A Springtime Death at the Riverfront Dog Park

By Saundra McKee

On a warm March morning in Greenbanks, PA, Terry Drake and her two beloved rescue dogs are anxious to get to the Riverfront Dog Park and enjoy the beautiful day. The day turns ominous when they discover a crushed body on the ground beneath a towering bridge that crosses over the Allegheny River and dog park. Things go from bad to worse when Terry realizes that the dead man is her former husband, Will McNair. While the death is officially ruled a suicide, Terry and her human and canine friends are not convinced and probe deeper into what really happened. This is the second book in the Riverfront Dog Park Series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Saundra McKee
• Release date: Dec 14, 2013
• ISBN: 9781310224096

Saundra McKee

I am a retired educator. I taught in the public schools for 15 years and at the university level for 22 years. I love to travel the world. I enjoy politics, dogs, mysteries and water sports. I am a lay speaker in the United Methodist Church.

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A Springtime Death at the Riverfront Dog Park by Saundra McKee

Book Two of the Riverfront Dog Park Series

Smashwords Edition. Copyright 2013. Saundra McKee

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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All characters and events in this story are fictional. Any resemblance to anyone living or dead is purely coincidental. While some of the places mentioned actually exist, they are used in an entirely fictional manner.

Chapter 1

I was feeling great that mid March morning. Flowers were starting to push through the soil, and the once frigid western Pennsylvania air was slowly warming. Increasing number of days filled with sunshine had managed to shake me and my two rescue dogs out of our winter blues.

We were up at six that Monday morning and anxious to get outdoors and just move about. I downed a cup of coffee and cranberry scone while my furry friends munched on heart shaped biscuits. We were out the door before seven and headed to our favorite locale, the Riverfront Dog Park. It was new, large, filled with trees and beautifully designed for pets and their owners. The park was located in our small historic town of Greenbanks along the picturesque Allegheny River. The ice had broken up, and the river flowed peacefully anticipating the onslaught of fisherman and recreational boaters. The only noise was the traffic on the four lane bridge that towered twenty stories over the water and park. I felt pretty smug having stepped out of the rat race a couple years before. I should have known better than to feel too good about the state of my life that beautiful spring morning. March madness was to take on an entirely new meaning for me.

It looked like we were the first ones to visit the park that day. I opened the door in the fence and let the dogs take off. They usually chased each other around the many structures, rocks and trees, only pausing to mark them as their own. I tended to wander the grounds admiring the antics of the cute little mutts and breathing in the natural beauty of my hometown. Being on the board of directors for the park, I also usually surveyed the park making sure everything was in order. It pleased me that neither litter nor graffiti were a problem, and that those who used the facility seemed to take pride in keeping it pristine. My eyes were suddenly drawn to the dogs barking at something a couple hundred feet away. My two scruffy dogs tended to bark at anything out of the ordinary and out of place, so I assumed that someone might have tossed a bag of garbage off the towering bridge.

As I drew closer, I felt my heart rate increase, my stomach clench, and a sense of dread took over. In the previous December, I’d discovered the body of a friend at the park. I told myself that history couldn’t repeat itself, but feared the worst. I called to and leashed the dogs who then tried to pull me to what looked like a red, white and blue assortment of clothing spread lifelessly before us.

My body began to shake as I was able to focus on what lie on the ground before me. It was the crushed body of a tall lanky man. I recognized the faded jeans, Penn State hoodie, leather boots and Steelers knit cap. The dogs stared curiously at me helping me to realize that the screams I heard were my own. The dead man lying in front of me was former husband Will McNair.

Somehow I managed to call 911 and report what I’d discovered. My second call was to one of my best friends, Bonnie, who was also Will’s sister. My third call was to Tom Hodges, the local sheriff who I’d been dating for a few months. I got Bonnie and Tom’s answering machines, but felt I’d done all I could for the time being. I allowed myself to sit down on a bench, comforted the dogs as they comforted me and I wept.

Chapter 2

One day before

Bonnie had alerted me that my ex was in town to be honored as a team member on the twenty fifth anniversary of their high school’s state basketball championship. They were inducting the entire team into our county’s Sports Hall of Fame. With all of that going on, I never expected him to show up at my door that Sunday afternoon.

He was three years older than I, but still had the good looks and charm that could make me feel weak in the knees. Our marriage had only lasted three years, and the divorce was amicable enough, but I still hated to think about it. I blame myself more than him for its failure.

I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately, Terry. Mind if I come in? I brought some Coronas and nachos.

I nodded and motioned him into the cozy sunroom that overlooked the river. I heard you were in town. You look good. Where are you living now?

Fort Myers. I figured Bonnie would spread the news, not that she has much to do with me. I dropped by her place and had the door slammed in my face. What’s her problem?

I gave Will a look that said he knew better than to play dumb. We dug into the nachos and sipped the icy cold beer.

You know I’m not homophobic, regardless of what Bonnie says. I’ve always been a live and let live kind of guy. There’s a lot more to our problems than what she’s told you, Terry.