Marilyn Wright Dayton
maredayt@yahoo.com
Faces of Murder - Read a sample chapter here.
CHAPTER 1
THIS SMALL TOWN“Everything negative – pressure, challenges – is all
an opportunity for me to rise.” - Kobe Bryant
The woman in the courthouse was waiting for the elevator. It stopped and the door opened. She stood tall with medium brown skin and amazing eyes, which at the moment wore a puzzled look.
Before her on the elevator were two men, each holding bowls with the contents of their pockets. The men were handcuffed together. She looked down at the bowls where on the top lay the men’s badges. She looked up at them. “Okay, which one is the arrestor, and which is the arrestee?”
They looked at her and smiled, “That is debatable,” said one. The other one added, “Depends on which team wins today.” And they smiled. Small towns, gotta love them.
The two men were cousins, growing up together in this town, as close as brothers. Everyone who knew them (well that would be the whole town), knew how they loved to play games and jokes with one another, so this latest wasn’t surprising.
When the woman left the elevator, the two looked at one another and smiled. They were each thinking, ‘Got her.’
Then both of their cell phones went off. At the same time. With the same sound…a special alert. Their smiles faded, replaced with determination and questions. They thought the same thing, “Well, that means something big. Time to get serious.”
By the time they got to the police offices on the fifth floor, their bowls were empty, their pockets were stuffed, and their facial expressions were serious; and they looked focused. They were police officers once again, intent on finding out what the big emergency was. They walked into the Chief of Police’s office, who happened to be one’s father, and the other’s uncle.
“Well boys, we got something going on, and it’s about to roll into town,” said the Police Chief. “I want you to help them out. Seems like there has been some kind of murder on the train.” At their questioning faces, he clarified, “You know, the train that usually blows through here, because we are some kind of ‘no-name small town’ that doesn’t count, and isn’t listed on their itinerary?” He was answered with two nods.
“Yup, that one. The cross-country train. Well, this time they ARE stopping, and will probably be staying for a while. Boys, we got ourselves a murder to solve. Get down to the train station, get on that train, and make sure it stays here so we can do that. Okay?”
Two more nods, and they were off. The Chief yelled after them, “Good luck, boys, and keep me in the loop.”
CHAPTER 2
ON THE TRAIN – TWO DAYS BEFORE
“There is something in a person’s eyes that you cannot see anywhere else in the world. Something haunting and unsettling.” - Anonymous
Millie was watching the young girl closely, staring at her actually.“Millie, what are you doing?” whispered Weezie.“There is something odd about that girl that just doesn’t feel right,” she replied.“It’s not nice to stare,” added Bitsy.The three elderly women were traveling together on an adventure, riding the train across North America from California to New York City. They had flown from NYC to California for a few days. Their favorite destination had been the NAPA Valley, where the three had enjoyed different types of white wine. For them, a trip to ‘heaven’. Now, they were ready to head home and slowly travel by rail to see the country.They were in their early 70’s and lived together in a senior living facility in Upstate New York. Millie was a stay-at-home mother-grandmother all of her life. Bitsy was a retired actress-dancer. And Weezie was a retired Private Investigator, who had returned just a few months earlier from solving a murder case in Arizona.Millie couldn’t help but watch two women who were seated across the aisle. The younger one looked to be a teenager, wearing no makeup, fairly petite. She kept her face downward as if shy. Or ‘maybe hiding?’ wondered Millie. She couldn’t seem to take her eyes off the girl. When she looked over at the woman who was traveling with the girl, Millie noticed something about her too. Her face was pretty, but she had ‘stiff’ features, that didn’t seem to change at all. Like a human mask. ‘Strange’, she thought. ‘Botox??” Then the woman noticed Millie staring, and Millie looked away, and out the window. She saw that they were now traveling through Nevada. The land was fairly flat and dry, several shades of brown. She knew they would soon be in Reno, the Biggest Little City in the World, After waiting a few minutes, Millie looked back over at the two. She noticed that they had risen and were walking away. ‘Maybe to the bathroom?’ she thought. Millie really couldn’t put her finger on what was so different about those two. She knew it was ‘something’, but what? Mildred “Millie” Swartout was usually the one who calmed everyone else down, acting like the grandmother that she was. But this time, she couldn’t seem to calm her own thoughts down. She tried to look out the window and concentrate on the scenery again. The thought that ‘Something doesn’t feel right about them,’ stayed in her mind. Little did Millie know that she would be one of the last people to see those two women alive.CHAPTER 3
THE FOURTH GAL
“Curiosity about life in all of its aspects, I think,
is still the secret of great creative people.”
- Leo Burnett
After dinner, the three gals gathered together in one of their sleepers to call the fourth member of their ‘Cackle Gang’, Crip. Eleanor “Crip” Cripton had to stay behind, missing their train trip, due to illness. She was recovering from hip replacement surgery, a major surgery, especially when you are paralyzed from the waist down as Crip was. Even though she was in a wheelchair, she was still an actively involved member of the ‘Gang’, helping to solve mysteries that came their way, which is often the case. During closer testing, it was also discovered that Crip suffered from Multiple Sclerosis, a degenerative and disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system). Her doctors had yet to make a decision on treatment for her MS, first waiting until she was recovered from her hip surgery. ‘One thing at a time,’ Millie had said.
