Orphan Stories

It is never a good sign when police knocks at your door. A family member had a violent death or a neighborhood robbery took place. But Alan lived with his only relative, his mom, in a gated community in Florida, so neither could possibly apply. A possible third reason, an unpaid parking violation, he wasn’t aware of either. So, when the two plain-cloth officers rang the door bell and showed their IDs he innocently opened...

The wind was whipping the dust into tiny twirling columns that appeared and disappeared seemingly at will. It was brutally hot in the late August afternoon even though the sky was darkening and storm clouds were threatening. On the hour the Lutheran church was tolling its bell, its open door beckoning to wavering souls. John walked with the gait of a young leopard, his eyes watching every corner, every window. He was head...