One Night Gone
Mystery Scene|Holiday #162, 2019
I have always been fascinated by beach towns in the off-season.
Tara Laskowski
One Night Gone

One Thanksgiving several years ago, my husband, our son, and I spent Thanksgiving weekend with my in-laws in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina. The weather was glorious that year, especially for a Pennsylvania gal like me who’s used to several feet of snow on the ground in November. How wonderful to slip off your shoes and run in the sand, to shed the bulky coat and bask in the sunshine, sleeveless!

But beyond the momentary escape from shivers and ice, I loved how quiet everything seemed. The stores and restaurants, if open at all, were less packed, less hectic. The people seemed kinder, slower, more relaxed. The beach felt like it was all ours, and ours only. We didn’t have to share it with anyone.

But within all this beachy quietness was also a sense that something felt off. That in the nothing happening, anything at all could happen.

This story is from the Holiday #162, 2019 edition of Mystery Scene.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the Holiday #162, 2019 edition of Mystery Scene.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM MYSTERY SCENEView All
6 New Writers to Watch
Mystery Scene

6 New Writers to Watch

Wiley Cash’s debut, A Land More Kind Than Home, about the bond between two brothers landed on the New York Times Best Sellers List and received the Crime Writers’ Association Debut of the Year.

time-read
10 mins  |
Fall #169, 2021
ANN CLEEVES
Mystery Scene

ANN CLEEVES

British author Ann Cleeves has an affinity for remote areas and how these isolated regions affect her characters.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Fall #169, 2021
CARLENE O'CONNOR
Mystery Scene

CARLENE O'CONNOR

“Anyone can play Snow White. It takes real talent to play the Wicked Witch.”

time-read
8 mins  |
Fall #169, 2021
Mystery Scene MISCELLANY
Mystery Scene

Mystery Scene MISCELLANY

FIRST USE OF FINGERPRINTS

time-read
3 mins  |
Fall #169, 2021
PANIC ATTACK
Mystery Scene

PANIC ATTACK

The newest entry in my Pittsburgh set series of thrillers is called Panic Attack. It’s the sixth book featuring Daniel Rinaldi, a psychologist and trauma expert who consults with the Pittsburgh Police.

time-read
2 mins  |
Fall #169, 2021
LAIDLAW'S LEGACY
Mystery Scene

LAIDLAW'S LEGACY

During the pandemic, Ian Rankin stepped away from Rebus and into the shoes of friend and literary hero, the “Godfather of Tartan Noir” William McIlvanney.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Fall #169, 2021
HILARY DAVIDSON
Mystery Scene

HILARY DAVIDSON

Call it The Case of Life Imitating Art.

time-read
7 mins  |
Fall #169, 2021
Thomas Walsh - The Unusual Suspect
Mystery Scene

Thomas Walsh - The Unusual Suspect

Any paternity test on the sub-genre of police procedural will identify the DNA of Ed McBain and Lawrence Treat, as well as the 1948 movie The Naked City and the radio and TV series Dragnet…and of course Thomas Walsh.

time-read
6 mins  |
Fall #169, 2021
S.A. COSBY
Mystery Scene

S.A. COSBY

In Razorblade Tears, two aging men—one Black, one white, both with criminal pasts—join forces to seek revenge for the murders of their gay sons. The themes of fathers and sons and toxic masculinity will be familar to fans of Cosby’s 2020 breakout Blacktop Wasteland.

time-read
10 mins  |
Fall #169, 2021
VIPER'S NEST OF LIES
Mystery Scene

VIPER'S NEST OF LIES

A slip of the tongue is a dangerous thing. Not only does it expose indiscretions, it also can lead to murder. The latter especially applies to me.

time-read
2 mins  |
Fall #169, 2021