A Revengeful Mix of Short Fiction

By Bruce Brennan

The first story re-examines a fifty year old mass murder in a small Illinois community. Based on a true crime, the story gets interesting when the original crime is re-enacted.

The second short piece tells the story of a billionaire American tired of how the United States is treated by the rest of the world especially Muslim terrorists. His decision to use nuclear weapons to make his point is spellbinding and scary. The ten year anniversary of 911 is the backdrop of this story.

The final story, novella length, recounts the terrorist attack on Major League Baseball by Muslim extremists. The story blends an international terrorists organization, Army intelligence, professional baseball, the All Star game and the Mafia into an exciting tale of revenge, espioage, gun battles and a government cover-up.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bruce Brennan
• Release date: Feb 15, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458178282

Bruce Brennan

55 year old married attorney with three kids. One novel published along with numerous legal aeticles. Another book to be published by March, 2011. I write a daily blog and contribute to several others. I practice in the criminal defense arena but maintain a general practice law firm

Book preview

A Revengeful Mix of Short Fiction

By

Bruce A. Brennan

Bruce A. Brennan

112 Orchard Lane

DeKalb, IL 60115

Copyright 2011

ISBN 978-1-4581-7828-2

Mass murder, Nuclear weapons and The Baseball All Star Game

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This licensed ebook is for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author

A Revengeful Mix of Short Fiction

By

Bruce A. Brennan

Bruce A. Brennan

112 Orchard Lane

DeKalb, IL 60115

Copyright 2011

Starved Rock Murders - My Father’s War

September 11, 2001 – Forever!

The All Star Terrorists

Mass murder, Nuclear weapons and The Baseball All Star Game

Starved Rock Rampage – My Father’s War

By

Bruce A. Brennan

Bruce A. Brennan

112 Orchard Lane

DeKalb, IL 60115

Copyright 2011

[phone]

Email:[e-mail]

brucebrennanlaw.com

Blog: www.lawyerbruce.blogspot.com

or

www.lawyerbruce.wordpress.com

My name is Lucas Ross Hannah. I am a newspaper reporter working for a Chicago, IL newspaper. I work as the political reporter out of Washington D.C. I have been an investigative reporter for most of my career. I am single, but unavailable. I do not have any children although my nieces are good substitutes.

I grew up in central Illinois. My father was an entrepreneur, while my mother worked for the family businesses. As a younker, I spent a lot of time in the Illinois River Valley. The Illinois River Valley includes, among other towns and cities, LaSalle, Joliet, Peru, Oglesby, Utica and Ottawa, IL. Ottawa sits at the confluence of the Illinois and Fox rivers and Oglesby sits at the confluence of the Illinois and Vermillion rivers. As a child, I and my brother and sister spent a lot of time traveling between my parents various businesses. I have two brothers, but one was born after my parents changed industries. We are, for the most part, baby boomers, having been born in 1951, ‘53, ‘55 and my younger brother in 1966.

My parents came out of the World War II generation. As a whole, my parents’ generation is a hard working; God-fearing generation that witnessed the worst behavior and thinking man could offer to the world in Hitler and vowed that would never happen again. The world they lived in would be a better world. The world they left their children and grandchildren would be the best world they could fashion, better than their world. History evidences that the mission of the greatest generation was accomplished.

In 1968, my parents sold their dairy and restaurant interests and a seven store chain of convenience stores. They bought a motel in Bloomington, McLean County. Illinois. Prior to the motel, we were traveling between the various convenience stores almost daily, usually getting home after 11:00 p.m. Many of my fondest memories of my childhood are of driving country roads, even gravel roads, late at night, with the floor vents open to cool your feet. This was before air conditioning was readily available and cheap. I always enjoyed searching the radio dial trying to find a non-Chicago sporting event broadcast. I remember listening to Lou Boudreau, Herb Score, Lloyd Petit, Harry Carry, Jack Buck, Ernie Harwell and Bob Elston.

Although Mom and Dad sold most of their interests in LaSalle County and the surrounding counties, they did hold onto a farm in Leonore, LaSalle County, Illinois. The farm was worked by a professional farmer with the expenses and income being divided fifty/fifty between us and the farmer, a typical share-cropper arrangement. My family has always held an interest in farm land since before I was born. To this day that Leonore property is owned by me and my siblings.

My best friend as a child was Mike Stern. His father was an attorney who worked with the State’s Attorney’s office of LaSalle County. Although he was a licensed attorney, Mr. Stern worked as an investigator. He was actually paid by the LaSalle County Sheriff’s office. I discovered that fact later in life. He was an important player in the infamous Starved Rock murders that happened on March 14, 1960. Mike and I were five years old at the time, too young to understand the sensation these murders created or the long term affect the murders would have on the community.

Mike and I did everything together growing up. We attended St. Anthony’s Catholic Church and school together. We were altar boy partners. We lived two blocks from the church and hospital. Whenever an emergency altar boy was needed, Mike, my older brother or I were called. Mike and I played Little League together but never on the same team. We were both good so we were split up at the player draft. I always thought I was better than he was.

