I felt fortunate when I walked into El Dorado and saw Melody sitting alone at the bar. Even on the rare occasion she isn't on a man's arm, every guy in the place is elbowing for her attention. Tonight, the bar was nearly empty and Melody drank unmolested. She was casually dressed in snug jeans and an olive scoop-necked top with sleeves that barely covered her shoulders. She didn't wear much makeup. She didn't need it.

Welcome back, true believers! When we last left our hero, he had just foiled a dastardly mugging after the culprit fainted at the sight of his driver's license. In today's episode, Unphotogenic Man becomes... The Man Who Blew to Mulch!

(Originally published in Plots with Guns, May/Jun 2003)