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”

The Boxer Girl

By Aiden Dufort As she got up at 7 am, Detective Ashanti Lewis jumped to her desk, booting up her Lenovo ThinkPad without brushing her teeth. Having typed her login password, she rubbed her eyelids. The image of the dreadful tiger that appeared in her dream was still drifting in her cloudy eyesight. The tigerContinue reading “The Boxer Girl”

Forget it, Jake. It’s Schenectady

By David Bushman (An excerpt from David’s upcoming true-crime book about one of the most notorious police corruption scandals in NY State history, and very loosely the basis for the 2012 film ‘The Place Beyond the Pines’) *** Chapter 15: Willy Sometime between 1:30 and 2:00 p.m. on the overcast day of Saturday, October 6,Continue reading “Forget it, Jake. It’s Schenectady”

Nicole and Julia: Death at Poolside

By Andy Betz “The brochure says the Williams Aquatic Center houses a full sized Olympic swimming pool, bleachers, separate locker rooms and showers, and ample parking for up to 500 spectators.  The hours today are from 8am to 10pm which includes lifeguard and CPR classes from 10am to 1pm and free swimming for the restContinue reading “Nicole and Julia: Death at Poolside”

Sad Day

By Dick Johnson It was a sad day in a house full of assholes, and I was dying. It wasn’t always sad, like it wasn’t always daytime, but they were probably always assholes. It was a house in St. Louis. It was one of those slum houses.  I’d tell you where, but no one reallyContinue reading “Sad Day”

Judge and Jury

By William M. McIntosh I’ve seen just about everything. Thirty-three years in and I still get excited, though. The chase. The capture. The power. The idea that your hard work has paid off and you’re still the man; there ain’t a feeling that comes close. I remember my first. I still think about it allContinue reading “Judge and Jury”

Victor Pauline Reports

By Courtney Webb It was the end of a dry, hot summer in Central Valley. Everything was dusty and reports of fires in the mountains blared from every newscast. In Tranquility, California, a small Central Valley town, Sam Reynolds stared at the morning news with a scowl. The paper was spread out on the kitchenContinue reading “Victor Pauline Reports”

Angle Grinder

By Shane Leavy Wind rose and drove rain against the van with a hollow, rattling roar. Inside, Michael winced. ‘Don’t worry, young fellah,’ said Barry, huge behind a glowing cigarette where he sat opposite, ‘we won’t tell your mammy you got wet.’ Tom huffed smoke in a chesty snigger from the driver’s seat, then droppedContinue reading “Angle Grinder”

Death at the DMV

By Russell Guenther In a suburb east of San Diego stands one of the busiest Department of Motor Vehicles offices in the county. The flag of the California Republic’s brown bear watches over the building, tucked away in a corner right beside State Route 67, as the surface road curves sharply from the city-to-county line,Continue reading “Death at the DMV”

Following a Shadow in Tehran

By Danial Haghighi Officers encountered them first in the security cameras, according to the inspectors and detectives that were assigned to the case. The surveillance cameras were positioned at the building entrance. The recorded footage showed images of eleven tall, wide shouldered men calmly entering the complex. Their faces appeared relaxed, confident and certain asContinue reading “Following a Shadow in Tehran”