Simon Barber, Plumber

Crime Fiction by John Ahlfors Avid armchair sports fan, beer enthusiast, bookworm and retired plumber, Simon Barber was turning eighty-one, his square birthday. “You know, nine times nine,” he explained to his wife, Faye, who rolled her eyes. Heaving deep breaths, Simon battled to blow out the roar of candles. Never had he thought he’dContinue reading “Simon Barber, Plumber”

Friends 5-Eva

Crime Fiction by Shivani Sivagurunathan We get out of Donna’s glossy midnight-blue BMW. The air is filled with spikes. It’s not supposed to be cold in the tropics but tonight is special. We’ve finally done what we’ve been threatening to do since we were teenagers. Poor Anwar. He’s just the in-between person in this, ifContinue reading “Friends 5-Eva”

A Solitary Neighbor Leaves No Witnesses

Flash Fiction by Marcelo Medone My neighbor is very kind. Her name is Dorothy. She is sixty years old and could be my mother. I know all her movements and her quirks, because she is a very methodical old lady and hardly ever leaves her apartment. She doesn’t even have a dog to take forContinue reading “A Solitary Neighbor Leaves No Witnesses”

Griff Lingo P.I.

Crime Fiction by Frank Sonderborg Basingstoke UK in winter is no Miami Beach. It’s wet, cold and getting the shit kicked out of you by heavies is no small matter. Harry H was holding me up while Mickey P was doing the damage. Basically, beating the crap out of me. And then they were gone,Continue reading “Griff Lingo P.I.”

Demolition

Flash Fiction by Steve Saulsbury Stanley told me about doing the demolition, as a charity project. To the community, as a way of healing. Unusual, yes, but the house stood as a reminder of what had happened. “Very heartbreaking,” Stanley barked, stepping up onto his excavator. Winter weather hadn’t deterred a small crowd from gathering.Continue reading “Demolition”

Con! Kidnap! Kill?

Flash Fiction by Simon Nadel She told me the plan was simple and straightforward, but with Phyllis Walters, or Phil as she likes to be called, nothing is ever simple or straightforward. It’s on me that I still went along with it. We’d met Eric at a club downtown. He was taking it easy afterContinue reading “Con! Kidnap! Kill?”

Possessed

Flash Fiction by Ferdi Wheeler Jack Weir is not in jail, or dead. He hides in the moonlight in my garden, of that I am sure. I can discern his figure where he stands pressed against the trunk of the pine tree. I am looking through a slit in the curtains in my sitting room.Continue reading “Possessed”

The Naked Car Thief

Crime Fiction by Roy Dorman He could have swerved around her rather than stopping, but he didn’t.  And that started a weird chain of events. Artie Miller had been driving on State Street in Downtown Chicago.  It was a beautiful summer night and a few people were still out walking at two in the morning.Continue reading “The Naked Car Thief”

Detective Santana’s Holiday

Detective Fiction By Russell Guenther It was 11:25, Tuesday evening, and Detective Rogelio Santana drove up to his unlit and empty house. By no means a paranoid man like many of his colleagues, he rarely locked his own car when parked under the shelter of the carport. Tonight, however, Santana had driven the county carContinue reading “Detective Santana’s Holiday”

Distant Friends With Benefits

Crime Fiction by J. Marquez Jr. Every time I see the work van with the wrap depicting a smiling security camera cartoon, holding a top hat with one four-fingered white-gloved hand and a cane with the other, I cringe. The fancy writing across the top reads, Richardson Bros Security Systems. Every time it makes thatContinue reading “Distant Friends With Benefits”