Each week, I send out a story via my email newsletter. Each story is around 1000 words, sometimes less, sometimes more. The stories are in a variety of genres: supernatural, thriller, sci-fi, horror, and sometimes romance, and all of my stories typically feature a gay protagonist.
I would love it if you would subscribe to my weekly newsletter! You can do so HERE.
This is story number 17 of the series. Enjoy!
Murder at the State Fair
Detective Lyle Novak was ready for a night off. After weeks of grueling cases, he figured a trip to the state fair was just what the doctor ordered. The aroma of deep-fried everything, the glittering lights of the Ferris wheel—it was a slice of Americana he rarely got to indulge in.
He was just about to sink his teeth into a footlong corn dog when a frantic woman rushed up to him. “Detective! Detective, please, you have to help!”
Lyle sighed, setting aside his corn dog. “What seems to be the problem, ma’am?”
The woman, who introduced herself as Tina, was shaking. “I saw… I saw two girls beating another girl behind the Wisconsin Products tent. They were so violent, so angry. I think… I think they might be Mel’s girls.”
Lyle’s eyebrows shot up. Mel, aka the “Dairy Queen,” was the notorious head of the city’s lesbian mafia. If her crew was involved, this was serious.
He followed Tina around the tent, his hand instinctively resting on his holster. As they approached, he saw a figure crumpled on the ground. His heart sank.
It was a young woman, her face badly bruised, her body unnaturally still. Lyle knelt beside her, feeling for a pulse. Nothing.
“Damn it,” he muttered. He stood, surveying the scene. No weapons, no witnesses besides Tina. This had the Dairy Queen’s fingerprints all over it.
He turned to Tina. “I need you to tell me everything you saw. Every detail matters.”
As Tina recounted what she’d witnessed, Lyle’s mind raced. What could this girl have done to piss off Mel? And why kill her here, at the state fair of all places?
He needed answers, and he had a feeling the Dairy Queen herself was the only one who could provide them.
Lyle made his way through the fairgrounds, his eyes peeled for any sign of Mel or her goons. He’d tangled with her before, and he knew she was as ruthless as she was elusive.
Just as he was about to give up and call for backup, he spotted a familiar face near the cotton candy stand. Roxy, one of Mel’s top enforcers.
He approached casually, like he was just another fairgoer. “Fancy seeing you here, Rox.”
Roxy tensed, her hand sliding into her jacket pocket. “Detective Novak,” she said in her usual gravely voice. “Thought you were off-duty.”
“I was, until I stumbled across a dead girl behind one of the vendor tents. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”
Roxy’s face remained impassive. “Nope. No idea what you’re talking about.”
Lyle sighed. “Come on, Roxy. We both know Mel’s behind this. Just tell me why. What did this girl do to deserve a beat down from your crew?”
Roxy hesitated, glancing around. Then, almost imperceptibly, she nodded towards the Ferris wheel. “Mel’s over there. But you didn’t hear it from me.”
Lyle tipped his hat. “Much obliged.”
He made his way to the Ferris wheel, his heart pounding. Confronting the Dairy Queen on her own turf was risky, but he had to get to the bottom of this.
He found her in the control booth, overseeing the ride. She looked up as he entered, a smirk playing on her lips.
“Detective Novak. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Lyle cut straight to the chase. “A girl’s dead, Mel. Beaten to death by your crew. I want to know why.”
Mel leaned back in her chair, studying him. “Straight to the point, huh? I like that about you, Novak.”
She stood, walking over to the window overlooking the fairgrounds. “The girl was a liability,” she said in a low voice. “She got too nosey — she found out too much about our operation. We couldn’t risk her talking.”
Lyle’s blood boiled. “So you had her killed? At the damn state fair?”
Mel shrugged. “It sends a message. No one crosses the Dairy Queen and lives to tell about it. You’d do well to keep that in mind, Novak.
Lyle shook his head in disgust. “You’re a piece of work, you know that?”
Mel turned to face him, her eyes hard. “You’ve got no proof I was involved. No witnesses, no weapon. It’s your word against mine, and who’s going to believe a gay cop over the queen of the city’s underworld?”
Lyle’s jaw clenched. She was right. Without hard evidence, he had nothing.
But as he turned to leave, defeated, something caught his eye. A security camera, perched just above the control booth.
A slow smile spread across his face. “You’re right, Mel. It’s my word against yours. But I bet that camera up there might have a different story to tell.”
Mel’s eyes widened, just for a second. Then her face hardened. “You’re bluffing.”
Lyle shrugged. “Maybe I am. But are you willing to take that chance?”
He turned to leave, calling over his shoulder, “I’ll be seeing you, Mel. Sooner than you think.”
“Tread carefully, Novak. You wouldn’t want to end up behind a tent yourself.”
As he walked away, the sounds of the fair fading behind him, Lyle felt a sense of grim satisfaction. He might not have gotten a confession, but he’d rattled the unflappable Dairy Queen. And that was a start.
Back at the precinct, he pored over the security footage. Sure enough, there was Roxy and another of Mel’s girls, dragging the victim to the back of the Wisconsin Products tent. And there, clear as day, was Mel herself, watching from a distance.
Lyle leaned back in his chair, a triumphant grin on his face. He had her. The Dairy Queen’s reign of terror was about to come to an end.
As he prepared to make the arrest, Lyle couldn’t help but reflect on the twists and turns of the night. What had started as a simple trip to the fair had become a deadly game of cat and mouse with the city’s most notorious criminal.
But that was the life of a detective, he supposed. You never knew where a case might take you. And as a gay man in a field dominated by machismo and prejudice, he’d learned to expect the unexpected.
One thing was for sure: he’d never look at the state fair the same way again. Behind the bright lights, creme puffs and chocolate bacon on a stick lurked a darker world, one where the Dairy Queen and her goons held sway.
But not for long. Not if Detective Lyle Novak had anything to say about it.
He grabbed his coat and headed for the door, ready to bring the hammer down on Mel and her crew. It was time to serve up some justice, piping hot and fresh. The Dairy Queen’s days were numbered.
THE END