HARD NOSE

HARD NOSE

756 80 13

The surprise letter from a cousin advising Nick Roth he had inherited $1200 from an uncle he had barely known, was a windfall for his sagging detective agency business, which had suffered during the war years. The additional news that the cousin suspected a cover-up of the death only added fuel to Nick's enthusiastic curiosity.…

The Friendly Skies

The Friendly Skies

94 25 3

After achieving success in business, and anticipating similar success in marriage, Mathew Hayward boards his flight from Toronto to Vancouver. In order to meet him and complete their plans, his fiancée has already given notice at her place of employment and requested additional time off.Both anticipating the friendly skies of a shared future.…

No Good Deed

No Good Deed

684 170 28

Yamashita's Gold. During the occupation of the Philippines, Japanese military looted everything - temples, homes, and government offices, amassing a huge fortune in treasure. When it could no longer be shipped back to Japan, Prisoners of war were forced to bury it.Much has been recovered since the war - but not all. Our story concerns a number of competing groups vying over information of a site, uncovered through a letter delivered by a dying man, as a last act of a promise made.…

HELLO?

HELLO?

601 127 8

Initial entry in the 2024 Fabulous Spec-Fic Smackdown based on a very weird picture prompt.…

The Dossier

The Dossier

632 141 26

Three agencies. An international criminal organization. A mother and daughter. Moles. Assassins.All of the above in a deadly competition for The Dossier.…

A Duplicitous Death

A Duplicitous Death

276 48 8

Reginald Harrison is found dead in his apartment. His guilt and secrets died with him. No witnesses. No fingerprints. No murder weapon, and a time frame that defies plausibility. Detective Art Springer and his partners, Detectives Gary Crawford and Grace Champion, have a department deadline to meet, or the mayor will be chopping budgets, personnel, or both.…

Room with a View

Room with a View

4,572 712 27

When Miller Hunt lands at his all expense paid, dream vacation resort it quickly turns to a chaotic nightmare of confusion and misadventure involving swindlers, cheaters, killers and a frustrating romance. An adventure/mystery/comedy…

Bad Business Practice -Long Listed ONC2021

Bad Business Practice -Long Listed ONC2021

1,252 300 16

PROMPT #59 - MYSTERY/THRILLER ENTRY IN THE 2022 STORMY NIGHTS READING CHALLENGEHarold Pope, contract killer by accident, takes advantage of that fact and crafts a successful, financially beneficial career until, through another accident, becomes his own contract!…

Postage Due -Long Listed ONC2022

Postage Due -Long Listed ONC2022

923 316 16

PROMPT 49 CONTEST ENTRY - Getting in the back of a taxi, your character finds a thick envelope. It's addressed but has no postage. After getting stuck in a downpour, Warren Daly ends up in a taxi waiting for better driving conditions. When he notices a package on the floor in the back, he and the driver agree to deliver it on the way to Warren's house. The following several weeks of their lives are drastically changed by that choice.…

The Janus Discord  (ONC2024)

The Janus Discord (ONC2024)

896 259 17

Based on ONC Prompt 53 - The co-worker who irritates you the most just asked you for a big favour. They're not who or what they appear to be. And they know you're not either.…

Once Upon a Life - Short Listed on ONC2023

Once Upon a Life - Short Listed on ONC2023

3,081 461 19

SHORTLISTED FOR THE ONC2023 CHALLENGE!One dark and stormy night a family went missing, they left taking absolutely nothing with them. When their disappearance was reported, nobody, including the police could figure out what happened. The mystery has gone unsolved for almost 10 years, then a call comes in from an unknown source that changes everything. The job now is to figure out who the caller is, if the family is still alive, and how you will expose what happened.…

The Humpty Dumpty Circumstance

The Humpty Dumpty Circumstance

391 91 12

Private Detective, Rick Hart reluctantly accepts what he believes to be a forty year old case of a missing person from an intriguing, determined woman who prefers to keep her reasons secret. His investigation quickly turns out to be something far different . . . and much uglier.…

The Viking Seal

The Viking Seal

1,038 260 37

A map fragment is found among the belongings of an archaeologist that died working on the site of a dig in Egypt. before any action can be taken, the rest of the belongings are stolen before any more could be retrieved and protected.The map, a possible confirmation of the Viking visits to North America, draws the attention of the Congress of International Antiquities, and their investigator, Gretta Lawrence.From Canada's northern country all the way to the east coasts of Newfoundland, and Labrador, the Congress team races to beat a criminal opposition to the prize believed to be buried there.…

A Town Called Sunrise

A Town Called Sunrise

726 200 16

When miners and prospectors visit the town during a yearly celebration in order to meet the government assayer, a notorious land grabber starts preparing to obtain a claim from an elderly prospector who has finally struck it rich. The sheriff and his deputy have other ideas. Bits of fun, humour, and romance sprinkle the story throughout, but in the end the plan turns ugly and dangerous.…

Puttin' on the Ritz

Puttin' on the Ritz

52 11 1

BREAKING NEWS! BREAKING NEWS! BREAKING NEWS!Coaxed out of retirement for a last time, one time performance, Ratty Kat, live on stage at the Oomph Theatre, with his adaptation of an old favourite. Ratty's career began back in the late 20th century with the production of cartoon books for tots. The last of that series was Ratty Kat and the Robber Rabbit. After that, he moved into more slightly mature projects, appearing in parodies of both James Bond and Indiana Jones. Finally, after his legendary successes in books, Ratty returned to his original roots on the Broadway stage, appearing in several performances of classic plays, at last retiring to his cat box to relax and reminisce. Our intrepid user managed to track him down and convince him that the world would love to see Ratty Kat on stage once more. So now, I present to you, live on stage - RATTY KAT - PUTTIN' ON THE RITZVideo property of German TV show "ZDF Silvester-Tanzparty" at the New Years Eve TV Show in 1983.…

GUMSHOES

GUMSHOES

363 100 25

After the unfortunate demise of his police detective father, Wendell Dankworth and his friend Jerome Weeble take up the roles of private investigators and begin a search for the criminals responsible.Their inexperience and bumbling leads them into the worlds of smuggling, cartels, hit men, crime lords and gang warfare.Real life also intrudes, when they shirk domestic responsibilities for the house they share along with a very strong-willed, no nonsense woman.…

Galen's Ethic

Galen's Ethic

348 94 19

Galen Helliwell and Lydia St. Claire, settle together in Barrow falls after their run-in with a group of thieving killers in the story, 'The Right Thing To Do'.In this sequel, their neighbours, the family they helped protect from Deiter Preston's gang, ask for his help for a single father and his daughter, who are being harassed and bullied by a local businessman and his gang.Galen's help appears in the form of a complicated scam that requires the help of almost the entire town.…

The Librarian

The Librarian

2,243 382 25

Deadly St. Louis epidemics of cholera and typhoid in the mid 1800s had taken her father and changed Harriet's life. With a lot of patience and courage, she left home to establish a library in a small western town. The excitement and adventure she imagined soon met an ugly reality."I was a victim, not the avenging killer people attached to my name."…

Evil's Root

Evil's Root

815 153 23

When the owner of a company embezzles funds and his salesman intercepts the stash, only to be robbed himself, the chase is on. Wives, mistresses, love struck pawns and even the police scramble in the race for the money. There are deadly results for all participants, proving once again.... money is the root of all evil.…