The Springtime Murder Case: Book Two of the Faldare Story: Samson

By Florence Joanne Reid

The Springtime Murder Case

Gib Stranton finally messes up. He murdered two people in the parking lot of the Nelson Ledges State Park. But he has disappeared. FBI undercover agents swear they have seen someone who looks like Gib, maybe.

On the other hand, Gib is a well-known man. Hes a county truck driver, a snowplow truck driver, a known speaker in many schools on driving for the three neighboring counties to Portage County. Respected man. How can he be a killer too? Gideon wonders if anybody believes the reports.

But Gib isnt the only manhunt.

Someone is dealing drugs to kids in the county schools. Police and agents want to catch them at it, and the agents think Gib might also be a part of it.

Detective Gideon Granger is called out on murder cases. Is Gib still killing women, or is someone else involved, and able to hide out as well as Gib Stranton?

Who is behind the drug problem? Is it the Doctor, the Lawyer, or the Garage Manager? Or all three?

Will Sara Jane become more than Gideons partner? Will Jarry Faldare get up the nerve to pop the question to Maryne? Whats Earlles surprise? Are Marietta and her daughters safe? Can they be kept safe? Whos that Deputy hanging around Marietta? Whats he up to?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 24, 2016
• ISBN: 9781514478875

Florence Joanne Reid

Florence Reid attended BBI, Bible Baptist Institute, night school, for three years while still in high school, then attended Cedarville University, but didnt finish college. Instead Florence went home and married William Reid, whom she met in church. They had 24 good years together before he went to meet his Heavenly Father. They have 9 children, 21 grandchildren, and as of this writing, 14 great-grandchildren. In the course of her life, Florence taught Sunday School preteens, taught Bible Clubs in three different school after hours, played the piano at church, besides raising 9 children, and outings with preteens, with her children along. Florence loves to read scifi, mysteries, love stories, history, and intrigue, besides the Bible. She started writing when in her late 30s, then spent time rewriting and making them better. For hobbies she sews, embroiders, creates doilies and snowflakes, and knits, and occasionally paints outdoor scenes.

Book preview

STORIES BY FLORENCE

JOANNE REID

The Lords of Remgeldon, Book 1

The Kings of Remgeldon, Book 2

The Dragons of Remgeldon, Book 3

The Isle of the Dragons, Book 4

Who Killed Amanda, Book 1 Faldare Story

Looking Ahead. Look for the next sequel in the Dragonlore series;

The Heirs of Remgeldon, Book 5, coming out soon.

And the sequel to The Springtime Murder Case;

The Serial Rape Murder Case another Faldare mystery.

The Springtime Murder Case

Book Two of the Faldare Story: Samson

A Garrettsville, Ohio Mystery

Florence Joanne Reid

Copyright © 2016 by Florence Joanne Reid.

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.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 03/24/2016

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CONTENTS

About Garrettsville, OH

Sam’s Family

Prologue  Cleveland FBI Office

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Fourteen

Fifteen

Major Characters

Acknowledgements

ABOUT GARRETTSVILLE, OH

Garrettsville, OH is a historical town, first settled in 1804. It became a town in 1806, a place between Youngstown, Akron and Cleveland to get corn or wheat ground to flour from the only gristmill in the area. People came from all over northern Ohio to use the grist mill. It was officially incorporated as a town in 1807.

In 2006 and 2007 hundreds of people came from several States to help celebrate 200 years with a super Summerfest that included a parade from three area high school marching bands, a street fair in the center of town by closing off Main Street, with carnival rides in the Cinema/grocery store parking lot, an antique autos display in the DQ parking lot, and a raffle with prizes, and great food, ending the day with fireworks display just outside of town.

July 4th was a great day for a fair in the town of Garrettsville in 2006, celebrating 200 years.

Anything else added is purely the author’s imagination.

SAM’S FAMILY

Samson Faldare; 67, son of Silas, partner in Faldare Enterprises.

Leigha Faldare; 62, wife of Samson, four children, Bekka Layne, Barret, Earlle, Marietta Ann.

