Murder in the Church

By Barbara Bodnar

Riva is a detective who decides to go to church after her husband's murder. Just as the service ended a madman entered the sanctuary and blindly shoots and injuries forty three people. Later it is discovered the gunman was after Riva because she was secretly investigating her husband's death.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Barbara Bodnar
• Release date: Mar 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393657378

Barbara Bodnar

Barbara Bodnar lives in Northwest Ohio with her husband and three dogs. Writing has always been in her blood, but started writing seriously after retirement.

Book preview

RIVA SOLVES THE MYSTERY

CHAPTER ONE

RIVA WAS ATTENDING church today. She loved the church she and Wes attended before his death six months ago. God and she had a lot to sort through, so she’d stayed away.

Riva shook herself out of her memories, telling herself it took thirty minutes to get across town. None of her friends had any inkling she would be with them today, and it would be fun to surprise them.

Ten minutes from church, a white Chevy pulled close behind her. It'd been behind her since she left home because she remembered it at the light near her home. Riva didn’t pay it much attention until it closed behind her. She turned into the parking lot at church, and the car parked at the far end.

Riva watched as she walked toward the door; her detective instincts on alert. Two other times a car followed her, but knowing she was paranoid, she blew it off, but this car was following her. Riva started up the steps. She turned and noticed two people in the car.  A man in the driver’s seat and a woman in the passenger seat. She pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of the tags and one of the car. The guy driving saw her and sped away. That action cemented the fact she saw someone following her before today.

She filed this away to explore later. She’d run the plates after church. 

Her friend, Joy, spotted her walking into the foyer and in a minute her friends surrounded her. Happy she was there.

Joy to hugged her. Wow, why didn't you tell me you were coming? I'd have picked you up.

Didn't plan to come until I woke up this morning.

After several minutes of chatting, Joy and Riva found seats halfway to the front. They chatted and waited for the service to begin. The pastor welcomed the people and the worship team. A husband and wife,  two single women, two men and the instrument guys completed the team. They took the stage to begin worship.

Why did I wait to come back? I've missed this.

The pastor talked of God's providence and how he nudges folks to do things you don’t understand.  He quoted Psalms 91 and Ravi made a note to study the passage later.

They stood for the last song, then the pastor moved to the front of the podium to give the benediction. Just as he raised his hands, a man burst through the doors, raised a semi-automatic rifle and wildly fired. He aimed, hitting several folks, including the couple on the worship team, along with the piano player, and some of the congregation.

Riva dove for her purse on the floor and grabbed her personal weapon. She lifted her head above the pew and stared into the eyes of a madman two rows back, He aimed the gun in her direction.

Riva reacted as a police officer; she yelled, Police, drop your gun. The man steadied the gun to pull the trigger, but before he could, she shot him.  Two more shots blasted before he fell. He aimed at her but hit her friend, Joy, who dropped behind the pew and the bullet hit her in the shoulder.

Ravi yelled for everyone to stay down, and she dashed to the guy retrieve his gun. She figured he was dead, but she needed to make sure. She reached the assailant just as sirens sounded. Someone in the congregation must have called 911.

There was blood everywhere, ; puddles around the injured and dead, spatters on the walls and on people who escaped being hurt. Two worship leaders were dead and 12 congregants, including three kids. Riva wanted to vomit.

She rushed outside and to find five police cars, five ambulances and three fire trucks. Riva told the first person up the steps that the shooter died. She then ran back to Joy. Law enforcement guys helped people get out of the building. Officers sent the uninjured folk to a far parking lot where offices waited to get their statements.

Besides the deaths, Paramedics treated other injuries. They either sent them for interviews or to the hospital. Someone called neighboring communities for back up ambulances. People with less serious injuries transported themselves and others inside waited for ambulances.

The wounded were already being taken to several hospitals. Riva sat on the floor in shock.  She sat on the floor between pews, trying to help Joy. Her back to the shooter, she didn't see he wasn't dead, and she also hadn't seen a small caliber gun hidden in his sock. She didn’t found a pulse when she'd checked.

Officers ignored him, also thinking him dead. The shooter raised up on one arm and pulled the trigger, missing Riva by an inch. It zipped by her head.  Instinct made her raise her weapon and shoot him again, but not before he'd shot a police officer, a paramedic and the pastor.  Riva made sure she didn't miss and shot him three times, twice in the head and once in the heart.  Riva jumped up and made sure she retrieved the weapon and felt for a pulse. She'd never used her weapon in this fashion before and made her sick to her stomach.

CHAPTER TWO

THE OFFICERS ACCOUNTED for everyone who attended the service. This included fifteen dead and about thirty with wounds ranging from gunshots to broken bones. Riva’s team of detectives debriefed her praised and hugged her many times. 

One of her best friends, detective Ramona Simms, walked out with Riva.

To make conversation, Ramona turned to Ravi and asked. "I thought you stopped