The Eye Exam

Flash Fiction by Melissa R. Mendelson I hate the blue light. “Will you please sit still?”  The doctor asked. She tried not to smile at the anger in his voice.  “Just relax.”  The doctor leaned forward, moving the blue light up to her eye, brushing against her eyelash. She jerked her head back. “Echo!”  SheContinue reading “The Eye Exam”

Suicide Squeeze: Colton Lacombe’s Return to Baseball.

Crime Fiction By Jason P. Reed Stepping into the batter’s box at Bengal park had a way of transporting Colton Lacomb to Little League in Lake Charles, Louisiana, where he first made a name for himself. Never mind that he was a 21 year old freshman. And never mind that the pitchers he faced clockedContinue reading “Suicide Squeeze: Colton Lacombe’s Return to Baseball.”

Cowardice

Flash Fiction by Tom Miller Finn wasn’t a coward, no, he was just a child. Thirteen, naive, impressionable. He thought he’d lost his innocence earlier that year when he drank his first beer and got his pecker touched for the first time. But, he actually lost it when he rifled through his sister, Brigid’s, diaryContinue reading “Cowardice”

The Bodyguard

Flash Fiction by Roy Dorman Jeremy Fulton is enjoying his morning coffee in a little deli off 45th Street in New York City’s  Hell’s Kitchen area.  Surveying the other customers, he sees he’s the only one with an actual paper newspaper.  Everyone else has their heads buried in their laptops or are intently studying theirContinue reading “The Bodyguard”

Brimstone

Flash Fiction by Nick Di Carlo Between 1972 and ’74 when he was arrested, Brimley Stone abducted at least thirteen women, painted their faces, dressed them like Raggedy Ann dolls, and strangled them. He was 19. Serving hard time for life—no possibility of parole, Stone obsessed with time, agonizing over how he’d fill a lifetimeContinue reading “Brimstone”

Any Day Now

Flash Fiction by Tamara Shaffer They stroll arm in arm on the darkened, tree-lined street, speaking in hushed tones, laughing sporadically. They’re too absorbed in each other to notice me as I keep pace behind them, slipping silently in and out behind the trunks of the giant elms and remaining just close enough to observe.Continue reading “Any Day Now”

Serial Killer: The Pittsburgh Poisoner

True Crime by Chris Bunton Martha Grinder was hanged on January 19, 1866. She was one of only two women executed in Pittsburgh history. She was convicted and confessed to the poisoning of two people. Her neighbor Mary Caroline Carothers, and a former maid Jane Buchanan, both of which died under mysterious circumstances after MarthaContinue reading “Serial Killer: The Pittsburgh Poisoner”

The Cheater

Crime Fiction by Michael Downing Night is the hardest part. The stretch that burns you out inside, drawing out the minutes until they snap like a whip against your skin. Cooper sucks on his Marlboro, feeling the burn, squinting his eyes shut, letting the smoke roll around his head until it stings. The darkness neverContinue reading “The Cheater”

Friends with Benefits

Crime Fiction By Seamus O’ Leary Doctor Derek Goldberg sat at the bar in Louie’s Sports Pub, watching the game on one of the big screen TV’s He was excited. It was Friday night, and his new friends were coming for another night of partying. He could not wait. He took a drink of hisContinue reading “Friends with Benefits”

Havana Nocturne

Crime Fiction by Russell Thayer Gunselle adjusted her stylish new sunglasses, unshouldered the straps of her new bikini top, and melted into the poolside lounger to let the blazing Cuban sun caramelize her flesh. A green parrot with a smart red bib admired her from the limb of a potted Bougainvillea. Gunselle gave it aContinue reading “Havana Nocturne”