Bekka Layne Faldare Riker; 39, police woman 18 years, 10 years with Ravenna, 8 years with Garrettsville, married Jandal Riker 1989, have 7 children, Kalan 15, Jorda12, Danan10, Valdan 7, Miles 4, Kent 2, Virginia 6 mo.

Jandal Riker; 44, is a detective with Ravenna Police Department, married Bekka Layne Faldare 1989.

Barret Faldare; 35, divorced 2001, Ellen moved out of state after rape, child born, Felayna age 8, only child, Barret partner and foreman of Faldare Farms, not married.

Earlle Faldare; 32, foreman of all Faldare construction homes, marriage no longer secret

Ellean Kane Faldare; married Earlle October of 2005, baby expected late July 2006.

Marietta Ann Faldare Stranton; 30, separated from Gibson works part time in Garrettsville Library, has 5 daughters, Chanda 13,Doreen 10, Gayle 7, Elva 4, Nola 2, baby expected July

Gibson Stranton, 39, married Marietta Faldare, drives dump truck and snowplow for Portage County, suspected serial rape and murderer, circumstantial evidence, but can’t prove it.

PROLOGUE

Cleveland FBI office

February 15, 2006 Wednesday

FBI special agent Gideon Granger was in to make his weekly progress report. Director Carson Greer had him waiting in his outer office until the two agents who were on call, made it to the office. As soon as his secretary told Greer that the Shawl brothers had arrived, he called all three men into his office.

Gideon had looked the two men over when they came in. Obviously twins since they looked alike. They had light brown hair, brown eyes, faces one could forget they were so average. They were not as tall as him, but close over six foot, but slimmer. They appeared muscular in not so obvious ways. No bulging muscles. Martial arts, maybe, he thought.

He followed the twins into the office.

Have a seat gentlemen, said the Director. Gideon, meet Rik and Dan Shawl. They’ll be joining you at Garrettsville. And you two, meet Gideon Granger. For this job he’s Detective Granger with the Police Department at Garrettsville. What’s the latest that’s happening there Gideon?

Harold Stranton is dead, Gideon stated. He came gunning for me, shot me in my left arm. I returned fire, but that’s not what killed him. The trauma caused him to have a massive heart attack on the way to the hospital and died before he arrived there. He did not go into detail. He had a disc report he’d leave with Carson to go over later.

"Last Friday night a woman from the drug store, a clerk, was mugged and raped as she was closing the store. She was hauled back inside, raped there then hauled back outside, bound hand and foot with duct tape, and on her mouth, and left to freeze to death. She was found before that happened.

She survived, Gideon reported. "However, she couldn’t name her assailant, but he left his fingerprints on the duct tape. Phil Montel was that man and he’s been arrested and is in jail, and already sentenced to life in prison when he confessed. Actually, California wants him for murder of his last girlfriend. They’re taking him back there today.

Phil Montel was the ex-husband of Maryne Montel, secretary for Jarry Faldare. And on an upscale report, Jarry and Maryne plan to marry.

And the rape and murder investigation? How is that going?

Gideon shook his head. It’s stalled until we can get some hard evidence on who is doing it. I still think Gibson Stranton is the man, and we have plenty of circumstantial evidence to prove it. We’re guessing.

And the drug investigation? Carson asked.

Also stymied, sir. With Stranton senior dead, Gib has been embroiled in liquidating everything his father owned, amassing a fortune. I’d say he’s getting ready to head south to some island get-away. If he does, we’ll never catch him.

Any way to stop him?

Gideon mulled that over before answering his boss. Harold Stranton’s four girls might. Jean, the oldest twin, wants twenty thousand dollars apiece for her younger sisters. If their lawyer could tie up Harold’s estate, we might delay Gib long enough to gather in the evidence we need to put him away. Then those girls would get the whole estate.

Any chance of pushing this Gibson into a corner so he makes mistakes? Rik Shawl asked.

I don’t know, Gideon said. He’s a very cautious man. Recklessness isn’t in his makeup so far. He’s been raping and murdering women for sixteen or seventeen years leaving not a trace behind him. It’s only with looking deeper into everything that we’ve even got a hint that he might be behind it.

I’ve read your reports, Rik let out.

