Must Read

The Eastside Murders

Title: The Eastside Murders

Author: Leah Vernon

Genre: Noir/Crime

Word Count: 3252

Synopsis: The Eastside Murders is a gritty crime story that follows two dysfunctional female detectives, Donna and Ce, who are investigating occult crimes in the city of Detroit.

 

The Eastside Murders

When we arrived, a large crowd surrounded the crime scene. Red and blue lights swirled and people chanted and pumped their fists. Cameramen shot reporters who interviewed neighbors as pit bulls barked in backyards. Forget Donna, I was taking my meds. When she got out the car, I quickly locked both doors. By the time she got over the shock and was able to stick the key in the hole, I had already downed the last three. They didn’t even get stuck in my throat. I was a pro without water.    

“What in the hell?” Donna grabbed my arm and yanked me out.

“I need them.” I said slowly, walking toward detective Jeffrey.

She trailed. “Don’t walk away from me.”

“Look. See.” I smacked myself in the face. “I’m good.”

We squeezed through hot bodies and ducked underneath yellow tape. “Alright. Let’s go. What do we got?”

Donna rolled her eyes, pulled out a pocket sized notepad, and began taking notes.

He began, “At 1:45 a.m. we got a call from dispatch stating that witnesses saw a nude black male covered in blood running across Mt. Eliot. He knocked on several neighbors’ doors but of course, no one answered. One witness says she watched him come from right across the street when several people in red hoods emerged from the side of the home and headed south on Steward.”

“Could she identify any of them, black, white? How many of them were there?” I asked.

“Didn’t say,” he replied. “But the victim was transported to the ER about an hour ago; we got two detectives over there now waiting for the docs to clear him. They won’t allow anyone to talk to him yet. Still traumatized.”

“And the perps?” Donna asked.

 

In order to read the rest of this story, you can click >>>here<<< to go to my 'Buy a Story' page. This story is only $4.99. Support your fellow artist and writer. All proceeds will go to my self-publish book fund.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Title: Like Mother, Like Daughter

By: Leah Vernon

Genre: Adult Fiction/Drama

Word Count: 1240

Synopsis: Like Mother, Like Daughter is a short story I wrote about three years ago for my Master’s class about a mother who used to commit armed robberies. She soon finds out that her own teenage daughter has taken on the same criminal behaviors.  

Like Mother, Like Daughter

I never wanted to believe—I never thought in a million years that my little Kimmy was stealing, just like I had when I was her age. But I never stole from family. Criminals had to stand by a code, some kind of moral value system. I just stole from gas stations and convenience stores. I had no emotional connection to those robberies, those people. I can admit that I put the nozzle to so many cashiers’ temples that I lost count. I’d stuff a grocery bag full of crushed money and scream, “set off any alarms, bitch and you’ll die.”

 

In order to read the rest of this story, you can click >>>here<<< to go to my 'Buy a Story' page. This story is only $2.99. Support your fellow artist and writer. All proceeds will go to my self-publish book fund.