Hard Work

I have been hard at work on my third book of short stories from Tommy Two Shoes memory. He is reminded of and reminisces about cases that he helped to solve as a homicide detective. As his newly formed family settles in to celebrate the Christmas seasons, certain phrases or actions pushes his thoughts to past Christmases that weren’t so joyous or happy.

They were times of stress at home with a wife wanting more time with him and his new promotion to the homicide squad demanding more of his life. When the murders interfered with the holiday season, it became even more severe until his wife divorced him and now only an empty apartment greeted him after a long day at work.

With his reminisces, he recalls the slow introduction and actual meeting with the spirit of his deceased Uncle Aidan LeClerc.

Each story so far revolves around the Christmas holiday. All are homicides that he and his partner Duffy are called to solve. He is introduced as the new guy on the detective squad to Duffy. They make a good team, solving the crimes together, each of them bringing their talents to the table. Tommy had the secret weapon in his uncle Aidan.

The first mystery Tommy has to solve is the identity of an abandoned infant, left on his doorstep. The rest of the stories fan out from that.

I was hoping that Cora his wife, would become a stronger character, but so far in this book, she recedes a little, becoming a mother and a care giver to her elderly mother. I am not sure when her flower will bloom, but I have a feeling that when Tommy actually opens his private eye business, she will start to shine. She has already pointed out things that have helped him track down the child’s heritage.