fiction
Mystery, crime, murder, unsolved cases. Contribute your own tales of crime to Criminal.
Just Another Victim
I stand at the slightly ajar door of the rundown apartment, unsure of what to do. I decide that I should try to knock anyway, out of courtesy if nothing else. I slowly creep forward and rap my knuckles on the frame of the door so as not to push it open more than it already is.
By V. N. Roesbon6 years ago in Criminal
What a Little Black Book Can Do
Walt Thatcher woke up at the crack of dawn to the sound of rats scurrying around his one room apartment. He groaned, wishing he could afford a nicer place, but on his salary, it would take him years to save up enough for first and last months’ rent.
By Emily Weitz6 years ago in Criminal
Redemption
Jay McCall took out the little black notebook from the glove compartment glad that he was done the last visit on his ‘apology tour’. The wind outside had picked up and was rocking the car back and forth. Jay opened the book and used the streetlight to see as he wrote in the journal, documenting the outcome of his final apology.
By George Grimes6 years ago in Criminal
Little Black Book
“Let go!!” Danny clamped down on the corner of his wallet, doing his best to avoid the fists flying into his face. He had stopped to pull out some coins after a homeless gentleman had kindly requested some change. “That's mine!” He gripped as tightly as he could, but after several hits to the face, he fell and the homeless man won. He scowled and watched the man sprint off, gingerly touching his face. Are you kidding me? Every time I try to do something nice! His mind grumbled on and on as he dissected what just happened, and turned toward his financial struggles. Danny was a very kind-hearted, generous, naïve young man who offered help to everyone he met, yet had a real knack for getting himself into unfortunate situations. He picked himself up and hobbled down the street.
By Andy Kaczmar6 years ago in Criminal
The New Case
Elise stretched her arms and looked at the time. Almost 7 o'clock. She still had a couple of minutes before her last appointment of the day. Finishing a few bites of her sandwich, she saved the document she was working on and pushed her laptop to the side. Her last report was for a client who hired her to find out if his wife was cheating on him. As a private investigator, at least 70% of her assignments were related to suspicions about an unfaithful significant other.
By Pascale Flynn6 years ago in Criminal
Maelstrom
I couldn't take my eyes off of him. The Ted Burton Suit. The round glasses. Short neat beard. Cool focused demeanour. Back arched, head leaning to one side. His hand swished feverishly at something on his table. The only thing that interrupted my intense gaze was a draft of cold Manhattan air that rushed into the shop when the door opened. A group of tourists had finished exploring Hudson Yards and were ready to refuel. A vibration from my pocket sent shockwaves of anxiety through me. I pushed my thoughts away. Cold sweat held onto to my forehead. A reminder. I resumed my post at the glass wash. The man checked his watch, a simple timepiece with a brown strap and gold face. He cradled his coffee cup for a moment. It seemed like he was in a rush and also had all the time in the world. I hated him in that moment.
