Art and Murder

By O'Reilly Morry

Art and Murder is a collection of short stories and novellas, many with interactive features, such as the opportunity to write your own ending and submit in a contest.
Some Art, some history, some murder merge in these quite unusual stories. Teenage girls murdered for no apparent reason, one in the hallway of her school, people visiting museums, murdered, a presidential candidates wife disappears, greed sends people on a strange quest through Europe following clues to a great treasure, will they all survive? These are just some of the cases FBI agent and criminal profiler Claudia Cochran and her 3 friends from Interpol must try to solve. They wont end as you expect.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 18, 2011
• ISBN: 9781462880195

O'Reilly Morry

O’Reilly Morry was a high school teacher for many years before retiring to write, something that he has wanted to do for many years. He has traveled extensively in Spain and Italy and has many more trips planned to both countries plus France and Portugal. While traveling he spends much of his time studying the history and culture with a particular love of art. A second book of stories is already in the works. Morry currently resides in In Claremont, New Hampshire and spends considerable time In Stuart, Florida and Florence, Italy.

Book preview

Copyright © 2011 by O’Reilly Morry.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2011908918

ISBN: Hardcover    978-1-4628-8018-8

ISBN: Softcover      978-1-4628-8017-1

ISBN: Ebook          978-1-4628-8019-5

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

92798

CONTENTS

Chase the Waltzing Serpent

Chase the Waltzing Serpent

Art and Murder

The Latin Teacher’s Quest

The Unfortunate Explorers

DEDICATION

To my dear wife Beth who inspired me to write, and was my love and best friend.

I will always miss you Babe.

THANKS TO

Heidi Stock

Ben Pennell

Darlene Kinson

For typing my stories.

To Sherri Queen, thanks for your help with the French.

Cover and author photos by Elizabeth Pennell.

Author’s email: [e-mail]

INTRODUCTION

Dear Reader;

First, thank you for buying my book. I hope you enjoy reading my stories as much as I did writing them. I have a couple of interesting ideas for you. If you would like, enter a contest to rewrite the endings of each story. A panel of random readers will read all submissions and choose the best. This is for fun only. Send to my e-mail address in the about the author page at the end of the book. Also at the beginning of the second story Art and Murder is a list of clues sent by the killer to the police. Look them over and see if you can figure out where the crimes will take place. Each clue refers to a famous painting. Also, in the appendix, you can read a little about each of the museums mentioned in the story, plus the artist and the painting. I hope they inspire you to learn more.

CHASE THE WALTZING SERPENT

CHAPTER 1

The Manchester Ledger

April 15

Local Girls Threatened:

Five teen girls from MacArthur High School received letters threatening to kill them.

April 14

Sara Rogers screams and runs into the house yelling for her mother. Mom, mom, please come help me. Her mother hears the scream and comes running. What is it, Sara. What the heck is the matter? Are you alright? Are you hurt?

Look, mom, she screams handing her mother the paper. Her mother starts reading and in a panic, almost falls down the stairs. Sara is crying hysterically sitting on the floor and rocking back and forth like a small child.

Mrs. Rogers gets to the phone but, instead of calling the police, she calls her husband, Tom, at work. He is a teacher at MacArthur High where Sara is a sophomore. Tom gets the call on his cell in his classroom. He tries but has trouble keeping it together as Paula reads him the letter that came for Sara that day.

Jennifer Petroni, Annie Johnson, Cheryl Robado and Susan Reilly, also students at MacArthur High, also received letters that day. The reactions in each house were very similar, disbelief, and a deep gut wrenching primal fear. All 5 fathers called the police and a squad car was dispatched to each house to investigate. Feeling was, it was probably a hoax, a sick joke perpetrated by a group of boys from the school. The police took all the letters and assured the families that a squad car would be outside each house all night and possibly there would be an undercover officer with each girl for a while until they got to the bottom of it.

There wasn’t much sleeping in those 5 homes that night, even though they were reminded that things like murder didn’t happen in peaceful little Millersville, New Hampshire.

At the Millersville police station, the chief decided that they needed to hand this over to the state police since they only had 5 cars and 10 people on the entire force and no resources to analyze the letters, check for prints, paper type, etc. When the state police got the call, Joseph Marucci and his partner, Amanda Malone were assigned to the case and told to go to Millersville and find the sicko that sent those letters. At this point they had not read the actual letters only been told what they contained.

When they arrived at the Millersville police dept. they were met by chief Bob Baxter who immediately handed over the letters and reports comprised by officers who visited each family.

Well, Amanda, lets get settled and read all this stuff. They were booked into three rooms at the finest hotel in town, the Holiday Inn Express. A third room was turned into a work room with computers, phones, faxes, copiers and other things they thought they might need. They each took a letter—all 5 were identical.

