Locked Rock Review Gossip Column Murders

By Fay Risner

Gracie Evans wasn't the only one upset when the Locked Rock, Iowa newspaper editor wanted
to compete with big city papers by starting a gossip column. Appearing in the gossip column
wasn't the way Locked Rock citizens wanted to find themselves in print. That didn't stop the
newspaper from selling more copies, because everyone had to find out if they were in the
gossip column each week. Shortly after two women were mentioned in the gossip column
they were murdered. Gracie Evans suspects a mouse trap drummer who has been going
door to door. He has an eye for pretty young women, but Gracie doesn't have proof that he
murdered the women. Who wanted to punish the women mentioned in the column by
murdering them?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fay Risner
• Release date: Oct 5, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005473181

Fay Risner

Fay Risner lives with her husband on a central Iowa acreage along with their chickens, rabbits, goats and cats. A retired Certified Nurse Aide, she now divides her time between writing books, livestock chores, working in her flower beds, the garden and going fishing with her husband. In the winter, she makes quilts. Fay writes books in various genre and languages. Historical mystery series like Stringbean westerns and Amazing Gracie Mysteries, Nurse Hal's Amish series set in southern Iowa and books for Caregivers about Alzheimer's. She uses 12 font print in her books and 14 font print in her novellas to make them reader friendly. Now her books are in Large Print. Her books have a mid western Iowa and small town flavor. She pulls the readers into her stories, making it hard for them to put a book down until the reader sees how the story ends. Readers say the characters are fun to get to know and often humorous enough to cause the readers to laugh out loud. The books leave readers wanting a sequel or a series so they can read about the characters again. Enjoy Fay Risner's books and please leave a review to make others familiar with her work.

Book preview

Locked Rock Review Gossip Column Murders

Fay Risner

Published by Fay Risner at Smashwords.com

Copyright (c) 2020

All rights reserved

This ebook is licensed 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.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously, and any resemblance to the actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locals are entirely coincidental. Excerpts from this book cannot be used without written permission from the author.

Dear Readers,

While researching my mother's family tree to write a book about her family, I found her mother's mother was quite a character in her day for many reasons. Turns out my great grandmother was a believer in applying for Mail Order Grooms. After she became a widow with eleven children, she had three of different husband. She outlived two men and the third one outlived her.

In the early 1900s, Great Grandma was well known in her small town for the many articles she submitted to the newspaper. The editor soon realized this lady had quite a following so he printed anything she submitted. One such article was How To Preserve A Husband which you will find in The Locked Rock Review in this story. Great Grandma considered herself an expert in such matters.

The poor elderly man pulled out of his much younger girlfriend's home and arrested by a deputy also happened in Gracie Evan's day. The law official was my husband's great uncle. The arrest made the social column in the town newspaper.

Enjoy Gracie Evan's adventure in my latest book,

Fay Risner

Chapter 1

The time was early spring It was a morning in 1906 right after breakfast at Locked Rock, Iowa's Moser Mansion Rest Home for Women. A squirrel scampered across the yard to the maple tree with one of last year's walnuts in its mouth. In flower beds on the block, yellow daffodils and all colors of tulips shimmered in the slight breeze.

As usual, the three Moser Mansion residents were lined up in their rockers on the front porch. Melinda Applegate and Madeline Patterford had slipped into quiet reverie with their chins resting on their chests until Gracie Evans's sudden brassy voiced outburst startled them. The two women flinched as they came out of their stupor, trying to make sense of Gracie's explosion.

Gracie crumpled up the latest Wednesday copy of the Locked Rock Review newspaper and slapped it on the lap of her dark brown cotton skirt. She rubbed the long, dark gray braid wound around the top her head with an arthritic forefinger as she groused, This newspaper's new-fangled notions beat everything I ever seen.

Melinda raised a perturbed eyebrow as she watched Gracie mistreat the newspaper. Gracie, could you be careful with the Locked Rock Review? I haven't had a chance to read it yet.

Madeline patted her dark French knotted hair back in place as she leaned forward in her rocker to look around Melinda. She stared down her long slender nose at Gracie. Oh brother! This early in the morning and you're already dissatisfied with something. Melinda's right. Take care not to damage the Locked Rock Review just yet. I want my turn to read the newspaper, too.

Here, take it. Gracie grouched as she whipped the wrinkled newspaper out at Melinda.

As she grabbed the paper, curly, white-haired Melinda said sweetly, Thank you. Now, what is wrong with the newspaper this time?

Madeline leaned forward again to listen.

The owner, Roy Madison, is going to let the newspaper put in a gossip column. The editor, George Hightower, has a help wanted ad in there to find a person to write the column, groused Gracie.

Melinda groaned. That is too bad. Maybe no one will apply for the job. I'm surprised at Mr. Madison. As the owner of the newspaper, you would think he wouldn't want to do such a column in this small-town newspaper. Hopefully, he will change his mind if he hears enough complaints against such a column.

