|
Kindle Edition
Amazon
Category:
Mystery/Suspense
Publisher: createspace independant publishing
Type: Fiction
Copyright: June 9, 2013
A Rileyville mystery trilogy! Available now!! In the Kindle store, at Amazon.com
Now available in Paperback As well!
Come along and join in the adventure, in not only one, but three different exciting mystery's. In this trilogy of mystery, suspense, and murder. As death comes knocking on the doors of this small rural town of Rileyville. Rumors are spreading throughout the town, as not only are there bodies showing up, their deaths suspicious in nature, but there are also people missing! Where have they gone? What's happened to them? Only time will tell as the sheriff and his deputy, soon find themselves up against some very ruthless, and sinister, people in: "The Rileyville Mystery Series" Available now only in the Kindle store now! Paperback coming soon!
Show more
Show less
Excerpt
THE RILEYVILLE MYSTERY
SERIES
1st Edition
By Garry E. Lewis
Chapter One:
It was a beautiful autumn day in the town of Rileyville, Pastor John Dawson had completed Sunday morning worship and was heading into town to visit a sick parishioner.
He first pulls into Harvey’s Gas and Grub, his favorite place to eat, as well as catch up on some questionable fishing stories, from a well known colorful character everyone referred to as grandpa Ernie.
Grandpa Ernie was a regular at the Gas and Grub, it was pretty much a hang out for all the local good old boys in town. The ladies gift of gossip couldn’t hold a candle to these old boys, these guys could spin tales with the best of them. Of course most of the stories were fabricated, so you had to separate the facts from the fiction if you know what I mean?
Today was different though, someone had moved into the old Smith house on the outskirts of town. “So why’s that such big news? Well, the old house had sat empty for years. The local town kids always considered the old house haunted, because it had been vacant for so long. So as you can imagine, the place was pretty run down, and the weeds had pretty well taken it over.
Pastor John parks his car and walks into the Gas and Grub Café, taking his favorite seat next to the window. Waitress Betty approaches and asks, “Coffee and the usual John?”
“Yes Betty, that would be great, thanks.”
She returns with a cup of coffee and says, “Well I guess you've heard by now that someone has moved into the old Smith house?”
“Yes, I have, who moved into it?”
“Well I’m Not really sure, no one seems to know as of yet, She says.”
“Oh boy strangers in town, Grandpa Ernie says.” He walks over and takes a seat next to Pastor John. “This could be the start of something big.”
“Oh now Ernie, let’s not be stirring up false gossip, you know how paranoid people can become around here.”
“Hog wash, it’s just another day in the big town of Rileyville, or should I say village, we hardly have enough population to be considered a town as of yet,” he chuckles. Betty approaches carrying Pastor John’s order of eggs and bacon.
“There you go John, just the way you like them.” As she sets his order down in front of him.
Old Ernie speaks up, “You mean greasy and burned?” Breaking out into laughter.
“That’ll be about enough out of you old man, one more word and you’re out of here,” she says smiling as she walks back towards the kitchen.
Ernie replies, “Oh now Betty darling, now you know you’re the love of my life!”
“Yeah, Yeah, that’s what they all say old man.”
Pastor John speaks up, “So Betty what does your husband Harvey think of our new neighbors in town?”
“Just that he hopes they enjoy eating out alot, more business for the Gas and Grub, She responds.”
Pastor John finishes his breakfast leaves his usual tip on the table, turning he walks to the door and heads for his car. Climbing into his car he soon pulls out of the parking lot and heads for Miss Myrtle’s house.
Having come down with the flu recently he feels a little prayer and some thoughtful words from the church fellowship should do her wonders. He soon passes an old black Cadillac slowly driving by, the windows are tinted so he is unable to see the driver inside. He watches in his side mirror as the old Black Caddy passes on by down the road. He wonders if that could have possibly been the new family that‘s recently moved to town.
Later that afternoon he leaves Miss Myrtle’s house, after his pastoral visit, and soon heads back to the parish. As he pulls away an old black Cadillac pulls up to Miss Myrtle’s house. A knock upon her door brings a smile to her face as she opens it, thinking Pastor John had forgotten something. To her surprise she finds strangers on her porch as they shove her back inside her home closing the door behind them. They set her down in a chair and threaten her to sign some papers holding a gun to her head. After signing the papers a woman comes over to her and orders the two men to hold her down, as she pulls out a syringe and sticks it into Miss Myrtles arm. Miss Myrtle cries out in pain and soon slumps over in her chair. The two men carry her to her bed room and place her face down onto her bedroom floor. They return to the kitchen and the three of them are walking towards the front door, looking up they see a young man standing on the porch peeking in through a window. Realizing he’s been detected he turns and runs quickly off the porch.
