SUnset 4

By Gerald Darnell

To everyone’s knowledge and observation Sandra Kelly had the perfect life and family. After a failed first marriage to her high school sweetheart, she had met and married David Kelly, an Executive Vice President at Wayne Knitting. Together they had two children, David Jr., 17 and Brenda, 15. Both were excellent students and very active in Humboldt High School extra-curricular programs. David Jr. was the star football quarterback and Brenda was a cheerleader - both always recognized as ‘Most Likely to Succeed’ in their classes.
Sandra was a Vice President of People’s Bank, and she and David’s social circle was the rich and elite of Humboldt. Their main street home was recognized as one of the most beautiful in town, and an invitation to one of their many parties was an absolute necessity for one’s social standing.
Everything was perfect – or so it seemed.
~
During football season, Friday’s activities were already planned. For home games, David and Sandra were always first to their reserved seats and normally the loudest as they cheered David Jr. and the Humboldt Rams to victory. After the game football parties at the Kelly home were always open for the players, band members and cheerleaders to stop by and share in the celebration. Afterwards, the adults had their own party – often lasting into the early hours of Saturday mornings.
This Friday started and ended like most others. David Jr. and the Humboldt Rams had beaten the highly ranked Milan Bulldogs. The celebrations were perhaps a little louder and the participation more exciting, but it finally ended with the last party goer leaving the Kelly residence shortly after 2 AM.
As it sometimes happened on late party nights, Sandra had retired early. This allowed the men to relive the evening and drink without worrying about their manners or speech. David would always bunk in the guesthouse, leaving Sandra to sleep without being disturbed. The kids had made it home at midnight, meeting their curfew. That is the way this Friday ended.
Saturday mornings were reserved for Sandra’s special breakfast. She would wake early and prepare her famous blueberry pancakes, sausage, biscuits and gravy for everyone. It was a family ritual.
At 10 AM David wandered into the kitchen looking for some relief with a cup of Sandra’s coffee and an early biscuit before David Jr. and Brenda got them all. The kitchen was empty. No coffee, no pancakes, no biscuits and NO SANDRA.
Thinking she had slept in, he made coffee, grabbed an extra cup for Sandra and headed up the stairs to their bedroom. This would give him an opportunity to tease her about oversleeping.
The bedroom was empty. It wasn’t just empty, but evidently the bed had not been slept in the night before! Nervously David searched the house – spare bedrooms, the kids’ rooms, the den, the living room – everywhere. Sandra wasn’t there – she wasn’t in the house.
In the garage he found his car, David Jr.’s car and his deceased mother’s car, which would soon become Brenda’s car. Sandra’s car was missing. Sandra was missing. Sandra had disappeared!
Our story starts on the previous Monday.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gerald Darnell
• Release date: Mar 14, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310364303

Gerald Darnell

AUTHOR’S BIO -Gerald W. [e-mail]://www.geraldwdarnell.comA Florida native, Gerald grew up and attended high school in the small town of Humboldt, Tennessee. Following graduation from the University of Tennessee, he spent time in Hopkinsville, KY, Memphis, TN, Boston, MA and Newport, AR before moving back to Florida – where he now lives.Gerald worked as a Senior Manager with several Fortune 100 companies, before officially retiring in 2007. His non-fiction book, ‘Don’t Wake Me Until It’s Time To Go’, is a bio-narrative including humorous stories and events spanning his life from pre-high school to retirement.His fiction books are what he calls ‘Fiction for Fun’. They use real geography and include pictures and characters some readers might recognize. The ‘Carson Reno Mystery Series’ are adventure mysteries set in the early 1960 time period, with the primary geography being Memphis and small southern towns. Core characters continue through each book, along with new and unique characters for each story.During the early 70's the author worked from an office in the Memphis Peabody Hotel, so many of the events about the hotel in Carson Reno’s stories are real, as well as many of the characters you meet.His books are available at selected bookstores, gift shops, on-line and through Amazon and Barnes and Noble . e-books are available at Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes and Noble’s Nook formats.Carson Reno Mystery SeriesWritten by author Gerald W. Darnell, the Carson Reno Mystery Series currently contains 14 adventures. The main character, Carson Reno, is a private detective with an office located in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. The setting is the early 1960’s, and while the many adventures take Carson around the country, most of the stories are centered in West Tennessee and the Southern United States.Carson is a tough, hard drinking and womanizing private detective – but the author blends humor and character involvement to make the stories an easy read for all ages. Many of the characters continue through each book, but it isn’t necessary to enjoy them in any particular order; each is standalone in story and content. Real geography is mixed with real time events, reflecting the dangerous and turbulent times of our country in the 1960’s. Books are lightly illustrated with real pictures (when available), and they are all rated PG-13 – minimizing language and graphic violence.Most books are offered in both hard and soft cover, and ebooks of all adventures are available in Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook formats. Six books have already been created as audio books - these can be found on Audible.com, Amazon.com and iTunes. Additional books are currently in audio production.All Carson Reno Mystery Series books can be purchased on Amazon.com, Lulu.com, Authorsden.com, selected bookstores/gift shops and through the author’s website – http://www.carsonrenomysteryseries.com‘Life is cheap, make sure you buy enough’®

