she tore open the first letter. It was written on Mickey Mouse notepaper and scribbled in crayon. The kid must have been about five when he wrote it.

Five letters to Santa

By David Rae

The great thing about homicide is what it does to retail values. We would never have been able to afford the house if it hadn’t been for the murders; two murders and a suicide to be precise.  That put a big dent in the asking price, and Amy haggled it down still further. After all, it’s not everyone that is willing to move into a crime scene. Even then we had to stretch to the limit to afford it. Luckily the banks were still happy to loan out high.

People get so spooked about these things; I mean, why. Do they imagine they’re going to find ghosts haunting the place? The past, in my opinion…