Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Criminal.
Wrongful Trust
The farm house on Willowshire Lane had been in the Hollowell family for years. Some might say it sank its clutches into poor Buddy Hollowell but to those who knew him, it was the other way around—well, that is, until she came along. It was the prior winter when he met Meredith Lawson, a young twenty-two year old fresh out of college who had applied at the firm of Hollowell and Sykes and it wasn’t long before the now aging Buddy Hollowell had taken her under his wing. He was well on his way to a third “retirement” in the legal field and was looking forward to it—which was his mindset until Ms. Lawson came to the firm. Meredith Lawson was an eager woman—spritely, precocious and full of questions and Buddy soon realized she was overqualified for her job as his personal assistant and decided to allow her to take part in his investigations.
By K.H. Obergfoll5 years ago in Criminal
The Silent Foot Falls
He sat alone on the grassy berm, staring up into the cerulean evening sky. He liked to look at the clouds. A lot of people did- they could see things in them. That cloud looks like a so and so, a this and that, a dog, a cat, whatever it was. That was the short game though. The long game played out a little differently. When Alphi looked at the clouds, he liked to see how they were connected. To imagine how they could be connected. Each cloud might be something, but the whole sky was a picture. Why was the dog chasing the cat? Who took care of the animals? He was interested in the answers to the questions that the whole picture asked. He could see a wispy cloud glowing with dim bands of yellow and orange as it crossed the horizon towards the sunset. Where was she going? A strong tailwind was blowing a larger mass of solid clouds behind him. What would he do? Why?
By Brett Schoenfeldt 5 years ago in Criminal
Craigslisted
It’s been a hard few months. A global pandemic forcing all of us to quarantine inside. Social gatherings ruined and endless time spent alone with only your thoughts or Tik Tok. It seems like a metronome is going off in your head counting the minutes since this has all began. I lost my job, along with many others and was financially tanked. Forcing me to move back into my childhood home with my parents.
By Madison Miller5 years ago in Criminal
The Path We Choose
It was late in the day and Donald 'Donnie Boy' Nelson was in a particularly good mood as he walked down a well-worn path through the woods. And why wouldn't he be? His drug business was booming and in fact he had just picked up three new customers at Reggie's, his favorite bar. To top it off, a patron who had obviously drank more than his share of liquor, bought a round of tequila shots for everyone. Donald didn't particularly care for tequila, but a free shot is a free shot. He had in fact intended on thanking the guy, maybe even acquiring a new customer out of the interaction, but he had disappeared shortly after buying the drinks. Probably passed out in the back of a cab by now. Donald shook his head and laughed, man what a day. Then again, his luck had been on the upswing since about five years ago when he beat a murder rap. A young kid, Steve something or another, that he had sold fentanyl-laced pills to had overdosed and died. Everyone knew he was the dealer responsible but with the help of a lawyer who was even shadier than he was and an easily bought cop who knew how to make evidence 'disappear', Donald had walked away scot-free. Life was good.
By Jimmy Wilson5 years ago in Criminal
The Woman Who Got Out: Interrogation Splatter
In a few hours, Jacob had gained his consciousness. He began to panic as he awoke to see Ava holding a shotgun and everyone else dead all around the room. She told him, "Answer me with the complete truth or I will kill you too." He decided it would be wise to do as she asks. He replied, "Ok, what is it that you needed to know?" She lays down her weapon on a coffee table next to her that had been dripping blood off of it for the last few hours. "Who are you involved with? What do they have against you?" She asked him with a serious face. "They call themselves 'The Termites' they are holding my dad hostage and want me to get all my revenge on people in my life who have disappeared whether or not it was their fault," he said. Ava hesitated for a minute. "How come you didn't reveal them? You know who my father is." He sighed, "They could've harmed my father...I don't want to lose him." "I understand..," Ava quickly followed. "Where are they holding your father? Do you know?" "They are holding him in a prison cell at their main building. 1299 Tredence Millton, it's a warehouse," he said. Ava wrote it down in her notebook and put it back in her pocket. She then asked, "Why ask for my daughter when you said you weren't ready to be a father?" He replied, "I was going to kill you, but when you told me you were pregnant I left instead. I thought I would give you the chance to be a mother. " Ava then smiled and said, "In that case let me finish this once and for all." She picked up the shotgun and shot his head off, letting the blood fly everywhere. Overlapping the blood from the other people that she had killed in a fit of rage.
By Rebeca Feier5 years ago in Criminal
Replacing Freud
"Sigmund, what brings you to Prague on this fine day?" "I apologize, I think you have mistaken me for someone else." Dr. Bloch's brow furrowed as he watched the man continue down the cobblestone street, his gait identical to the Viennese doctor's familiar stride.
By M.R. Cameo5 years ago in Criminal
Camino Real
I hate checking my bank account. But the first of the month is next week, and I got to know what I’m working with. After I got canned from my startup, I survived with some freelance gigs thanks to the MyHyre app. But they dried up sometime ago. And living in San Francisco is expensive. I opened my account: $485. 99.
By Beto Erami5 years ago in Criminal
The Golden Thieves
Thou shall not steal. Those were the words printed on a train advertisement that hung above the heads of the morning commuters. Amongst those commuters was a young college drop out named Jolene. She was down on her luck, in debt, and contemplating her next job opportunity. As the train stopped a young posh woman got up to exit. As she was leaving, a black leather wallet fell from her coat landing in the center of the walkway. Surprised no one noticed, Jolene grabbed the wallet in full intent of returning it.
By Jackie Villa5 years ago in Criminal
