Shelter Skelter: Edgar Rolfe, #3

By Michael Polillo

Edgar Rolfe is a private detective who only wants to eat his lunch in peace. But a frazzled woman ruins that opportunity when she comes in with talks of her brother being killed in a hit and run. Now it's up to the detective to find out who did it.

 

The third in the Edgar Rolfe series. A series of short stories set in the fictional town of Brixton, New Jersey in the year 1978.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Michael Polillo
• Release date: Jun 24, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393278658

Book preview

Fog flooded the air of the warm June night in Brixton. All that could be seen was a humanoid figure making his way down the streets in the east side of town. He was wearing three layers of loose clothing despite the heat that comes with summer in New Jersey. His mind barely noticed. Just as it barely noticed the bulky bag he dragged at his side down the sidewalk. The streetlights were the only beacons guiding his way. Except he had no way. There was no destination in mind for this man. He had gone to the Brixton shelter a few hours earlier and he was too late. They were filled to capacity leaving him to roam the streets until morning when he could return for stale muffins and warm milk. And so he did as many do when it the nights are young, he wandered. Other figures slipped in and out of the fog, moving silently without purpose, without hope as they killed time. Some clutched half drank bottles of gin, others dug through bins, but the trash in east Brixton had little in it. It was considered a good night when you found pizza crust. It was a great night when you found stray fries in a bag.

Our man hit the jackpot earlier in the night. Someone had thrown a bag out with a half eaten burger and two fries still inside. He stuffed that unwanted bag into the duffel he was lugging and kept walking. The man's eyes strained at a new source of light was speeding down the road. It was unusual for cars to be out this late on this side of town. The lights darted all over the street. The man picked up his pace, trying to avoid what was barreling down the row in his direction.

He ran faster, dragging his duffel behind before dropping it entirely. His