A Date to Die For

Crime Fiction by Robert Jakucs The blinking amber lights of the patrol car cast an unnatural, yellow-white glow on the motel wall, silhouetting a pair of uniformed officers as they rolled crime scene tape around the building. Propped against the open door of one of the rooms was a bored looking, rail thin detective withContinue reading “A Date to Die For”

Twenty Dollar Post-Mortem

Crime Fiction by R.J. Butler My first day in Homicide, and it rained. Always a bad start. Whitehaven looks like a city trying to kill itself but missing every time. The buildings lean away from each other, as if ashamed to be seen standing beside each other, as the brick rots and the windows sweat,Continue reading “Twenty Dollar Post-Mortem”

Shadowland

Crime Fiction by Sean O’Leary A fourteen-year-old girl was missing. Candy had taken the call two hours ago. The father, Peter Ling, sounded like he was in agony when he told Candy his daughter had been missing for two days. Missing or lost forever. That was Candy’s job.  The missing girl’s name was April. CandyContinue reading “Shadowland”

The Getback

Crime Fiction by Michael Downing Eddie Reid died sometime after midnight. Cool on the street. A legend. But once you’re dead, all that cool means nothing. Dead is dead, and dead don’t care who you were or what you did before the end. His death was violent, ugly, the kind of thing that gets peopleContinue reading “The Getback”

Seal Of The Realm

Flash Fiction by Frank Sonderborg Lingo was back in Almeria Spain. Back to Mojacar Pueblo. A beautiful Spanish village hugging the side of a mountain. He sat drinking his black coffee and enjoyed both the view and the warm October sunshine. The Chinese had once again sent him chasing his tail. Rumours of a lostContinue reading “Seal Of The Realm”

On the Evening of Saturday, March 19

Horror Crime Fiction by J.R. Blanes                                              Detroit Police Department 9th District11187 Gratiot AvenueDetroit, MI. 48213 Complaint No. 13-3316-666 File Number: 4 Interview of: David WheelerReporting Officers: Det. Bradford Howe Special Agent Leslie Milton Interrogation room. Suspect David Wheeler, 24 years old, sits at the table, dressed in white t-shirt and gray sweatpants stained inContinue reading “On the Evening of Saturday, March 19”

Taking Care Of Business

Detective Fiction by James Clar Honolulu, 1948 My chair creaked as I lit a cigarette and leaned back to make myself comfortable. I had some foot-dangling to catch up on. I was out of practice. The overhead fan in my office above a pawn shop on Hotel Street did little to blunt the odors fromContinue reading “Taking Care Of Business”

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”