Well, it's time for the wrap-up on that little adventure... Chapter 16: The Only Thing He Has To Fear… "How did you find me?" Verne and I were comfortably seated in his study. He smiled slightly. "I have always known roughly where Carmichael lived, just as he always knew where I lived. Once I arrived in the general area, it was simple to sense your presence and follow it." "Thanks." "No need to thank me, Jason. It was my fault entirely that you were involved. I should have realized that once he [ Continue reading... ]
Paradigms Lost: Chapter 15
July 9, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Jason had found himself in something of a pickle, because drug barons don't like the word "no"... Chapter 15: Enter Freely and Of Your Own Will "Ten o'clock," Carmichael said. "Jeez, will you look at that stuff come down!" Even as worried as I was, I had to admit it was an impressive storm. Gusts of gale-force winds battered the house, blue-white lightning shattered the night, torrents of rain came down so heavily that they obscured our sight of the front gate, even with all the lights of the [ Continue reading... ]
Paradigms Lost: Chapter 14
July 9, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Jason had found a potential client for his client... Chapter 14: A Sudden Trip Downstate I opened the trunk and helped Sky get out his portfolio. Innocent that I was, I thought a "portfolio" would be a notebook-sized collection of pictures—reproductions, etc. Artists, of course, do not do things that way. Reproductions are often used, but they're done as near as possible to full size as can be managed, and Sky had a lot of samples. He was trying to show a number of things about his work (most of which I [ Continue reading... ]
Paradigms Lost: Chapter 11
June 25, 2014 By Leave a Comment
So Jason was now consulting for a vampire... Chapter 11: Personal History "All right," I said, "you can meet people in the daytime if necessary. Just not a good thing to do often. That's great—there are a lot of things, like signing papers, getting permits, and so on, that are close to impossible to manage if you can't get the principal to make himself available when other people are." I was going over the notes I'd gotten that night, while Verne answered my questions and read the work-for-hire agreement. "Yes, I [ Continue reading... ]
Paradigms Lost: Chapter 10
June 23, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Jason had accepted an invitation to visit a metabolically-challenged client... Chapter 10: Career Counseling It was, at least, somewhat more comforting to be pulling into the huge, curving driveway in my own car under my own control. My prior visit had been rather informal, ending with my being shoved into Verne's parlor while still in my pajamas. So this time I was not only here by choice, but I was also better dressed. The door opened as I reached the landing, and I saw the impeccably elegant butler/majordomo I [ Continue reading... ]
Paradigms Lost: Chapter 9
June 18, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Leaving aside the fact that we know something's *going* to be strange about Jason's new client, his life does seem to be going more normal... Chapter 9: Join Me for a Bite? It is an immutable law of nature in any business that just as you go to hang up the "Closed" sign, the phone will ring or a customer walk in. It gets to the point that you automatically hesitate for a few seconds before finally turning the lock and setting the security system, not because you've forgotten anything, but because you're giving the [ Continue reading... ]
Paradigms Lost: Chapter 7
June 11, 2014 By Leave a Comment
So, Jason had managed to keep from getting killed... Chapter 7: Unwrapped Wrap-Up "So what are the police going to do about this?" asked Sylvie. It was the next evening. I was lying on my bed with my left ankle's cast propped on a pillow. "I was lucky. It was Renee Reisman who got there first. Between us and the ME we faked up a story that should hold." "So what's the official line?" "Klein was running a sideline of drugs and protection and was going to set Domingo up to take the fall. The victims like Lewis [ Continue reading... ]
Paradigms Lost: Chapters 4, 5, and 6!
June 9, 2014 By Leave a Comment
I'm posting these in a group to catch up to where I intended to be in the postings today. Snippets will be M-W-F until Baen releases the E-ARC. Chapter 4: Flirting and Clues Two hours later, I wasn't so sure. "Funny, Jason… that picture looks the same." "Oh, very funny, Syl." I stared at the screen, willing a faint outline to appear. "Sorry, Jason. But this is not exactly the most exciting date I've ever been on." "I'd have thought last night would have been all the excitement you could handle. Besides, we are not [ Continue reading... ]
What You’re Saying