The Beneficiary — Marshall Thornton

Set against the backdrop of the Los Angeles riots, this contemporary noir follows a struggling real estate agent who's cooked up a plan to make a big pot of money. Hanging around a Narcotics Anonymous meeting she finds a former addict struggling through the last stages of AIDS. Offering him support, she mortgages her home and uses the money to buy property in his name. Property she insures. As she waits for him to die so she can collect her big payday, she begins to suspect he may not be everything she thought.

10,000 words. Approximate reading time: 29 - 41 minutes.