The Solid Right Cross

Flash Fiction by William Kitcher She was good. Really good. Not perfect; her style was slightly sloppy, but not enough to attract undue close negative attention from the average passerby of life. You see, she’d punched this guy at the end of the bar who’d been paying no attention to her with a right crossContinue reading “The Solid Right Cross”

A Slip And A Fall

Crime Fiction by Russell Guenther Norv watched as the three boys laid their trap, making no attempt to stop them. He found it more effective to let them finish their mischievous little games and catch them afterward. They were more remorseful this way. He stood at the glass entry doors leading into the main schoolContinue reading “A Slip And A Fall”

Piece Offering

Crime Fiction by Jon Matthew Farber With one notable exception, the chess players sat at their boards, waiting for the tournament director to announce the start of play.  In retrospect, the missing person would have done far better to stay away.   The bulk of the hall was set up with long rows of chessboards, chessContinue reading “Piece Offering”

No Ransom

Crime Fiction by Jim Courter As the car bumped over unpaved country roads, Ernie Sticklin bouncing in the trunk along with the jack and the spare and who knew what else, it occurred to him that he should have taken more seriously the plot-making gears in his head that had imagined this scenario, that oneContinue reading “No Ransom”

Cold Turkey on Black Friday

Flash Fiction by Bern Sy Moss  Almost, one year. Black Friday marks the day my wife, Janie, disappeared. I remembered her saying, “early bird gets the worm,” on that morning as she pecked at my forehead with a gesture that almost resembled an actual kiss before she headed off to the shopping mall. “Birdbrain,” IContinue reading “Cold Turkey on Black Friday”

Today, There Will Be No Charges

Crime Fiction by Galen Pickett Keeping an eye on Mr. Curtis was not a problem at all. Every lane change was signaled. The nondescript sedan seemed in good repair. The occasional flicker of the brake lights gave the detectives plenty of warning that Curtis was slowing down, and the running lights called just the rightContinue reading “Today, There Will Be No Charges”

Principally Dead

Crime Fiction by Margaret Karmazin Maple Hill Elementary school was closed for the weekend for which Principal Jerry Harper had expressed his gratitude to the school secretary, Michelle Derry. “Rough week,” Michelle had agreed on her way out. Their most difficult mother, Mrs. Price, had lodged a complaint that her daughter’s fourth grade teacher hadContinue reading “Principally Dead”

For The Love Of Gardening

Crime Fiction by Jason Smith Randy Lloyd had always loved gardening, when he was six years old he started helping his father in the garden. In his teenage years Randy wasn’t rebelling against the norm or drag racing cars, he was gardening. After high school, Randy went to college and achieved degrees in Horticulture andContinue reading “For The Love Of Gardening”

Nefarious

Crime Fiction by Michael Wegener Before approaching the auto shop, she’d duct-taped her gun hand to his back so he wouldn’t even think about trying anything. Had him help her wrap it around his torso, alternating with her wrapping it around her right hand and wrist—muzzle of the gun pressed right on top of hisContinue reading “Nefarious”

Word Of Mouth

Flash Fiction by Jessica Slee I was crowded into a booth at my favorite cheap sandwich shop, doing what I always did while I took my lunch breaks: eavesdropping on cringe interviews. The other day I listened in while a sad sack in a wrinkled polo explained why he desperately wanted to be the assistantContinue reading “Word Of Mouth”