If we can tie up the estate settlement in favor of the four girls, he might get reckless, Gideon said. On the other hand, he’s a murderer…suspected murderer. He could go after those girls.

Why don’t you bring those girls to this office, said Carson Greer. I can get a better lawyer, more experienced, and keep the girls safe.

When I get back to Garrettsville I’ll talk to them. I’ll take Sara Jane along. They know her. We’ll convince them it’s the right thing to do. What of these two? He motioned with his head to the twin FBI agents.

They’ll follow you to Garrettsville. I want you to introduce them to Jarry Faldare. I want them working with his outfit. Faldare Construction does do remodeling work, do they not?

Gideon nodded. They work over a twenty-mile radius outside of Garrettsville, about the same area that Gib works in with this drug business. That takes on the southern part of Geauga County, southwestern Trumbull County and northwestern Mahoning County. Gib’s County snowplow has been seen in those other three counties. In fact, the name on the side of his truck only says County Plow. It doesn’t designate which county.

Is that legal? Dan Shawl asked. He noticed that talk aways seemed to come back to Gibson Stranton one way or another.

You know, I don’t know. Gib’s been driving that County truck since he was twenty-one, seventeen years, going on eighteen years with this winter. I don’t think these other counties think about where he lives, or where he’s coming from. He just shows up. I doubt anyone thinks about it. It’s habit.

Maybe we should do something to break that habit, Rik Shawl proposed. Get him out of those other counties with that truck. Make him put Portage County on that truck. Make other people notice that plow is in the wrong county.

Gideon turned to look at the twins. You two know which end of a hammer hits a nail?

We’re professional, off the record, carpenters for the FBI, usually undercover. It’s what we do, Rik, the older twin, assured this FBI man. He grinned. We own Shawl Carpentry. We learned our trade at our Daddy’s knee. I’m hoping we can travel around to different counties on jobs for Faldare, and looking into drug deals on the side.

They’re DEA agents, said Carson Greer, Drug Enforcement Administration.

I haven’t found out where Gib gets his drugs, Gideon admitted. I’m thinking from someone in Ravenna. I can talk to Jandal Riker to see if he knows anything about who might be selling drugs.

And who is Riker?

Detective Jandal Riker of the Ravenna Police Department, and he’s become a friend of mine. He’s also related to the Faldare’s. He married Bekka Layne Faldare. Bekka was a policewoman with the Garrettsville Police Department until her last child, her seventh, when she retired after eighteen years on the force.

Dan Shawl nodded. I read the whole report. Rik scans reports and I catch him up later.

It’ll take about an hour to reach Garrettsville, Gideon told the pair. I’ll head straight for the construction office. We’ll talk to Jarry. Then we’ll head to my house, or the house where I’m living. We’ll talk over what’s been happening when we get there.

I want a report next Wednesday, Carson told the trio as they prepared to leave.

Gideon turned back. They’ll only be two days on the job at that time. I’ll come in as usual. He didn’t add, unless something kept him from coming in.

ONE

February 15, 2006

Grinning from ear to ear, Rolan Faldare drove the big house on wheels into the driveway at his Uncle Sam’s house. He’d called his grandfather and his father to let them know he was coming in with a surprise. Sam and Leigha were in the seat directly behind him, which they had had installed special. It was like a luxury couch, but it had seatbelts for safety reasons, and was high enough they could see out the front window.

As Rolan expected, they were all there waiting to see what he was driving. They expected a truck, not a rolling home on wheels. He would be driving for his aunt and uncle, and traveling all over these United States with them.

He liked that idea.

He was blond haired and blue eyed like all the men in the Faldare family, with wide shoulders and slim hips. He stood just over six foot tall. He wasn’t the tallest male in the family, but he wasn’t the shortest either.

Settling down, even at home, just wasn’t something he was ready to do, even though he’d bought a second hand helicopter with the pay he’d saved up while in the Army Air Force. He had an idea to join Cal and Skip’s charter service. Maybe when he got back, when his aunt and uncle got tired of traveling, he’d fly again.

