Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Criminal.
The Impresario of Vienna
‘Café Museum’, with its red velvet seats and dangling chandeliers, was a cozy little corner for a meeting place on an autumn evening. I entered the cafe, Hans took me to my table and greeted me, “Welcome home sir.” I smiled at my seasonal friend as we exchanged simple pleasantries in my broken German. I am quite fortunate that nearly everyone in this country speaks English. As I hung from my jacket on a slightly taller than normal coat rack, a server appeared with my regular order; a soda citron, double espresso, and glass of Vienna’s famed white wine - Grüner Veltliner, down on the marble table.
By Michael Polo5 years ago in Criminal
Black Cahier
Conrad exits the lawyer’s office and drifts over to the reception area. He grips a small black notebook, still in shock. Well, that had been the weirdest five minutes of his life. Entering the office, thinking he was being sued or subpoenaed or something, sitting across an executive rosewood table from a Tribeca-penthouse, suit-worth-more-than-a-month’s-pay kind of man who regarded Conrad with the same disinterest of a cat watching baseball.
By Owen R. Page5 years ago in Criminal
Lucky Day
Murphy adored the lamplights on the West Side. More than anything, he loved that moment of ignition. Every eve, at five o’clock, those gothic bulbs sprung to life, cool and hazy in the dimming vespers. That negative interference of tungsten and twilight always betrayed his familiarity. For a brief little wondrous moment each night on his stroll home from the studio, he felt as if lost in a foreign city amidst a romance of cigarette smoke and neon. The East Side where he worked wasn’t half as enchanting—those modern LED’s and industrial street lights were suffocating, really. No, that colonnade of glittering jewels in the West Side, hanging up in the misty evening air—it made each day worthwhile. That was home.
By Conor Newton5 years ago in Criminal
The Case of the Kidnapped Librarian
An hour ago, Emmy had been walking home with her friend, Mr. Crosley, the retired librarian. He had been heading home, to his mansion on the edge of town, after his daily visit to the library. He always returned his book from the previous day and checked out a new one. Emmy had been headed home from school. It had been raining. It still was. Emmy had seen Mr. Crosley as he came out of the library and they had walked together. At the corner of Spearmint Street they had split, each heading towards their own homes.
By Katie Altman5 years ago in Criminal
Dinner Ticket
And that was when he sat on me LIKE A 50 kg. BAG OF CAT FOOD… how I would have loved to have a 50 kg. bag of cat food! But I didn’t. I didn’t even have an owner back then, so I was out on the street, a pretty little black cat…. I’m sorry, let me introduce myself and start my story properly.
By Saskatchewan Riley5 years ago in Criminal
The Little Black Book
The Little Black Book, The Jim Cooper Story Jim Cooper is an average man with an average life working on a regular Tuesday working his 9-5 at the Walgreens down the street from the Empire State Building. Jim had other things on his mind as well. He had been completely spaced out from work all day. He felt as if something odd was going to happen. Staring out the glass of the window watching the rain come down the window pane, waiting on his next customer, a homeless man walks up to him staring at him strangely. The man shakes of the cold from the outside and looks at Jim closely. Jim looks confused and proceeds to say “what can I get you sir?”. The man still stares as he proceeds to hand Jim this small little black book with absolutely no cover. Maybe it was a journal? Jim thought. Jim grabs the book and before he could ask any questions the homeless man runs away as fast as he could. Thinking it was just a simple joke and no one needed help in the store at the time Jim goes to put the book in his bag and proceeds to finish out his shift.
By Its Toriii5 years ago in Criminal
Uncle Rigby
My uncle Rigby is stuffing Splenda packets in his jacket pockets like it’s his birthright and the waitress, whose name is Mindy, looks over at us sadly from the other table. I give her an apologetic smile. Uncle Rigby takes a long sip of his tea and leans back in his chair.
By Carrie Clements5 years ago in Criminal
The Experiment
It never would have happened if they hadn’t decided to retile their bathroom. One thing led to another and before they knew it, they were completely re-doing the little bungalow they had just purchased as their first home together. Angela thought it would be fun. Her husband John thought it would be a hassle. But everything came to a grinding halt when, one Saturday afternoon as they were demolishing an unnecessary wall, a little black book tumbled out of the plaster, landing on the living room floor with a soft thud.
By Emily Gilbert5 years ago in Criminal
