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Fiction The Murder App

The Murder App | ONE

the murder app serial blogging series cgsp crime murder writer author

Chapter 1

Ella Strong stood from her crouch beside the victim’s body. The smell was getting stronger, but she stopped breathing with her nose and turned towards the medical examiner. “It looks like the others,” she said.

Sandra Ellis – The Medical Examiner – gave a short nod. Deep crease lines etched in her forehead. “Yes. Same as the other women. All strangled with a red tie, which was brought with the killer.”

Ella sighed, scanning the living room for the victim’s phone. She was hoping the same evidence that was on the other victims’ phone, wouldn’t be there. If it was the same as the others, she had failed another woman.
“Do we have an ID from her purse yet?” Ella asked aloud. Her partner, Steve Evans, was still searching through the victims’ handbag. He looked up from her wallet and nodded. “Yup. Her name is Lisa Renner, 27 years old.” Steve stood with the wallet in hand, joining Ella and Sandra. “Have we found the phone yet?”

Ella began to shake her head when her eyes glimpsed the floor beside the couch. A black phone casing lay just underneath it. She sighed, tucking her notepad into her pants pocket, and heading towards it. The gloves on her hands were necessary, but they made a squelching noise when she moved her hands and fingers.

She leaned down and picked up the phone, pushing the home button. The display lit up and as the screen sprung to life, a picture of a smiling Lisa at Disneyland appeared. The phone was locked, but her latest notifications weren’t hidden. Ella scrolled past the social media notices until she reached the one that she was hoping not to find.
“Mark up Lisa Renner as another victim of the Murder App,” Ella said softly. Steve appeared at her side and looked at the phone over her shoulder and sighed.
Lisa had a notification that her latest ‘love connection’ was on his way.

The ‘Murder App’ name wasn’t from the police. Somehow, the information about the app had been leaked, and the media had dreamed up that little classification; Murder App Killings. The victims had joined on the app and were all awaiting their ‘Prince Charming’ when they were killed. The accounts of the suitors were deleted without a trace within an hour of the deaths.
“Is it too macabre to say, ‘at least we have new leads’?” Steve asked. Ella frowned and shook her head, turning away from him and ignoring the comment. She knew he was right, but the death of another woman wasn’t a good thing – no matter what leads they now had. She was going to catch this guy and make sure he was put away where he belonged. “Let CSI know they can do their final sweep. We need to check out Lisa’s ‘Love Connection’ profile to see if her Prince Charming has deleted his account like the others.”

Ella drove back to the station in silence. She was grateful that the call to Lisa’s house had been late. It meant she could drive by herself, instead of sharing the ride with Steve. Her partner was a great guy, but this case was personal for her. She needed time to think.
The first victim had been her roommate from uni. They hadn’t seen each other in 17 years, and it was too late to reconnect now. Four victims in with this lunatic, and still no solid leads as to who he was.

As she pulled into a parking space out front of the station, she closed her eyes and pulled in a deep, lingering breath. A pounding on the hood of her car flicked them open again, and she frowned at Steve. He grinned at her like a 12-year-old. She shook her head and tried to hide a small smile as she opened the door and followed him inside.

Night shift meant the building wasn’t as lively, but the officers on night shift were still buzzing around with work. The atmosphere always seemed darker on the night shift, and Ella didn’t like to stick around too long. Her husband Ted was probably putting the leftovers in the fridge by now. He used to her late-night working, but she felt guilty when she had to rush away. Ted had been amazing when she’d announced her switch from paralegal to cop ten years ago. She’d gotten through training and reached detective, but the job was already taking its toll on her empathetic heart.

After briefing their boss, Ella and Steve returned to the large office that they shared, and went over the facts again.
“We need to get this guy,” Ella said once they were done recapping. She was already feeling the weight of the latest murder as she read over the preliminary information.
Steve exhaled and gave his classic impish grin. “I know we do.”

 

I hope you enjoyed the first Chapter of my newest ongoing CGSP series – The Murder App. I’m letting this story take me where it takes me each month – just like how HCC started.
Keep checking back every month for another part to the story!

See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace

Categories
Podcast

My 1st Book – Title & Story | CGSP Podcast

Finally, I’m able to share more about my very first book!

The latest CGSP: First Book Journey podcast episode reveals what the story is, how it came to be where it is now, and what it’s called!
I’m so excited to share it with you – it’s been a long time coming.

I can’t wait for you to know! Check out the link
>>> here

ep 5

What is the best book title you’ve ever read? I’d love to know in the comments!

See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace


Categories
Fiction

Abducted With Siri | Short Story

Sarah held her breath as the rope cut into her hands and down her thigh.
How did she end up here? It wasn’t how she thought her life would end… Trapped in a car, being kidnapped and taken who knows where.

