Nicholas Bush

THE COMPLEX SOLUTION IS SOMETIMES CORRECT

Jon D. Maseb. 34 years old, Caucasian male. Found
hanged in a mall bathroom stall, in Green Hills, TN.
Suit and tie immaculate, no suicide note, no signs
of struggle. You know that feeling you get when your brother’s

been in your room, but you’re not sure why you know,
something’s just...out of place? This was no suicide.
I questioned his estranged wife, his neighbors, and siblings.
All have alibis, none have a motive. His life

was cleaner than a bleached counter top. Anyway,
I called my conspiracy theorist brother on his birthday,
who has complex explanations for the world’s most famous
true crimes. Between small talk, he theorized that our

victim was a digital spy with an unassuming cover, hacked
into China’s computers, stole Iranian secrets, and murdered
by Russian mobsters. The autopsy found Rohypnol in his
system, which explains the lack of struggle. And I just got

a surprise visit from the CIA, telling me the investigation
was “officially over.” My brother, with his wild hair
and wrinkled suit was right. He even pointed out that,
"Jon D. Maseb is an acrostic for James Bond."


Nick reads "The Complex Solution...":



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Nick confesses: "I've spent the last year or so honing my detective writing skills. I wondered if I could do it in a flash fiction format. I knew I wanted the last line to tie the poem together. I also knew that I wanted to use an acrostic as part of the poem's reveal. I enjoy the homicide that looks like suicide trope and have learned it works well for short narratives. With those things in mind, I assembled my poem."


NICHOLAS BUSH is an associate professor of English at Motlow State Community College, a PhD student at Middle Tennessee State University, and an amateur standup comic in Nashville. He also serves as co-editor of The Mosaic literary magazine.