Dark and, at times, amusing fiction from award-winning author Dave Zeltserman

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Is Julius Katz still alive?

I've read the newspaper reports like everyone else, and I was at his funeral two weeks ago, but I'm starting to have these doubts whether Julius is really dead. There's no arguing that Julius's townhouse was destroyed by four pounds of C-4, with the blast originating in his wine cellar. All that happened. But ever since the funeral a thought has been nagging at me that maybe things aren't what they appear to be, and I realize now what it was--a look that I caught from Julius's childhood friend, Phil Weinstein. And then there's the call I received last night from Julius's sister, Julie. She's pretty much convinced that Desmond Grushnier is behind the bombing (I wrote about Grushnier when I chronicled the Kingston case, which Julius had me publish as an ebook with the title 'Julius Katz and Archie'), and she wanted to know if I had any additional information about Grushnier that I hadn't given her yet. There was something about her tone that made me think she's beginning to doubt whether her brother is truly dead. And then there's Archie. With discussions I've had with scientists at MIT, his titanium shell would've protected him from the explosion. It's possible he was turned off prior to it, but it's also possible there's an entirely different reason why he hasn't been answering his calls.

My gut is now telling me Julius might still be alive, and that all the NY publishers declaring that there's no place anymore for a brilliant, eccentric PI like Julius, or charming traditional mysteries, might all be wrong. Hell, it wouldn't be the first time. So maybe, just maybe, Julius might turn out to be alive after all, and there just might be a place for him with today's mystery readers.

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