CHAPTER 2

The letters—

Hi Sara, how are you? I hope this note finds you just fine. After all you should be able to enjoy your last days. Don’t understand? Well, I’ll explain. You’re in a nice very special lottery. 5 of you little sluts got this letter. I will be killing 1 of you soon. Ha, ha, ha, ha. What a great time we will have. Don’t you hope you are chosen? Maybe I’ll kill 2 of you instead of 1 or perhaps all 5. Enjoy your days sweetie soon no more boys will be staring at your beautiful young body. Only the worms and maggots will enjoy you. Oh, and don’t think about leaving. If you do I will choose you and kill you first. I will find you. You see I know everything about you and your family.

CHAPTER 3

A—Joe, I hope this is a hoax because if not we have one sick bastard on our hands.

J—Let’s start with parents. You take Petroni, Johnson and Robado and I’ll see Reilly and Rogers. Then we’ll meet here for lunch and then go to the high school to talk to the principal. I’ll set that up. I’ll also get some sandwiches and drinks for us. See you in a couple of hours.

Amanda Malone is a pretty 5'10" brunette. She graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in criminal justice and is currently working on a Masters at Dartmouth College. She was born and raised on Long Island but summered with her family at their other home in Portsmouth. She is a wealthy young woman of 28 who doesn’t need to work but does because she loves her job. Her attire is always perfect, usually stylish skirts and blouses or suits. She was always a very determined person even as a very young girl. She excelled in everything she did. Amanda was from a very wealthy family that very much disapproves of her job. They think she should still be married to the stuffed shirt banker who was 20 years her senior. She divorced him after only 18 months. Amanda actually wanted to experience life and its challenges not just be someone’s trophy wife attending cocktail parties.

Now she is one of the best detectives on the N.H. state police. She has even been lent out to work tough cases in other states.

Joseph Marucci, her tough, street smart partner is 55 years old, a 30 year veteran at 5'8" 220 lbs. He is a bull of a man. He was born on the south side of Boston, the youngest of 6 children. They were working class poor, his father a Boston cop, his mother worked in an Italian bakery. They moved to Nashua when he was 12 after his father retired. He joined the Nashua police after serving in the marines for 4 years. Marucci attended the New Hampshire community college system getting an associates degree in law enforcement. Shortly after, he applied for and was accepted by the State Police. He worked hard and was finally promoted to detective. He is married to Annette, his high school sweetheart. They have been happy together for 27 years. They have 3 daughters and 2 granddaughters, a fact that makes him even more determined to get to the bottom of these letters and protect those young girls.

Marucci and Malone meet back at the hotel work room at 1:30.

Mal—Joseph I didn’t learn much of anything except the Robados think maybe the gym teacher/girls basketball coach would be someone to check. They said he is always flirting with the cute girls and most of the girls think he is an a-hole. I should go back and ask the others about him since I met with the Robados last. The others were still so shocked and scared they couldn’t think of anything.

Mar—Good. Why don’t you go back after lunch and I’ll go talk to the principal or better yet Amanda why don’t you talk to the principal and I’ll see the others again. The principal is Marilyn Davis—might relate better to you. I didn’t find out much either. Sara Rogers is a basket case. The parents of both girls suspect a male student maybe a weirdo at school maybe a Columbine type loner.

Joe went back to visit the parents of Annie Johnson and Jennifer Petroni. He had specific questions about Mr. Michael Smith. They all backed up the Robados; that Smith is a jerk who thinks of himself as a kind of god who all the girls should love. They did however have doubts that he would send the letters. He is too full of himself to even realize that the girls mock him.

Joe left and decided to go to the high school. He just wanted to look around, stroll the halls between classes, talk to some kids (they know about the letters), get a feel for the place. Instinct is one of Marucci’s greatest talents.

Mal—Mrs. Davis, thank you for making time for me on such short notice. What I need from you first is just your thoughts, your impressions on who could be the writer. It has to be someone connected to the school.

Davis—Well, thank you Det. Malone for coming today. I have been thinking about nothing else since this happened. I feel so badly for those girls. Now, about my thoughts. I can’t imagine anyone here being involved. We have a fairly veteran staff, all nice normal people.

Mal—Even coach Smith?

Davis—He’s ok, a little narcissistic but otherwise not a bad guy.

Mal—What about students, boys who might have a grudge or feel dissed by those girls?

Davis—None that I know of but maybe talking to the teachers of the girls would be more help. After all, they have a lot more contact with the students than I do.

Mal—Would you get me a list of the faculty and staff, I guess with addresses and phone numbers? We need to interview all of them and we want to start today.

Dav. I’ll have Mrs. Wilson get that for you right now.

Amanda got a list of all the faculty and staff including custodial staff and secretarial staff. It was a very thorough list. She then decided to walk the halls where she ran into Marucci.