Book preview

SUnset - 4

A Carson Reno Mystery

Written by

Gerald W. Darnell

SUnset - 4

Copyright  2012 by Gerald W. Darnell

ISBN: 978-1-4626-3953-3

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews, without written permission from the publisher.

cr press

Gerald W. Darnell

[e-mail]

The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real person, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

Be sure to check out Carson Reno’s other Mysteries

Murder in Humboldt

The Price of Beauty in Strawberry Land

Killer Among Us

Horse Tales

the Crossing

For the Readers

During the 1950’s and into the middle/late 1960’s the telephone prefix for this small West Tennessee town was SU4 – appropriately named SUnset 4.

The telephone prefix SU4 translated to 784 for modern use and remains the same today.

Cast of Characters

Carson Reno - Private Detective

Rita - Hostess Starlight Lounge

Marcie – Peabody Hotel Operator

Andy – Bartender Down Under

Mason ‘Booker-T’ Brown – Head porter Peabody Hotel

Nickie/Ronnie Woodson – Owners Chiefs Motel and Restaurant

Florence (Flo) – Waitress at Chiefs

Tommy Trubush – carhop Chiefs

Jack Logan – Attorney /Partner

Leroy Epsee – Sheriff Gibson County

Jeff Cole – Deputy Gibson County

Scotty Perry – Deputy Gibson County

Elizabeth Teague – Airline Stewardess and friend of Carson’s

Mary Ellen Maxwell – Humboldt Socialite and owner of Maxwell Trucking

Judy Strong – Vice President of Maxwell Trucking

Gerald Wayne – Owner Wayne Knitting Mill

Nuddy – Bartender Humboldt Country Club

Larry Parker – Chief of Detectives Shelby County

Joe Richardson – Associate Drake Detective Agency

Steve Carrollton – Head of Memphis Mafia family

Dr. Harold Barker – Gibson County Coroner

David Kelly – Vice President Wayne Knitting Mill

Sandra Kelly – Vice President People’s Bank, wife of David Kelly

David Kelly, Jr. – Son of David and Sandra Kelly

Brenda Kelly – Daughter of David and Sandra Kelly

Carrie Weekes – Sister of Sandra Kelly

RA (Robert) Taylor – Head Football Coach Humboldt High School

Bruton Smith – Attorney in Humboldt

Manard Shackle – Principal Humboldt High School

Trevor Malone – Truck Driver Maxwell Trucking

Jean Malone – Wife of Trevor Malone

Munro Chalmers – Private Detective

‘MoMo’ Murphy – Mafia Associate

Jimmy ‘clean hands’ Sweeny – Mafia Associate

Tom Longwood – Owner Humboldt Motel

Marlon Crow – Owner Humboldt Truck Stop

Richard P. ‘Dick’ Valentine – Former Humboldt Police Chief

Danny Mayfield – Operative Humboldt Motel

Frankie Longwood – Tom Longwood’s brother.

Raymond Griggs – Humboldt Police Chief

Tony Bailey – Deputy Humboldt Police Department

Captain Chip Falstaff – Tennessee Highway Patrol

Sheriff John Ramsey – Sheriff Davidson County

Dedication

To my lovely wife, Carol Ann, who somehow manages to put up with my writing and me.

