Mystery, Noir, Recurring Character, Short Story, Word Challenge, Word Prompt, Wordle, Writing Prompts

The Big Affair: A Dirk Malone Story

Nancy's Notes 🖊️♬

Written for MLMM Monday Wordle;
our prompt words are shown below.
Here’s where the prompts took me.

huge, proper, colleague, space, alone, try,
force, tremble, fear, laughter, serious, hard

Image be Me & Gemini

The dame waltzed into my office like she owned the joint. Her dress was a low cut number that defied the laws of gravity and revealed two big reasons why I should keep my mouth shut and my eyes open. I recognized her perfume; it was called Trouble. When she smiled, it was a smile that could force a monk to reconsider his vows.

“Mr. Malone?” Her voice had a tremble in it …. the kind that’s either genuine fear or a very proper performance. In this city, you learn not to care which.

“That’s the name on the door, sweetheart.” I nodded in the general direction of the huge crack running through the door’s frosted glass window. “Take a seat.”

She sat. I appreciated how well she did it.

“I need you to find my husband.” She wasn’t laughing. This was serious business …. the kind that gets written up in three paragraphs on page nine.

“Most wives who come to me,” I said, lighting a cigarette, “aren’t too hard-pressed to try tracking down their missing husbands.”

A burst of hollow laughter escaped her painted lips. “You don’t know my husband, Mr. Malone.”

“No. But I know his type.” I leaned back, giving the silence some space to breathe. “And I know yours.”

She stiffened. Good. I needed her off-balance.

I work alone. Always have. I got no use for a boss, a partner or a colleague. Dames like this one had a way of making a man forget that …. forget everything, in fact, except the color of their eyes and the size of their lies.

I took the case anyway.

I always do.

NAR©2026
#MLMM
#Wordle

This is “Lyin’ Eyes” by The Eagles

MLMM Monday Wordle #473

Everything on The Elephant’s Trunk was created by me, unless otherwise indicated. Thanks for your consideration. NAR©2017-present.

36 thoughts on “The Big Affair: A Dirk Malone Story”

    1. My pleasure, Di. I truly enjoy participating whenever I can. I’m coming along, thanks. The stitches are out and I’m in a splint which will stay on for several weeks. It’s will be slow going, but hopefully number three is a charm! Thanks so much for asking. 💕

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