Creative Non-Fiction by Claire O’ Brien October 2017, Prince George’s County, Maryland Her house was tidy, if a bit dated. The living room carpet was the kind that changes color when you run your hand over it—in this case, from sea to forest green. Two wooden side tables positioned astride the well-worn, maroon leather reclinerContinue reading “Mostly Dead, Like Me”
Category Archives: Police
Detective Michael Penelope
By Andy Betz He understood he wouldn’t make it to the police. His pace had slowed with every minute that passed. Normally, he could count on his youthful exuberance to propel him forward. But that was then and this is now. The sun dried the blood in his hair, but not that on his forehead. Continue reading “Detective Michael Penelope”
Black Flies
By J.P. Seewald A short, heavy-set man bustled into Lieutenant Bill Granger’s office with an air of authority. Sergeant Karen Maitland raised her eyebrows questioningly. “Dr. Cannard is an entomologist at Michigan State University. He’s here to help us solve the Larson case.” The professor of science, dressed in a funereal black suitContinue reading “Black Flies”
A Stranger in the Trailer Park
By H.K. Slade Thunder rattled the windows of the rundown double wide. A heavy wind slung thick sheets of rain into the sides of the trailer, drumming the aluminum walls and seeping under the door. Deputy Joshua “Country” Tumblewhite stood in the center of the living room, dripping water onto the thin carpet and prayingContinue reading “A Stranger in the Trailer Park”
Body Snatcher
By Kathleen Chamberlin Out of breath, Jake caught up with Felicia, stared, and whispered, “What should we do with it? Felicia turned on him, her look withering. “We don’t do anything with it. We don’t go near it. We don’t touch it. We leave it alone.” They had stumbled upon the body as theyContinue reading “Body Snatcher”
On A Dusty Road
By M.E. Proctor It was something out of a dystopian graphic novel. The gray brown color of the flat land, the lack of any vegetation that wasn’t a dry blanched stick, the barbed wire fences gaudily decorated with shredded plastic bags, and the constant caravan of trucks spewing exhaust fumes. Pumps dotted the area. AContinue reading “On A Dusty Road”
“10-54”
By Ron Riekki “Godzilla’s awesome.” “Godzilla’s weak.” “Godzilla’s the opposite of weak.” “Muhammad Ali’d kick Godzilla’s ass.” “Godzilla’s nine hundred feet tall.” “No, I’m saying if Muhammad Ali was nine hundred feet tall, he’d kick Godzilla’s ass. If they were the same height. If Godzilla was six feet tall and Muhammad Ali was six feetContinue reading ““10-54””
Smells Fishy
By Ruben Horn “Moin!” the jolly woman greets me with this common northern German salutation, as I step up to the counter of her fish shack. “Ein Bismarck-Brötchen… bitte!” I do my best to order my favorite, a Sauerlappen as they are also called, in her language. The woman with a short black tomboy haircutContinue reading “Smells Fishy”
Brotherly Love
By Kathleen Chamberlin In the moonlight, a large owl perched on the elm tree nearest the woods behind the Deerfield house. It scanned the surrounding area, blinking and turning its head, watching and waiting. Soon, some unsuspecting victim would scamper into sight, searching for food. The owl would leave its perch, talons extended, swooping downContinue reading “Brotherly Love”
Nightfall
By Kevin Reigle Red and blue police lights reflected off the frosted store windows. The snow glowed from the moonlight as it fell on the city park. Onlookers stood behind the yellow police tape near the gazebo, intently watching the officers examine the body. Flashes from the crime photographer’s camera made the crowd uneasy asContinue reading “Nightfall”