Murder in the Kennels

By Barbara Bodnar

Willow is called to the dog kennel she owns by Detective Rundel, to tell her there is a dead body in her outdoor kennel. The dead woman is hiding from her drug-lord boyfriend, who she stole &50,00 from when she escaped him. There are several suspects until one suspect tells police who the murderer is. The guy terrorized Willow's family and her sister Arial's family. There are injuries and more murders before the guy is caught.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Barbara Bodnar
• Release date: Apr 24, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393495598

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

PROLOGUE

He sat behind a run -down shed across the road from the kennel where he dumped the body two hours ago. Why did I forget to check the alarm? Stupid, stupid, stupid. He knew why-the people who came back to the kennel spooked him. He expected no lights, and certainly no people. A regular traffic jam. His plan had been to dump the body, and run, but the police showed up too soon and he had to hide because the car was about a mile behind the kennel hidden hear the river.

"Can’t win them all. Plans had to change when she wouldn’t tell me where the money is and she wouldn’t go with me. Had to do it. He shrugged and hid to wait out the cops. He had no remorse for the kill. When you are a drug load, it comes with the territory.

CHAPTER 1

11:45 pm Saturday night

Willow and her kids were home and getting ready for bed after going out for pizza with Tucker Madison, the Veterinarians who helped her at her kennel, named ‘Bullies For You’.

Arial, her sister, called at ten o’clock on her cell phone to check how Willow’s pizza date turned out.

Not a date, but we enjoyed it very much, Thank you.

Not a date, huh? Not too sure about that. Night, night.

Willow shook her head and laid the phone on her nightstand. She slept as soon as her head hit the pillow. She’d been asleep three hours when her phone rang. It took her a minute to wake up enough to answer.

Hello?

"Mrs. Reed, Detective Rundle. You’re needed at the kennels ASAP. There has been an accident.

I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Willow tried not to panic; she threw on clothes, woke the kids to tell them where she’d be and to lock the door behind her.

Willow hurried to ‘Bullies For You’, and saw the entire police force of Carthage, Texas, plus an ambulance, and the medical examiner. Rundle met her at the car. He was his usual rumpled self, hence the nickname Detective Rumple. He looked as if he’d jumped out of bed with his hair a mess and his tennis shoes untied and dirty. This was not an unusual look for him. Since his wife died three years ago, his appearance had gotten progressively worse. If he was in a hurry, he would show up at the station with shirt unbuttoned and tie that did not match. He wasn’t dirty, just did not care about his looks. It was said he worked twenty-four hours a day and that would not be too far off. Tonight, he wore swear pants and shoes with no socks.

"Thanks for getting here so fast. At 11:15 your alarm sounded at the police station. Two officers arrived five minutes later and found the door unlocked, and the gates to the kennels open. The guys thought a burglar broke in or your cleaning people set if off accidently. When they arrived, they didn’t find anyone.

They continued to search the buildings and then turned to the outdoor spaces. The kennel gate swung open and when they entered, they stumbled over the body of a young woman. No ID on her. Please come and try to identify her. I need a list of anyone who might have been here after the open house."

Willow called Arial on her way to the kennel and shelter, and just as Rundle started toward the kennels, Arial drove up. She had a history of solving mysteries in Carthage, which Detective Rundle resented, but tried to hide it.

Arial ran to Willow and asked what happened. Willow told her while they walked to the kennels. Inside, Arial gasped and said, That’s Jackie Burton. She works for me. What was she doing here? How was she murdered?

Someone stabbed her and hit her over the head with the shovel lying beside her. She died between 10:30 and 11:15 tonight. Is she new in town?

About a year. I hired her through a work release program at the prison where she was in for prostitution and selling drugs. She‘s been out and clean for a year and is a great waitress, and the customers love her. Jackie dated Ethan Maddison, Tucker’s brother. I believe they  loved each other.

Okay, I need you both to have your employees come here, plus Tucker. Tell them it’s an emergency. We will meet in the lobby.

Once they assembled the players, Detective Rundle began asking questions.

When asked, Tucker replied, "Eating pizza with Willow until 9:00, then Jax called and asked me to come look at a sick dog.

My brother, Ethan, tracked me here and asked for money. I turned him down, and it made him furious. He threw a punch and missed. Jax watched it. He stomped around in the parking lot when I left.

I left here at 10:00 and stopped at my parents’ house to check on my mom. She wanted me to stay and watch a movie with her and Dad. I left at midnight, drove home, and chatted with my neighbor walking his dog. Call him.

Rumple wrote in his notebook and told Tucker he was off the hook. He turned to Jax, How long did you stay here and do you  work late?"

Yes, until 10:00. Last night I was leaving after checking the dogs for the last time when Ethan came back in and asked me for money. I said no, and he said I would regret it. I threatened to call the police, and he left, furious. Before I left, Shannon came in looking for her lost phone. I left because she said she would lock up.

Next, he questioned Shannon. She said she came to the kennel before Jax left and looked all over the building for her