MISS SPENT • by Adele Evershed
(content note: absence of a baby and obliquely implied rape of a character who might be a minor) I didn’t set out to lead a life of crime, but then again, I didn’t set out to do a lot of… Continue Reading
theft
THE COPPER COIN CAPER • by James Blakey
Detective Wendy Murtaugh walked through the door of the West Side Coin Shop. “Thank goodness you’re here!” exclaimed shop owner Carlton Clark. “My most valuable coin, a 1943 copper penny, is missing. I found a ransom note in its place.”… Continue Reading
IDENTITY THEFT • by Shoshauna Shy
If Kevin stole the lipstick, if he slipped the tube tagged Fuschia Shock into the front pocket of his jeans, poked it between the denim slits nonchalantly enough as if it were possible to pretend his brain was unaware of… Continue Reading
IT’S JP • by Raymond Sloan
“But Da, I don’t wanna this week.” “Ye have to. It’s Sunday.” “I don’t feel well.” “Don’t be daft. Yer goin, John Paul. Ye need to be there.’’ “It’s J… P,” I snapped back. John Paul is for the Pope… Continue Reading
A TRAPPED THIEF • by Mike McArthur
Stealing requires finesse, timing, and attention to detail. I was trying to figure out which attribute I lacked as police sirens wailed in the background. “Next time, we steal something lighter!” my wife said. It was an example of her… Continue Reading
A FINAL GIFT • by Kevin Tasker
Will steered the dresser across the lawn to the curb where his BMW was waiting. He opened the back door and sighed. Despite its decade-old rust, the Beamer was still a car designed to carry laughing women, not pieces of… Continue Reading
OUR LADY OF SORROWS • by Austin Ross
Before I met you, Luke, I’d known nothing but flight — staying just long enough until the bills began to pile up. Not that that changed. When I arrived in Memphis, I didn’t even have a stroller for James, just… Continue Reading
EYES • by Scott Sinclair
The first stab was dead center between the eyes. The scissors were plunged all the way to the pivot joint then dragged downward slowly, deliberately so. Incision after incision followed. He held the handle so tightly his hand began to… Continue Reading
FISHERS • by Stephen Kyo Kaczmarek
The dinner parties pour in, sun-kissed faces aglow. They’re loud and happy, many drunk, some high, but all famished. Restaurant staff charge into action like crew to battle stations. Throughout this chaos, I wait. Nearby yacht fleets rest in their… Continue Reading
RING OF TRUTH • by Nancy Brewka-Clark
“Are you serious?” Amanda hoped the scorn in her voice would disguise her excitement. “I’ve never heard of La Rana.” David laughed. “The Suedos family isn’t exactly into tourism. The last time anybody dropped in on them it was probably… Continue Reading