Tag: crime fiction

All Stories, Crime/Mystery/Thriller

To The Bone by John Whitehouse

literallystories2014

It was close to midnight and the diner was empty of customers when headlights swung into the parking lot. They whipped in fast, off the county highway and Dana heard the squeal of brakes on the gravel out front. She looked up from behind the counter and peered through the window. A man and a woman climbed out of a dark sedan. They looked to be in their mid to late forties and were bundled up in winter coats and mufflers, the woman carrying a big fancy leather purse.

Continue reading “To The Bone by John Whitehouse” →
All Stories, Crime/Mystery/Thriller

Spade by Andy Larter

literallystories2014

There’s a right clattering in the yard. Hold my breath and stand stock still. Then I turn round, put my eye to a crack in the door and I see a black van. One of them with sliding doors. And there’s that gold lettering. Swinford’s Tea and Coffee: Pure and Robust. My mouth’s sticky with thirst. Haven’t even thought of a drink of water, let alone tea. And there’s some bloke in a grey coat clambering out of it. Same colour as them clouds. Could be camouflage on a day like this. He’s a a tall bloke. One of them that stoops his neck when he walks. Takes his cap off. Looks like he’s lost. He has shiny, rusty coloured hair. Brylcreemed. Wipes his nose with back of his hand. I step out the door.

Continue reading “Spade by Andy Larter” →
Crime/Mystery/Thriller, Short Fiction

Crime Wave by Simon Nadel

literallystories2014

The seagull cocked his head and purred. He dropped his beak into the sand but didn’t seem to find anything worthwhile. He put his head back and squawked loudly at me.

“Sorry buddy,” I said. “I don’t have anything for you.” It was the same way I used to talk to Jeter.

Continue reading “Crime Wave by Simon Nadel” →
All Stories, Crime/Mystery/Thriller

In the Flames by Christopher Ananias

literallystories2014

Reader Alert – Adult content 

They rush us up the hill to safety like a herd of Caribou moving past the basketball courts. Sirens whoop in all directions. Black smoke pours out the windows—oxygen is key—she is really going now. Gilbert smiles. Gilbert is deranged. His brother killed eight people at the Lilly Street Mall.

Continue reading “In the Flames by Christopher Ananias” →
All Stories, Crime/Mystery/Thriller

Slither by Ed N. White

literallystories2014

This is a crime scene. I shouldn’t be here; I’m not a cop anymore. So, I ducked under the yellow tape strung across the two trellis supports and picked the lock. Dusting residue coated surfaces in suspect locations; someone had cut two patches from the cheap gray rug. A ceiling fan with a squeaky bearing rotated slowly, which helped me breathe because the smell of death hung like diesel exhaust.

Continue reading “Slither by Ed N. White” →
All Stories, Crime/Mystery/Thriller, General Fiction

Nevermind by Matt Liebowitz

literallystories2014

I’ve been thinking a lot about Kurt Cobain. Not so much how he ended it, that lonely moment above the garage, surrounded by impenetrably dense, green, tall trees, surrounded by nobody. Not that, as I sit in the stall nearest the far window, the toilet closed, my knees bent so my Target sneakers don’t show beneath the door.

Continue reading “Nevermind by Matt Liebowitz” →
All Stories, General Fiction

GranCel by Leah Mullen

literallystories2014

Wednesdays were egg salad.  Strong opening gambit from Linda: she was testing the waters.  She and Clint were meeting for the first time.  Her carer Lupe had shown her how to use the app which paired her with Clint, she explained, “just before she had to go back where she came from”.  That left Linda alone, at the tail end of hip surgery recuperation, still prone to falls but with wits enough about her to click on Clint’s profile.  Lucky for both of them, Clint was a fan of egg salad.

Continue reading “GranCel by Leah Mullen” →
All Stories, Crime/Mystery/Thriller

Cold by Terry Sanville

literallystories2014

Nobody hitchhikes anymore. That went out in the ’60s when Nam vets and the hippies with their thumbs out could be found along any West Coast highway. But hitchhiking in January? Even some stoned freak knew better. Besides, it’s 2024 and I’m almost 80. This is stupid, really stupid. Maybe I can blame my poor judgment on dementia. But then, if I can understand what dementia is all about, I probably don’t have it.

I’ve already bit my tongue; I taste blood. I can’t feel the ends of my fingers. I’m such an idiot.

Continue reading “Cold by Terry Sanville” →
All Stories, General Fiction, Horror

The Exchange by Toye Eskridge

literallystories2014

The Exchange by Toye EskridgeBattalion after battalion, the towering pines stood rigid, guarding both sides of the blacktop the salesman barreled down in his cream Studebaker. The pointed hood knifed the stifling Southern air.

Continue reading “The Exchange by Toye Eskridge” →
All Stories, Crime/Mystery/Thriller, Horror

When the Sun Dies by Tathagata Banerjee

literallystories2014

 The thing that you need to understand is, living beings die.

It’s not welcome, yeah. It is not something to look forward to, but it does happen. And, at times, it is kinda funny.

When daddy killed the deer, I found it funny how she toppled over the ground and crumpled on its back. There is something intricately funny about tragedy, seeing something regal just fall and shatter. When, at the end, the sun dies, I think God will also sit back and have a merry little chuckle.

Continue reading “When the Sun Dies by Tathagata Banerjee” →