Untimely Death

By Barbara Bodnar

Willow and her sister Arial are involved in yet another mystery in Carthage, Texas. A women who grew up in town, but left to pursue a country music star, changed her name and made multiple changes to her appearance. When Tyler Fremont refused to buy stolen songs from her, she determined to kill him at a concert in their home town. It was the first time Tiffany had returned home in ten years and knew no one would recognize her. The one murder resulted in a serial crime spree in east Texas and Houston, Texas. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Barbara Bodnar
• Release date: Jun 16, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393751557

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

UNTIMELY DEATH

The killer ran through the dark alley, dragging the body.

Where am I going to hide him until the town shuts down? OMG, I feel bad about what I’ve done, but he deserved it. He humiliated and threatened me for the last time. All I wanted was for him to pay me for the songs I wrote for him. How dare he say I did not write them. How could he have found out I took songs my ex wrote before he died and said they were my own? If he’d gone to the police, I might wind up in prison because other stuff would show up in an investigation. My plan will work-I know it will.

The killer crouched in an alcove behind an empty building to wait until one o’clock when a person paid to help finish plan showed.

CHAPTER 1

FRIDAY MORNING

Orion threw his tools down and left for the hardware store. He promised his mom he’d fix her dryer before he left for work in the afternoon. He hated to deal with his mom, but she always forked over money when he needed drugs-not that she knew he spent it on drugs. So, he made nice with her. 

He walked in the store and the first person he encountered was Tyler Fremont, the country singer who’d won the contract for the big concert tonight, because he sang Tex Ritter and Jim Reeves songs. They were both raised around Carthage. Big deal. He sang better than Tyler, even though Tyler always got the solo parts in their high school musicals and even in choir concerts. Orion had a good voice, but the teachers were reluctant to depend on him. Well, screw them all.

Orion wanted to ignore Tyler except he’d already  spotted him. Hey, Orion, hoped I would run into you this weekend. How you been?

Orion stared at him and growled, What do you care, you low-life who stole my career.

I did not steal your career. You never tried, you wanted everything handed to you, and blamed everyone else for your failures. You could still have a singing career if you’d get off your butt and leave drugs and alcohol alone. Why don’t you try?

Pretty boy with all the answers, Orion sneered. Well, pretty boy, take this. He swung at Tyler, but missed because Tyler grabbed his arm, shook him, and pushed him away.

Everyone in the store heard Orion yell as he ran out, Tyler Fremont. You will be sorry. Watch your back. You will pay for upstaging me!"

Tyler turned to the owner, What is his problem?

I suspect its drugs talking. Ignore him, but to warn you, he has an explosive temper and has a long rap sheet for assault. His lawyer daddy always gets him off. Stay away from him.  Looking forward to the concert.

LOVE DOGS, LOVE PEOPLE, and Love life was Willow’s motto. She loved dogs, or she would never raise and sell bulldogs. Willow loved the babies, and it always made ger happy for them to go to suitable homes. She named her Kennel ‘Bullies For You’. Most of her clients came from out of town because anyone who wanted a bulldog in Carthage, Texas, already bought one from her kennel. Last summer a deranged drug dealer murdered a woman and left her in the outdoor kennels. They targeted her and her sister, Arial, because they tried to find the killer.

Today she prepared to take twenty dogs from her small shelter and the bulldog puppies ready for their forever homes to the square in town for an adoption event as part of the town’s winter celebration. She and Jax, her kennel employee, broke down portable cages and stacked them in her van. He loaded his vehicle with food and dog bowls for food and water to have ready for tomorrow. He threw in toys and leashes. Jax thought if a person wanted a dog, they could come to the kennel. However, most of the money from the dogs would go to the food pantry and Toys for Tots, so he guessed it was a good thing.

Where on the square will we be? Jax asked

West side, across from Tacos Unlimited. On the area south of the doors.

Got it. Meet You There.

They parked in the area marked off and began unloading the vehicles. Willow explained to Jax she wanted the big cages to the back closer to the courthouse and the smaller ones about ten feet in front.  The things in Jax’s car would stay until morning.

You think anyone will buy a dog?

I do since we offer to deliver within one hundred miles. We have cute babies and beautiful shelter dogs. I hope we sell all twenty of them.

Across the square Willow’s sister, Arial, watched through the front window of her restaurant. She hoped her sister would come in for lunch before she left.

Tucker drove up when Willow and Jax finished setting up the kennels. "Hey, beautiful, want to get lunch at Tacos and then look at the house again I