Murder on the Galloping Goose

By Shirley Skidmore

`Murder on the Galloping Goose' is an investigation of serial murders with elements of romance for the investigator.
Zack Ward an RCMP sergeant has been absent from work due to the illness of his wife (cancer) and then death. He has been sent to Sooke to recover from his grief where he walks right into a serial murder case. He meets Cass Darby a local bookstore owner who is also widowed. Cass doesn’t exactly like Zach at first but is attracted to his good looks. She is also a long time resident of Sooke and is related to many people in the town. Zack who needs help finding his way around Sooke latches onto Cass and they become friends. Annie, Zack’s deceased wife continually haunts him.
Three ex loggers are murdered one at a time and so Zack must try to find the connection between these 3 murders and the history of Sooke. Another character in the story, the weather, plays a major part in the tension of the story. The insane voice of the killer also plays a past. When the murders are solved Zack finds that he cares deeply for Cass and she returns the feeling. Zack’s emotions run high as Cass almost becomes the fourth victim. The beauty of Sooke’s ocean and the surrounding countryside are entwined in the story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Diamond River Books
• Release date: Oct 25, 2011
• ISBN: 9780986659867

Shirley Skidmore

Shirley Skidmore is a Director of the Sooke Fine Arts Council, a member of the Federation of BC Writers and a founder member of the Sooke Scribblers - an active writing group. 'Murder in the Sooke Potholes' and "Murder on the Galloping Goose' are two mysteries in a trilogy of mystery novels from Shirley Skidmore's pen. 'Murder on Whiffin Spit' will be available soon. She has also written the `Coffin Ship Legacy' an historical novel inspired by the Irish Immigrant experience in Canada's early years.

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MURDER ON THE GALLLOPING GOOSE

By Shirley Skidmore

Copyright ©2011 Shirley Skidmore

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

The author and the publisher make no representation, expressed or implied, with regard to the accuracy of the information contained in this book. The material is provided for entertainment purposes and the references are intended to be supportive to the intent of the story. The author and the publisher are not responsible for any action taken based on the information provided in this book.

All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

E-book ISBN: 978-0-9866598-6-7

This edition printed 2011

Published at Smashwords

Distributor: Diamond River Books. www.diamondriver.ca

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Life may change, but it may fly not;

Hope may vanish, but can die not;

Truth be veiled, but still it burneth;

Love repulsed—but it returneth

Hellas

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)

Prologue

The eerie silence was broken only by the monotonous sound of dripping water. For the moment the rain had disappeared. Excessive moisture trickled down from the surrounding plant life that grew on the Galloping Goose Trail. Fog and mist had drifted in from the river and clung to every surface. Towering old cedars were barely visible except where shining wet ferns grew at their bottoms. Lower limbs sported grayish green beards of moss while the remainder of these Giant Pacific trees disappeared from view.

It was into this scene that Helen Matthews made her daily trek on the Goose. She walked this same path every day with her dog Cleo. The dog usually bounced joyfully ahead stopping to sporadically mark a Huckleberry bush or a Salal plant with her ownership stamp. She would quickly return back to Helen with a happy wag and then she would dash ahead again. Today Cleo had broken that routine. She was nowhere in sight.

Trying to find her way through the swirling fog, Helen felt a prickling on the back of her neck. Aware suddenly of being alone, she broke the silence, Cleo, come Cleo.

Only the dripping of the trees answered her. She tried again in a much louder voice. Good dog, Cleo, come.

Where was that damn dog, anyway? She wondered. Alarm was changing to fear. Calling again, she peered into the thickening fog. All of a sudden she heard Cleo barking. She strode ahead using the dogs barking as a guide. The bark turned into a howl as if Cleo sensed her owner’s presence.

Helen walked several more yards. Cleo seemed quite near. She stumbled and fell over something on the path. The mist cleared for a moment and Helen found herself staring into a pair of open eyes placed in a badly battered face. The fog closed in again. Helen did not notice. She had fallen into a deeper darkness with a mute scream on her lips.

