This is from a short mystery story.
Enjoy!
The Transcript:
I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is 60 Seconds of Johanna’s WIP for February 16, 2024, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress.
This excerpt is from a short mystery story.
The food court buzzed with happy diners, eating their mall Chinese, mall pizza, and mall popcorn. All Ashley James could do was breathe in all those delicious odors, her stomach churning. This was her first time as part of a heist, and she knew she was nervous.
It was a good thing she knew the Nomis Mall like the back of her hand. As a teenager, she’d hung out here with her friends—even though hanging out was something kids didn’t do these days. But, here she was. In her mid-thirties, down on her luck, and ready to embark on a life of crime.
Although, if she was lucky, this heist would be her only crime. The payoff would allow her to return to a normal life.
Nestled in a western Boston suburb, the Nomis Mall was a typical sideways “H” layout. The anchor stores held down each end of the long aisle—about the length of a city block. The two cross-streets were each about half as long as the long end. Her boots had squeaked on the white tile floors when she’d arrived, but the floor was not slippery. That boded well for her handoff.