Mar—I don’t feel anything Amanda. Everyone seems normal, at least normal for teenagers.

Mal—Joe, I have a list of everyone who works here but I think we should start to schedule meetings. Let’s go back to the office and have Mrs. Wilson start setting them up tomorrow during their free periods.

Local police at first suspected that it was probably a student but Malone and Marucci disagree and will concentrate on teachers. While they divide up teachers and staff and interview them, the lab is going over the letter and finding nothing that will help. Typed on a P.C. can’t tell what brand, paper very common, sold at all Walmarts and Staples, no prints, nothing.

The interviews take all of Friday, Monday, and Tuesday. On Tuesday at 4:30 Malone and Marucci met back at the hotel to discuss their findings. Amanda had talked to men and Joseph to women. They had nothing definite but several women had hinted that they should look at Mr. Smith. They decide to interview him again this time both of them would do it. It was set up for Wednesday at 10:30 in the principal’s office.

The next morning’s edition of The Manchester Ledger had a copy of the letter and even printed the names of the 5 girls that got them. Police are livid and send one of the locals down to the paper to find out how they got their info. They are shocked and very worried by what they find out. The paper received a copy of the letter and the names in the mail. Police are now more convinced than ever that it isn’t a student and, more importantly, that it is more serious than they had thought. Maybe not a hoax. Joseph went to the paper and got the letter. Analysis showed that it was most likely the same computer used and definitely the same paper.

The interview with Mike Smith went this way:

Mar—Well, Mr. Smith, tell us about your interactions shall we say with the female students.

S—Nothing to tell. What kind of a question is that? I’m always very professional with the girls.

Mar—If that is the case then why have several people, students and staff, told us that if it was someone from the school they would look closely at you?

S—Who? Who said that? I have a right to know.

Mal—Actually we aren’t going to tell you that but many people have told us that your relationship with the girls, the pretty ones that is, is anything but professional. That you not only flirt but do a little touchy feely stuff as well.

S—That’s not true. (angry now)

Mal—Well, I think it is. Too many said so including many of the girls.

S—I didn’t send those letters, ok, so I like to have a little fun with the hot ones, you know just harmless stuff.

Mal—Not harmless if they don’t like it and several girls told us that you get angry if, shall we say, the attention isn’t returned.

Smith, at this point, is starting to lose his arrogance and anger and starting to feel a little fear. He is starting to sweat.

S—Ok, ok, but I swear I didn’t write those letters. I wouldn’t hurt them.

Mar—Ok, we’ll get back with you if we need to.

Mal—Joseph, let’s go. We’ve got what we need here.

S—(Scared) What do you mean, you’ve got what you need here?

They didn’t answer. They left.

CHAPTER 4

I wasn’t born a killer. I just became one. I don’t even think it was my fault. Besides what’s wrong with killing a few of those arrogant bitches. Look at me, look how gorgeous I am. Oh please, I’m going to get some of them you can be sure. I am enjoying it too much to ever stop; and I’ll never get caught unless I decide I want to. Oh, you want to know about me, what makes me tick. Want to psychoanalyze me. I was born, then it got worse. I was not a good looking baby. My father nicknamed me stubby—short, chunky and homely. Imagine, insulted by your own dad who you love, even at 5 years old. Mom just laughed and didn’t try to make him stop calling me that. When I was 7 or 8, he started abusing me, making me do terrible things to him. Mom watched at first and never protested. Maybe she was too afraid of him. At first, it was just once in awhile but by the time I was 11 it was at least once a week. He even beat me if I protested. Then my mother joined in, thought it would be fun to make me do things for her also. After that, most of the time it was both of them at least once a week. Usually Friday nights. After all, I was too ugly to ever go out with anyone. This kept up until I was 17. Then he died. Want to know how? Maybe someday. Mother stopped after that but life still sucked. I was constantly the butt of jokes and not even always behind my back but right to my face. How you doing today fat stuff. Hey mirror breaker, take a shower yet this month? High school was the worst, a pure hell, all the good looking girls and most boys mocked me constantly. I hated them so much. I didn’t have any real friends so there was no one to confide in. There, that is enough about me for now. Time to go have some fun.

CHAPTER 5

Joe and Amanda had left the school and stopped for a quick lunch at the local diner. They discussed their progress during lunch.

Mar—Well, it’s been 3 weeks since the girls got the letters and so far so good. Maybe it was just a student’s sick joke after all.

Mal—Maybe Joseph but I’m still getting bad vibes about this.

Mar—Any ideas on who could have sent them?

Mal—No, but I think we should run background checks now on all the teachers, staff and maybe even the fathers of all the students.

Mar—Ok. When we get back to the hotel we can get that started.

Mal—Let’s stop back at the school and get a list of fathers, their jobs, etc . . .

Mar—You think it’s a man then