By [email protected]6 years ago in Criminal
Mysterious Secrets on the Roof
I just need a break. Some fresh air would do wonders. It’s nearly midnight, but I’ve already committed to the idea so here goes nothing. So many students warn each other not to go to the roof of the dorm building. I can’t lie, the idea intrigues me. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen? Thank goodness I’m already on one of the top floors. Just one flight of stairs and boom! I’m already opening the door to the dreaded roof that everyone talks about. It’s windy tonight but the temperature is just right. Somewhere in between needing a jacket and not needing a jacket. As I look around, I hear an oddly familiar sound. It sounds like someone is crying. That’s odd. I honestly thought nobody ever came to the roof. It’s a universal rumor that haunts each hallway to never go onto the roof. I’m not really sure what happened in the past, being the new freshman and all. There’s been so many rumors, but even when I researched it out of curiosity, my questions were never answered. This is that moment where your body automatically engages in the fight or flight response. I mean, even being the horror movie fan that I am, you still can’t prepare yourself for this eerie, random moment. I slowly make my way toward the sound, hiding behind every concealing piece of property that I can. Why am I doing this? Maybe it’s from the fear of not helping someone when they really need it. What if they’re hurt? What if that were me? Wow, I really am an idiot. This could end up being the worst mistake of my life. After all, I’ve been warned over and over again. I can’t just give up now. I’m already committed. Thank goodness the wind is masking my dreadful footsteps. Ok, the crying is getting louder. I must be really close. This is not what I came up here for. What did I get myself into? It’s ok. Just take a deep breath. Like I said, I’m already committed. All of the sudden, the crying ceases. It’s as if I was hearing things. No! I know I heard someone crying. As I peek from behind one of the vents, I can’t believe what I see. There’s a girl standing on the ledge. Her back is to me. What is she doing? She looks disheveled from what I can see. She’s barefoot with a white tank top and shorts that have dirt stains on them. Her clothes hang very loosely on her. She looks very malnourished. All of her bony prominences are very evident even with the night shadows. She has straight, long black hair that is down to her waist. Is she about to jump off? No way! This can’t be happening. This isn’t something that I want to witness. I’m not even prepared for this. She starts crying again and grabs her face in her hands. With her head pointed down, she starts hitting herself on her head. Almost as if she’s fighting herself. I catch a glimpse of something on the ground behind her that looks shiny. It’s too far. I can’t tell what it is. All of the sudden, she stops crying again and leans forward just a tad. Just enough for her to start swinging her arms and catch her balance again. I have to help her. I run out from behind my hiding place and yell to her, “Hey! are you ok?” She turns around to face me. We lock eyes for a moment and I can see the true terror in her eyes. Then, she proceeds to look straight ahead and with her arms straight out to her sides, she leans forward, this time making sure not to catch herself. My eyes immediately widen. I can’t catch my breath. I clutch my chest as a sudden heaviness sweeps over me like a dark plague. Did she just fall to her death? What is happening right now? I immediately run to the ledge and peek down. I don’t see her body anywhere. This can’t be happening. I saw her jump! Where’s her body? I remember the shiny object that I saw and immediately turn around and look down. There’s a small black book with a shiny pen on top of it. I hesitantly reach down and open the book. This must be from that same girl. Inside, it says, “I can’t do this anymore. Someone please save me.” I flip through the book only to find empty pages. Just as I’m about to give up, on the very last page, it says “RL-455.” What does this even mean? There’s also a check made out to me for $20,000! How is this possible? This can’t be real. I clutch onto the book and try to wrap my head around what just happened. The crazy thing is, that girl looked really familiar. Where is she from? I pull out my phone, and go to the campus app. I can’t believe what I see. On the homepage, there’s a picture of a missing student from a couple of months ago. The girl from the roof looks identical to this student! Also, the girls name from the missing persons report matches the name on the upper left corner of the check. Did I really just lay eyes on a missing person? How is all of this even possible? Is this book the clue to where this student is being held captive? I have to get inside and try to figure this out. This could be the key to finding this girl and saving her life.
By Rebekah Taylor6 years ago in Criminal
Saturday Night on Edgehill
I showed up at Rhinestone's Honky-Tonk around 10 pm, looking for Madeline's contact. I was jittery. It had been almost a year since I was on anything more than a shakedown for some meth dealer or low-level extortionist. Those were hard months financially, but the work itself wasn't particularly challenging.
By caleb paschall6 years ago in Criminal
Blood Money
After this one, I decided it was time to retire. I’m sick of what comes through that door. He was a bastard. A cheap one at that. Everything about him smelled of NEW money. I would bet there were tags still on his underwear. I knew he would not be a good liar. You get a sense for these things. He was more of a weasel: eyes half shut, a glare, and a cheap smirk from the other side of my desk. He was used to throwing his weight around.
By Colleen Stewart6 years ago in Criminal
