Kenny Orslow Shows Up On Time

by Susan Oleksiw

About the Author: Susan Oleksiw's short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and numerous anthologies. She is the author of three series: The Mellingham series featuring Chief Joe Silva, the Anita Ray series set in South India, and the Felicity O'Brien series set in the Pioneer Valley.

Excerpt

Kenny Orslow trudged to the bus stop in front of the courthouse. The sidewalks were swept and hosed clean, and the flowering shrubs well trimmed. He felt out of place here. He pulled a slip of paper from his pants pocket and reread the scribbled information, again—Monday morning, June 5, 9:30, county bus. 

“Hey, mah man.” 

Kenny started at the sound of the familiar voice, croaked out a greeting. “Yo.” Toto LeClaire came out of the County House of Corrections, at Lanark, less than a year ago, and managed to stay out of trouble. Or, at least not get pulled in.

“You going up? Whadya get?”

“Six months.”

“Yeah? Dealing?”

“Nah. I just traded with my girl. But her mom got …” Kenny wiggled his shoulders as though the windbreaker tied around his neck was making him uncomfortable. It was, but that wasn’t the reason he was antsy. He was still pissed at Tiffany’s mom for turning him in. She didn’t turn in her daughter, just him. It wasn’t fair. He scored the Oxycontin only because Tiffany needed to replace the ones she stole from her mom’s purse. And now he was stuck out here on the sidewalk on what was going to be a blistering day with a windbreaker tied around his neck because Tiffany said it might be cold in an air-conditioned bus.

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