The Plaintiff
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

Peter Halsey answered the phone and Brian Teach wasted no time. “Pete, it’s BT. I have a quick professional question to ask of you. You can bill me for it, but I suggest that you hold back as there may be more work in this for you if things proceed. Can you spare me five minutes?”

Pete smiled. He knew Brian, or BT as he was known, well. They played squash sometimes. Nothing ever took five minutes with BT. But still he said – “Talk to me and I will tell you when time is up.”

“What about,” she said, “we play a game of two truths and a lie. Only we mix it up so you tell, I dunno, four or five lies for every truth, and you don’t tell me whether my guesses are right? That way you get the benefit of unburdening yourself, but I’m no wiser about your secretive employers than I was before.”

House of Women
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

I was one of three boys growing up on an isolated farm, so my original experience of women was my mother. I knew that she was different because my father always told me so – he told all of us.

“Your mother is a woman, and women are different,” he said. “They need to be looked after by men - like you will grow up to be. They need to be admired and respected. If you are lucky like me, you will end up with a woman who will be the greatest thing you ever possess.”