He’d served his country for eight years, through heavy combat as a chopper pilot. His chopper had been shot down twice and he and his crew had managed to survive both times. After the last one, though, he had spent several weeks in the hospital in Germany, before they’d let him come home.

But he was walking, and both arms were functional. It was more than some vets had coming home. But he had pins in his lower legs to support the bones. As he proved over the past six weeks, he could still ride a horse. He loved the horse ranch. He also loved the construction part of the Faldare Enterprises.

He just didn’t think he could settle in one place just yet. He had some issues to work out. Driving his aunt and uncle around for the next two or three years might help with those issues.

As soon as he parked the RV and opened the door, everyone wanted in to have a look around. Not only was his grandfather Silas there, but so were his brothers Cal and Skip, his cousins Barret and Earlle, and Davey and Jarry. Far as Rolan knew, none of them were married, but Jarry was planning to marry in a couple weeks to his secretary Maryne.

They’d all been badgering Sam since New Year’s Day to buy an RV and travel, because it was what Leigha wanted. They all had had a pretty good idea what he’d be driving when he arrived.

With everyone inside, it suddenly became cramped.

Everyone back outside, Rolan said, still grinning that grin that wouldn’t go away. You’ve seen this much. I’ll show you more in a few minutes. Do not stand close to the side of this place. It’s opens out.

Naturally his father, Karrell, and grandfather had to stay to see how it was done. Rolan was still grinning. He couldn’t help it. He’d had fun picking out this home on wheels and playing with the controls until he knew how to open, lock and close it, and looked underneath to see how it all worked in the undercarriage. It was a hundred fifty thousand dollar-plus fascinating piece of machinery.

It opened out so that the living room became sixteen foot wide. The furniture was secured to the movable parts. Everything at the sides was secured to the movable floor and wall. There was a window behind the couch, and opposite that, there was a window beside the kitchen table. Nicely padded benches, not chairs, were kitchen seats.

It all moved with the touch of a button, one to move outward, the other button to retract the sides.

The bedroom was the same. Rolan’s bedroom had a luxury cot four feet wide. On the other side of the hall there was closet space. Opposite Rolan’s eight foot wide bedroom was the back door. The bath was only equipped with toilet, wash bowl and shower. No tub.

It’s forty feet long, Rolan told his audience. Ten feet wide while driving, nine feet high. Inside here it’s seven foot high. We didn’t get the most expensive model, but this is nice

You move out the sides, what stops rain from coming in? Silas asked.

Look up? Rolan said. That edge is curved like a J-hook. It hooks into the trailer roof, overlaps. Rain can’t get in past the rubber connecters that sealed the two together.

How soon are you leaving, son? his father asked.

This weekend we’re headed to Florida, but we expect to take a week to get there. Along the way we’ll be stopping at RV parks, and it’s all set up. Once we get to Florida we’ll get maps and work out a schedule, but we plan on staying in Florida a month. There’s lots to see. But we won’t be driving this around. We’ll leave it parked at the RV park and rent a car, a limo, for driving around. And I’ll drive.

After the adults left the RV, then the kids had to have a look, but that was after school was out. Rolan thought he’d be entertaining just Bekka’s four oldest sons, Kalan, Jorda, Danan and Valdan, but Marietta’s three oldest girls got off the bus with them, Chanda, Doreen and Gayle. News traveled fast about the RV.

Rolan supposed that if his sisters and female cousins lived in Garrettsville, he would have been showing them the RV, too. But it was fun. He liked kids, he just wasn’t ready to settle down with a family yet. Maybe he never would be ready. Still, he was looking forward to Saturday when the rest of the family showed up to see the RV before they left on the first leg of their trip south.

It was nearer four in the afternoon that Wednesday when Gideon took Rik and Dan Shawl to see Jarry Faldare. They had gone straight to his house after the meeting with Carson Greer to get set up in the guest room.

His two girls, Rhonda and Kelsey, who couldn’t make up their minds if they wanted separate rooms or room together, had kept changing their minds, one day together the next week separate. But with Rik and Dan making this their home base, Gideon made up their minds for them. After school Kelsey, the youngest, moved in with Rhonda.

