fiction

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

The Mind of A Calculated Predicament
It was a lovely day, like any other day. Courtney Winston walked out from her suburban driveway. She had been living in her three-bedroom house for a year. Courtney didn't have a family of her own, so Courtney turned her spare bedrooms into a workout room and home office. She had a touch of OCD and friends told her she was wound so tight, she would snap one day. Having been a recent graduate from Columbia University School of Law, she was well on her way to becoming a top-notch lawyer.
By Emmanuel Motelin5 years ago in Criminal
Good Karma
Good Karma When you are weaker than your adversary, you need a weapon. Tessa Keating hid hers under grandmother’s photo albums in the attic. Even if Vince had found the old, worn black book he would not have considered it important, certainly not lethal.
By Ramona Scarborough5 years ago in Criminal
The First Page
I eagerly watched as L stood and moved to the front of the room. She walked with slow, steady steps, a look of contemplation and perhaps even hesitation on her face. While I understood the reasoning behind both expressions, it was not at all what was swirling like a storm inside of me. I was beyond excited, gleeful even. L approached C and held out her hand. C silently placed the little black notebook in her outstretched hand, and L returned to her seat. I was next. As I made my way towards C, I struggled to keep a dignified pace. C smirked as she handed me my notebook, as if she knew I couldn’t wait to start. After I returned to my seat, C looked at us both. “Congratulations. You have six months to complete your notebooks. Good luck.”
By Nicole Werner5 years ago in Criminal
Me and My Island
Them newspapers called me homeless, but that ain't the truth. I got a home. If you ask me, I got a palace! I grew up on a small island in Florida. Down here, we call 'em keys. But they’re really just little islands off the coast. My island has been our family home for a few generations. We was mostly fishin’ folk. I guess I still am, I just don’t run a fishin’ business like my grandpappy and his pop used to. When grandad first came, it was still called Clam Island.
By Jenni Stahlmann5 years ago in Criminal
The Book in the Wrong Hands
THE ACCIDENT SCENCE There are several people at a crosswalk waiting for the signal to change. Several cars go by as the walk sign suddenly changes to walk. An older gentleman steps into the street and all of a sudden, a car slams into the man. Several people are looking around in shock as the unidentified car speeds away.
By Damon Keith DeCree5 years ago in Criminal
Six barrels of death
Dear Diary If I die tonight, I hope someone good finds you and reads my story. I shoved my little black book that say’s recipes back into my pocket. I leave my keys in the car as I close the door, knowing I’d probably never see it again. I was getting tired and my feet were sore. It was a long time since I had to walk six miles. My head was going a mile a minute. My plan was solid. I hoped. I just had to keep going.
By M.A.D5 years ago in Criminal
The Little Black Book
Have you ever encountered money that made you feel safe while you held it, practically carrying it like a baby? When a bag of money falls at your feet, with no exchange, you have to take it. With this money, it comes with a catch or a sacrifice.
By Jelissa King5 years ago in Criminal
A Man Out of Time
“Siri! Open my audio recorder.” We all run out of time. This might be it for me, thought Danny. “Siri, begin recording and send to the cloud 30-seconds after I stop talking.”
By James Power5 years ago in Criminal
The Statement
Nothing was the same at this hour of the morning. The moonlight barely filtered the clouds, the stars hidden from view, casting strange shadows over furniture which should have seemed so familiar to him. The smell of microwaved butter chicken from hours before should have made him feel at home, calm. Normal. Michael sure as hell wasn't anything special - Rough stubble, short red hair, freckles. A pair of boxer shorts covering thin, speckled legs. Hands behind his back, zipties cutting into the skin and securing him to the back of the dining chair. Every sound he made was muffled by the pair of socks jammed into his mouth, drying out his tongue and causing him to breathe heavily through his nose.
By Samuel Hill5 years ago in Criminal
A Crime of Passion
Henry calmly wrapped his fingers around the steering wheel as he took deep breathes. He needed something solid to hold on to to ground him. This was all kinds of wrong and he knew it. Every fiber of his being wanted him to say no, he should just walk away. But after the unmarked envelope of $20,000 appeared in his mailbox that morning he knew there was no avoiding the inevitable.
By L. M. Williams5 years ago in Criminal
Decisions,Decisions
A house that once stood strong and proud, had been reduced to such low depths, it now soaked deep into soil, ash in the ground. To think that everything could have been avoided if one gas range had slept as silently as the people living in the house with it.
By Lucelis5 years ago in Criminal
A Calculated Gamble
He was shorter than I expected. I had taken a plane all the way from Laguardia to Los Angeles and got into the slowest Uber I’ve ever taken up to the California Institute of Technology. Only to be presented with a short, nerdy comp-sci student dressed in a gray sweatshirt and jeans. His hood was on, slouching into the back of the chair with that “I really don’t want to be here” look. If he needed me more than I needed him, I would’ve walked right out of that room.
By John Doe5 years ago in Criminal