The Stern family always seemed to be home while we always seemed to be gone. I did not know what they did or talked about as a family but it could not have been as cool as what we did.

The Starved Rock murders are named for the Illinois State Park the crime occurred in. Specifically, the triple murder occurred in St. Louis Canyon. The park is just outside of Utica, Illinois in LaSalle County. The Illinois River runs through the area. The park is known for its cliffs, canyons and waterfalls. Starved Rock is a popular recreation destination because of its many hiking trails leading to the cliffs, canyons and waterfalls. It is centrally located in Illinois and only about 75 miles southwest of Chicago.

Starved Rock State Park is a large region. It consists of forested areas, overgrown spots, the river and many canyons, ravines and hills. There are very few open spaces. Wildlife is abundant in and around the park. Meandering waterways, cliffs and overgrown terrain make the hiking slow and tiresome.

The murders were a huge story at the time they occurred. They continue to be a story in LaSalle County, IL and elsewhere in central Illinois to this day. Triple murders were rare in 1960. A similar triple murder had never happened in LaSalle County before. The murders resulted in uncountable newspaper stories, several books and numerous television news reports

The park that gave its name to the crime got its name, according to local lore and legend, because a band of the Illiniwek Indian tribe was trapped on top of the rock, overlooking the river, by a band of Potawatomi Indians. The Potawatomi trapped the Illiniwek on top of the Rock since they were obviously not as well trained in warfare. Never get trapped on the top of a mountain. You have nowhere to go but through the enemy that trapped you. The Indian tribes, Potawatomi and Ottawa, who had joined forces, kept attacking the Illiniwek until they starved to death. Legend has it that many Illiniwek also jumped to their death rather than surrender or starve. The jump from the top of the rock to the river below is several hundred feet.

These Illiniwek and the Potawatomi tribes were at odds over the death of the Ottawa Chief, Pontiac during the 1760s. The Potawatomi blamed the Illiniwek for his death. This was apparently the reason for the war and why the Ottawa tribe joined with the Potawatomi tribe against the Illiniwek.

This area was discovered and explored by French Jesuit explorers. Two of the more prominent were Louis Joliet and Jacques Pere Marquette. They claimed the area for France. Although these early explores opened the area up to white settlers and traders, the area had been inhabited by humans, various Indian tribes, since 8000 B.C.

The river and the surrounding area have always been ripe with game and wildlife. Deer, turkey, fox, beaver, duck and geese are abundant. The river is full of numerous varieties of fish and turtles. The area supported thousands of people before the French arrived and after they moved down river to what is now the Peoria area.

Mike Stern and I remained friends throughout high school. We graduated high school in 1973. I went away to college for journalism. Mike also went away to college but he pursued a course of study to prepare him for law school. We both left are hometown because there was not a college or university within forty miles.

We stayed in contact during college, talking on the phone and visiting together when we were both home. We graduated from our respective colleges in 1977. I went into the work force, getting my first job for a newspaper in Joliet, Illinois. Mike applied for and was accepted into the University of Illinois Law School. This was his father’s alma mater.

As we grew older, we also grew larger. I was always big for my age. I wore husky pants. I now know these were code for the fat kid. Mike was never fat, but he was tall. He was a lanky kid who put up with being bullied. Not me.

Mike graduated from Law School in 1980. His father hosted a party for him celebrating his graduation. I attended the party. While there, I was able to get current with Mike and his life. I met his fiancée and had a lengthy conversation with his father.

The conversation with Mike’s father included Mike. It covered many subjects but was heavily concentrated around the Starved Rock Murders. I had never heard Mike’s father discuss this subject before although Mike and me had talked about it a few times over the years.

I knew Mr. Stern was involved in the investigation and prosecution of the case, but did not know exactly what his involvement was. I was about to find out. I had read a few books about the Starved Rock Murders mostly because the crime occurred close to home. It was hard to avoid hearing about it growing up in the sixties, fifteen miles from the crime scene

As I have been told anytime I brought up the murders during one of my visits back to LaSalle County, the murders were never fully forgotten about by the locals. Groups have been formed seeking a new trial for the convicted killer. Stories run in local newspapers at least once a year.

The murders had occurred over twenty years ago. A kitchen worker from the Lodge, who was twenty-one years old in 1960, confessed to the crime and was serving a life sentence in an Illinois prison after being found guilty at trial. He was a small time criminal suspected in a rape and robbery of two teenagers in 1959. He was never charged or prosecuted for the 1959 crimes.

I was about to learn much more about the crime; facts the general public was not aware of, facts that never made it into the newspapers; at least at the time the crime was big news.