The three girls had also thought that Crip would have balked at coming with them on a train journey, thinking that her being confined to a wheelchair would limit any activities they may have wanted to do. But they really didn’t care about that and would have done everything they could to make the trip enjoyable for their good friend, wheelchair or not.
“Hey, Crip, what’s up?” asked Bitsy. Bitsy, although in her early 70s, was young at heart, and acted it too, a great deal of the time, ‘over-acting’ as Crip had often said. They all loved her anyway.
Crip laughed, a sound they loved to hear, especially given her health situation. “I’m doing great! Usually, after surgery, they have you get up and walk 400 steps within the first 24 hours. Couldn’t quite do that,” she continued to laugh.
Weezie jumped into the conversation, “Crip, tell us how you feel…and what was it like? Did you have any reactions to the pain meds they had given you?”
“Oh, you know me. I asked for the strongest they had, even asked if weed would help.” Again, the laughter.
Millie joined in, “Crip, tell me. Have you ever smoked that stuff? Every once in a while, you joke about it, wondering out loud if you should have it as part of your treatment. So, have you?”
“Well…not exactly. I had friends who used to swear by it, for when you have pain. And, of course, sometimes when you don’t”. Again laughing.
Millie actually snorted when she laughed. “Crip, you tear me up! But seriously, I’m so sorry we were in California sipping wine when they decided to operate. We all wish we had been there. And you know, we could have cut short our trip, finishing it another time…”
“NO!” Crip jumped right in. “You girls have nothing to feel guilty about. Besides Guy has been here beside me all the time. He is just so great with the medical team. I don’t know where he has learned so much, knowing the right questions to ask and all that.”
The girls were quiet for a moment. “Crip, remember that his wife was sick for a couple of years before she died. I guess you could say, he learned a lot then.” Weezie was remembering how Guy Davis, a retired detective and currently head of security at their senior facility, had shared the story with them a couple of years before.
The girls were quiet again.
Millie picked up the conversation, not wanting the sad feelings to transfer through the line to Crip. “So, no weed, Crip. But are you in pain at all?”
“Well, yes, just a bit. It’s under control though. Even though I can’t really feel much below my waist, I can feel an ache in my hip area, that’s all. Curious, isn’t it? I certainly didn’t expect to be able to feel anything really.” Then, she laughed again, “Tell me girls, have you met any gorgeous men yet?”
“Oh, my God, girl,” responded Bitsy. “Actually, we have seen some, but not met any…sad to say.” Bitsy loved to flirt with men…anyone, anywhere. That was just part of who she was.
“All of this aside, Crip, we have been praying for your recovery. We want to be able to do something special when we get back to help celebrate that you are doing so well,” said Weezie. “And, of course, to thank Guy, he would have to be part of it too. That man is very special, and I think he really has come to love us. I don’t know what I would have done on that murder case a few months ago, if he hadn’t been there with me. He was absolutely a life saver, and quite the mystery solver.”
The girls all agreed, and Millie said, “I think we should make it official…he can become the only male member of our ‘Cackle Gang’. What do you think, girls?”
Again, that marvelous sound of laughter that only women who have lived through a lot of pain in their lives can make…full gut involvement, loud and raucous. Crip handled everything in her life as if it wasn’t a big deal. She had once said to them, “Look at life as a swimming pool. Whether you immerse yourself into the shallow end or into the deep end, you still get wet.”
Millie picked up the conversation. “Guess what, Crip? I happened to notice something a bit mysterious on our train ride today. There are two women, they look like a mother and her teenaged daughter. Although I feel there is something a bit off about them. I just can’t put my finger on it, but it’s definitely not normal”.
“Oh, I wonder what is going to happen? Maybe they are in disguise? Maybe they are mass murderers. Or maybe they are escaping from some horrible event, or running away from something or someone?” Crip responded.
Weezie cut that short, “Come on, girls. None of that. We don’t want to have a murder or a mystery on our trip. We are here to relax, see the country, and have a bit of fun.”
“Yeah, I want to learn how to line dance. Maybe when we get to Reno, there might be a country bar where we could do that?” joined in Bitsy.
The girls groaned.
Hearing a yawn over the phone from Crip, the girls decided to finish their phone call. Wishing a lot of love to one and all, and continued prayers and hugs to Crip, they signed off. Then they each went to their sleeper cabins. The only one who didn’t sleep well that night was Millie. She couldn’t get the two women out of her mind. She decided she would approach them in the morning at breakfast, introduce herself, and get to know them a little. Maybe her imagination was just running overtime.
CHAPTER 4
WHERE ARE THEY?
“There are no regrets in life, just lessons.”
- Jennifer Aniston
Early the next morning, the girls met for breakfast, hoping to get a full day in of exploring Reno, Nevada. The train had pulled into the station, parking on a side rail for the day.
