Here's a sneak peek at my latest short offering, Granny Theft Auto. For those of you who've read Secrets In The Shadows, some of the names may be familiar. You can find this at Smashwords at this link: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/16885 and it is absolutely FREE. Happy reading!
Granny Theft Auto
by T. L. Haddix
Copyright 2010
It wasn’t the first time she had stolen something, but it was by far her most serious offense. When she was a little girl, the much-neglected youngest of six children, it had been her way of getting attention. As Reba Cooper stood on the sidewalk that day admiring one of the shiny, new Smart cars the city of Leroy had purchased for its tiny police force, she smiled. The shape of the car reminded her of a baby’s sneaker and, loaded with gadgets, gizmos and antennae as this model was, more than anything else in the world it put her in mind of those remote-controlled cars her son had loved so much when he was a child. She eased up to stand beside the car, looking around before reaching one tentative hand out and running it down the curve of the frame along the windshield. Wistfully, she thought of all the places she could go with her own vehicle. It was a small car, hardly noticeable, she told herself, and as she fantasized about the adventures she could have in a car like this one, she started to get that tingle creeping up her spine. Reba sucked in a breath, hardly daring to breathe as the possibility solidified into wicked thought, and her lips turned up into a naughty smile. She almost dismissed the idea out of hand but at the last moment something stopped her, and before she knew it, she was glancing around carefully to see if anyone was watching. The car itself was parked just inside an alley across from the courthouse, out of the direct line of sight, windows rolled down. Reba could see that the keys were in the ignition, and with a tiny twinge of guilt, she decided that it wouldn’t hurt anything to just sit down in the car for a moment or two.
She carefully lifted the door handle and opened the door, turning her body casually and easing down into the driver’s seat. Sitting her purse in the passenger seat, she closed the driver’s door and looked around the passenger cabin with all the joy of a child who had been taken into a toy store for the first time. There were all kinds of buttons, gadgets, bells and whistles. Reba touched them lightly, carefully, not wanting to accidentally push anything. She jumped as the police radio crackled and an unintelligible voice spoke, apparently the dispatcher looking for the driver of the car she was sitting in. She reached for her purse, ready to jump out of the car, but as a second voice came over the radio she relaxed, smiling. The second voice had been clear, and had belonged to Officer Gary Collins who, conveniently, told the dispatcher that he was having lunch and would be several more minutes before he could respond to the Mayor’s call. Reba glanced at her watch and saw that she had time to take the little car for a drive if she wanted, and oh, how badly she wanted.
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