Drop-Ins — Tom Wells

One early summer morning, three dead bodies splatter into the middle of Happton, Texas. A local policeman discovers the first, an anti-corporate retiree finds the second, and a HEB stock clerk stumbles upon the third, impaled on a flagpole. Questions abound: Where did they come from? Who are they? Did they drop or fall? Odd alliances and friendships form as a few Happton residents take matters into their own hands. Among others, this strange assortment includes: Nick, a professor; Farrow, a newly-returned Happtonite trying to rediscover her roots; and Ted and Freeman, two neighbor-enemies finding common ground in a splattered body in their street. Other bodies fall and previous “arrivals” inexplicably disappear. Seeking a common solution, perceived enemies become tentative partners. As the week unfolds, everyone winds up happy except for a land developer, wondering what the hell just happened.