Contribution Credits

Elizabeth Tillman White

Judy Steele Minnehan

Mary Ann Sizer Fisher

Nickie Scruggs Lewis

Material Credits

Humboldt Public Library

Gibson County Historical Website

Courier Chronicle

Libby Lynch

FORWARD

In 1962 the quiet, and seemingly innocent, activities at the Humboldt Motel in this small West Tennessee town went unnoticed and unchallenged. Besides, a little booze, a little gambling and maybe an occasional ‘lady of the evening’ never hurt anyone, right?

Then one fall night after a football game, things began to come apart. It seemed that everything was not how it should be, or at least, how it appeared.

Unfaithful housewives, a football coach fixing game scores, a crooked private detective and eventually a murder, would bring exposure to ‘SUnset 4’. And that was something its operators didn’t want.

Carson isn’t involved in the investigation, but it seems everyone thinks he is. Protecting a friend, he tries hard to ignore things that are simply not right. Finally, he follows instinct and tackles the innocent and the guilty in ‘SUnset 4’.

~

It is possible that infidelity has made me what I am today. Not a rich man - it does, however, provide me with rent money and the satisfaction of providing a service to those in need.

Carson Reno

Life is cheap – make sure you buy enough

Carson Reno

Introduction

To everyone’s knowledge and observation Sandra Kelly had the perfect life and family. After a failed first marriage to her high school sweetheart, she had met and married David Kelly, an Executive Vice President at Wayne Knitting. Together they had two children, David Jr., 17 and Brenda, 15. Both were excellent students and very active in Humboldt High School extra-curricular programs. David Jr. was the star football quarterback and Brenda was a cheerleader - both always recognized as ‘Most Likely to Succeed’ in their classes.

Sandra was a Vice President of People’s Bank, and she and David’s social circle was the rich and elite of Humboldt. Their main street home was recognized as one of the most beautiful in town, and an invitation to one of their many parties was an absolute necessity for one’s social standing.

Everything was perfect – or so it seemed.

~

During football season, Friday’s activities were already planned. For home games, David and Sandra were always first to their reserved seats and normally the loudest as they cheered David Jr. and the Humboldt Rams to victory. After the game football parties at the Kelly home were always open for the players, band members and cheerleaders to stop by and share in the celebration. Afterwards, the adults had their own party – often lasting into the early hours of Saturday mornings.

This Friday started and ended like most others. David Jr. and the Humboldt Rams had beaten the highly ranked Milan Bulldogs. The celebrations were perhaps a little louder and the participation more exciting, but it finally ended with the last partygoer leaving the Kelly residence shortly after 2 AM.

As it sometimes happened on late party nights, Sandra had retired early. This allowed the men to relive the evening and drink without worrying about their manners or speech. David would always bunk in the guesthouse, leaving Sandra to sleep without being disturbed. The kids had made it home at midnight, meeting their curfew. That is the way this Friday ended.

Saturday mornings were reserved for Sandra’s special breakfast. She would wake early and prepare her famous blueberry pancakes, sausage, biscuits and gravy for everyone. It was a family ritual.

At 10 AM David wandered into the kitchen looking for some relief with a cup of Sandra’s coffee and an early biscuit before David Jr. and Brenda got them all. The kitchen was empty. No coffee, no pancakes, no biscuits and NO SANDRA.

Thinking she had slept in, he made coffee, grabbed an extra cup for Sandra and headed up the stairs to their bedroom. This would give him an opportunity to tease her about oversleeping.

The bedroom was empty. It wasn’t just empty, but evidently the bed had not been slept in the night before! Nervously David searched the house – spare bedrooms, the kids’ rooms, the den, the living room – everywhere. Sandra wasn’t there – she wasn’t in the house.

In the garage he found his car, David Jr.’s car and his deceased mother’s car, which would soon become Brenda’s car. Sandra’s car was missing. Sandra was missing. Sandra had disappeared!

Our story starts on the previous Monday.

Rumors

Sandra’s parents, Gary and Shirley Weekes, divorced when she was only four. After the divorce, she and her older sister, Carrie, lived with their mother. Their father immediately moved to Memphis, and within months simply disappeared – all contact was lost. There were no letters, no phone calls, and no birthday cards – nothing. It was if he had never existed.

