“Rainfall” by Maurice Broaddus

In the dingy booth of the Red Eye Café, Marquis is presented with the hideous photos of his sister’s mangled corpse. His old ties to the police force have been worn out, and he has no one to turn to for help finding Rain’s murderer. Taking things into his own hands, Marquis hits the streets of Indianapolis to find answers. Visiting an old spot he used to frequent, the brooding ex-cop meets a mysterious figure who clearly knows far too much. Will the disquieting old man be Marquis’s savior or his doom? Only time will tell.

About the Author

Maurice Broaddus is the author of the Knights of Breton Court urban fantasy trilogy: King Maker, King’s Justice, and King’s War (Angry Robot Books). His fiction has been published in numerous magazines and anthologies, including Asimov’s Science Fiction, Lightspeed Magazine, Cemetery Dance, Apex Magazine, and Weird Tales Magazine. Some of his stories are being collected in the upcoming Voices of the Martyrs (Rosarium Publishing). He co-edited Streets of Shadows (Alliteration Ink) and the Dark Faith anthology series (Apex Books). You can keep up with him at his web site, www.MauriceBroaddus.com.

Synopsis

Marquis is a crooked cop turned small, struggling business owner. He lives in the slums of Indianapolis, and his sister and her two children are his only family. The story begins with him sitting across the table from a detective questioning Marquis about the murder of his sister Rain. The setting is a dark, dank cafe that moonlights as a bar. “The place was the province of the young and used up, as the hookers and strippers of downtown Indianapolis often strolled in…” The whole story carries this ambiance of grubby, dim scenes. Marquis goes in pursuit of sister’s killer and is approached by an old man who offers Marquis a second chance at saving Rain, but he warns him that it comes with a price. “Don’t get angry at me because you can’t protect the ones you love.” The man also tells a story revealing the circumstances surrounding the death of Marquis’s younger brother which Marquis clearly feels responsible for. After time is reversed, Marquis decides he has to stop his sister’s murder. In turn, however, he ends up accidentally shooting his sister himself. After Rain falls to the ground, Marquis places the gun in his own mouth and kills himself.

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