"No One Will Believe You," by Paul Ryan O'Connor, in Mystery Magazine, 2024.
Ayden is not a very lucky guy. He's a dishwasher at a restaurant in the South Bronx and shares an apartment with four people (since he provides the least rent money, he gets the couch).
But his troubles really begin when he gets mugged at gun point by the most famous actor in the world, Ted Pace. (You won't have any trouble guessing who O'Connor was thinking of when he created this character.)
“You can’t get away with this,” Ayden said . “You’re a movie star . I know who you are . Everyone knows who you are .”
“No one will believe you,” Ted Pace said...
And of course, he's right. Telling the cops he was mugged by a movie star only gets Ayden in deep trouble. Understandably, he finds it hard to let bygones be bygones, especially when something in his very empty stolen wallet turns out to be valuable.
Can our risk-averse hero find a way to beat the risk-loving celebrity? With a little bit of luck in this very clever story, he will.
