The Riddle of the Puzzler, Part 1

That's not a jigsaw puzzle.

Welcome to another new Terrific story and another good place to jump in if you’re just joining us. (Or check out the series-to-date index here.) Thank you for reading!

Part 1

Evelyn studied the names on the monument, the names of fifteen people who might still be alive if the rules of reality hadn’t changed.

Sierra Ramirez … Jonah Whitman … Cassidy Chen …

She never knew these people, but she often wondered if she had met any of them in passing or if she’d recognize their faces.

Mason Sullivan … Zoe Parker … Gavin Roberts …

The least she could do now was know their names. Carved into the obsidian obelisk at the center of Olympus City Memorial Park, they all burned through her retinas and imprinted onto her memory.

Cindy Roberts … Earl Hoskins … Diego Lopez …

She read the rest, taking her time with each name. Plenty of blank space remained beneath the fifteenth, to be filled each time a super-powered criminal, killer robot, or malicious monster killed someone. The smooth black surface always prompted Evelyn to wonder why she was still here, and why she hadn’t fled to any normal city. The super-criminals, robots, and monsters occasionally strayed elsewhere, but as far as anyone could tell, they all originated within the island of Olympus City.

A few of the names did sound vaguely familiar. Hadn’t she met a Blake Harper at one point? Or perhaps Evelyn had visited the memorial often enough that they became familiar. She took a few more steps down the brick walkway, in the hope that proximity might spark a specific recollection. All she knew for certain was that the first seven names had lived on the top floor of the apartment building that previously stood on this spot, until zombie unicorns struck. It was a miracle more people didn’t die that night. A limited miracle.

Someone else was visiting the park this morning. Evelyn recognized the petite brunette standing on the grass. They had acted together in The Reluctant Guest at the Aeschylus Theater the summer before last. Miranda Thomas was well over a decade younger, half a foot shorter, and enviably slimmer than Evelyn, but every bit her equal and then some when it came to acting.

Large, captivating eyes that could and did enthrall a full auditorium now gazed at the monument, which seemed to enthrall Miranda. At first glance, she hardly resembled the bubbly, ambitious young woman who had just graduated college when Evelyn worked with her. She retained her youthful appearance but, somehow, exuded so much more age.

“Miranda?”

The younger woman flinched. Evelyn smiled softly as she approached.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

“No, it’s fine.” Miranda laughed it off, sounding young and innocent. “You just rescued me from my own head. I was getting a little lost in there, apparently.”

“I hope I’m not interrupting.” Evelyn turned back to the monument. “Did you know someone?”

Miranda seemed unsure. “Not really, but I met a few of them, briefly.”

“I’m so sorry.”

A tiny head shake deflected the sentiment, and those large eyes, filled with concern, bore into Evelyn. “Um, did you know anyone?”

“No, just passing through.” Evelyn seized the brief silence to pivot to a lighter topic. “But I’m glad I ran into you. I’m loving those commercials. The Ice Screamer Fairy. You’re adorable in those.”

Miranda gave a modest smile. “Thanks. I know I wasn’t exactly stretching myself with those, but they were fun for a while.”

The past tense wormed into Evelyn’s ear. “Not sure if you’ve heard, but I’m the new artistic director of the Aeschylus. I’d love to get you back on the stage sometime. Unless you’d rather focus on film.”

That familiar, hungry look suggested Miranda was indeed open to returning to regional theatre. Something tempered the hunger, though.

“I would love nothing more. But …” The conjunction was, evidently, painful.

“But?”

Miranda turned away for a moment, eyes passing over the monument before returning to Evelyn. “My schedule’s very weird these days. I do want to get back on the stage, any stage, as soon as I get some things figured out. I really do miss it.”

“And the stage misses you.”

A scrap of litter caught Evelyn’s eye, easy to miss against the brick. It lay right at the base of the monument, which just seemed wrong.

Excusing herself, she stooped to grab the litter—a piece of a jigsaw puzzle, depicting part of a person’s ear.

Another one?