Millie kept looking around the dining car. “I don’t see them. You know, those two women…mother and daughter…whatever. I was hoping to meet them.” She turned to the other two gals, “It kept me up a large part of the night, with scenarios going thru my mind. I think Crip was right, even though she was sort of kidding around with it, you know? Those two women are running away from something…someone…I don’t know. There is definitely something going on. They looked like they were trying to hide their faces or something, each time I looked over at them. Who are they?” And she looked around the car, “And where are they?”
Weezie decided to try to nip this in the bud, “Millie, we are on a trip. We have an entire day ahead of us to see Reno. Maybe they have already gotten off the train. Maybe they are sleeping in. I don’t know…and I don’t care!” She got up, having finished eating, “And right now, I am itching to see Reno. I even want to try some of their slot machines.” She looked down at the girls, “They have those, don’t they?”
Millie got out the brochure the train company had provided, and read out loud, while Weezie sat back down for a moment. “Here is some information from this tour brochure. This one says ‘The best way to see all that Downtown Reno has to offer! On this 30-45 minute tour, you will see the Reno Strip, Murals, the famous Truckee River and Riverwalk, Wingfield Park, and BOTH of the Reno Arches! Your experienced tour guide will give you fun information about the history of Reno and the Truckee River.’ The only problem with that tour is you go around in cars and it is limited to two people per car.”
Weezie added, “Remember, girls, we have already signed up for the audio tour of Reno,” and she reached over to point to where it was listed in the brochure, “’Weave through the different periods of Reno's boom and bust on this self-guided audio tour of the downtown area. Reno, with its highs as a glitzy desert town filled with cowboys and celebrities, to its lows as a washed-up gambling town and the butt of many jokes on late night TV, has never failed to keep America fascinated. It’s a contradictory place that rides high and dips low. And, as it turns out, that oscillation was built into the city’s character from the beginning. This walking tour starts at Reno’s Arch’. Oh, I think that sounds like such fun!”
“That does sound like fun,” added Bitsy. “But what about those scavenger hunts they have? They have like half a dozen of them.”
“Didn’t you want to be available for a dinner and fun in the late afternoon? That means one long tour around Reno, then we head to that, no time for scavenger tours,” added in Millie.
“So, where are we going to go for eating and fun?” asked Bitsy.
Millie sighed, because this ditsy friend of theirs has such a short memory and has forgotten what they had talked about days ago. “Okay, Bitsy, here is the plan we agreed on, remember? We decided to eat at one of the Steakhouses, then go to the Country Western bar where you wanted to dance. It is actually located inside one of their larger casinos, and I think it was called The Cowboys Chance…or something like that. Remember??”
Bitsy frowned, a look that didn’t look very good on her overly-made-up face, “Yea, I think so. Well, anyway, let’s get going. We need to get off this train…the space is just too tight to move in here.”
Weezie laughed, “Plus you can’t really dance around in here, can you, Bitsy?” They all laughed, even Bitsy.
Still in her mind, Millie was wondering where those two women were. The only place to leave the train was here in Reno, and then not again until Chicago. If they did get off, she hoped that they wouldn’t miss getting back on. She really couldn’t shake her need to find them and meet them. So many questions in her head…
CHAPTER 5
FINDING THE BODIES“Get busy living or get busy dying..” – Steven King
Millie needn’t have worried, as she would get to see the two women again. Not to meet them, but to ‘witness’ them.
That same night, they saw some people running late to the train after their Reno adventures. Being an observant type of gal, Millie laughed as she shared, “Looks like some quite interesting people are on this train. I doubt we will be bored on our way cross country.”
After everyone was back on board, as the train began moving eastward, the girls were sitting looking out the window at the passing scenery. Millie particularly noticed a rather mismatched couple. Millie would never have thought to put them together. He was short, stocky with stringy hair that needed a good washing. His suit seemed at least a decade old, needing a pressing. She was tall, thin and stately looking with long luxurious dark hair and flashing dark eyes. And those dark eyes were flashing at the man beside her. The woman rose quickly and purposely leaving him looking fairly confused. At least he was smart enough to read the signs and stayed where he was, sitting alone with a confused, almost blank look on his face.
Since she was feeling a bit restless, Millie went for a short walk, along one of the hallways in the sleeper car. She happened to notice a large stain coming out from under one of the sleeper cabins, and a strange smell emanating from that cabin.
Because it seemed rather suspicious, she brought it to the attention of one of the stewards, who made a call to his boss for permission to investigate. So, when the steward went to check that cabin, Millie decided to go with him. After a knock and no answer, he found his master key and opened the door. Millie began screaming. There was a lot of blood…it seemed to be everywhere. And two bodies, the two women…dead.
The steward closed the door, and they moved away, back to the phone where he could make another call.
The steward’s boss decided to stop the train in the next town and contact the police there. The small town was basically in the middle of nowhere, set in the desert…an unscheduled stop. He estimated they would arrive there by morning.
For more information on this book and other novels by Marilyn Wright Dayton, go to Amazon here.
Copyright 2015-2024 by Marilyn Wright Dayton
Contact her at maredayt@yahoo.com.
See the Author's Amazon Page at https://www.amazon.com/author/marilynwrightdayton
