DORA FOUND THE BODY—and all she felt was annoyance. Now she’d have to find someone else to clean for to fill out the week. Mrs. Beeson—as she insisted on being called even though there was no evidence that she’d ever had a husband—had been a good employer. She always left a hundreddollar bill, always said […]
HE’D LOWERED THE LIGHTS and closed the curtains before he began. The cruel wind outside howled as loudly as it could but inside the bedroom, it could barely be heard, the thickness of the glass keeping the winter out and the warm in. The roaring fire helped, not that Karen could see it through her […]
Pip knew where they lived. Everyone in Little Kilton knew where they lived. Their home was like the town’s own haunted house; people’s footsteps quickened as they walked by and their words strangled and died in their throats. Shrieking children would gather on their walk home from school, daring one another to run up and […]
She didn’t sleep. Hadn’t slept through the night in a long time. There was too much darkness, not the kind that was restful. At dawn, when her mamm peeked into her bedroom and told her it was time to feed the animals and get ready for worship, she was already awake, waiting. Ready. Ever the […]
Late October can be the best or worst time to schedule a hike. Right now, the jury was out on Sunday’s activity for the participants of this month’s Warm Springs Writers’ Retreat. Seth Howard— Cat Latimer’s boyfriend, retreat driver, and, for this retreat, hiking guide—sat glued to his laptop. Cat watched him over her coffee […]
Puck didn’t expect to find a body. She certainly hadn’t been looking for the skeleton of a man no one seemed to remember. How she had mourned him when he disappeared. Her mother told her to stop sniveling, that at fourteen she had no idea what love was. But she did know! Now, so many […]
Lighting my cigar, I inhale deeply and let the smoke fill my lungs. The taste of victory is almost as strong as the night karma finally caught up to that son of a bitch. I’ve been labeled the bad guy my entire life and that bastard always got everything I deserved. Thirty years. That’s how […]
Ben pats the breast pocket of his suit jacket, then his trouser pocket, his backside and his wrist. Keys, wallet, phone and watch. It’s the new head, shoulders, knees and toes. ‘Got everything?’ I ask, unable to come up with anything better to say. He checks his trouser pocket once more, removing his phone to […]
London and Wiltshire February 1921 Ian Rutledge was walking down the stairs at Scotland Yard when he met Chief Inspector Leslie coming up them two at a time. “Markham in?” Leslie asked, pausing on the landing. “He was just stepping into his office as I came out of mine.” Rutledge didn’t add that he’d heard […]
“Where did the screams come from, ma’am?” Deputy Tessa Black stood under the porch overhang. The night wind whipped dead leaves around her boots. “Over there.” In the open doorway, Mrs. Driver lifted one hand from her walker and pointed behind Tessa. Tessa glanced over her shoulder. On the other side of a quarter-acre field, […]
“Where did the screams come from, ma’am?” Deputy Tessa Black stood under the porch overhang. The night wind whipped dead leaves around her boots. “Over there.” In the open doorway, Mrs. Driver lifted one hand from her walker and pointed behind Tessa. Tessa glanced over her shoulder. On the other side of a quarter-acre field, […]
What’s happened to Clara Morrow? She used to be a great artist. #MorrowSucks Are you kidding me? They let him back into the Sûreté? #SûretéSux “Merde.” “Merde?” Myrna Landers looked over her bowl of café au lait at her friend. “I’m sorry,” said Clara Morrow. “I meant to say fuck. Fuckity fuck fuck.” “That’s my […]
“AND THIS PHONE has a dual aperture camera,” the sales guy said. Carlotta Wren squinted, thinking the smart phone he held looked pretty much like the other six sitting on the counter. In hindsight, she should’ve brought along her tech-nerd brother Wesley to help her choose. “Um… what’s a dual aperture?” Priscilla Wren lifted on […]
Sunday dinners are something I always look forward to with my parents. Until today. Dad’s heading out for a fishing trip with his friends, so Mom switched it to Saturday lunch and topped it off by insisting Meg and I bring our boyfriends. I’m honestly not sure I want JJ to meet them. Yet. Our […]
fter a crazy, surreal day at work, the last thing I want to do is jump into a fresh case. The universe has different plans. Welcome to my world. I’m Charlize Schock, private investigator, and, like my last name, shock is what I experience as the next few seconds unfold. The air outside is that […]
My name is Megan Eleanor Schock and I rebuild the dead. I’m not being dramatic either. As we speak, I’m contemplating Emily, a woman who sits in the corner of my office where I greet her every morning and promise justice. She’s young. Probably a teenager, tossed away like trash and left to the utter […]
THE INSTANT DEE GUERRERA peeled open her eyelids and gazed around the dimly lit warehouse, she knew she was screwed. Fifty million people are about to watch me die. She lay on the concrete floor, its chill permeating her clothes, and recalled the insanity that had landed her here. Three weeks ago, the most important […]
Eddie Donovan didn’t like crowds. Crowds were unpredictable, dangerous. Crowds held a multitude of malcontents, any one of which could be the death of him, in the most literal way. He was surrounded by people, and sweating. Despite the aviator-style Ray-Bans perched on his nose, the sun shone brightly in his eyes, making it harder […]
KATE WOLFE’S 3 PM appointment stood in the doorway wearing a jaw-dropping miniskirt, a light blue tee, plaid knee socks, and chunky platform heels. Fifteen-year-old Nikki McCormack suffered from bipolar disorder. She believed that she was the center of the universe. She lived in a world of her own creation. “Hello, Nikki,” Kate said warmly. […]
We’ve been tracking Shawn Sutherland for almost two hours when the blizzard strikes. That’s the common phrasing. A storm hits. A blizzard strikes. Like a left hook out of nowhere. Except that’s not how it usually happens. There’s always warning. The wind picks up. The sky darkens. At the very least, you sense a weight […]
