Except for the whole murder thing, Courtney James seemed like a lovely young woman. She was bright, articulate, a dedicated college student and well liked waitress at a popular restaurant. I met her when she was sitting in an interrogation room at the precinct. She was a bit on the larger side, dressed conservatively in... Continue Reading →

I was woken up by the sound of whining and scratching outside my bedroom door. "Go lie down, Mystic." I mumbled from the depths of my pillow. As soon as I spoke, the sounds ceased and the house became still and silent once again. A thought crept its way through my sleep soaked mind, a... Continue Reading →

Crinklebottom had been passed down in my family for the past couple of generations; a nighttime companion to help ward off bad dreams and those pesky monsters who live under the bed. In his first incarnation, he was a stuffed brown bear with button eyes that my great grandmother sewed for my grandfather when he... Continue Reading →

Hope makes you dumb. It makes you forgetful and blind and overly eager, especially when you're a teen girl on the outs with your best, and pretty much only, friend. It was a tale as old as time; two childhood besties who pinky swore to never, ever stop being friends grew up and grew apart.... Continue Reading →

Just about the first thing anyone new to the neighborhood learned was to avoid Bud Filimore. Cantankerous, territorial, and fueled by what seemed to be a deep-seated hatred for just about everything, he was the kind of man that childhood nightmares were made of. Although he'd only lived there for a few months longer than... Continue Reading →

Boys will be boys. How many times had I heard that before? It was a popular saying in my circle. It was what we told ourselves so we could get through another night of clammy, pawing hands and drunken come ons. It was what we said to each other after another all-too-near-miss with a particularly... Continue Reading →

I doubt you’ve heard of Minnie Dearhorn, not many have. I certainly hadn’t; not until my grandparents dragged me to a charity auction put on by one of their wealthy old person societies. It was a boring, stuffy affair filled with boring, stuffy people. Grandma and Grandpa made me sit with them in the middle... Continue Reading →

My mom was the one who “suggested” I volunteer at the little history museum in the park. Her idea of suggesting was signing me up and popping her head in my room later on to tell me I was expected to show up the following Saturday at 7 AM. “It'll look good on your college... Continue Reading →