White Crosses - a short mystery

My newest story. This one features the same two main characters that first appeared in my story Leave No Wake which was originally published in the Minnesota Crimewave's Resort To Murder anthology.

I got the idea while driving highway 191 between West Yellowstone and Bozeman through the Gallatin Canyon. There are so many white crosses there to indicate where someone died in a car accident. I tried counting them one time, and lost track at some point after fifty. This stuck in my mind for a long time, and finally a grain of an idea started to form. It really started coming together once I decided to use the Dick Varney and Noah Johnson characters from Leave No Wake.

Here's a little about it:

Mr. Varney and Mr. Johnson are on vacation out west, travelling in an old school bus they’ve converted into an RV. When thirteen-year old Kelly befriends them at a campground in Gallatin Canyon, they suspect that her guardian is up to no good. Is she the unwitting victim of a kidnapping? Or is something more sinister going on?

As Varney tries to make peace with a tragedy that happened years before, he and Johnson try to decide just how involved they should get in the suspicious circumstances that surround their new young friend.

The characters of Joel Arnold’s short mystery Leave No Wake are back for another adventure in this latest mystery short, White Crosses.

Available for the Kindle, the Nook, and other ereaders.

Thanks for stopping by!

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Classic White Sheet - A Halloween Story. New Release!

When I was a kid, I often took the simple route of dressing as a ghost for Halloween. White sheet with mouth and eye holes cut out, and voila - you're done. I wrote a story about three childhood friends who spend a Halloween all dressed as ghosts; although one of them may no longer be what he seems.

If you'd like to get in the Halloween spirit, I hope you'll check it out!

Available for the Kindle, Nook, and other devices (via Smashwords).

A description:

"12-year old Connor and his friends, Pavel and Gabe, decide to make this Halloween all about the candy. They map out the most efficient route through their neighborhood, carry large pillowcases for their stash, and agree to dress up in the simplicity of the classic white sheet; they are going as ghosts.

Things, however, don’t turn out as simple as they plan. First, Pavel’s little sister, Anna, has to join them. Second, they run into a pair of neighborhood bullies who want to take all of their hard won loot. And third, something seems a little off with one of the friends. Their costumes, though simple, are capable of hiding things best left unseen. 

Please join award-winning author Joel Arnold in this Halloween short story of friendship, loyalty and desperate souls yearning for happiness on one of the most joyously frightening nights of the year."