The man in the driver’s seat was screaming something to the woman in the front passenger seat, but Sarah couldn’t tell what with the burlap sack over her head.
One moment, she had been feeding her cat at home, and the next….
It was all a little fuzzy.

They swerved around another corner, and Sarah was thrown against the back of their seats. She had been in the same position on her side for a long while, so the movement was a form of relief. As she was flung back into her place along the backseat, she groaned as her elbow hit the seatbelt buckle.

“We need to get to the house. If we don’t, someone will see her in the back!” the man yelled. Sarah tried to listen, having given up screaming for help a while ago.
They had been on the road for about an hour – as best as she could guess – and she had been trying to remember every turn they took.
“I know that Eric! I’m in this as much as you are. Just watch the roads, and let me handle the rest!”

Sarah was sure this wasn’t going to end well for her, but she couldn’t figure out why she’d been taken in the first place.
She was a teacher; a nobody. There wasn’t anything remarkable about her life, finances or relationships.

“We’re only halfway there, and we already need petrol,” the man said. Sarah could hear his frustration, and the car violently swerved again, with honking from another car filling the air.
They stopped and what felt like a gun was slammed into Sarah’s rib cage.
“If you say one word, we’ll kill you,” the woman hissed. A large blanket was thrown over Sarah and she immediately felt the heat around her.
She heard sounds of doors opening and closing, then silence. They had both left the car.
This was her chance.

Sarah moved her tied hands towards her pants pocket, trying to feel for her phone. It was gone.
“What now?” she asked aloud. Wriggling underneath the blanket, Sarah tried to get the sack to slip off her head so she could see around her. When it didn’t budge, she groaned. “Great job Sarah.”

“Go ahead, I’m listening.” The voice was familiar, but Sarah couldn’t place it. Had they taken another woman along with her? Why didn’t she realise before.
“Is anyone there?”
“I didn’t get that. Could you try again?”
The second phrase clicked, and Sarah smiled. Her phone was in the car; it could hear her voice and she had activated Siri.

“Siri, call 000.”
“Calling 000,” Siri replied.
Sarah quickly relayed her situation to the responder on the phone.
When the captors had returned to the car, Sarah left the phone on speaker in hopes that the operator could track her phone.
They sped away from the service station, and Sarah smiled underneath the blanket and the sack.

Finally, when they stopped the car again, she held her breath; this time, not from the rope along her thigh.
Doors opened and closed, and sirens sprang to life. Sarah heard two bodies being slammed against the car, and let out a sigh.
She had been rescued; thanks to Siri.

See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace

 

Categories
Fiction

Mechanical Issue | Short Story

DeeDee searched her purse again, the frown lines deepening on her forehead.
She knew she had left her keys in that side pocket, but they were nowhere to be found.
With a frustrated groan, DeeDee tipped the entire bag upside down on the cafe table, searching through the contents.
“Are you okay DeeDee?” Andrea, her best friend, was sipping a cappuccino, and had been watching her frantically search for the last five minutes.
“Yes, I just knew my keys were in here.” DeeDee rolled her eyes at the smug look on her friends face. “I didn’t lose them again, they’re just missing.”
Andrea let out an ‘Mmhmm’ and continued with her coffee.

Where had she had them last?
DeeDee dropped the lipstick onto the table and closed her eyes, picturing where she remembered them last.
The Mechanic.
Flipping her eyes open, Andrea frowned with a shrug. “Why the concern? Did you leave them in the fridge?”
DeeDee shook her head. “I think I left them at that mechanic place.”
Andrea shrugged. “Okay, so you left them there. Now you know where they are, and you can go get them, right?”

She knew her best friend was right, but there was something about the mechanic that had made her nervous. Now he had her house keys, along with the car keys.
“What if he copies them? Then comes into my house to burgle me?”
Andrea rolled her eyes. “Oh come on DeeDee, be serious. He’s running a business, just like you do, and just like this cafe owner does. He wouldn’t get repeat customers if he went around robbing them when they left their keys by mistake.”

Andrea was right, of course. DeeDee knew that. All the way home, she tried to convince herself of that fact. The mechanic would probably call her in the morning, when her custom work was done and let her know about they keys.
Her driver dropped her off at home, and she thanked him. Ringing the doorbell, her maid answered and let her in.
She’d explain the missing keys to Steven, and he wouldn’t mind of course. As much as she hated to admit it, Andrea was right; she often lost her keys.
Steven would be home tomorrow, the car would be finished, and life could resume as normal.

