Telltale crimson trail
You'd think a seasoned homicide detective like me would be used to this kind of thing
I'd seen gray snow, I'd seen brown, mushy snow on the highway. I'd seen yellow snow too, but this was the first time I had seen pink snow. The sight of it turned my stomach. The crimson stain had grown into a shadow, an outline, like an island. The spatter from the blow had left a telltale bloody trail leading away from the gaping wound in the victim's head.
Nausea welled up inside of me. You'd think that, as a seasoned homicide detective, I would have gotten used to this kind of thing by now. I never did. Violent death always made me want to vomit.
I turned away. Looking over the pristine, white-blanketed hills, I felt calmer. Taking deep breaths, I drew in great draughts of clean air, until my nostrils stung from bitter cold.
Pulse rate under control, I flipped into investigation mode and put on latex gloves. Reaching carefully inside the jacket, I pulled out a large, transparent bag. Weighing about a kilo, the package contained what looked like fine grains of sugar, but I knew it to be cocaine. Street value around $120,000.
Wading through the snow drifts, I returned to the unmarked car and called it in. It would take 10 minutes for the duty team to turn up. During which time I would conceal the bag under the seat and toss the jagged lump of ice I'd used to slug the courier into the storm drain. It would be washed away before they arrived.
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READ the next action-packed instalment: Ten minutes to mask a murder
O ~ 0 ~ o ~
About the Creator
Raymond G. Taylor
Author based in Kent, England. A writer of fictional short stories in a wide range of genres, he has been a non-fiction writer since the 1980s. Non-fiction subjects include art, history, technology, business, law, and the human condition.
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Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
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Arguments were carefully researched and presented
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
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Comments (40)
wow..... Congratulations on your Top Story
Ohh I love this!
Ohh I love this!
Wow- that is so intense- Brilliant twist! Very clever!
Congratulations, mystery man!
Good cop, bad cop. Congrats on TS.
The story continues: https://vocal.media/fiction/ten-minutes-to-mask-a-murder
Congratulations on your Top Story 💓😘💖❤👍
Congratulations on top story :)
Great twist. What a fantastic story.
Back to say congratulations on your Top Story! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
Back to say CONGRATS 👏
Congrats on top story!
Nicely done.
Nice twist. You got me.
Amazing job! Keep up the outstanding work—congrats!
Great story. Congratulations on TS.
Part two for anyone who wants to know what happens next: https://vocal.media/fiction/ten-minutes-to-mask-a-murder - Part three includes links to all other episodes: https://vocal.media/fiction/meltwater - or check my profile for new episodes as they are published - each 250 words exactly
Congrats on top story! Well deserved!
Congrats on Top Story!🥳
Ayyyy, Top Story! Congrats!!
Congrats on the TS.
WOAH! This was so freaking good. Amazing twist, masterfully executed (pun intended, heh.)
My first thought was, "they killed him but left the cocaine?" Then I understood. Well done.
Brilliant twist! Didn’t see it coming at all, and the seasoned and weathered detective turns out to be the bad guy😱” During which time I would conceal the bag under the seat and toss the jagged lump of ice I'd used to slug the courier into the storm drain” -I like how this is matter-of-fact in the way that a detective would tell it. Well done 👏