Jason opened his eyes. The early morning light burned as his sight adjusted to the brightness above him. He wasn’t in his bed. He wasn’t even indoors.  Shaking the cobwebs out of his head, Jason turned to take in his surroundings and found himself lying in an alley between two tall rundown buildings. Old bikes, ...

Jason pulled up to the precinct as he always did, but he wasn’t going to work. This time, he was in a squad car and about to be questioned like the many witnesses and suspects he had interrogated in his career on the force. His mind ran wild trying to remember details of the night ...

“After he made fun of me for a few more minutes, I agreed to go out after my shift ended,” Jason explained. “He made me feel guilty for never seeing him. And with him losing his brother in a car accident last week, I had to go.” Captain Warley jotted down notes as Jason explained ...

“I got myself one more beer and tried to fade into the background. The place just felt strange. Way too trendy. Lots of twenty-somethings pretending they are rich when you know their parents still pay half their bills,” Jason continued. *** Jason nursed a beer as Nick danced with a circle of girls who didn’t ...

Warley looked at Jason for a long moment, waiting for him to continue. He gave the young detective a sympathetic, almost fatherly look when he didn’t. “Jason, we’ll figure it out. We have your statement. We’ll process everything on you from last night. Go home and rest. There’s no reason to hold you here. Not ...

Jason stared at his arms, watching the water run over the pink scrapes and scratches zigzagging over his skin. His brain quickly flashed to Tara running her fingers across the flesh of his arm, the memory making him stumble back against the shower stall tile. With a swift turn of the faucet, Jason ended what ...

Jason wasn’t shocked to find Nick’s apartment in disarray. His friend wasn’t known for his housekeeping skills, and if something happened to him inside the apartment, no one would ever know based on how chaotic it always was. The smell didn’t help either. A mix of crusted dishes, dirty laundry, and sweaty man permeated the ...

“Nothing yet about Nick?” Jason asked Kristen through his cell phone. He knew he was calling her too much, but he couldn’t help it.  “We’re looking for him, Jay. No leads yet,” his partner said calmly. Jason paced the hallway outside of Nick’s apartment. If Kristen knew he was there, she’d be aggravated, but he ...