THE DUELIST,
by David Dean
The Barb Goffman Presents series showcases
the best in modern mystery and crime stories,
personally selected by one of the most acclaimed
short stories authors and editors in the mystery
field, Barb Goffman, for Black Cat Weekly.
With jackets removed and cravats undone, the two men faced each other in the sweltering heat of the new morning. The older man was tall and robust-looking, with curls and a large mustache, the younger of average height and delicate frame. Like a fiery eye, the distant sun rose above the sandbar they stood upon, revealing a desolate waste of scrub oak, sassafras trees, and driftwood, a shifting island that lay just beyond the reach of Mississippi law.
Having no excuse to remove their own outer clothing, the small gathering of spec