DeeDee tried to calm her nerves with a drink, then settled in to watch her favourite reality show. As the maid said goodnight, the house became very large, and very quiet.
Reassuring herself over, and over, DeeDee jumped when the sound of a doorknob turning in the other room cracked the silence.
“Hello?” she called out, hoping for no response.

Quietly, she slipped off the couch, and stood beside the door to the small lounge. If a burglar was coming in here, DeeDee would be ready to fight for her life.
She looked around her, and picked up a small bust of Aristotle. It was heavy, but she held it just above her and waited. The doorknob began to turn, and she held her breath, preparing herself.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhh!” She screamed, stepping back and giving a half hearted throw, of the heavy bust. It fell to the floor where her feet had stood just a moment before, and she exhaled loudly.
“Steven! You scared me!”
Her husband stared back at her; confusion and compassion all over his face.
This wasn’t the first time that DeeDee had read into something that wasn’t real; and it probably wouldn’t be the last.

See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace

Categories
Fiction

Body in The Freezer | Short Story

Susan walked through the aisles at the supermarket and frowned. All the frozen vegetables were nowhere to be seen, just like the other shelves.
The panic over the world outside, had caused ‘panic buying’ but because she hadn’t gotten in on it, there was now nothing on the shelves.

Sighing and rolling her eyes, she pushed her trolley further down the aisle, hoping that the next freezer door held something on the other side. A wide smile spread across her face as she spotted it, the last bag of frozen peas. Excited, Susan leant down and yanked open the door, reaching deep into the bottom of the freezer. A woman with red hair beside her suddenly dove down as well, and grabbed the corner of the same bag.
“That’s mine! I saw it first,” The woman screamed, looking left and right. With no witnesses, she yanked at the bag. Susan refused to let go of the bag which was rightfully hers, “No you didn’t.” She said as she pulled back on the bag.

The woman scowled and pulled harder, splitting the bag open and allowing all the peas to clink onto the floor. They scattered along the tiles and the woman dropped the bag, shuffling her trolley away with a scowl, “You were right. It is your bag,” She said as she disappeared around the corner.
Susan exhaled and shook her head, still nobody in the aisle to witness the incident. She was sure the guys in the camera rooms were laughing, and were going to let her deal with it herself. The thought of leaving it for someone else to clean briefly popped into her mind, but she shook it loose and dropped onto her hands and knees, picking up as many peas as she could.

As she scooped up the last of the peas, Susan spotted a piece of another vegetable. It was red, and she reached forward for it, her fingers slipping as it made contact. It wasn’t solid; it wasn’t a vegetable. Soup. Someone must have dropped some sort of tomato soup, or sauce on the floor. She groaned and wiped the substance on her dark jeans, getting up onto her feet and putting the broken bag of dirty peas into the front part of her trolley. She’d hand it to a staff member and explain what happened. Maybe she’d mention the sauce stain while she was at it.

Steven took the bag of frozen peas from the customer and waited until she had disappeared into another aisle before he rolled his eyes and turned to Abigail.
“People are getting worse. This damn panic buying.”
Abigail rolled her eyes in return and nodded, “Yeah. But what can we do about it?” She pulled her restock trolley closer towards the end of the aisle and smiled, “Do you want me to check out the sauce stain?”
Steven shook his head, “Nah. Keep restocking, I’ll grab a rag and deal with it.”

He moved towards the frozen aisle with a small rag, his footsteps landing hard on the ground. He’d been on shift for seven hours already, and was almost finished. Then he could go back to his wife and kids. Although with the kids stuck doing school at home, maybe the extra hour would be a blessing in disguise.

As he reached the freezer, he frowned at the large puddle of what appeared to be tomato soup. The woman had only said it was a smudge, but this was a large puddle. He kept moving closer and checked for other customers. With nobody else around, Steven froze as he leant over the top of the freezer.
It had been emptied out of vegetable packets, but something else had taken it’s place. The woman was stuffed into the corner, a large wound on the back of her head. Her eyes were wide open, but no part of her was moving. Steven saw the blood trail leading to the puddle of what he had thought was soup and dry heaved.

Taking a breath, Steven slid the door open and reached his hand down to check for the pulse he was sure wasn’t there. Pushing back her hair he felt her neck, the cold already reaching his own hand. When he was satisfied that she was dead, he pulled is radio out of his belt and pushed down to talk.
“We have a situation in Aisle Seven with a red headed woman.”

See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace

Categories
Fiction

The Cake | Furious Fiction

Enjoy the Furious Fiction from April 2020! I did 😀
The lemon, wedding cake wobbled in my arms. I shifted it, then continued to walk alongside the dirt road. I was still miles from the venue, and the rain from last night was not helping as I sidestepped another puddle. That damn car had always seemed to have it in for me, always breaking down at the most important moments of my life.
I checked all three tiers of the cake and smiled; they were still tied securely with large yellow ribbons. It had been a challenge to get the same yellow pigment in the rosettes, but I was proud of the final match.

