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101 Word Short Stories

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Exit Plan

November 26, 2021 7 Comments

By Andy Hedgecock

I am summoned to the drawing room, along with the other suspects.

“I have cracked the case,” proclaims the doyen of deduction, gesturing with his briar pipe. “I know who shot Dr. Underwood, why the pentagram was scrawled on the library door, and exactly what motivated the murder.”

My mouth is dry, my palms clammy. I feel lightheaded. Exposure and arrest and gaol seem inevitable.

“However,” he continues, beginning to sway, “I must warn you that the perpetrator has access to a supply of cyanide, so we must all—”

He staggers, drops his pipe, and falls to the floor. Just in time.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Helen C says

    November 26, 2021 at 7:05 am

    An excellent take on this

    Reply
  2. HelenZ says

    November 26, 2021 at 7:20 am

    Great story! I could visualize the scene and feel the murderer’s anxiety.

    Reply
  3. Coco says

    November 26, 2021 at 8:31 am

    Clever and well written.
    Nicely done!

    Reply
  4. Jacqueline Poole says

    November 26, 2021 at 11:01 am

    Got my imagination going.
    Enjoyable and nicely written.

    Reply
  5. J Sagar says

    November 27, 2021 at 6:42 am

    Crisp!

    Reply
  6. Liz says

    November 28, 2021 at 12:19 am

    Loved it!

    Reply
  7. Tracy Fells says

    December 1, 2021 at 7:15 am

    Oh yes, and don’t we sometimes this really happens in a crime drama. Nice one!

    Reply

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