“I am sitting in my boat, honey, about a hundred yards from your dock,” Pastor Glenn replied, as warm and unhurried as a Sunday sermon. “I saw a light on …

The Tackle Box Read More

“Look down, Katie,” Rick answered, and his voice was no longer soft or slow. It was ragged. I parted the bare branches of the oak and looked, and there, at …

The Hunting Jacket Read More

“I am in my truck at the end of your lane, Carrie,” Doug answered, in the same easy voice he used during calving season. “I stopped to check on you. …

The Boot Note Read More

“Deposit,” my mother finished, and her voice, which had been so small in the boathouse, grew steady. “Debbie, the man said Gary had already signed the papers and paid the …

The Boathouse Cot Read More

“Died,” I finished aloud, my voice small in the front hall. “And that old woman died, Lorrie, eleven days after the policy was issued. Her name was Mrs. Eunice Pate, …

The Hall Mirror Read More

“To open,” Reverend Hollis finished, and he put on his glasses to read from the ledger. “Mrs. Hensley, your daughter in law used your name and your Social Security number …

The Christening Gown Read More

“Savings,” Shelby finished, and she folded onto a kitchen chair and let her head sink into her hands. “Mama, Daddy made me promise at the hospital never to let Clint …

The Welding Rod Tube Read More

“House,” my father finished, and he lowered the spoon of beef stew that had been halfway to his mouth. “Son, the lawyer called it a quitclaim. It means I gave …

The Cellar Cot Read More

“Indianapolis,” I said aloud, finishing the line in the voice of a woman reading a sentence she does not want to read. “You need to hear what he said to …

The Green Phone Read More

“Name,” Karen finished, and she opened the folder against her chest as one opens a hymnal. “Mrs. Combs, the checks were endorsed by Brian and deposited into an account in …

The Pocket Watch Read More