Getting Rid of Bradley
Lucy isn’t sure who’s more dangerous, Bradley her ex-husband who may be trying to kill her, or Zack the detective who’s assigned to keep her alive.
1995 Rita Winner for Best Short Contemporary
The Story
Lucy Savage is finally getting rid of Bradley—and his hideous green recliner. Bradley is out of her life for good. Or so she thinks. Turns out Officer Zack Warren wants to arrest the very same Bradley for embezzlement and figures the lovely Lucy can lead him straight to his target.
Good thing there’s a cop around. Because someone shoots at Lucy and then blows up her car. Zack insists she needs twenty-four-hour protection. What does he think her three dogs and attack cat are for? Still, he insists on moving right in to Lucy’s house.
Now there’s danger lurking outside and in her own kitchen, bathroom—and bedroom. Or maybe Zack is just what Lucy needs.…
Notes and Stuff
Reissue Note: I’m so pleased that Mira has re-issued Getting Rid of Bradley. This is one of my favorite category books, and not just because it won the Rita. This was the first time I realized how important dogs were to books. I always knew they were important to life, but after the response to Bradley, I knew they were vital to fiction, too. And I got to fix several glaring errors again, so that makes me doubly happy. Think of it as the new improved Bradley.
Animal Note: Heisenberg, Maxwell, & Einstein: Bernie, Rosie and Lucy don’t look like the three in Bradley, but they act like them, traveling as a team, running to the door barking every time somebody knocks, barreling out into the back yard together. The cat Phoebe is actually Annie in yellow fur.