The victims of the murders were three ladies from the suburbs of Chicago, IL. Chicago was only about an hour away. They had planned their midweek vacation in an effort to get away from the big city and its pressure. Each woman had a typical personal story that, as is normal for most of us, needs to be forgotten about for a while just to refresh yourself. That was one of the purposes of the midweek, mid winter get away for the three ladies. They checked into Starved Rock Lodge on Monday March 14, 1960

The three women were murdered the day they drove to Starved Rock from the Chicago suburb of Riverside, IL. The three married women were;

Frances Frankie Murphy, 47

Mildred Lindquist, 50

Lillian Oetting, 50

The women had planned a three day vacation of hiking, bird watching and relaxation. They brought with them books to read, a field guide for bird identification, binoculars, knitting and a 35 mm. camera

After the women checked into the lodge, in what is now the old part of the facility, they went to the restaurant for lunch. The ladies checked into two rooms. They checked into rooms 109 and 110. They were going to share the two rooms. During lunch they planned their afternoon. Little did they know it would be their last afternoon alive? They were never seen alive again except by their killer or killers.

They decided to hike to St Louis Canyon. It was one of the more popular canyons to hike to and investigate. The walk was not too treacherous or demanding but the views were spectacular. The hiking was a bit more treacherous than usual because the ground was snow covered and sometimes slippery. The hiking paths often traveled on a crest with deep ravines or hills on either side of the trail. It was cold on March 14, 1960, the last day of their lives.

Once they hiked to the end of St. Louis Canyon they were greeted by eighty foot tall sandstone walls on three sides. Coming over the canyon wall in front of them was a beautiful waterfall still partially frozen, created by the melting snow and ice caused by the warming March temperatures the area had just gone through.. They were about one mile from the lodge.

Lillian Oetting had promised to telephone her husband on the evening they arrived. She failed to call so her husband, George, so he called the lodge to speak to her. No one answered the phone in the ladies’ rooms. The lodge staff attempted to locate her by going to the room, but found no one. The beds in the rooms had not been slept in, but this did not cause any concern for the lodge staff.

The next morning, George once again called his wife but to no avail. He then called the local police. The LaSalle County Sheriff had jurisdiction. A search party was assembled and a search for the women commenced.

The terrain in and around the park was rugged for this part of America. The landscape had been carved over millions of years by the Illinois River and other geological events.

Searching was difficult, tedious and slow. Additionally, it had begun to snow. By the time the bodies were found the next day, at least four inches of snow had fallen covering the already snow covered ground with fresh snow. It took three days to search and find the bodies partly because of the weather and because of the size of the search area. Starved Rock State Park encompasses 2,630 acres.

The local police were inexperienced in this type of police work. They had experience looking for people lost in the park but these people made noise, moved and left evidence of their existence. Corpses did not help in the search unless decomposition had set in. The weather prevented that in this case.

The bodies were found lying side by side in a cave in St. Louis Canyon. Two of the bodies had twine tied on the wrists. Although rape was suspected, two days lying outside in the elements, with wildlife rummaging around destroyed any usable evidence proving rape. Rape was suspected because the victims were woman the bodies were partially unclothed, and the victims, especially Mrs. Murphy, were handsome women. Rape was investigated, but no rape charges were ever filed against anyone.

The women checked into the Lodge on Monday, March 14th. Ice and snow covered the ground when they checked in and only increased with each passing day. After an extensive and exhaustive search, the women were found by a group of boys working a search detail. They were found in Wednesday, March 16, 1960. From the time they checked into their rooms until they were found, over four inches of fresh snow blanketed the already snow covered area.

It was determined the new snow actually fell after the crime against the women was committed. The crime scene evidenced a brutal crime but the new snow covered much of the evidence. The method of murder caused enormous amounts of blood to be scattered around the crime scene. The new snow covered this up. A foot print would sink into the new snow, through the layer of blood and into the old snow. Each footprint had a colored ring halfway down the depth of the footprint. It gave the footprint impression a candy cane look. As more people arrived on the scene and the bodies were moved, the amount of blood splatter became clear.

A great deal of this information I had known about or I faintly recalled. Many of the facts being told to me by Mr. Stern were virgin news to me. Many of these facts had long since been reported. They just were never compiled in one source. It was about to get more virgin.

Due to his position as an investigating attorney for the LaSalle County State’s Attorney’s office he was aware of all pertinent facts including those that were kept private and away from the press. Since all appeal times have run and much of the secret information has been reported over the years, Mr. Stern was free to tell us this information without compromising his office or violate any ethical obligation.

This case came to define Mr. Stern’s career. He was a local hero due to his efforts at investigating and solving the crime. He was often asked to speak before various legal and law enforcement groups as well as other organizations about the case. He was able to make decent money in speaker fees over the years.

He was a young man at the time of the killings. He was 26. He lived into his seventies but he could never top this case as far as his career was concerned. He peaked early, so to speak.

Mr. Stern told us many minute details and investigative gems during his talk. I was mesmerized by his talk. Mike did not seem as interested. I later asked Mike if he was aware of these types of details about the murders. He indicated he did not know as much as was being told during this conversation but he was aware of many of the details. He said his father rarely