Dru Faust and the Devil’s Due, part 26 CONCLUSION

  Black boots continued his work at the table. A few feet away, I spied the shards of a broken bottle. If I could reach one of the larger pieces, maybe I’d be able to cut myself free. Getting to it without drawing his attention was another matter. The instant I tried to inch my…

Dru Faust and the Devil’s Due, part 25

I did as Mother instructed, sinking low into the seat where I’d be out of sight. All I could see was a robin hopping on a branch in the canopy of trees surrounding the farmhouse. My neck grew stiff. The car was like an oven, even with the windows open. Not a single breath of…

Dru Faust and the Devil’s Due, part 24

Mrs. Hughes pounded away at the keys of her typewriter, as if attempting to drown out the raised voices coming from Detective Reiss's office. She wasn't entirely successful. "If you do this, you're doing it on your own time!" the detective shouted. "These allegations are ridiculous. I will not have some upstart woman poking around…

Dru Faust and the Devil’s Due: part 23

After the party to welcome Archie home, George drove me back to our more modest neighborhood. Unwilling to worry Archie and Alex, I didn't tell them about the conversation with my father, but George asked what was wrong as we were pulling out onto the street. "You've been awful quiet. That's not like you." "It's…

Dru Faust and the Devil’s Due: part 22

Tuesday, July 18   Archie was released from the hospital the next morning. George drove Alexandra and I to the hospital to pick him up. Daddy was chatting with him in the ward, helping him into his coat when we arrived. "I hope you realize just how lucky you were," he said, clapping his patient…

Dru Faust and the Devil’s Due: part 21

For the entire streetcar ride home, I pondered the new information gleaned from the station, particularly the arrests made at the party. Only three arrests for such a large gathering was scanty, at best. True, for one officer to bring in three criminals alone, it was quite something, but if Officer Conners was so close…

Dru Faust and the Devil’s Due, part 19

Monday, July 17, 1922 "Why do I let you talk me into these things?" George asked, cutting the engine on his Ford. The car coasted slowly to a stop on the tree lined road. The three days since our last adventure in the woods allowed the ground to dry out. Mud puddles no longer created…