Mr. Antonio shouts. “Get that little son of bitch!” Their hired hand runs out the door and chases after the young man tackling him to the ground. Mrs. Antonio shouts, “hold him down till I get there.” She walks up to where the young man is being held, pulling the syringe from her purse, she bends down and injects something into the artery of his left arm. The boy soon after grabs at his chest and takes one last breath. The men quickly load the boys body into the trunk of the Cadillac, climbing into their car they pull slowly out of Miss Myrtle’s driveway and head down the road.
On the outskirts of town the Cadillac comes to a stop next to a drainage ditch, Mr. Antonio and his hired hand quickly exit the vehicle, opening the trunk they lift the boys body and carry it over to the edge of the ditch. Laying him down they roll him down the slope until his body comes to rest in the ditch. They climb back into the car and quickly speed away.
Across town Pastor John soon pulls into his drive way, shutting off the car he gets out and walks towards the Parish, as he walks up the sidewalk he notices little Tommy Daniels sitting on the front steps.
“Hey pastor, have you heard about the new folks in town?”
“Yes, that seems to be the talk of the town he responds, why, what have you heard?” He asks. I've been meaning to stop by there one of these days, and welcome our new neighbors, I just haven't gotten around to it as of yet.”
“Can I come along?” Little Tommy asks.
“Well,” says Pastor John, “I don’t see why not as long as you behave yourself.”
Tommy responds, “I just thought it would be neat if we found out we have a mad doctor, or maybe a vampire, or serial killer living in our town now.”
“Well what ever you do, leave your stakes and hammer at home Tommy, we don’t want to scare them away, our town could use some new faces around here, and it’s been awhile since someone new has moved to town.”
Tommy responds, “Yea I know, that’s what makes it so mysterious, why would any body want to live in that spooky old house anyway? “That place is haunted.”
“Oh now Tommy, just because the place has been sitting empty for awhile, that doesn’t mean it’s haunted.”
“Then why hasn’t anyone ever stayed there very long, after moving in he ask?”
Pastor John responds, “Well Tommy a big old house like that, it’s probably pretty expensive to heat during the winter months I would imagine. On top of that you have your property taxes as well, not to mention that old place needs a lot of work done to it.”
“Well I think it’s haunted.”
“You young man have a very vivid imagination.”
“I better get home pastor, don’t forget to pick me up in the morning though, when you head over to greet our new neighbors, maybe they’ll turn out to be some real weirdo’s.”
“What ever you say Tommy, shaking his head, he says, I’ll pick you up in the morning, meet me at the Gas and Grub at ten, be there or I’m leaving without you.”
“Oh I’ll be there pastor, you can count on it!”
The next morning Pastor John pulls into Harvey’s Gas and Grub to have breakfast before visiting the new neighbors. As he walks into the diner he takes a seat in his usual spot.
Betty lays the local news paper down in front of Pastor John and says, “Turn to page two and read about the recent deaths John, it’s so sad.”
“Who’s passed, Is it one of our town’s folk he ask?”
Betty responds, “Just read the obituary page John.”
Looking around the diner and he asks, “Where is everyone this morning?”
She responds, “are you going to read the damn Obituaries, or not?”
“Alright, alright, Pastor John says, I’m reading, I’m reading, for crying out loud.” He reads the obituary and responds, “I can’t believe this, I just stopped by to see her yesterday, she was feeling much better.“ She even said she planned on coming to services this Sunday. “What could've happened I wonder? Did she slip in the bath tub? Or have some other kind of accident in the home?”
Betty responds, “That’s just it, no one seems to know for sure, and he just found her lying there, dead on her bedroom floor.”
“Who found her he ask?”
“The sheriff, he had stopped by to take Myrtle one of my homemade apple pies I’d baked for her. That’s when he discovered her body lying on the bedroom floor.” The house was unlocked, so when the sheriff didn’t get a response after ringing the door bell, he went on in and that’s when he found her. “They’re thinking she must have had a heart attack.” She was after all eighty-seven years old, her poor old dog was lying next to her body howling, carrying on something awful, poor thing.”
“ Myrtle was?” He asks.
“No her dog! “Honestly pastor, some times I worry about you.”
“Well I never knew Myrtle to have a bad heart, or a dog either for that matter.” “I never did see a dog when I was over there.”
“She kept the dog inside the house with her, she’d just let it out when it had to take care of business if you know what I mean? “Or when company came over. It was a quiet dog never barked much, it was getting on in years though like her, it’s just a real shame is all.”
