The Riddle by Jacqueline Seewald

The Riddle

by Jacqueline Seewald

"I reckon if a body wants to know what hell is like, all he has to do is come here for a spell." J.D. Macauley squinted his azure eyes toward the scorching summer sun, and for dramatic effect, wiped the sweat from his incredibly handsome face. I decided he'd missed his calling and should have become a movie actor.

"Come on, Cowboy, didn't you tell me you worked at that Anasazi site in New Mexico last summer? I bet that was just as hot and dry as Giza. Anyway, nobody's forcing any of us to stay and work," I said. "We're not slaves unto Pharaoh."

"That is quite true," Tiny, who was anything but, agreed in his singsong voice. "You must realize that you are building a professional resume for the future." Tiny was a giant of a man, a coffee-colored Jamaican who had been educated in England. He was our chief engineer on the project.

J.D. and I were both grad students. He was studying to be an archaeologist while I was a microbiologist with a dual major in forensic pathology. We were also both in the research phase of our dissertations.

I was beginning to feel light-headed. Clearly, the heat was getting to me as well. I had just started to black out when J.D. swept me up in his muscular arms.

"Careful, darlin'."

Maybe I was out of it, but it seemed as if electricity sizzled between us. He looked at me funny and I thought he must have felt something too.

More... Passionate Hearts: An Anthology of Love, Passion, and Romance

Jacqueline Seewald taught Creative Writing courses at both the high school and college level (Rutgers University). She has also taught Expository and Technical Writing at the college level. She’s worked as an academic librarian and an educational media specialist.

Currently, Jacqueline has short stories in the anthologies: TALES OF ROUTE 66, THE MYSTERY OF THE GREEN MIST, TOUCHED BY WONDER, (story nominated for a Nebula Award for 2008), CERN ZOO (Nemonymous 9), RUINS TERRA, RUINS METROPOLIS, WRONG WORLD'S ONE MORE TIME anthology, TWO OF A KIND AND OTHER STORIES OF THE PARANORMAL, WITH ARMS WIDE OPEN, YOUR DARKEST DREAMSPELL, and PMS: POISON, MURDER AND SATISFACTION. Another story appears in STORIES THAT LIFT. A children’s story she wrote was featured in THE KIDS’ READING ROOM, an L.A. TIMES supplement, September 6, 2009. Another was featured December 13^th. One of her short stories was featured in the February 2010 issue of GUMSHOE MYSTERY REVIEW.

Many of her short stories have appeared in: JERSEY WOMAN, THE LONDON MYSTERY SELECTION in England, WHAT'S LOVE?, VERMONT INK, WORLD OF ROMANCE FICTION MAGAZINE, THE ROMANTIC BOWER, MUSE IT, FRIGHTWRITER, THE WRITING PARENT, LITEROTI CAFFEINE, WEE ONES, FUTURE SHOCKS, PROJECT M, SUCCESS BY DESIGN SF & F and BLUE MURDER.