BTAP #5: Backing the Stakes by Kieran Shea

Morgan Leary tailed the girl from her appointment in Hazlet, catching the North Jersey coast train just before five. She was shorter than they said. Curvy. Long black disco wig instead of the frowsy blonde crop—pleated red mini-skirt, patterned grey tights, and a set of below-the-knee go-go boots on strong, athletic legs. Morgan tugged on his lead-knuckled gloves.

At Newark she made the platform switch to the PATH train and at Hoboken Morgan followed her seventeen odd blocks from the station to a brownstone apartment off of Columbus Park.

It was a shame he had to beat her.

Now, that's a hardboiled opening that commands attention. “Backing the Stakes” was the first story to come in when I initially announced that we were accepting submissions for BTAP. As soon as I read it, I knew it was a gem. If you are unfamiliar with Kieran’s work, then you’re in for a treat, and following that, you have a lot of catching up to do. His stories can be found at A Twist of Noir, Demolition, Thuglit, Thrilling Detective and now Beat to a Pulp.

Next Week: "Whiskey, Guns, and Sin" by Charles Gramlich