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Death on Display: Mystery
Nov. 2nd, 2005 08:49 pmHe was on display in death as he had been in life. It was only when a small boy observed that the "painted" blood was dripping and got close enough to touch it that the visitors to the gallery realized that what they had taken for a cunning social commentary on gender roles and how society reacts to those who choose alternate paths--was in fact a murder scene. Or, rather, the aftermath of a murder. I'm sure beauty would have loved it that his murderer had as fine a sense of taste as he always had. Where beauty used that taste to select the "perfect" rhinestone earrings or a pair of clear heels that would have straight men turning their heads for a better look, his murderer had used it to stage a wake in an art gallery, where none of the mourners realized that there was a corpse in their midst. I still have their comments recorded; it was part of the display. A tiny microphone and recorder, set to twelve hours, recorded every comment that anybody made to or about the body. The police seized it at once, of course, but I'm pretty firmly convinced that all it will give them is a bunch of red herrings. Otherwise, why would the murderer have arranged it? His--I say his for the sake of convenience--time estimate was over-generous; it only took four hours for the body to be revealed as a body.
Inspiration: I wanted to write something that wasn't SF/F/H. M is a natural choice for me. I got to thinking about cozy mysteries--I didn't want something thriller-y and police procedural--I sometimes enjoy reading those, but it's very much hit or miss. I was just thinking that some element of surrealism would probably creep in when time ticked over. And while I waited for the clock to change, for those few second, I tried to figure out a good place to find a body.
Story Potential: High! Like fire!
Notes: Yeah, this would be a novel. The thought of all the gender research etc. required makes my head hurt, but it's a good kind of pain. . . . Oh, and obviously the blood wouldn't still be dripping after four hours.
Inspiration: I wanted to write something that wasn't SF/F/H. M is a natural choice for me. I got to thinking about cozy mysteries--I didn't want something thriller-y and police procedural--I sometimes enjoy reading those, but it's very much hit or miss. I was just thinking that some element of surrealism would probably creep in when time ticked over. And while I waited for the clock to change, for those few second, I tried to figure out a good place to find a body.
Story Potential: High! Like fire!
Notes: Yeah, this would be a novel. The thought of all the gender research etc. required makes my head hurt, but it's a good kind of pain. . . . Oh, and obviously the blood wouldn't still be dripping after four hours.
