Sunday Snippet: Advocate for the Defense

I'm welcoming September with open arms. August ended up being a truly weird month. We'll see if September flows any smoother.

Decent week of television. I stuck with classic and mysteries. I finished up a 77 Sunset Strip binge watch last week and launched into Peter Gunn, logging about seven more episodes via Prime and now a marathon on regular cable.

I caught the Classic Who episodes of The Enemy of the World. Interesting segue… an episode of The Saint featured the actor who plays Two. It's just a weird little connection that made me smile.

I also watched another Midsomer Murders episode. Oddly, they're back to Causton CID again instead of Midsomer Constabulary. Obviously, it's not a huge deal, just one of those random things that popped out at me.

Yes, I'm strange.

Tonight's post is from Advocate for the Defense, a novella that started with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Jada Link has self-sabotage down to an art form and she gets into trouble on a regular basis. But when she needs an advocate to get out of her latest scrape, she meets the one person who can make her career... and possibly find his way into her heart--Quince Lazenby.

And a sneaky peek…

Quince reviewed the file and glanced up. "Have you seen her numbers?"

The lieutenant nodded. "Yep."

Quince shook his head. "They're almost as good as…" He flushed, letting his voice trail off.

Lieutenant Morrow finished. "I know." Morrow crossed his arms over his chest. "It would be a shame to lose her."

Quince couldn't argue. But, geez, it didn't seem Cadet Link had found a line she wouldn't cross… yet. Quince wondered if he'd be able to find a way to advocate for someone who seemed bent on delinquency. Hell, not just bent on it. From all appearances, she fully embraced reckless behavior.

Quince met Morrow's gaze. "Are her infractions worse than they seem on paper or is there more to the story here?" Context rarely made it in to reports.

Morrow shook his head. "You're gonna have to figure that out." Leaning forward, he tapped the top page of the file. "Because even with numbers like hers, if this is the shape of things to come, we need to know. She can't fly if she's locked up all the time." He pinned Quince with a dead-eye stare. "So dig deep and, if you have to, use some of your pull."

The translated meaning being… help the pilot figure her shit out and use unofficial channels if necessary.

Quince got the message. "Yes, sir. I'll do my best." He gathered the folder and tucked it under his arm.

Morrow stood up. "You always do. That's why I asked for you." He waited for Quince to rise and walked him to the door. "Don't let me down."

Quince nodded but added a caution. "It's not just me, sir. Cadet Link has a role in all this. She has to do her part." His gut jumped, indicating the situation could go either way.

Morrow didn't mince words. "Make sure she does, Lazenby."

Quince exited the office and heaved a sigh. "Welcome to the tarmac. Try not to get burned."

I like where this story is going. Quince and Jada get to have a brief dance around their different ranks and regulations but that's half the fun.

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye