RM Ahmose Fiction Writer

From story One

"Home Improvement"

   Amid   her   feeling   of  groggy   and   blissful tranquility,  Lucinda had tiny memory flashes of her  and  Craig’s  final  conscious  hour  on  the cruise  ship.  She  somehow  also  knew  in her semi-awake  state  that  it  was  he  occupying the   seat   beside  her,  sleeping   a  mercifully serene sleep, in spite of what had appeared his certain death. While vaguely she imagined that, given  the  strength,  she  would reach over and  clasp   his   hand,  she  was   comforted  by  a reassuring   sense   that   she   embraced  him spiritually.

   A  distance  away,  Mr. Mendel  was also re-clined, a  similar  halo-like  field  encasing  him  as    he    lay    atop   the   apparatus  that  so facilitated  his  almost indescribable comfort. If this be death, he thought groggily,  an  eternity of   it  would  be  far  from  the  worst  state  of existence he could image. Here and there, vivid  pictures took shape  in  his  mind—scenes and people   of  which  and  of  whom  he   had   no previous   knowledge.   Oddly,   they  appeared before     him     like     familiar     places    and occurrences and  like old friends. He wondered if,  in  this  dream  state,  he  could manipulate  formation of  the images and have them conjure scenes  from his childhood in Russia, from the 1930s and 1940s.

   To   the   opposite   side  of   the   Pomeroys, another duo  assuming  reclined  postures  was positioned side  by  side.  Their  identities: each a  member within  one  of  two vicious, and rival, street gangs. Well, at  least they had been. The two competing groups operated in a particularly depressed, inner city  community  within  Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Through the industry of gang-member   relatives   and   dubious  friends,  the youths   had  been  involuntarily  inducted   into those  lawless  urban  bands.  Making  matters  worse,  each  group  seemed  literally hell bent  on obliterating the other through violent means.  (pp.7-8)

From story Three

"Last Meeting at Frannies' "

   “Why  do  you  think  they avoided your foster parents?”

   “Honestly, I  think  they  only  like people who travel  in the shadows, so to speak…like we did back in those days. They don’t deal with people who operate ‘above’ ground…those  we  used to call…daylighters, you know what I mean?”

   “Sure.  Now,  according  to  your  last  report, they  started  relating  their criminal activities to you  as far back as late last year. I have to ask: Is there a reason  why  you  waited  until now to talk?  Were you sort of… protecting them? And if   so,  why  now  are  you  willing to turn these people in?”

   “Actually,  Miss   Mousse,  until   recently,  I wasn’t sure that what they were telling me was real.”

   There had been instances when the detective was  willing  to  give  Frances  the benefit of the doubt  concerning  the  actual  existence of her associates.  With that last statement, however,  came increased   unwillingness  to accept  the  story presented.

   “Okay,  let’s  move  on,” the detective stated, trying to conceal exasperation. “I think it’s time to start   laying   out   the   details   of   all  you can remember   about  the  criminal  activity  of these contacts  of  yours.  Now, take your time. Choose the  event  you  want  to  report  that is clearest in your  mind,  among  those described to  you  by either of those next two.

   “First, let  me restate that none of the crimes you described earlier has matched any that are filed  in  our  database  as  solved  or unsolved.  And   that   includes  not  only Rocky’s alleged robberies  but  also the homicides you attribute to  Anastasia.  So,  unless you have significant information  to  add  to  those  reports, let's not rehash them.

(p. 163)

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