Body in the Barrel Norma Jean's Mysteries Book Five

By Jo Ann Snapp

During a remodel Jason and Norma Jean discover a cellar under the house in the field that has been blocked off since the 1940s. When they break through the rock foundation they find some old fruit jars and three barrels.

The first barrel contains nothing, but the second barrel Norma Jean opens throws her into her fifth mystery as she peers in and sees a body in the barrel.

The people for which the remodel was being done, Julie Farnsworth and Sean Blank, return home as a married couple. Having worked with Norma Jean on the body in the barn case, Julie fits right into the intrigue revolving around the body in the barrel.

Norma Jean Clark enlists the help of her mystery loving friend, Margaret, the Sheriff, and the newest member of the Holler, Coroner Derrick Lake in helping to find out how the body got into the barrel.

Reaching back to a time when moonshine flowed freely and revenuers abounded in the area, a picture begins to unfold in Norma’s efforts to solve the mystery.

Other familiar faces such as Aunt Ida, Pauly and Truman, are all on hand to round out the cast of helpers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jo Ann Snapp
• Release date: Jan 24, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301259045

Jo Ann Snapp

Jo Ann Snapp was an Arkansas author of fiction. She had been writing books since she was around nine years old. After a long career in retail and logistics she took up the mantle to get some of her work out to readers.Whether historical, contemporary, mysteries or romances all her writing is from a Christian perspective so you can be assured a clean read even if the subject matter is controversial. Some of her work is inspirational; some of her work is just plain good storytelling. No matter the genre, to Jo a story was a story that had to be told.Jo Ann Snapp passed away on November 29, 2013Jo Ann lived in Mountain View, Arkansas and the area inspired her Norma Jean Mystery series.Find more of Jo Ann's books at:http://joannsnappauthor.com Jo Ann’s Blog Words with a MessageTitles by this author:May and Jed Beginning the JourneyA Reconciled HeartEmilyThe Pathway HomeMarisa’s DestinyA Twist in the Old Lasso (Short Story)Norma Jean’s Mysteries Series:Herpel Holler Homecoming Book OneBody in the Bluff Book TwoBody in the Barn Book ThreeBody in the Big Box Book FourBody in the Barrel Book Five

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Norma Jean’s Mysteries Book Five

Body in the Barrel

By

Jo Ann Snapp

Body in the Barrel Copyright 2012 Jo Ann Snapp

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Body in the Barrel

Chapter One

The Arkansas spring brought changes to my life I never expected when I returned to Herpel Holler after my dad died. Jason Brahm and I were both born in 1953. We grew up together on the farm, and though we were no blood kin, he was ever bit a brother to me.

The year Jason and I were born his parents moved into the house in the field to help my dad work the land. Jason, as a young teen, decided to stay with us when his parents moved on North.

While on the case of the body in the barn last year, Jason had reason to go to Virginia. There he met and married Sally Rider, a wonderful woman.

Norma Jean, he told me, I know we both took for granted we’d be widower and widow for the rest of our lives. I never expected to marry again, but I’m so blessed to have found Sally.

Sally totally surprised Jason and me also, but it didn’t come as a shock, Sally and Jason made the decision to permanently stay in Virginia. I knew he shared a wonderful, loving relationship with his new wife. For me it was the only comfort in him leaving.

Jason had come back to the farm for two weeks to retrieve the remainder of his personal things and to help get his old house cleaned out. We were fixing it up for the family who would take over the farm. Sally stayed home for her job.

Built over a hundred years ago, the house in the field stood two stories tall on a knoll. I suppose in today’s standards it would’ve been called a tri-level. Nice porches lined two sides of the house. The rock and stone foundation went from a few feet in front to over eight feet tall in the back. Farm equipment used to be stored in the bottom section years ago, but Jason converted the area into a woodworking shop.

We took this particular morning to make plans and decided to change Jason’s old woodworking shop into a full walk-out basement. He packed up and shipped some of his tools back to Virginia the last time he visited, so the place sat pretty empty.

I measured twice and still get the same thing. I scratched my head as Jason and I sat on the front porch having a glass of tea with Pauly and Aunt Ida.

Pauly Parks, eleven years older than Jason and I, possessed a childlike mind which required getting use to by someone who hadn’t grown up with him.

Aunt Ida, my daddy’s great aunt, offered no real help but came down from her house up the road for something to do. She sat in a rocker on the porch, her face partially hid by her ever present bonnet, while we began the process of cleaning.

