37 Comments
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M.E. Proctor's avatar

I was curious to see how you resolved it :) - well done!

Scott MacLeod's avatar

Thank you I had to find a way to weasel out of it lol

Sharron Bassano's avatar

And then the locksmith billed $150 for two minutes work. Fifty dollars for the house call, and a hundred dollars for knowing where to push? I love this story. Sorry that Thormsgard missed his big chance to prove himself.

Scott MacLeod's avatar

Thx, hey Gary needs money to pay for those first editions he likes.

Sharron Bassano's avatar

Got it!

EJ Trask's avatar

the corpse on the zoom call was diabolically good! the flagels!

Scott MacLeod's avatar

Thanks. Gotta watch those carbs!

Jim J Wilsky's avatar

Great job with this one Scott. - Jim

Jeannine Lawall's avatar

"More O. Henry than Poe." Awesome line! Great story, too, even if it didn't turn out to be a "locked room murder" after all.

Scott MacLeod's avatar

Ha yes thank you I did cheat a little bit😊

Jeannine Lawall's avatar

It's worth a little cheating to see the elderly locksmith score points on the detective. 😎

Tracie Adams's avatar

Great story! 😋

Scott MacLeod's avatar

Thank you Tracie!

Christopher Sworen's avatar

I loved the slick mix of terror and humor. The corpse on a Zoom call, the sucked-in belly. As always, a very good story, Scott!

Scott MacLeod's avatar

Thx for the support as always and keep up your own good work!

Keith Long's avatar

Very nice

Gaby Jai-Devi Brogan's avatar

This is such gripping and entertaining writing. Fantastic work! I'll be back to read more for sure.

Scott MacLeod's avatar

Very kind, thank you Gaby and thx for reading!

Chris J. Franklin's avatar

That's a fantastic piece of Flash Fiction, with a fun resolution. Very nicely done... 😎👍

Scott MacLeod's avatar

Thx my friend, I’m always trying for a Chris Franklin-worthy twist!

Chris J. Franklin's avatar

Haha! It's always fun trying to sneak in a twist, if possible. And you've definitely been coming up with some great ones! 😎👍

Mkwawa shujaa (M)'s avatar

This was masterclass in subverting expectations. And also a life lesson since many of our problems involve pushing the door rather than over thinking. Thank you for sharing.

Parker McCoy's avatar

That was easily more O. Henry than Poe. Haha. I love how the locksmith said he'd send him the bill. And really the idea of a guy popping up on a zoom call having just been murdered really broke open my imagination. Incredible work as always, Scott. Never stop writing.

Scott MacLeod's avatar

Thx and thx for reading, Parker!

Gary Mays's avatar

Very good story Scott, you have a great mind and imagination, such mysteries!! 😉

Scott MacLeod's avatar

Thank you. And thx for reading!!

K.C. Knouse's avatar

Smart locksmith. A service tech where I used to work always checked to see if the machine was plugged in when he first arrived for a service call. Many times that solved the problem. Just like the locksmith, he billed for the service call. I got a kick out of the detective's envy of the old locksmith's trim physique.

Scott MacLeod's avatar

How many electricians have fixed things by flipping the wall switch on!

K.C. Knouse's avatar

Or by resetting a breaker.

Kathleen Hobbs's avatar

Excellent, don't judge a book by its cover.

Gaby Jai-Devi Brogan's avatar

This is such gripping and entertaining writing. Fantastic work! I'll be back to read more for sure.