Tuesday Tales: From the Word QUAINT

Welcome to this week’s Tuesday Tales and the official start of summer. I know I’ve whined about the snow, the rain, and the cold, and swore not to complain about the heat when we got it, but seriously, there’s heat and there’s going under the roiler. We are in for a heat dome for the next three day. It started yesterday, but today, the mercurt will hit 34C, but with the humidex, it’ll feel like 46C, 0r 114.8 F! I can’t remember it ever getting that hot! Good day for asthmatics to stay inside and read! This week’s word is QUAINT. I’m a few words over but I hope you’ll indulge me. I’m continuing with And Justice for All, my romance/suspense.

Harry stepped back. She’d done it. After months of searching, Lacey had found the killers once more.

His gaze fixed on the detested logo, the one that had haunted his dreams for months.

“This is incredible. I’m going to put your name in for a commendation.”

She looked up at him, her eyes filled with misery. “Harry, there’s more.”

What the hell more could there be?

Lacey clicked another link. His eyes threatened to bulge out of his head. The screen displayed a series of fourteen photographs, similar to what police officers used for photo lineups with witnesses. Eleven of those pictures were seared into his mind. The nine officers who’d been assassinated had DECEASED under their photo. While Patricia Holmes and Mikela Santiago weren’t there, Maggie was as well as Peter Malloy, the officer he’d been replacing the day he’d been shot and two who were strangers to him but wore the familiar OPP uniforms. The words PENDING CONFIRMATION appeared under the four pictures. If he needed proof that Maggie was still a target, he’d found it. He moved closer to the screen once more. Why wasn’t his picture there?

Given his position, he would’ve expected it to be there since his appointment to lead the task force had been reported by all of the major news networks as part of the Making Canada’s Border More Secure Initiative. Along with the Border Czar, a quaint name for the newly created government position for a man who was supposed to be responsible for all of border security, the article had focused on the task force, the deployment of more drones and helicopter patrols, the hiring of more than a thousand new RCMP officers over the next few years, and the expanded powers given to the CBSA enabling them to search vehicles exiting as well as coming into Canada. So who were the unknown officers?

His scowled deepened. Why weren’t this morning’s dead officers there? Was it possible that their deaths weren’t part of the FFA’s crusade? That they were personal as Maggie suspected? If so, how did the FFA and its successful demonstration fit into this? Either way, these crackpots had to be stopped before the PENDING under Maggie’s name became DECEASED. He turned to Lacey.

Don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales. See you next week!