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    A Death in the Family
    A Death in the Family
    A Death in the Family
    Ebook50 pages40 minutes

    A Death in the Family

    By Jon M. Jefferson

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    About this ebook

    Ever have a bad day? Maybe wake up late for work, or get stuck in traffic?

    Sam Marsden is having a bad day. Late for work, stopped by a traffic accident, then to find out that her mother is in the hospital with terminal lung cancer. Can her day get any worse?

    LanguageEnglish
    Publisher10th Day Publishing
    Release dateFeb 22, 2015
    ISBN9781507055526
    A Death in the Family
    Author

    Jon M. Jefferson

    Jon M. Jefferson writes Speculative fiction with forays into Noir and Bizarro. His stories have appeared in the 2013 Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Anthology, and the Foil and Phazer Divide and Conquer Anthology.  A longtime fan of Science Fiction and Fantasy stories in all their forms. He has spent most of his life looking for magic in the everyday moments of life. He hails from the tundra of Southwest Michigan. The monsters in his life include his wife, two daughters and growing grand kids.

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      Book preview

      A Death in the Family - Jon M. Jefferson

      A Death in the Family

      AND THERE IT IS SHE thought, traffic stopped. Some days it didn't pay to get out of bed. This was one of those mornings. Already late for work, the traffic jam on the freeway only made it worse. Sam said to hell with it all. She called in to work and let them know she wouldn't be in till later in the afternoon, if she made it at all. 

      Her phone beeped and a message flashed across the screen. She had a client meeting at ten. After a quick text to her assistant, she hoped it would be taken care of. Her new assistant hadn't fully integrated into the office flow yet. But this seemed about how it was all working for Sam lately. Everything rode an almost-right slant, nothing exactly right but close, just close enough to seem right.

      She answered her phone on the third ring. Hello?

      The voice on the other end crackled into the phone. Ms. Bantam?

      Yes, how can I help you?

      I am Tara Godfrey, calling from St. Mercy's Hands of Healing Hospital. More crackle, she realized it wasn't an issue with the phone. I hate to be the bearer of bad news. It is your mother.

      Oh God, what's wrong with her? What happened?

      Her cancer has taken a bad turn. Maybe you should come down so we can talk?

      Can we meet in the morning?

      Sure, that would be best I think, gravel voice said. Nine am is the best time for me to be found in office.

      I'll be there.

      People in cars ahead of hers climbed out of their vehicles. I am not playing this game, she said. I refuse. She grabbed her phone and flipped through the news apps. There had to be something about this traffic jam in the news. But nothing showed up. The update stream showed news from three hours prior.

      Groups of people formed up a few cars ahead of hers. She couldn't see any further down the road. She climbed out of her car and joined the groups ahead.

      They gathered at the top of a hill, looking down into the road beyond. She saw the crash ahead before she heard their conversation. Smoke rose from the crash below.

      More than a crash, it was devastation. Two semis jackknifed and rolled into oncoming traffic wiping out the median and cars on both sides of the freeway.

      My cousin Jax saw the whole thing.

      What could do such a thing?

      Lord, protect us from this.

      Rambling conversations filtered their way to her. Nothing with answers, but many more questions were exchanged. She went back to her phone and typed crash I-75 in the search bar. Pictures filled the search screen, shots from both directions on the freeway. Still no news but the picture news flooded web pages.

      She snapped a pic and sent it to Cliff, her boss, with the message no clue how long this will take.

      Black dots came over the horizon. Rescue choppers flew in to drop crews into the scene without fighting through the cars blocking the roadways. With military precision the crews tore into the wreckage. Extraction points were set up and bodies were med evac-ed out.

      You see what happened? Sam asked.

      A freckle faced boy spoke first. "There was

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