by Chris Bunton I was locked up in Menard prison, at the medium security joint on the hill; serving time for stabbing a guy in a bar fight, when I got a letter from my cousin in Chicago.The letter read: “Hey cuz, How are you? Things are going good up here. Just working and stayingContinue reading “Hit 50”
Category Archives: Crime Fiction
Thursday, 10:52 P.M.
by Harold Hoss Part 1 Wednesday, 7:45pm 1 day, 3 hours, and 7 minutes Cassie wanted to cancel her zoom date fifteen minutes before it started, but she couldn’t think of an excuse. Excuses were another thing Covid had taken from everyone without warning last year. Now all she could do was text him andContinue reading “Thursday, 10:52 P.M.”
The Campfire Project
by Matthew Downing “Oh, Calipari! The sun isn’t even out yet,” Mary groaned like a teenager asked to do their chores. Calipari pressed his cold snout under her chin. Pushing the whimpering bulldog off her face, she scooted to the end of the bed and crawled over Allen’s purple, gouty toes. Allen’s snoring stopped; MaryContinue reading “The Campfire Project”
Visiting Mom
by Shamus O’ Leary Nubs drove his grey 1990 Lincoln Town Car through the toll plaza on I-90 in Chicago, while holding his cell phone to his ear with the three fingers of his left hand. “I’m going to visit with my ma. I’ll only be a little bit, and then I’ll meet you there.”Continue reading “Visiting Mom”
Owen and Jessica
by Joseph Carrabis Owen’s gaze went from the morning sun outside the kitchen window to his laptop screen. He closed the lid so Jessica couldn’t read what he’d written. Besides, it was time to make breakfast. He went to the drawer with all the butcher knives in it. There was one he never used. ItContinue reading “Owen and Jessica”
The Strongbox
by Benjamin Welton Kelly Little felt an immediate attraction to the gilded box. Covered in green leather and decorated with golden curlicues that, in a self-applied Rorschach test, Kelly saw as flowers, the strongbox appealed to some hidden sense deep in Kelly’s heart. This was despite the obvious age of the object. To be frank,Continue reading “The Strongbox”
Best Served Cold
by Krystal Mossbarger “What do you have?” Detective Loughty asks when he enters the room. What I have is a stomach threatening to ruin my career. The grotesque scene surrounding us is my first case since being promoted to detective. I attempt to adopt Loughty’s casual attitude; he looks as if he’s attending a partyContinue reading “Best Served Cold”
Serial Killer Camp
by Chris Bunton The keypad on his door chimed that familiar tune, which he had memorized by now. The door popped open and Doctor Chin entered his cell. “Hello Gary. How are you today?” The doctor asked. Chin wore jeans and a button up shirt under his white doctor’s coat, and carried a tablet. “I’mContinue reading “Serial Killer Camp”
The Pen
by Merve Oncu She looks at me in the same way as she did ten years ago. Her smile has never changed, but is still the same insulting grin. She wasn’t talking, but all throughout Thanksgiving dinner, her eyes didn’t stop speaking. I want to have an argument with her but she doesn’t say anythingContinue reading “The Pen”
Movie Review: I Care a Lot
by Chris Bunton I will just say that I hated the villain of this movie, more than I have ever hated another villain. I literally wanted her to die. This tells me that the casting, acting, and writing on this movie were great. Marla Grayson is a legal guardian who swindles elderly people, and usesContinue reading “Movie Review: I Care a Lot”
