Murder in the Form of a Question

by Jacqueline Freimor

About the Author: In 1995, one of Jacqueline Freimor's short stories won first prize in the unpublished writers category in MWA’s 50th Anniversary Short Story Competition and was subsequently published in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. Since then, Jacqueline has had stories published in such venues as Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Vautrin, Black Cat Weekly, Rock and a Hard Place Magazine, and Mystery Magazine, among others, as well as in the e-zine Blue Murder and at akashicbooks.com.

Excerpt

“What is the North Sea?” the chick in the middle said.

“Correct!” said whatshisname, the host of Jeopardy!

Rick shifted in his recliner, shoved a fistful of chips in his mouth, and thought, What a geek.

“I’ll take ‘Bodies of Water’ for four hundred,” the chick said. The camera zoomed in on her face and Rick’s finger stopped on its way to the remote’s Netflix button. Something about her seemed familiar. Rick squinted at the TV.

“The world’s third largest ocean, it includes the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf,” the host said. “Elizabeth.”

“What is the Indian Ocean?”

“Correct!”

Rick frowned. Definitely something familiar about her. Where had they met? A bar? The annual insurance conference? He shook his head. He didn’t remember any pickup named Elizabeth. She wasn’t bad-looking though. If you liked ’em pale.

“And we’re back,” the host said. “Let’s meet our players. Our first challenger is a kindergarten teacher from Great Neck, New York, Elizabeth Gold. It says here …”

Oh, right, Rick thought—Lizzie Gold from Great Neck South. She’d been one of the nerds in high school. Quiet. Serious. He’d never spoken to her, but he’d seen her in the halls. Rick squinted at the screen again. She hadn’t changed much in the past fifteen years.

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