I offer this piece in honor of Mastery, who has gone to glory.
Fox and Felix Fine stood outside their detective office reading the newspaper.
"What's that you're looking at, Fox?"
Fox looked up at his cousin with a partial scowl. "It's called a newspaper, Felix. It's what people read before smartphones."
"What's a smart -- phone?"
"Skip it. I was just reading that Cleve Hawkins was hanging it up and settling down."
"No shit? Well, I'd have never called that. I figured he'd be a gumshoe until Mo figured out she'd have to hire him to get his attention."
"That ought to help send more business our way," said Fox.
Felix pulled out his smartphone and tapped it twice. "Looks like our schedule is clear until, uh, well, the cows come home."
"I thought you didn't know what a smartphone was?"
"What gave you that impression?"
"Skip it."
Felix turned his phone around and showed it to his cousin. "I found that notice on my phone. There's a poem that goes along with this story on Cleve."
Fox looked at the screen and read aloud:
Cleve Hawkins cast light
within Shadows of Sin,
Triple Crossed while trying
to bring criminals in;
Faced Fatal Beauty
with justice defended,
and defeated The Deceivers
before it all ended.
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Author Notes
Image borrowed from Mastery's site. It's the bookcover for The Deceivers.
Shadows of Sin, Triple Crossed, Fatal Beauty, and The Deceivers were Bob's (Mastery) 'Cleve Hawkins' detective novels.
Robert Charles Hartson Jr. passed away on July 8, 2021 at the age of 81.
Semper Fidelis
Fair winds and following seas, Bob!
"If the Army and the Navy ever look on Heaven's scene,
they will find the streets are guarded by United States Marines."
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