Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine, Jan/Feb 2007

"Fast Fingers and Coffee"

Pages 156-159

Unable to enjoy a much-needed cup of morning coffee, Sergeant Nick Serrano must find a way to determine if a woman visiting the station house is really a crook in disguise -- and do so without causing an international incident.

The second tale in my The Fifth Precinct series, this story borrowed Sergeant Tom Mackenzie from the previous story, "The one dollar caper", but moved away from Lieutenant Karen Marx and instead introduced a new character in the Detective Squad Room: the French-speaking Hispanic Sergeant Nick Serrano. Nick was the perfect foil for Tom, longing for a cup of coffee while trying to find a way to prove that "Mimi Branchard" was in fact the jewel thief K.C. Hayes.

The anthology is currently available directly from the publisher at Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine.