Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Criminal.

The Burned Book
The morning we found the body, as dead as the fallen leaves it had been hastily buried beneath, the fog had been so thick that it was hard to see anything. In fact, had it not been for the burnt light that shone in patches through the thick tangle of Hickory and Ash, we might never have seen the muddy boot that started the other girls screaming for their homes. I wanted to run too, but I stood there staring at him. My mother used to call me Curiosity the Cat because I could “never leave well enough alone”. At this moment, that name was like a premonition. I couldn’t help it, I leaned down to get a closer look. I recognized him right away by his thick, tangled red hair and his patchy beard.
By Meg Bowen5 years ago in Criminal
The Games
“Anybody want to grab a bite to eat?” I asked. “No, I think I’ll just go home.” “No thanks, we have an early flight tomorrow.”
By Darryl Brooks5 years ago in Criminal
Samuel Little: A Quick Look at the Most Prolific Serial Killer in American History
The year 2020 might have been bad overall for most, but we can take some good with all of the bad. One positive development was the death of serial killer Samuel Little. Let me be clear here: I know it's always iffy to be glad when someone dies. Even at its very best, such a thing deserves to be recognized as morbid, to some small degree. Still, Samuel Little claimed to have killed 93 women, with 60 of the murders apparently being officially confirmed. He was not a good guy.
By Wade Wainio5 years ago in Criminal
Binge Worthy Criminal Justice
“So, when do I get my money?” Shawn Spencer asks the police. Why? Because he calls in tips to the station and offers them crime tips for reward money-that is, until he is suspected of being one of the criminals in question. As a result, he resorts to lying to the police- telling them that he is in fact, a psychic. “Psych” is a show surrounding the life of Shawn Spencer and his partner Gus. Gus and Shawn couldn’t be more different, and that’s what makes this show hilarious. Gus is a cautious yet curious, reasonable, level-headed pharmaceutical salesman whereas Shawn is a cunning, ambitious (yet highly impulsive) and ironically unemployed son of a former police officer. The problem with Shawn is that he hasn’t kept a job for more than 6 months and has had about 57 since high school. Shawn and Gus butt heads about nearly everything. Gus, neurotic, is always worried that Shawn is going to blow his cover and show everyone that he is a fraud. Shawn discovers his intel through cognition and stuns all who meet him with his intense visions and accuracy. I have watched this show over and over again, all 8 seasons. The sarcasm, the hilarity, the way Gus overreacts and “screams like a girl” or cries and throws up at the discovery of a dead body or crucial evidence, it makes me laugh every single time.
By Kaylatime Valdeandez5 years ago in Criminal
The Black Book Gambit
Moscow Rules, taught to any secret operative worth their salt since the Cold War, are equal parts vital knowledge and common sense. The rules, ten in all, are as follows:
By Jordan Gray5 years ago in Criminal
Twelve Months Rent and a Nandos for Two
I sat down, my handbag strap sliding down my arm and dropping my lip balm as it landed. The bus jerked as it set off and I accidentally knocked into the man sitting next to me. I rolled my eyes at him as if to say "We are all in this together: this jerking bus, this hellish commute, this rain, this baby crying, this Greggs sausage roll that I’m about to eat for breakfast". I think he understood exactly what my tired, puffy eyes were saying. He smiled at me and from that moment, I knew we were comrades, at least until one of us got off the bus. He looked about ten years older than me and was fairly handsome. I peeled the paper bag away from my sausage roll and took a bite, the flaky pastry sticking to my cheeks. I looked at the man as I wafted it off my face. He was engrossed in a small, black notebook.
By Mel Elliott5 years ago in Criminal
Rare Sonnets Surface in Long Beach
I consulted a broker of rare documents in Los Angeles and explained what I had. He was eager to put it on the market. But first I had to create a buzz.
By Banning Lary5 years ago in Criminal
Departures
DEPARTURES Kendra Pierce wasn’t the worst client I ever represented. Not nearly. Heck, she wasn’t even the guiltiest. About a third of the times she’d been booked (that I know of) she hadn’t technically committed crimes. Herself, that is. In those cases, anyway. In about another third, she didn’t have to face the music because of what I call “police training deficiencies.” And up until this thing happened, I’d never dealt with the feds for anything about her. The worst, I’ve known. Kendra wasn’t that.
By Lance Hendrickson5 years ago in Criminal
Not What You Think
Annie – 2003 “How can I tell him?” “He needs to know.” “He needs to get tested.” The same script ran in her head, over and over. “What can I possibly say? He is going to hate me. He should hate me.”
By Bob McInnis5 years ago in Criminal
Everything You Need to Know About UV Flashlights
A UV flashlight is like an ordinary flashlight, but instead using ordinary bulb, it uses an UV bulb. An UV flashlight is an important tool in detecting fraudulent documents. On documents where hidden graphics have been imprinted, an UV flashlight can be used to view the hidden graphics that are only visible under UV light – thereby, authenticating the document. Are you a big fan of a detective story? The one that conduct searches throughout crime scenes especially when there is a murder case happens? The perfect example of this kind of detective stories might be the CSI TV program.
By Nancy Thigpen5 years ago in Criminal
Blues and Twos
"Jane, I have a strange one--putting you through. Sounds like a code three, but he isn't making any sense" The call appears on her screen.
By Tom Brad5 years ago in Criminal
"Butterfly"
Annabelle was dreaming. But they were not the whimsical, bright coloured dreams of a 10 year old child with not a worry in the world; There were no friendly woodland creatures or tiny, delicately winged women with slippers fashioned of pink blossoms. She did not find herself in a beflowered forest clearing with golden sunlight streaming through the foliage and the peaceful twitter of birdsong sounding through the tree-tops. Instead, she was in her bedroom, in the dark, with muffled yelling accosting her butterfly-charm-clad ears from the kitchen beneath the floor boards and a small sliver of yellow light creeping through the cracked door.
By Sienna Kelly5 years ago in Criminal