Pareidolia: Chapter Twenty One

Enjoy this excerpt from my first novel, Pareidolia. The premise is available here, and the table of contents can be found here.

MARCUS

Spruce Hill, Philadelphia | Tuesday August 1, 2000

My apartment is a nightmare. Somewhere in this pile of shit is that woman’s number. Not that I can remember her name. I suppose it would be helpful if I knew what the hell I was looking for. It was the woman with the book club. I wrote down her name and number and left it here, in the kitchen for Balero, once upon a time. On this pile of paper chaos on the counter. And—no pressure—but Roland will be here any minute.

Continue reading →

Pareidolia: Chapter Twenty

Enjoy this excerpt from my first novel, Pareidolia. The premise is available here, and the table of contents can be found here.

MANDY

Society Hill, Philadelphia | Monday July 31st, 2000

Daryl takes me upstairs to the first guest bedroom on the left and there he is, curled up like an angel. Only not so much an angel. No one in the Van Zorn family knows exactly how much Willow is worth, or how close she was to losing a very big chunk of it this morning. That is, besides me and these two young gentlemen here.

Continue reading →

Pareidolia: Chapter Nineteen

Enjoy this excerpt from my first novel, Pareidolia. The premise is available here, and the table of contents can be found here.

LEAH

Northwest Philadelphia | Monday July 31st, 2000

There’s an unfamiliar car in our driveway. Ancient, green, covered in bumper stickers, and I’m not in any mood to deal.

I park on the street and move slowly up our front walk towards the door. Some guy is gesturing frantically from the car. He holds up a finger. Be right there.

Continue reading →

Pareidolia: Chapter Eighteen

Enjoy this excerpt from my first novel, Pareidolia. The premise is available here, and the table of contents can be found here.

(PART THREE)

MARCUS

Downtown Philadelphia | Monday July 31st, 2000

The return to the hotel was a ruse; Zeke and I are waiting outside the main entrance for Todd to show up when (are they kidding?) a shiny black limousine pulls up. The driver gets out, opens the door for us, and we are spirited away, Todd-less.

Continue reading →

Pareidolia: Chapter Seventeen

Enjoy this excerpt from my first novel, Pareidolia. The premise is available here, and the table of contents can be found here.

MARCUS

Spruce Hill, Philadelphia | Monday July 31st, 2000

We’re back at my place this time, it’s like noonish, and we’re free to speak at normal volumes without the PO on the other side of the wall, or the dark, suspicious eye of Todd. Zeke explains that Roland worked with Holcomb back in the day on project FLANGE, spent most of his time in or around the FBI, is just as underground as Holcomb (if not more), and will be responsible for the custody and care of the device when and if it’s found. He’s only tangentially connected to the DOJ anymore, and very few people inside Holcomb’s circle have any direct contact with him. Mostly it’s just Holcomb. But in cases like these, when Holcomb isn’t quite—um—herself, Roland and his few contacts within the family move ever so slightly to the center of things and make sure nothing gets, you know. Dropped.

Continue reading →

Pareidolia: Chapter Sixteen

Enjoy this excerpt from my first novel, Pareidolia. The premise is available here, and the table of contents can be found here.

MARCUS

Downtown Philadelphia | Monday July 31st, 2000

It’s early. Too early to deal. I’m back on the mirrored elevator with Zeke and Todd at the downtown hotel. Round two with Holcomb. I get this weird feeling that our reflections in the elevator doors are the old us from last time, and that they’re looking in wonderment at the future us, and I clearly shouldn’t have smoked up this morning like an idiot. The ride is just as uncomfortable as last time: we’re all doing our best to ignore our reflections.

Continue reading →