Poison Marsh Summer

By Mark Benedict When your parents first pitch you on their idea to steal a laundry basket full ofcash, you know you should skate. Not that you’re above petty crimes. Heck no. In fact, petty crimes are kind of your thing. But it’s a dark, do-nothing chapter in your life, not to mention that theseContinue reading “Poison Marsh Summer”

Riders on the Storm

By John Haymaker It’s early morning, cold and raining. Palmer is lost and confused. He drives along a two-lane road meandering through rocky outcrops, pine forests, steep inclines and intermittent fog. It’s spooky. GPS is worthless here. He checks the rear view to see if he’s being followed. He catches a glimpse of himself andContinue reading “Riders on the Storm”

Safe Cracked: The Peruvian Cob Caper

Crime Fiction By Russell Guenther It was another busy Monday morning at the San Diego County Superior Court. Sheriff’s Detective Rogelio Santana didn’t arrive back in the station until well after lunchtime. “Back from the murder trial?” Deputy Hayes, Santana’s former patrol partner asked. “​Puto​,” Santana said. “What’s that, Roger?” “What kind of asshole killsContinue reading “Safe Cracked: The Peruvian Cob Caper”

The Paris Express

By Jonathan Wilkins Élodie met him in a faded restaurant in a small, rainy town Saint-Mars-la-Brière on the main line between Tours and Paris. There were mirrors on the walls all around the room. Over his shoulder she could see herself reflected a dozen times; it made her blink. She wasn’t sure which face wasContinue reading “The Paris Express”

Height Advantage

by John Mahoney My iPhone buzzed in my pocket, the alert I’d programmed into its memory. Barnes & Noble captivates me, but Wyler wouldn’t want to hear that. I shelved the manga neatly with its siblings. My left hand was at my side, and I looked down, feeling a tug of its pinkie. The girlContinue reading “Height Advantage”

Phantom View

By Ben James As Sam waited for an elevator, he admired the lobby of the skyscraper that housed the SCZ Group’s headquarters. He’d been in ritzy Manhattan office buildings before, but this space seemed particularly elegant, and slightly intimidating. Anxiety overtook him as he studied the vaulted ceiling and immaculate marble walls. He suspected thatContinue reading “Phantom View”