fiction
Mystery, crime, murder, unsolved cases. Contribute your own tales of crime to Criminal.
Nottingham
Arthur was stopped by the bright lights and reflective vests of a construction crew. He thought it was odd that they’d be working, as he didn’t notice anything wrong earlier in the day, but nevertheless, he turned down a road he’d never travelled before to find an alternate route to the park. The park was nothing special, but it was relatively secluded and vacant. The occasional teenager would ride through on a bike, and the police would often stop for small talk, but on a Tuesday evening, everyone had more important things to do. Everyone else but me, apparently, he thought, as he turned down another unfamiliar alley.
By Devin Kennedy5 years ago in Criminal
Strangers, Secrets, and Games
It dawned upon her right then, as Hayden stood, shaking in the cold rain. She was clutching the little black book that the man in front of her had dropped, realizing just how infamous it truly must be if even she knew some of the names inside it's pages. Like a school roster, she couldn't read aloud in fear that if she did she would be marked, like the scarlet letter, having literally called out the names of those possibly involved in committing heinous crimes that she couldn't bear to think of, dare to speak of. She began wondering to herself a myriad of foolish, frightening thoughts. The first, being if those around her knew that she knew?
By Suzi Sevilen5 years ago in Criminal
The Smugglers Book
The Black Book It was 1981 and I was just a toddler when my parents left me on the top of Bennett avenue in Black Hawk Colorado. They gave me a $50.00 bill and told me to go find my Uncle Zeke at the local bar. I remember my mom telling me, "give him the money and tell him we will be back in two weeks, HB." This was the first of many adventures I can remember having in this small mining town over the next 40 years. You see, my father was a drug dealer, my mother was a hippy. These circumstances made for a very colorful childhood. I was not like the other kids; I knew way more of the world than most my age.
By Megan Clayton 5 years ago in Criminal
What Grandma Left Behind
The day was January 25th, 2021, grandma was home on hospice for the weekend, but five-thirty in the morning rolled around and she passed in her sleep. She was a lively person, her smile great, her laugh contagious, her kindness overflowing. She was the definition of beautiful inside and out. She was the glue to the quaint Droddy Family. She was the glue that held them together. One would wonder what would happen to such a family after she passed. After her funeral most went their separate ways. Some stayed. The ones that stayed tried to hold together a broken group grieving for their beloved wife, mother, and grandmother. Almost six months later everyone came back, some with their hands out, ready to claim what they believed was rightfully theirs. Jewelry, furniture, family heirlooms were passed around to various family members until there was one person left. Carter, one of her granddaughters who was 20 years old at the time. All eyes were on her as what was left to her was being read. Her grandmother left her a little black book. There was a condition that she would have to pick it up from the bank. One of Carter's cousins, Arabelle, burst into a fit of tears and anger. She shrieked that was promised to her. She turned to Carter and said
By Lory Tar Wolfe 5 years ago in Criminal
Jack's Place
I like neighborhood bars. They harken back to a time before corporate edifices attempted to make themselves neighborhood-looking by putting big stools around small tables. Jack’s Place was a long bar accompanied by wobbly stools and low booths with sticky tables. Last night’s popcorn was still on the floor where the broom hadn’t quite reached under the tables. The neon beer signs hadn’t been dusted enough to remove the film, which dimmed the struggling light. On the wall, the TV bled colors so the sportscasters on the screen looked like they had fuzzy orange halos around red faces.
By Reverend Dude5 years ago in Criminal
Daddy's Little Girl
The news made her feel like she was stabbed in the heart. Gwen Stevens had worked as a make-up artist for Day-Glow Productions for the last ten years doing make-up and hair for every major stage event coming through Altoona from San Francisco to New York. It was her dream job and now because of the pandemic, Day-Glo was shutting down forever.
By Robert Forte5 years ago in Criminal
LogBook
Vancouver, Washington From all the strange gifts Samuel has received over the years from family and friends, an envelope that contained a letter and a sum of $20,000 in cash left abandoned by the door to only find the lonesome envelope and nothing else. Not even a person in sight walking away from his house, and Samuel thought that was the cherry on top of strange coincidences. He was glad his wife and two daughters were off on vacation with their grandmother and brother-in-law down at Long Beach, as Samuel was left behind to take care of the house for the weekend. Of course, he wanted to go but had stacks of paperwork to grade by High school students that barely look-up from their phone screens waiting for his lecture to end. He closed the door and went back inside still holding the envelope with the letter and cash. He opened it reaching for the Letter first.
By Levi Ewing5 years ago in Criminal
When angels tread in blood
The Reverend Theo Littleworth had never been threatened with a pistol by a nun before, and so he was naturally at a loss as to how to react. The awkwardness of the situation was not helped by the fact that he was kneeling in an antique store over a prostrate man who appeared to be dead. That is to say, blood was flowing liberally from his chest and he had no pulse. His glanced around the antiquaries, many of them of a religious character, and his eyes rested briefly on a resin statuette of Saint Christopher carrying the infant Christ on his shoulders. He half-hoped it might provide some guidance, but it bore the expression of someone saying ‘Sorry mate.’
By Gary Campbell5 years ago in Criminal