CHAPTER ONE

A station wagon hurtled through the dark and wet night. Rain pelted it without mercy as the wind tried to displace it. The storm outside matched the mood of the driver inside. He wondered for the hundredth time where the hell he was. The bigger question he asked himself was why he had been talked into leaving Red Deer and accepting this position in Sooke. Suddenly he realized that he had passed a lighted area and that he was speeding. What a joke that would be, if he were stopped by the RCMP. What a good impression that would make with his fellow officers!

Zack Ward wondered if he had just driven through Sooke. He changed his mind as he drove over a bridge. In the distance he could see the eerie color of neon lights in the fog. I guess I’ll drive up and see if this is it, he thought.

With some relief he found himself on the main street of a small town. As he passed through a third set of green traffic lights, he imagined that they were probably the last traffic lights in the West. Zack turned into a small shopping area and parked. The town was deadly quiet with only the odd headlights of a passing car. Otherwise the place appeared uninhabited.

Pulling out his wallet, he searched for the address of the Bed and Breakfast where he had reservations for that night. He found it and with the aid of a rough map drawn by a friend, Zack discovered that he was only a few blocks away. His friend Willie had raved about Sooke. In that driving rain with nobody to be seen, he wondered sourly about his friend.

Without much trouble, Zack quickly found the place with its welcoming porch lights. The rain soaked him thoroughly as he ran from the car to the veranda. The door opened and he found himself staring at two worried faces. These, he thought, must be Jack and Peggy.

The owners of the Golden Broom, the Andersons were soon fussing over him. Zack found himself in front of a blazing fire with a cup of tea in one hand and a sandwich in the other. His outer clothes had mysteriously disappeared and he was wearing someone else’s slippers. Fatigue hit him like a baseball bat. He hadn’t stopped once on the road except for gasoline. Suddenly he was thankful for the sandwich. As usual he hadn’t cared about sleep or food. Anger and grief had fuelled him for months and he had done the usual job of neglecting himself.

Peggy Anderson bustled around in her kitchen as she gave her guest a quick glance. How stern and forbidding he looked. She imagined that with another five pounds on him, he would be quite handsome. A smile or two would also make a difference. She noted that his thick black hair need trimming and he hadn’t shaved for several days. His dark blue eyes were red-rimmed. She tried chatting with him but soon discovered that he was a man of few words.

Peggy heard a light snore and realized he was dozing. She motioned to Jack to wake him up. Jack led him into his bedroom. Drifting off again in the warm and comfortable bed, Zack realized that he hadn’t thought of Annie in the past several hours.

He woke to the aroma of coffee and bacon. With a start he saw he was still in his clothes. For a moment he couldn’t imagine where he was. Sitting up, he remembered his arrival and the kindness of the Anderson’s. He noted that his bags were in the room as he got up to look for his razor and toothbrush. After washing and shaving off a two day beard, he dressed hurriedly into clean clothes. That coffee smells good, he noted with some surprise. It must be the sea air that has given me an appetite.

Going to the dining room, he thought, I guess I’d better find a place to live today. The thought depressed him, but it had to be done. With nearly a week’s leave left before reporting for duty, he decided to use the time to get some idea of what Sooke was all about. He would get a newspaper after breakfast but in the meantime he would ask the Anderson’s about the place. Later in the afternoon he would recall that he hadn’t thought about Annie for some time.

After leaving the Anderson’s house, he drove aimlessly around Sooke trying to get a general feeling about its layout. Even though it was still raining, he noticed that there were many people out shopping and visiting. For a moment a pang of loneliness and a painful aching for Annie swept through him. He knew he must do something or depression would hit him. I must get out of the car and mingle with other people. But first I’ll get a newspaper and then find a restaurant and have a coffee.

Locating a corner store, he drove into the parking area. While walking into the little store, he noticed how warm it was for November. It was probably freezing in Red Deer. I wonder what the winters are like here and if it snows? The clerk in the store was friendly. She sold him a copy of the local paper and gave him directions to the Logger’s Café.

