fiction

Mystery, crime, murder, unsolved cases. Contribute your own tales of crime to Criminal.

What did the Victim Have in His Pocket?
Detective Carlos Herrara had survived liver cancer three years ago, and was in remission. Dying didn’t cross his mind. He felt like the only death he was concerned with was not his own but the man shot dead in Wilmington, Delaware. The Daily Delaware covered the case in December 2020.
By Skyler Saunders5 years ago in Criminal
The Greengrocer's Dilemma
It had been a long day, and Danny White was closing the shop. He was the sole proprietor of 'A Bite At The Cherry'. A hipster's hangout, the health shop consisted of a smoothie bar, a nut station, vegan food, and a massive fruit and vegetables section. His grandmother would have been ashamed at the old shop's metamorphosis, but the rapid fall of the greengrocer had been inevitable. For Danny, inheriting the old family 'fruit and veg' retail business was not the legacy it once was; changes had to be made.
By Tom Brad5 years ago in Criminal
Green Means Stop
Red light! Green light! Red light! Green light! The words echoed around in her head like a pinball bouncing frantically off the sides of a billowing pinball machine desperately trying to find its way out. As she gripped the staring wheel it would be easy to say that she was white knuckled, but the glow from the streetlight lulled her into a 1000-mile stare as her hands began to glow under its neon spell like epoxy on marble. Her thoughts had a grip on her whole body now, and it was if she could feel the icy grip of death despite it being an uncomfortable 87 degrees and always humid on the Philadelphia streets. Silence fell over her like a blanket which was rare seeing as how there is barely a moment of stillness at this time of night.
By Shalonda Purdy5 years ago in Criminal
The Ferryman
The first time I found a body, it seemed a fluke. In among the rushes. So tragically discarded. I lifted the body of a young girl, bloated and forgotten.
By Theis Orion5 years ago in Criminal
See You Soon
“Do you think you’re ready to tell me about that day?” my therapist asks. We’d been meeting for a couple of months, and I still hadn’t been able to talk about the thing that got me into this chair in the first place. He’s been locked up for one year today, and I felt waking up this morning that today should be commemorated.
By Mikayla Plett5 years ago in Criminal
Devil's Head Penn
The thick smell of body odor and urine overpowered the hot crowded transport bus to Laforge Prison. The only source of moving air was from a tiny fan in the front of the bus but it pointed at the driver. John looked at the windows hopefully, but then quickly realized they were all locked. He leaned on the back gate and wiped his sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. Behind the gate were four prisoners in straight jackets with Hannibal Lector like masks. He made eye contact with one, the prisoner licked the sweat from his lip and stared back. John straightened up and looked forward. The other prisoners handcuffed to the bus seats and were staring out the window. They knew this was the last trip they would ever make.
By HH5 years ago in Criminal
The Kyra Daniels Cases: D.U.I. and D.O.A
My head feels like it’s splitting open. My ears are ringing. My body is injured, though I cannot say how badly. The paramedics are just trying to reassure me that I’m going to be okay. Car accidents happen every day. Some are good, and some are bad. I guess I got lucky.
By B.D. Reid5 years ago in Criminal
Instinct
Why didn’t I listen to my instincts? I knew something was off the second I headed to my car. It wasn’t fully dark yet. The sun was just closing down to make way for the moon’s evening shift.
By Yolanda Olivia Anderson5 years ago in Criminal
Hazey Days
What a time to be alive. Right? I am supremely skeptical when I hear that much excitement. Those words send Q-tip’s dope, classic song “Breathe and Stop” flashing in my psyche. If you're thinking; “great not another story about race!” “I’m so tired of being bombarded and beat across the head by savagery” News flash, so am I. So, let’s talk about another ditch lives are thrown into.
By Grizzly Gentleman5 years ago in Criminal
A Pear Tree on a Summer Day
"Authorities have arrested a man in connection with the stolen Jean-Pierre Archambault painting, A Pear Tree on a Summer Day. The painting, a 19th Century impressionism work valued at over three-quarters of a million dollars, was stolen from the Louvre back in the late-70s, in the biggest art heist France had ever seen.
By Laura5 years ago in Criminal
The Cracks
Flood lights. The bane of my existence. A beacon pointing to the lone creature searching for one more fix, a bit of money. Sustenance. More and more homes were equipped with these devil bulbs, making it much more difficult to do what I set out to do.
By C.Z.5 years ago in Criminal
The Last Green Light
All I could see was red. The glowing red traffic light in front of me was the only light for miles. It was the last light to freedom. But it's crimson gaze haunted me. It matched the seething red covering my own eyes, the blinding truth my mind was trying to justify. But I couldn’t think about it, I wouldn’t think about it. I just stared into the light willing it to change. Green. Change. Red.
By Kathryn Liddle5 years ago in Criminal