A stone on the path pierced through my thin shoe and into my foot. I yelped, and felt my masterpiece once again shifting. Desperately, I tried to balance the heavy cake, managing to gain control once again. As if in slow motion, I watched as the cake topper slid further towards the edge of the top tier. In a panic, I tried to stabilise the cake and save the bride and groom. The movements worsened my dilemma, and I watched helplessly, as the icon of happily ever after slid off the cake, landing in a nearby puddle.
The topper splashed muddy water onto the bottom of my lemon yellow dress, and I groaned. There was less than an hour until the ceremony, and my heart began to sink; I was going to miss the wedding.

A car behind me honked and I turned, still trying to maintain balance. The man behind the wheel smiled, popping the locks to the passenger seat and motioning with his head for me to get in. I smiled wide and slid the cake inside, returning to the puddle for the bride and groom topper. As I jumped into the car and we continued towards the hotel, I revealed my traumatic ordeal. The man, also a guest at the wedding, kindly stepped on the gas, rocketing towards the event.

We arrived just as the harp started to play, and the bride began her decent down the aisle. I thanked the gentleman, then sidestepped the guests, sneaking quietly towards the catering area. The apron I was wearing now had dirt and flour covering the surface, but I ignored it and shuffled backwards, pushing my ass through the swinging door to the kitchen.

Once I’d passed the cake off to the other catering staff, I sucked in a deep breath. As the panic dissipated, I peeked my head out through the door and smiled. Guests began to cheer as the bride and groom shared their wedding day kiss.
I’d done it.

See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace

Categories
Hannah Carmichael Chronicles

Spies Are Coming

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Spies Are Coming

 

Keep checking back for what this means… Can you guess? Feel free in the comments

See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace

Categories
Fiction

Escape Room | Short Story

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The large door seemed to tower over Ellie as she sucked in a deep breath.
She wasn’t one for adventure, especially where an escape wasn’t possible, but here she was. How did she let her friends talk her into this ridiculous thing.
“Are you ready?” Brian asked, nudging her in the ribs.
She shook her head, “I don’t know about this Brian.”
“Oh come on Ellie, it’ll be fun!” He said, shoving Ian into Samantha as they smiled and laughed. Everyone else was excited about this Escape Room business, but there was something about being trapped in a room with the only escape coming at the end of puzzles that was unsettling for Ellie.

The host of the game opened the door, wishing them good luck and locking it behind them. The first room seemed to fly by, although Ellie wasn’t too much help as her friends thought quickly, moved through the clues to solve the riddles and opened the door into the next room.
As she followed along, Ellie noted every item inside each space, trying to make her brain move as fast as theirs. By the third room, their team had only 15 minutes left to clear it, and the final room. She squeezed past Ian and moved towards a chair in the corner.

The theme of this particular escape room was Pioneer Apocalypse, and Ellie was sick of seeing mannequins with racoon hats and bonnets around the rooms. Their eyes followed her, and she never wanted to see another log cabin as long as she lived. The large arm chair in the corner was her best option as her friends eagerly followed the clues around the room. She rolled her eyes and leaned on her elbow, looking in the closet to her right. The ‘bedroom’ was similar to all the others, and peeking through the closet clothes, was another mannequin.

She sighed, staring at another expressionless face. Frowning, she narrowed her eyes and looked closer. This one’s eyes were closed and it was slumped over, instead of sitting up straight and looking rigid. Maybe it was an actor paid to jump out and scare them into the next room?
Ellie carefully stood and took a step closer, reaching out and poking it, then quickly retracting her hand.
“What have you found?” Samantha asked from across the room.
Ellie shrugged, “I don’t know. This doesn’t look like the other mannequins around.”

The group dropped their clue quest and huddled together behind Ellie, staring at the strange figure. Ellie reached forward and pushed her hand into the man’s shoulder. It pushed back and the body fell onto the ground in front of her, exposing a large blood stain on the mans back. Ellie’s gag reflex activated and she pulled backwards, pushing herself up against the furthest wall.
“I don’t think that’s part of the escape,” Brian said quietly, looking between his friends. They picked up the radio, still able to use two of their three clues.
“Would you like a clue?” The voice on the other end asked. Ian pulled the radio away from Brian, “Is there supposed to be a dead guy in the bedroom?”
Silence on the other end of the radio echoed loudly in the room, until a voice finally came through the static, “Please wait a moment. Someone will be coming to assist you.”

See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace