Write a mystery where the detective realizes at the last moment that they have the wrong suspect.

Posted in Mystery on Jul 27, 2021

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✍️ 117 stories

“Innocent Until Proven Guilty” by Writer Maniac

Submitted to Contest #72

I would have never thought that Oliver would end up where he was today. The smart boy who never overstepped any boundaries, who always greeted me and my wife when we ran into each other at the grocery store, who went on laundry runs for the neighbours, who brought back chocolates for the kids, wasn’t supposed to end up in an interrogation room. His sunken eyes look at me through the half-open door, and I’m compelled to enter and get him out. But I can’t. I must not let emotions get in the way. Not being a police officer has it...

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“Gone With the Snowflakes” by Akshaya Sutrave

Submitted to Contest #72

Fifteen-year-old Amanda Thrift was in her dorm, waiting for the day to get over. She was slumped on a couch, magazines piled up beside her in a messed heap. Darkness had replaced day. Amanda loved the dark. Her college-mates made fun of her, saying she was a cat herself, not a human being. Amanda ignored them. Ever since she’d shown up, she despised everything there, from its dimly lit corridors to the cafeteria.Amanda had never fit in. She didn’t want to.She flipped through a mystery book. One she had leafed through around a million times b...

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“Who did it? (Part 1)” by ✯𝐋𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚 𝐋𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫✯

Submitted to Contest #72

Title: Who did it? (Part 1)Authors: Haripriya and BAuthors Note: Hello everyone! I hope you're all having a great Sunday! This story is a little different because it is a collaboration between me and B! To be honest, this is the first time I have ever planned out a story with someone else. Usually, all my stories are things I've done by myself, so this was an amazing experience! We (kind of) planned the plot of the story, the character and character's names, and just the entire layout of it, so if you enjoyed this story, you should go check...

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“A MAN WAS LYNCHED YESTERDAY” by Tazmin Shaikh

Submitted to Contest #72

I could have seen the entire New York, standing on the top floor of ‘one police plaza’ headquarters. New York was my first love from the beginning, as whenever I saw it sensed an even more affection. But that day my heart was not feeling that fondness. The events from the last few weeks had shaken my head completely. Why did they do it? And mostly who are they? These questions made me crazy from that morning.“They are a community, I believe.” Detective Smith said.“maybe, a gang.” Detective Rhonda said.“no, not a gang, if it would, then they ...

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“The Masquerader” by Benji Bobo ©

Submitted to Contest #72

Mr. Goba was a messenger. He had a black beard, blue eyes, and a very small pile of brown hair in the very center of his head, surrounded by a lake of skin. He had been hired to deliver a package to the resident of house number 666. He walked down the dark eerie street that had a single streetlight, far away, shivering, while the sinister winds tried to drive its roots out of the earth. The glowing rock in the sky, let a single stream of pale silver light, trickle through the dark clouds, just enough to see where he was going. He walked towa...

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“What would you like, sir?” by Radhika Diksha

Submitted to Contest #72

“Sir, we need you?”“Ed, please don’t panic, tell me what happened?”“A man died at 4th Rose street in Pie- a- trust bakery.”“Pray, tell his name?”“Robert Jr.”“Business tycoon Robert Jr.?” A sudden alarm switches on in my mind.“You are right sir."I hang up the phone, a new case is like coffee shots for me. Sudden shots of energy with a sudden smell of success. Being a private detective was tough in 1959, the remnants of World War were still haunting people's minds. So basically, everyone was behind food and money. Hence the rise of murders and...

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“Who killed Amu's son?” by Asha Pillay

Submitted to Contest #72

A loud scream pierced the stillness of the night and it send chills down my spine. I heard someone crying in the neighbour's house. The time in the clock showed 12.45 am I was here at my aunt's house enjoying a long vacation. after my final year degree exams. I knocked on my aunt's door knowing that she must be fast asleep after taking her medicines. My aunt opened her door looking worried and groggy. "I heard some screams from the neighbour's house. I think there is some problem. I am going there to enquire " I said She said s...

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“Left or Right” by Vicky S

Submitted to Contest #72

Shuffling through a pile of dusty paperwork, Samuel paused to sneeze, causing goose bumps to appear along his arms. Rubbing his tired eyes, the ink still wet on his left hand leaving marks on his face, he glanced over at his fellow detective. He was asleep. His head was resting on a large, open book, and saliva had dribbled out of his mouth and onto the pages. “Hey,” he yelled, rubbing his arms to warm up. “Wake up!” His eyes bleary, Mike glanced around,” What’s the matter? I was only resting my eyes.” Snorting, Samuel pushed back his chair ...

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“Twisted Snakes” by Kristin Neubauer

Submitted to Contest #72

“I know this has been a difficult night for you,” said Nicole, hoping that her voice conveyed some degree of empathy and warmth. It’s been a difficult night for me too, pal. A difficult night, a difficult day, a difficult year. “You’ve been such a help, Mr. Chowdhury. If you remember anything else, anything at all, please call me. Even the smallest detail could help,” she continued, handing the little man her card. You’ve been no goddam help at all. A short man wearing a ski mask with a Hispanic accent and tattoos on h...