Madeline shook her head. Oh, brother! That won't happen, Melinda. Moxie Applegate told me when I was at the library last Wednesday she heard the editor has quit the newspaper over a dispute with the owner. He's just waiting for the new editor to arrive from out east before he leaves. I gathered from Moxie that the man tried to stop Mr. Madison from running the gossip column and was ordered to do so or quit. So he quit. A new man is arriving all the way from Boston to take over. Moxie understood Mr. Madison said the new editor can do what he wants with the newspaper. He's giving the man free rein. Mr. Madison is hoping that the man will be able to increase sales with his fresh ideas. That's what Moxie said.

This is the first I've heard of a shake-up at the newspaper. You sure were quiet about it, Gracie declared.

Really, I hadn't heard about this either. Is this so, Madeline? Melinda gasped.

Madeline shrugged her shoulders. Really, and I'll have you know I didn't know there would be anything note-worthy about what happens with the newspaper's staff coming and going. So Gracie you might as well get used to changes in the newspaper and expect more of them to come that we aren't used to reading about. This eastern editor will be doing things the way they're done out east. In that area, the large city newspapers have had gossip columns in them for some time.

Guess that explains why the editor said the reporter of the gossip column would remain anonymous. In a small town like this, reporting dirt on friends and neighbors could very well get a person tared and feathered some dark night. It must be a whole different situation when the big cities out east do it, Gracie surmised with a grunt.

Why is it so different? Melinda asked.

In the large cities, the newspapers can talk about anyone they want. With the population being as large as it is, not as many people know the people getting talked about in the gossip column so it doesn't matter, Gracie surmised.

Well, I expect it matters to the people who are mentioned in the newspaper, Melinda declared.

Right, Madeline added. What is put in those gossip columns are never anything nice, and usually ruins reputations. There's no undoing what is said in print.

That's true for sure, Melinda agreed. But I wonder what gossip there would be in a gossip column for a small town like this one which would surprise anyone. All we have to do is talk to our friends to find out what is going on with other people in town.

Madeline began her rocker in slow motion. The newspaper we took in New York had mostly stories about what man was stepping out on his wife with another woman.

Well, you know what they say? Gracie rubbed the arm of her rocker as she studied the street down to Main Street.

I'm afraid I'm going to be sorry, but no, Gracie, what do they say? Melinda asked with her left eyebrow raised.

Gracie looked down her nose at the curly, white-haired woman beside her. If everything is all right in the hen house, men don't have to borrow eggs from the next-door neighbor woman.

Really, Gracie. I don't think I have ever heard that saying before. What does borrowing eggs from a neighbor have to do with a man cheating on his wife, Melinda declared.

Melinda, Gracie is trying to say the man didn't go next door to get just eggs from the woman who lived there, Madeline explained.

Melinda's face turned beet red. Oh? Ohhh!

Gracie you've been single your whole life. And you are an expert on married men who cheat on their wives how? Madeline asked.

Just going by what I've seen around here over the years, Gracie said quietly.

Madeline snapped, Well, I can tell you what I know about a newspaper in the big city. My brother wound up in one of the newspapers in New York. That paper had a very mean gossip column, and my brother was in it.

Was he running around on his wife or was the gossip column wrong? Gracie asked.

Madeline slowly nodded. Well yes, my brother was guilty of cheating on his wife, but the awful experience of having the multitude of readers in that newspaper know a shameful thing like that about my brother proved to be an embarrassment to my whole family.

Oh my! Madeline, I am so sorry to hear that happened to you, Melinda commiserated. Gracie must be right. That just goes to show you a gossip column is a bad thing to have in our newspaper.

Well, that is all past history. My brother said he was sorry for what he did. He made up with his wife after he was exposed in the newspaper and remained faithful after that. I got over it. So did the rest of the family, because we love my brother and his wife and their children, Madeline shared.

If getting caught made things better in the long run for your brother and his family maybe it wasn't such a bad thing, Gracie declared.

Thanks to my sister-in-law's forgiving nature, my brother turned out to be a good example. That is if there is such a thing when people's mistakes have been aired in the newspaper. Plenty of families were split apart and their lives ruined by such news leaking out in the gossip column, Madeline declared. The subscribers never forget bad rumors they read about someone they know.

Guess we will have to wait until next week and see if anyone applies for the job, Gracie said. Maybe we're worrying for nothing. We may not be the only ones in this town that think Roy Madison has a bad idea. What the readers ought to do is speak up and tell him to forget the gossip column.

For once, Melinda and Madeline nodded agreement with Gracie.

If we hear anyone mention they feel the same way we do, we should tell them to threaten to drop their subscription to the newspaper if a gossip column is put in it, Madeline decided.

That is a good idea. Gracie, wasn't there any good news in the newspaper? Melinda asked.

Find out for yourself. It's in your lap, Gracie said as she leaned back in her rocker.

"Fine! Hopefully, I can make heads