Seeing Red

Three short works featuring Florida Homicide Detective James T. Kirkland who has to put up with a Star Trek loving Medical Examiner, an ex-wife, and a cousin who overreacts to just about everything. Sometimes murder happens when and where you least expect it.Redshirted."e;He's dead, Jim."e; Homicide Detective James T. Kirkland dreads the Star-Trek loving medical examiner's joy in stating the obvious. This time, the victim was wearing a red shirt, and when what looked like a death from natural causes turns into a homicide, Kirkland is called upon to solve the crime, red shirt and all.Red's Heat"e;There's a body buried in my yard."e; Detective James T. Kirkland braves the hot, sweltering heat of a Florida summer to debunk his cousin's claim before both of them are set up for ridicule in the Sheriff's Office. But when the body isn't really a body, Kirkland accepts being the butt of department jokes—until things take an unexpected turn.Red Flagged"e;Call me when you've got a dead body."e; Favorite words of an over-worked detective trying to get some shut-eye. But when his ex-wife calls and says her friend is missing, all thoughts of sleep evaporate as James T. Kirkland rushes to help solve the mysterious disappearance.Red Flagged first appeared in Deception, a Mystery Anthology published by Highland Press, 2011.