What Mr. Leonard Said

by Andrew Welsh-Huggins

About the Author: By day, Andrew Welsh-Huggins is a reporter and editor for The Associated Press. By earlier in the day he's the author of the Andy Hayes private eye series, about a former Ohio State and Cleveland Browns quarterback turned investigator. He is also the editor of "Columbus Noir," upcoming in March 2020 from Akashic Books. His short fiction has appeared in "Tough," "Down And Out Magazine," "Mystery Weekly Magazine," and in January 2020 in "Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine."

Excerpt

“Mr. Leonard?”

I crane my neck with difficulty, trying to look him in the eye. I don’t blame him for his impatience. A time like this. All these expectations. So many people. But words have never come easily to me, and today is no exception. The only thing I can think of is the obvious, and for just as obvious reasons, it’s probably not appropriate.

Castles and lions the first to our land

Conquistadores so strong and so bold … 

“Mr. Leonard?”

All marching up northward to take a stand

Expanding the new world across from the old … 

No. Definitely not appropriate.

Just to be clear, none of this would have happened without Miss Duvarney. Of course, I don’t mean it was her fault. Quite the opposite. Because of what befell her, and how much she meant to me.

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