Looking back now, all I can see is his damn face. It looks at me, as I close my eyes. I can see the dripping of the black liquid, as it falls from his eternally-smiling mouth. His teeth are small and sharp and sit in...
The worst thing I’ve ever done in my life happened about twelve years ago, when I was a sixteen-year-old kid living in Cleveland, Ohio. It was the early fall, when the leaves were just starting to turn orange and the temperatures were starting to fall,...
I don’t think I can put into words, how good it feels being a Father. I love Daniel more than I could possibly say. His bright, shining smile, his endless curiosity about the world around him, and his gentle, loving nature. I didn’t think I was...
Part 1 I am often asked how it was that I first became interested the true crime genre. It's the sort of question I frequently get at conventions, book signings, panel meetings, and interviews, but the actual answer is fairly mundane. What I find more interesting...
The two men stood in the crisp, evening mountain air. The woodland that surrounded them on all sides was dense and deep. “So…” the first man turned to the other, straightening up his stab-proof vest. “Where do we go from here?” The other police officer...
It was the last week of school before Christmas break. That meant that the students and teachers of Ridgecrest Christian Preparatory Academy had little intention of actually working. Most classes had become a social hour but Mr. Winthrop had decided to take this opportunity to...
It was Dr. Evan Turner who found Dr. Harris' body. He had gone in for a routine meeting and there was his mentor, seated back in his chair, blood on the walls and the gun on the table. There was no note, nothing going on...
There’s a small village out in Alabama called Saint’s Glen. You won’t find it on any map, at least not since 1965. But you can still find the remnants of the town. If you follow the river southwest of Thomasville, you’ll find it, somewhere in...
I met my girlfriend's nightmare on the night of our three-month anniversary. It might have just been that point in our relationship -- the point when she had grown to really trust me -- but it was probably the champagne. We fell asleep together on her...
“Speak louder, please.” I put my hand up next to my ear from the back of the room, signaling that she would need to raise her voice. She took a deep breath. I could see anxiety turning her cheeks beet red, as strands of blonde hair began...
I'm a reporter in Southern Oregon. This is the story that you will never read in my newspaper. It starts with Georgina Hicks. Ms. Hicks lived in a trailer at the end of the pavement on Oak Street. Not the end of the road mind you, just...
When I became a father, my whole world started revolving around Marie. She was the most perfect, most treasured little thing in my world. We are kind of an unconventional family; my wife Taylor is a CEO, while I’m an artist and stay-at-home dad. Taylor and...
Below are a selection of emails from Leonard Tomlins, a person of interest in two separate missing person cases in the North Sheffield area. It has been the conclusion of the writing officer, and his colleagues, that Leonard Tomlins has passed away since the writing...
I’m a grown woman, so it’s been years since I don’t live by my mother’s rules. But there’s one thing I will always respect: never go to bed with a wet hair. For my mother, it meant catching a cold, but for me, it was something...
My name is Oliver Stricc. I’m a 52-year-old biology teacher from a small town in northeastern Nebraska, and I have been for almost 14 years. I’ll be the first to admit that lecturing to a bunch of uninterested high school students wasn’t what I had...
The first time I saw Bret, I was nineteen. I’d found a job working security at Dave’s Storage Unit. My duties included keeping vagrants and thieves from disturbing the 40 rental units that were laid out in five neat rows in the middle of downtown...
When I was 7, my best friend was a girl named Ava, who was my neighbor. Ava was a sweet kid; I didn’t realize it at the time, but her home life was pure hell. We would always hear her father screaming and breaking stuff. I...
The sun began to set over the horizon. The sky had been consumed by a bright orange tint with a touch of pink. That was the countryside for you. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been absolutely fascinated by nature. It was beautiful. From...
Have you ever seen a photo reCAPTCHA? Instead of a checkbox, it’s a low-quality photo split into 16 square sections. It’ll say something like: “SELECT ALL SQUARES WITH STREET SIGNS,” and you have to click every square that contains a street sign. At 11 PM on Sunday night, I...
My neighbors are disappearing.. I'm not sure when this all started, but it seems that everyone in this town already knows. I moved here just over a year ago, it's lush with green in every direction, townsfolk greet each other on the streets, and children play on...
Concerning the Masquerade Sara Stonewood Global News 09/05/18 [Sensitive Content] Halifax, NS So with the Halloween season close at hand, many police departments are bracing for an upswing in crime, particularly reports of pranks and practical jokes taken too far. As many of my readers may know, in previous years I have...
I spent almost four months looking for Otto. He went missing shortly after the old chocolate factory began operating again. Allegedly - according to the reports, at least - there was an "incident" during a tour of the factory he went on. He fell into a...
I’d been depressed for a long time, mostly since my dad died. All his friends called him a hero; he was a cop and he sacrificed himself to save the lives of 23 people being held by an active shooter. I was 9 when that...
No one knows where it came from. No one knows why it showed up in our little town, of all places. The only thing we knew for sure was that it was bizarre. The statue appeared in the town square about 2 weeks ago. It sits...