Their mother struggled to keep the rent paid and food on the table. She was never able to give the girls what other kids their age had. Her job at Brown Shoe was hard and the pay poor. She was gone much of the time, and Sandra and her sister were spending more and more time with their maternal grandmother.

Eventually her struggles as a single parent took its toll. When Sandra was 15, she came home from school one day to find her mother dead on the kitchen floor. Dead from a heart attack – she was only 45.

It was hard, but their grandmother managed to raise Sandra and Carrie through the difficult adolescent years. She lived to see them both graduate from high school but died just before Sandra’s 19th birthday.

Sandra and Carrie were close, but nothing alike, in looks or personality. Sandra had dark hair, golden skin and had always been taller than other girls her age. Carrie was much shorter and smaller. Her hair was a dark auburn color, and she had a milky skin tone, the kind that doesn’t like long exposure to the sun. Sometimes in their ‘sister’ moments, they wondered if they really were sisters. They joked often about one of them being adopted or maybe having a different father!

Sandra married her high school sweetheart and Carrie moved to Memphis where she married a mechanic and found work as a waitress. At first, Sandra and Carrie talked often – sometimes every day, but as time passed, their communication became more infrequent. Life got in the way of their sibling relationship. Sandra’s nasty divorce from her high school sweetheart, her hasty marriage to David and finally the kids – Sandra and Carrie grew further apart. Eventually the communication stopped. Sandra had not spoken to Carrie in over ten years and hadn’t seen her in almost twenty.

All of that all changed five days ago.

~

It was a cold, but bright November day in West Tennessee. An early frost had already stripped the trees of their leaves - fall and football were on the mind of most everyone in this small community. The call came into Sandra’s office at the bank. It was Monday, just before lunch.

Hello, Peoples Bank, Sandra answered. This is Sandra Kelly. How may I help you?

Sandra, this is Carrie, a weak voice replied.

Who? Sandra questioned.

This is your sister. Your sister, Carrie, she answered with a still weak voice.

Sandra said nothing. Shock had robbed her of speech, and she could only stare at her office wall.

Sandra, this is your sister, Carrie. Are you still on the line? She asked with a little stronger voice.

I’m still here, she managed to say. But is this really you? Is someone playing a trick, because it isn’t funny!

This is no trick. It is really me, and we need to talk. Carrie’s strength was now coming back in her voice.

Talk? I’m not sure why. I mean - I haven’t heard from you in over ten years, and now we need to talk? Where have you been? Why haven’t you called? Anger was replacing Sandra’s shock.

Please don’t yell and don’t be angry. I’m in trouble, and I don’t know where to turn. You’re my sister, and I won’t/can’t ask anybody else for help. Carrie’s voice was still shaky.

Help? Trouble? Why haven’t you called me in the past ten years? Sandra’s anger was coming out.

Just meet me, and I’ll tell you all about it. Can you do that?

Meet you? I don’t know. Where the hell are you? Sandra was biting her lip.

I’m in Humboldt. Can you meet me?

Humboldt! Sandra screamed as she slammed herself against the back of her desk chair. You’re in Humboldt?

Yes. Can you meet me?

Sandra didn’t answer; she just stared at her office wall. They’d had a tough life, but they were sisters. In fact, Carrie was all that remained of her family. Yes, she would meet her and would help however she could. Maybe they could be sisters again and put what was left of their broken family back together. Whatever trouble she was in could be fixed; it couldn’t be that bad.

Yes, Carrie, I’ll meet you, Sandra finally said. Where and when?

Meet me tonight at the Dairy Bar – 8 PM. Park at the car wash next to the Dairy Bar, and I’ll come to your car. Eight o’clock and please don’t tell anybody and don’t bring anyone with you. Okay?

Okay, Sandra replied. Her shock had come back.

Carrie hung up and was gone as quickly as she had appeared.

Sandra spent the next hour staring into space and trying to make some sense out of this phone call. Nothing worked. She left the bank early, faking a headache and headed home – she needed a drink and time to think.

Sandra said nothing to David or the kids and did her best to make it a normal evening with the family. She prepared dinner and then made up some story about needing to complete unfinished work at the bank. Sandra was sitting in the car wash parking lot at 7:30 – waiting on Carrie.

Carrie never came.

Sandra drove back home