SHORTS FROM THE SHELF features short serialized fiction by author Shannon Muir, administrator of SHANNON MUIR’S THE PULP AND MYSTERY SHELF, that may be later released as part of e-book or print collections. The story line featured over the next fifteen days is “Beyond the Shining Stars”. This is part 5 of 15.

Sam went home to his wife Lauren that night feeling rather guilty. Not only was he unable to help Randy, he’d come to Sam looking for the confidentiality any client would expect, so Sam couldn’t talk to her about her nephew in any way.

He walked in to find Lauren glued to the television. Given her print journalism background, that wasn’t like her. Sam immediately went to check what was up. He found Lauren watching a news story with the headline splashed across the bottom of the screen: FAMOUS DRAG QUEEN KILLED IN HOME BREAK-IN.

“What’s going on?” Sam prodded Lauren, feeling in his gut this tied in to what Randy came to him about.

“It’s that performer that was at my brother’s charity event. Someone broke into the house with that person home at the time and ended up murdered. They caught the people behind the break-in, but now everyone’s debating if it’s a hate crime or not. I feel for the person’s family and everyone they loved. It must be so heartbreaking.”

Sam prayed that Randy would come back to him, and fast, to confirm or deny if the person in the news would be the same person they discussed today. If so, Sam would be more than ready to pool all his resources to help. No one messes with his family or anyone they love.