Temporary Monsters

By Ian Rogers

Felix Renn is a private investigator in a supernatural world, an alternate reality where a dark dimension called The Black Lands co-exists alongside our own. Travelling to and from The Black Lands is dangerous - and illegal - but that doesn't stop some of the creatures that reside there from crossing over into our world from time to time. After a man goes berserk in a posh Toronto restaurant, Felix suddenly finds himself torn between both worlds as he is drawn into a deadly game of movies, murder, and monsters.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Burning Effigy Press
• Release date: Oct 7, 2012
• ISBN: 9781926611174

Book preview

Temporary Monsters

Ian Rogers

Temporary Monsters

Ian Rogers

Smashwords Edition

copyright 2009-1012 Ian Rogers // Burning Effigy Press

All Rights Reserved.

http://www.burningeffigy.com

Thank you for downloading this free eBook. You are welcome to share it with your friends. This book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided the book remains in its complete original form. If you enjoyed this book, please return to Smashwords.com to discover other works by Ian Rogers and Burning Effigy Press. Thank you for your support.

Temporary Monsters, by horror scribe Ian Rogers, was first published in 2009 by Burning Effigy Press. We have decided to release this story free online to introduce more readers to detective Felix Renn and the supernatural dimension known as The Black Lands.

Temporary Monsters has spawned a number of sequels, including The Ash Angels, Black-Eyed Kids and The Brick. All of which are included upcoming collection, SuperNOIRtural Tales, which is being released in November 2012. For information that book, please visit http://burningeffigy.com And to learn more about The Black Lands, click on over to theblacklands.com.

Temporary Monsters

Chapter 1

The waiter got killed before he could drop off the bill.

I happened to be looking toward the back of the restaurant and saw him coming: a tall smooth-faced man in a black vest, carrying a slip of paper on a small plastic tray, winding his way through the maze of tables. Gel didn’t have a lot of space, and although it tried to make the most of what it had, there were simply too many tables for so small a room. All through lunch I kept waiting for one of the waiters to trip and deposit someone’s order in their lap. It was something to do while I waited for Sandra to stop talking.

Presently she said, It’s just not enough, Felix.

I sipped my coffee and muttered, It never is.

You’re not even listening to me, she said, using that petulant tone I didn’t miss at all.

I’m listening, Dee. I just don’t care.

She fell silent. I didn’t need to look at her to know she was pissed. I could feel her eyes burning a hole in the side of my head. Not because of what I’d said, but because of what I’d called her. I plead ignorance on that one. The divorce lawyers never told me I was supposed to relinquish the nickname along with the house key.

Sandra heaved a big sigh. Would you at least look at me when I’m talking to you? I hate it when you zone out like this.

I turned and looked across the table at her – Sandra Clifton Renn, although she’d probably be dropping the Renn in the not-too-distant future. She didn’t need it for me or for her work. Not anymore. She was on the downslope of her acting career, and she knew it. Her last sitcom effort, Not Tested on Animals, had been cancelled a month ago, after only three episodes aired. The network said it was dumping it because of low ratings. I knew the feeling.

I’m listening, I told her. You said it isn’t enough. I know. I’ve heard this bit before.

"You hear, Felix, but you don’t "listen."

I took out my wallet as the waiter approached. At the table next to ours, a young guy stared at an untouched tuna melt. He was alone, but that wasn’t unusual. Gel was one of the few restaurants in downtown Toronto where you could dine alone and not look like a dateless loser. It was a hangout for actors, both successful and struggling. I thought the kid looked familiar, but I couldn’t make the connection. Early twenties, black feathered