INDIANA CRIME 2012

INTRODUCTION When I eased my black ’65 Lincoln Continental up to the curb outside James Ward Kirk’s House of Horrors I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I mean, this was the man behind the Indiana Horror and Indiana Science Fiction anthologies, with a pretty solid reputation for scaring the hell out of readers. Nevertheless, I rolled down the window and asked him if he’d like to go on a little road trip for some literary larceny. He stared at me with hard eyes, piled in next to me, and said, “Drive it like you stole it.” Thus, we set out across the Hoosier state in search of authors with compelling crime stories from the heart of the Midwest. From the beginning, we were confident there was a huge cache of untapped talent out there. All we had to do was find it. Well, we slammed our pick-axe deep into the Indiana hard-pack and uprooted a huge clump of them. Along the way, we encountered a dealer of antiquities, a claw hammer killer, a soap factory with a secret formula, a pair of not-so-happily married newlyweds and a human smorgasbord of shooters, dealers and squealers. We were even propositioned by a hooker named Wiggles. A few times, we had to stand on the Lincoln’s skinny loud pedal and head for the hills. More often than not, we hit the brakes, kicked open the suicide door, gave ‘em the old chin nod, and beckoned them to join the party. At the heart of any good story is its creator. Our line-up includes a talented group of authors who provided an eclectic mix of crime fiction sure to please even the most discerning of readers. Some of the names you will recognize; many you won’t but will soon enough. Still, each story speaks for itself and these stories speak loudly. I invite you to take a tour with us through the Hoosier state presented in Indiana Crime. While there, cruise down a peaceful stretch of two-lane, get out, stretch your legs and get a lung full of fresh, country air. But if you get a whiff of anhydrous and bleach, spot a pair of blood-soaked underwear dangling from a fence post, or spot some strange lights in the northern sky, pile back in your car, fire that mother up and drive. Drive far, drive fast, but drive.

From the Inside Flap

TABLE OF CONTENTS POETRY David S. Pointer: Stand and Distract Bushwhacker 9 Kwik Date Stalls 10 Graveshift Spiral 11 Danger 12 Airborne Convict 13 Hammer Zone 14 Brian Rosenberger Murder in greasepaint 15 Roger Cowin Killing the Detectives 16 Midnight at the Train Station 19 Pulp City 21 Flash Fiction Shock Collar by David James Keaton 33 The Sin of Men by Paula D. Ashe 38 Short Stories Stuckey Makes a Sale by David Bain 46 Her Own Business by C. J. Edwards 54 Thief of Souls by Lee Forsythe 63 Meeting God by Vada Katherine 71 The Wife or the Dog by Marc Watkins 78 A Larceny of Skulls by John Weagly 84 Chasing Rinehart by Kyle Scot Martinez 99 The Kill Stand by Larry D. Sweazy 112 A Matter of Life and Death by Frank Holland 133 The Mother of All Monsters by Paula D. Ashe 140 The Angel and the Ass by Brian Rosenberger 153 Soap by Jeffrey L. Ashby 163 Serious Money by Murphy Edwards 180 'Til Death Do Us Part by R. Todd Woodstock 191 Trailer Trash by R.k.Kombrinck 200 Dumb Shit by Alec Cizak 221 The New Age Bank Robbers by Paul Throe 229 Last Meal by E.L. Dawson 242 Art Cover Art contributed by Jeffrey Ashby Jordan Wood/ Model & Photographer: 1, 162, 241 Bonnie Bones 259-260 David S. Pointer 53, 111 About the Editors and Authors 261

From the Back Cover

When I eased my black '65 Lincoln Continental up to the curb outside James Ward Kirk's House of Horrors I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I mean, this was the man behind the Indiana Horror and Indiana Science Fiction anthologies, with a pretty solid reputation for scaring the hell out of readers. Nevertheless, I rolled down the window and asked him if he'd like to go on a little road trip for some literary larceny. He stared at me with hard eyes, piled in next to me, and said, "Drive it like you stole it." Thus, we set out across the Hoosier state in search of authors with compelling crime stories from the heart of the Midwest. From the beginning, we were confident there was a huge cache of untapped talent out there. All we had to do was find it. Well, we slammed our pick-axe deep into the Indiana hard-pack and uprooted a huge clump of them. Along the way, we encountered a dealer of antiquities, a claw hammer killer, a soap factory with a secret formula, a pair of not-so-happily married newlyweds and a human smorgasbord of shooters, dealers and squealers. We were even propositioned by a hooker named Wiggles. A few times, we had to stand on the Lincoln's skinny loud pedal and head for the hills. More often than not, we hit the brakes, kicked open the suicide door, gave 'em the old chin nod, and beckoned them to join the party. At the heart of any good story is its creator. Our line-up includes a talented group of authors who provided an eclectic mix of crime fiction sure to please even the most discerning of readers. Some of the names you will recognize; many you won't but will soon enough. Still, each story speaks for itself and these stories speak loudly. I invite you to take a tour with us through the Hoosier state presented in Indiana Crime. While there, cruise down a peaceful stretch of two-lane, get out, stretch your legs and get a lung full of fresh, country air. But if you get a whiff of anhydrous and bleach, spot a pair of blood-soaked underwear dangling from a fence post, or spot some strange lights in the northern sky, pile back in your car, fire that mother up and drive. Drive far, drive fast, but drive. Murphy Edwards

About the Author

Murphy Edwards has appeared in over fifty professional magazines and journals including, Dimensions Magazine, The East Side Edition, Black October, Horizons, MidAtlantic Monthly, Modern Drummer, The Nor'Easter, Walking Bones, Escaping Elsewhere, Trail of Indiscretion, Hardboiled Magazine, Barbaric Yawp, Samsara, The Magazine of Suffering, The Nocturnal Lyric, Night Chills, Big Pulp Magazine and in the anthologies Dead Bait (Severed Press), Assassin's Canon (Utility Fog Press), Abaculus II (Leucrota Press), Night Terrors (Blood Bound Books), Unspeakable (Blood Bound Books), Bloody Carnival (Pill Hill Press), Dead Bait II (Severed Press) and Indiana Horror 2011 (Indiana Horror Writer's Association). His short story, "Mister Checkers", was chosen to be among the best in science fiction, fantasy and horror of 2009 for the Leucrota Press Anthology, Abaculus III. Edwards is also a 2011 recipient of The Midwest Writers Workshop Writers Retreat Fellowship Award for Fiction. In addition to the United States, Edward's work has been published in Ireland, Australia, South Africa, and the U.K. He currently resides in Indiana and on the web at murphyedwards.wordpress.com James Ward Kirk is the publisher and editor of the Indiana Horror and Indiana Science Fiction anthologies. He has published numerous short stories, most currently in DARK GOTHIC RESSURECTED magazine and the anthology SHADOWS OF THE UNKOWN, and his recent novel THE BUTTERFLY KILLER is available on Amazon and other fine retailers. He lives in Indianapolis with his wife and Chihuahua. Visit him at jameswardkirkfiction.org/.

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