Walking into the café, Zack was hit with breakfast aromas and a high noise volume. Looking around for a seat, he sensed that everyone had stopped talking and was staring at him. I guess it is because I am a six foot five inch stranger, he reasoned a he found a booth. The talking resumed as he opened up his newspaper.

Using it as a screen, he automatically noted everyone around him and filed it for further information. Police habits don’t die easily.

Ahead of him to the right was a table of five or six men. They were making the most noise. They all appeared to be in their late fifties or early sixties

To the left of him he noticed a petite red-haired woman. He watched a blush suffuse her face. He realized to his chagrin that he had been staring at her. A tall bulky figure blotted her out and Zack saw that his waitress had arrived.

She mumbled something and he ordered a coffee. She seemed quite shy and awkward. As she left, Zack picked up his paper and began to read. He did note that the lady he had embarrassed had gotten up and gone.

-o0o-

As Cass Darby hurried through the misty rain, her thoughts were on Christmas and her bookstore. How should she decorate the shop window? Many bookstores often put out an array of seasonal books and then threw a poinsettia or some holly in for good measure. She decided to make her place more inviting and interesting.

Before crossing the street and heading in the direction of her shop, she smiled. She had the answer. Cass decided to focus on a children’s theme. Where there were kids there were always parents. She would entice both groups into her store!

Stopping to let a skate-boarder flash by, Cass gave a sigh of relief. Everything was finally falling into place for her. The insurance from her late husband’s estate had helped her buy the store and most of its contents. First though, Gram had left her the house and property on Sooke River Road and now she had a wonderful home. Cass believed in omens. The way things were developing it seemed like Sooke was opening its arms to her once more now that she had decided to move back.

How she loved this town. Her Mother’s family had roots here and it was wonderful to have so many relatives in one small place. Her family went back to the earliest settlers. A visit to the Museum always made her happy; she could visit those early settlers any time she wanted. They were all there for anybody to read up on.

As she walked across the parking lot, her thoughts turned to the sad-looking man who had stared at her in the café. Who was he? She smiled as she remembered the town’s grape-vine. It would fill in all the details in no time!

Now if only the weather would improve, she wished as she unlocked the front door of her store.

-o0o-

Not too far away, another person thought about the weather. IT WAS WONDERFUL. THIS WAS THE BEST TIME TO KILL. THE STUPID COPS WON’T FIND ANY TRACKS OR FOOTPRINTS. THE WIND AND RAIN WOULD TAKE CARE OF THOSE DETAILS!

THE PLANS HAD BEEN MADE AND NOW THE FIRST PART WAS ACCOMPLISHED. THE VOICE HAD SPOKEN AND IT MUST BE OBEYED. IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE IT SPOKE AGAIN. IT WOULD TAKE TIME, BUT ONE BY ONE THESE MONSTERS WOULD BE ROOTED OUT AND DESTROYED. THEN EVERYONE WOULD KNOW THE BIG SECRET!

Warm anticipation and expectations surged through the killer’s mind and veins.

CHAPTER TWO

It was Monday, November 20th. Corporal Roger Byrnes stared at his calendar as he made up schedules and work sheets for the day. He lifted his head when Constable Jim Yorke walked in after knocking.

Byrnes was a tall military-looking man. He walked with the precision of a man who had spent time on a parade square. In his late forties, with graying hair and a well- groomed moustache, Byrnes always looked like he meant business. That was until you noticed the twinkle in his eyes. He was well respected in the community. Time permitting; he helped coach soccer in the teams that his two teen-aged sons played in.

Jim Yorke looked like a large basset hound. He had long droopy eyes and a mournful face. He was bald with big ears. He had been married for only two years when his wife had left him. She hadn’t liked being a policeman’s wife and had returned to Halifax and her family. The experience had left him with a sad exterior and a suspicious nature. He was a man of few words and he missed very little of what happened around him.

I had a call from Red Deer, Byrnes announced. "Our new boss should be arriving any day. His name is Zachary Ward. He’s just finishing a leave of absence. He’s been