Inside it’s four feet shorter from foundation wall to foundation wall. Jason shook his head. How can it be?

That’s your Uncle Herbert’s doin’. Aunt Ida fanned, the day being warmer than usual for March.

How do you mean? I put my sneakered foot down on the first step. I knew from Daddy the house and land had been Uncle Herbert’s inheritance, the inheritance he sold to my daddy before Herbert and his wife headed off to California.

Your daddy’s great Uncle Milton built the house. When he died early on, the house and land got left to your grandparents. It set empty for a good many years, and then Danny and Herbert come back from World War II and inherited the farm when your grandparents died.

But the measurement difference, Aunt Ida. Why’s that?

It’s what I’m a tellin’ you, Norma Jean. Aunt Ida frowned. The house usta have a cellar under the kitchen floor. The part under the house where Jason put his woodshop served as a kind of garage where Milton used to keep the farm equipment. When your Uncle Herbert decided right off to sell the farm he put a new floor in the kitchen, took out the cellar trap door and redid the house. He rocked up the outside door into the cellar with more foundation stones. Course you know he sold to your daddy, so no one lived in the house again until your daddy hired the Brahms to help with the farm.

Born here and I never knew. Jason looked at me. I guess we can take out the cellar section and make the basement four feet wider. I’ll get the sledge hammers.

Me too. I wana sledge, beat down the wall, all the wall. Pauly waved his hand like he was in school or at his job at the center in town. Can I?

Sure. Let’s get at it. Jason headed off for the tools.

Before very long at all, the two men broke a three foot wide opening in the interior stone wall. Pauly Parks, the man with a child’s mind, stepped into the opening and began to yell. Not empty, stuff’s in here.

I grabbed his arm and pulled him out thinking it may be full of snakes or who knows what.

Pauly brushed off the dirt. Got old barrels in there, three old barrels, old wood barrels.

If there’s any thing in them it has to be rotten by now. Jason reached for his battery operated lantern then stuck it into the hole. Pauly’s right. And old baskets and canning jars looks like.

I bravely stuck my head into the three foot opening. Pauly shoved his head between Jason and my shoulders.

Yep, yep. Old barrels. Moonshine barrels. Pauly gawked turning his head from one side to the other.

More likely vegetable storage. Jason laughed and moved back out.

Yep, corn. Corn and barley. Pauly shook his head knowledgeably then slapped his hands on his overalls. Can I break some more? Can I? He held up the sledge hammer in his thin but muscle bound arm.

You go for it, Pauly. I patted his shoulder and moved backward.

Between Pauly and Jason the fifteen foot section of rock wall soon lay flat, and they were carrying out the rubble. I ventured to take a look at the baskets and jars. I realized they were all in great shape and surely antique by now. The roadshow came to my mind and I wondered how much they may be worth.

The metal band on the barrels proclaimed Herpel which made sense with the stave mill that used to be up the hollow in Herpel. Maybe Pauly was correct. It wouldn’t be the first time he came up with some worthwhile insight into a situation that proved to be true. His mind may not have developed past childhood, but it was the mind of an intelligent child.

While Pauly and Jason continued to remove the old stones to the outside, I used a screwdriver in one of the lid’s lifting holes and cautiously lifted the lid to peer into the first barrel. It was empty except for what appeared to be the remains of some old squash or vegie. It disintegrated when I touched it with the screwdriver tip.

I pulled up the second barrel lid and sucked in my breath. No way! No way, not again! I dropped the wooden lid and ran from the basement. Pauly and Jason left what they were doing and ran after me.

I hit the front porch steps and collapsed with Jason and Pauly coming up behind me.

Norma Jean! What’s wrong with you? Aunt Ida snapped out of a dozing nap.

Did you get bit? Jason came huffing, his dark skin glistening with perspiration and started checking my arms and ankles.

You’ll say I’m crazy. How can it happen again? But—there’s a body in the barrel.

I’ve lived here all my life. There’s no way there could be a body in those barrels! Jason wiped his face with his bandana.

You didn’t even know the cellar existed. Neither did I. I shook my head. Just go check and then call the Sheriff. No, don’t do it. Oh, yes, you have too! But what’s he going to say?

Norma Jean, you’ve done it again, I’d guess. Jason headed back to the basement. Reluctantly I followed. Aunt