence
Short Stories
Death on the Rails
I dragged awake in the dark with the feeling that there had been voices in my ears. I lay huddled down between the grain sacks and listened rigidly to the rocking and clattering of the boxcar wheels beneath me. I was used to the noise and movement of a train now, and could sleep through it. But I had the feeling that something different, and close by, had woken me.
Delayed Deposit: Part I
“Well, how does it feel?” said Russ Murphy.
He looked over at his brother, on horseback beside him. Connor Murphy grinned back at him, and shook his head. “I don’t suppose it’ll sink in till we’ve had a few months out from under.”
Delayed Deposit: Part II
“I tell you I don’t know the combination,” said John Middleton through teeth set on edge with pain. “I’m just the teller. The president and cashier are the only ones with the combination, and they’re not here.”
A Perfect House For a Murder
The house was perfect. It was a large white three-storied mid-Victorian with a mansard roof, a smooth green lawn and big stately maples shading it. It had a semi-circular drive where a sleek black car would pull in after dark bringing an unexpected guest, its headlights sweeping in under the portico at the front door, and long French windows all around the ground floor where the murderer could get in by a loose catch.
The Outlaw's Wife: Part I
Dr. Andrew Goebel clucked to his bony brown mare and settled himself more comfortably on the buggy seat for the long day of driving ahead of him. Appreciatively he breathed in the morning air, damp and fresh from last night’s rain, and squinted at the sunlight filtering through the new green leaves on the trees lining the road.
The Outlaw's Wife: Part II
The green tips of new growth at the ends of the branches arching over the road had spread into feathery, still-tender sprays of young leaves tossing on a warmer breeze. The afternoon was quiet aside from the sound of singing birds, and the sound of buggy wheels carried clearly to Delaney’s ears as he turned his horse out onto the main road.
The President Comes to Stay
Hugh explained it afterwards by saying that, failing access to castles and dungeons, really the best place to hide a president is in plain sight.
A Public-Spirited Citizen
Margaret stopped before launching down the human waterfall of the stairs to the subway to adjust her armful of three books, two brown-paper parcels and her purse. She knew she was going to drop it all at some point, but she would rather not have it happen halfway down the crowded steps.
Serials
Bridge to Trouble: Table of Contents
Bridge to Trouble is a completed serialization of a published novella, a historical romantic-suspense set in 1920s Montana. The first two chapters are available to read free, and the rest behind a paywall. (The complete book can also be purchased at any time