Yes it sure was sudden, “well there’s Tommy, I promised him I’d take him with me when I head over to meet the new family in town. I’ll talk to you later Betty, it sure is a shame about old Myrtle, he says.” As he heads out the door.
“Now you be careful Pastor, we don’t know anything about these people.”
“Oh now Betty, now you’re starting to sound like Tommy, quit your worrying he says.”
It isn't long after that Tommy and Pastor John soon turn in and head up the long winding driveway to the Old Smith house, to meet their new neighbors.
Tommy turns to Pastor John as they approach the house and asks, “did you bring your Holy water Pastor?”
“Holy Water, now what in the world would I need to bring that for?”
“In case we run into demons or vampires, you can drive them away by throwing it on them.” “I read that on the internet, you can find out anything you want to know on the internet.”
“Son, maybe you should just wait in the car.”
“No way pastor, I want to see what they look like.”
He parks the car in the driveway, turning to Tommy he says, “you have to promise me that you’ll be on your best behavior.” They exit the car and slowly make their way to the door and knock, no one answers, so he knocks again, still no answer.
“Well let’s check to see if the car is in the garage,” looking in he sees the old black Cadillac setting in the garage. “Well I guess that was him I saw drive by the other day.”
Tommy responds, “you mean you actually saw him? Well what did he look like?”
“Well he had two long fangs, and a black cape, if I remember right.”
Tommy says, “ I told you, he was a vampire!”
“I’m just kidding Tommy, I couldn't see what he looked like, because of the tinted glass in the car.”
“Well that’s strange in its self pastor, don’t you think tinted glass is strange?”
“A lot of older people prefer tinted glass Tommy, The elderly especially, they often have trouble driving during the day due to the bright glare of the sun. So they have their windows tinted so they’re able see better, It’s pretty common now days.”
“Not around here it isn’t!”
After checking the garage Pastor John and Tommy head back up to the house and knock once more but there is still no response.
“Well Maybe they went somewhere, on a walk or something, the weather is really nice out today.”
“Maybe their sleeping, down in the basement!”
Pastor John rolls his eye‘s, and responds,“I can’t believe I’m about to ask you this, but here goes, “now why on earth, would they be sleeping in the basement Tommy?”
He smiles and says, “because that’s where they keep their coffins, they sleep during the day, and get up and roam around at night like bats! “Looking for some ones blood to suck!”
“ Alright young man, no more soda pop for you today, you have way to much sugar in your system young man, let’s go.”
“We’ll try again another day, I’ll stop by after Sunday services maybe, I have to get back to the parish, I’ve got a funeral service to prepare.” Not long after he drops Tommy off at his house, and returns to the parish where he soon finds the sheriff setting in his squad car waiting for him. Getting out of his car, he walks over to the sheriff and asks, “Well Sheriff, what are you doing here? “Am I under arrest?”
He smiles and responds, “no you’ve been behaving yourself pretty well lately pastor, I did stop by to ask your opinion about something concerning Miss Myrtle though.”
“Oh if it’s concerning her service, I’ll have it lined up by this afternoon, I still need to gather up some pall bearers. I don’t believe Myrtle had any living relatives, no kids or grandkids to speak of. God that’s pretty sad, when you stop to think about it, isn‘t it?”
“It sure is, but that’s not what I’m here about pastor, I’m here because something strange has come up in Myrtle’s autopsy.”
“Something strange, what do you mean?”
“Well would you happen to know if Myrtle had any heart problems, the sheriff ask?”
“No, not that I’m aware of, Why?”
The sheriff replies, “Well Jed said when he performed the autopsy, her body showed no signs of physical trauma, or signs of any heart type medications in her system, but he did find a strange needle puncture on her left arm.”
“Well maybe Myrtle had some other under lying problems, maybe she was diabetic.”
“Could be, the only thing is, there was no sign of insulin in her system, according to Jed pastor.”
“Well maybe the flu caused some other complications, have you talked to Doc Baker about it?”
The sheriff responds, “Yes and according to him, Myrtle was in good health, other than a little arthritis here and there.”
“Well Maybe she donated blood recently, that would explain the needle puncture, wouldn't it sheriff?”
“Well Pastor I tell you, it’s got me and Jed stumped, that’s for sure, we may never know for sure what really happen to her, we know she hadn’t been feeling well lately.” It could have very well been complications brought on by the flu. I Guess Jed was right, we’re just going to have to write this one off as natural causes. “Well I guess I better get back, I’ll see you at the funeral he says.” As he starts
|