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“The Wrong Suspect!” by Niveeidha Palani

Submitted to Contest #72

The museum was loaded with swarming, lively tourists. A group of Russians yapped amiably as they pointed to a glimmering diamond balanced inside a glass cage carefully. Guards cocked proudly at the front of the glass. A name was etched into a hefty label nearby, bearing, fair letters. "The Hope Diamond".A red-haired, stout man leant casually on the railings of the museum. He punched a couple of numbers into his Blackberry. A bronze watch shimmered on his hairy wrists, as he limped realistically away, eyeing the crowd slowly. A group of kids,...

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“The Case of the Missing” by Hema Saju

Submitted to Contest #72

Intuition beguiles reason. Truth lay sabotaged, intrigued, disoriented. It was a perfect heist. It was also the case of the missing. It happened in mid-March, when the apolitical collective was struck by an intra-party feud over the allegations that forced the erstwhile administration to quit. While the social commentators reflected on the not so palpable phenomenon of social realities, the media digressed, discussed and debated. ==== &...

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“The Mystery Note” by Akshaya Rajan Babu

Submitted to Contest #72

“One Mississippi, Two Mississippi, three….” Yeah, I started counting like Ross, from the FRIENDS series, ever since I watched that tanning episode. And this was AFTER I had finished counting all the hundreds of dots that adorned Thalia’s shirt, who was sitting in front of me. Seriously, do all the clocks in the school run at a snail’s pace?? Ugh, I couldn’t wait for Ms. Pink to complete sermonizing about random dudes who did not-so-random stuff and then leave the classroom. I can imagine what all of you are thinking. Y...

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“How to get away with murder” by Aman Fatima

Submitted to Contest #72

Everyone stood frozen in their places, they could not believe who stood in front of them. With guns pointing at Noah’s head Esra had finally made her move. My day started off as usual, the first bell rang and we all ran to our classroom. Mr. Fitsbell, our class teacher was a mean and ill tempered man. One second late to his class and your whole week is ruined. Anyway I got to class before he showed up so I was safe but I could hardly say that Ersa. She was probably locked n the girl’s bathroom again. Esra transferred to my school and especia...

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“The Keepsake” by Howard Halsall

Submitted to Contest #72

Inspector Bruford is an hour early for his midday appointment with a temporary concierge at Springhope Mansion Flats. The letting agent has deployed the replacement caretaker to cover Mr Winston‘s duties whilst he’s helping the police with their enquiries. The inspector jabs his nicotine stained forefinger at a metal button labelled Estate Office. The intercom reacts to the assault with an insolent bleat; bzzzzz!The Victorian apartment block looks less shabby than he remembered it yesterday evening. A modest communal garden at the ...

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“Braden Bates: Mystery of The Clay Tablet (Excerpt)” by 🌮 Kao Crimsonstar 🌮

Submitted to Contest #72

“It’s her.” Braden said coldly. His auburn hair flew all around him in the strong autumn wind and his wire-rimmed glasses didn’t even come close to mitigating the cold, ruthless, calculating look of detective who has caught his criminal in his hazel eyes.“Braden, it’s not that I don’t trust you, but I don’t think May could possibly be the criminal here.” Dominick said, gazing uncertainly at the girl roughly 10 meters ahead of us. She was his little sister, May, who was apparently our prime suspect in the recent robbery of Sargon The Great’s ...

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Write a mystery where the detective realizes at the last moment that they have the wrong suspect.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 117 stories

“Innocent Until Proven Guilty” by Writer Maniac

“Gone With the Snowflakes” by Akshaya Sutrave

“Who did it? (Part 1)” by ✯𝐋𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚 𝐋𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫✯

“A MAN WAS LYNCHED YESTERDAY” by Tazmin Shaikh

“The Masquerader” by Benji Bobo ©

“What would you like, sir?” by Radhika Diksha

“Who killed Amu's son?” by Asha Pillay

“Left or Right” by Vicky S

“Twisted Snakes” by Kristin Neubauer

“The Wrong Suspect!” by Niveeidha Palani

“The Case of the Missing” by Hema Saju

“The Mystery Note” by Akshaya Rajan Babu

“How to get away with murder” by Aman Fatima

“The Keepsake” by Howard Halsall

“Braden Bates: Mystery of The Clay Tablet (Excerpt)” by 🌮 Kao Crimsonstar 🌮

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a romance where your character falls in love with the last person they expected to.

Write about someone getting a job offer they never would have thought to apply for.

Write about someone who gets an inheritance from a relative they’ve never heard of, but they’ll need to do something completely outside their comfort zone in order to collect it.

Write a science fiction story where all human behavior can be predicted — until your character does something the algorithm did not expect.

Contest #72

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

687

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: