THREE EXCERPTS FROM "CROSS THREADED"

Excerpt One, Cross Threaded

Maddie had a whirlwind first day. Mary Gage was efficient although a bit on the cool side.  She gave Maddie a tour of each court, introducing her to that courts assistant. She met several of the judges. Judge Carl McCarthy, Criminal Court, shook her hand while looking at her tits. She envisioned kneeing him in the groin while she starred straight at his eye sockets. She knew the type and was looking forward to digging into his past and present.

Mary caught the violation.

Further down the hall Mary said, “He’s harmless.”

Maddie said “Oh?” and let it go, but thought to herself, “Ya, right!”

The Juvenile Court judge, Peter Peck was around fifty years old, older than McCarthy, by around ten years.  He shook her hand as if his was made of cold, oiled linguini. His light blue, almost albino eyes stared blankly at Mary as she tried to explain who Maddie was and why she was giving her the tour.

 He wasn’t giving Mary his full attention because his eyes were drawn to a young boy leaving his court room. He made a quick skittish head nod at Maddie.

Mary quickly diverted Maddie’s attention to discussion of processing paperwork from each court.

Further down the hall family court was just adjourning.  Curt and Tony were standing outside the doors when Judge Violet bumped into them, spilling her papers which Tony briskly grabbed up, trying to catch any useful information while rearranging them to pass back to her. She curtly said “thank you,” and grabbed the papers out of his hand appearing aggravated as she came toward Mary and Maddie.  She passed by ignoring them both.

“You can meet her later,” said Mary. “She has had some hostility issues lately.”

“That’s fine with me,” Maddie said as the stench of perfume wafted in the breeze the old woman created.

Excerpt Two, Cross Threaded

Maddie decided to check out Mary’s property tax file. She found nothing. She went online to property tax files for neighboring counties. In Clover County she found Mary’s taxes on buildings to be fairly high and appraisal value was 2.5 million. The land value was more staggering. For a 500 acre parcel Mary was accessed for value at $1,000,000. One might think she and Rusty were looking at real estate development as a career change.

She checked the county records under Rusty’s name in the township his cabin was in and found the property was owned by Detritus Development Corporation; Rusty Naylor and Marlene Christa, president and vice president. She recognized the name ‘Christa’. Though she had yet to meet her she had seen her passing by in the hall. Marlene was with the public defender’s office.

Maddie thought it odd that someone would name a company after decomposing matter.

Excerpt Three, Cross Threaded

Peter Peck had been a pale, scrawny child. 

His mother was a workaholic and his dad was his caretaker and very protective of Peter. 

One night in the late fall when the roads were wet and temperature had dropped to below freezing his mom’s car was broadsided by a fish truck. Peter’s dad grabbed him up and put him in his car seat. Peter was eight years old but his dad insisted he sit in a car seat if he was going to ride up front.

They went to the crash site where his dad was informed the ambulance had taken his wife to the hospital. There were dead fish all over the road. His father opened the door of the car and vomited.

Peter never ate fish again.

His mom had died while in route to the hospital.  She left Peter and his dad very well off.  Peter’s college funds were totally taken care of.

When Peter was ten years old his father remarried. The woman was a buxom, controlling, overbearing, troll, in Peter’s eye, sweet as pie to his father though.

Peter developed an intense desire to torture the woman he now called ‘mother dear’.

The final straw for his dad was when Peter put cayenne pepper in the talcum powder she used under her breasts and in her crotch area.

His father sent him off to boarding school where he thrived.