Rik and Dan moved into the guest room. The twins learned that two guys lived and worked in the basement. Jim Reede was an FBI computer tech who was working with Gideon to discover, by computer, who was dealing in drugs. Other FBI agents were working the field in several different towns, monitoring Gib Stranton’s movements, taking pictures of what kids he contacted. None of them were ready to move in on the man yet.

All the FBI agents wanted to know was from who did Gib buy his drugs.

The other guy living in the basement was Jed Faldare, owner of the house Gideon occupied. They thought that was kind of odd, but whatever worked. Jed wasn’t there, so they had not met him. But they also learned that Jim Reede was also the cook, supper only, and that two more men wouldn’t be a problem. He’d just put on a couple more steaks and two more baked potatoes on the grill that night.

We need to set up that man Gibson, Rik said before they left Gideon’s house in the man’s SUV, to travel back into town and to the construction office.

When they walked into the outer office, Gideon saw that Jarry’s daughter, Sylvanna, and Maryne two daughters, Patty and Kathy, were in the outer office room doing their homework.

Good thing you called Gideon, Maryne said as they walked in, a gust of cold air following them. Jarry was planning on visiting one of the construction sites. He’ll see you right away.

Gideon and the two men with him entered the back room. It was large and open with a row of three desks to one side, and on the other side a row of slanted work tables, empty for the time being. But Gideon knew this is where Jed worked, and Earlle had one of the other desks. Before all three desks were two comfortable desk chairs with wheels. Gideon brought one over for himself and let Rik and Dan take the two chairs before Jarry Faldare’s desk.

More FBI guys? Jarry asked.

Yes, and no, Gideon said. They own Shawl Carpentry, and do undercover work fixing up stuff and remodeling work where they can watch people unobserved. Can they join several of your remodeling jobs, roaming around, to keep an eye on Gib Stranton?

Anything you like Gideon, to get that man away from my cousin.

I’ve got them set up at Jed’s house.

Is that wise? You’ve already got that computer tech working out of the basement.

You and Jed better be the only ones in the family who know that.

Besides Sara Jane, Jarry added. We’re not talking.

I wanted them close and didn’t know of any place around here they could stay.

Give me a moment to think about this. Jarry turned on his computer. All our new houses have heating so we can work on them inside. They could stay at any of those places, he said while he was searching for a good place. They need blowup mattresses since here are no tiles or rugs on the floors yet. Sleeping bags. Basic coffee machines. Yeah, I have five different locations that can be used. What kind of transportation do you two have, and do you plan on sticking together, or separate?

Together, both said in unison. We have our own enclosed truck with our logo on the side and our names Rik and Dan Shawl.

Do you know what Gib looks like? Jarry asked.

Both men nodded. We’ve seen moving pictures of the man from all different angles so we’d recognize him from any angle. No problem there.

Jarry looked at both men. You have shirts with your name on them so the rest of us can tell you apart?

They grinned. We do, Dan said.

Jarry sat back to look at the two men. How long have you been in construction work?

We started at age three, maybe, Rik said. Our father was a carpenter. We drove our first nail in a 2x4 at age three. We joined his firm by age fifteen, so that would be eighteen years. When we turned twenty-five we started our own company. We’ve been with the FBI for twelve years, since we turned twenty-one. Before that we spent three years in the military where we were put to work constructing anything they wanted nailed together.

Jarry laughed. I take it you didn’t see any armed conflict.

Six months training, two years out of the country in the war zone dodging bullets while wielding a hammer, Dan stated. I caught a bullet, so did Rik, and we were mustered out of the military on a medical discharge. That’s when we started our own company.

Gideon had heard it all, maybe in more detail during the afternoon. They’d spent nearly six months in an army hospital after getting shot almost to pieces. They’d killed the seven men who had shot them. If they didn’t want to say more, that was up to them.

Jarry merely nodded. Come back here first thing in the morning and meet my cousin Earlle. He’s my foreman. He’ll have to know what you’ll be doing, roaming around at different sites, maybe on the job, maybe not. From that data he’ll know you’re working with the FBI. He won’t say anything.

We just have to look like we’re doing something…constructive, Dan joked.

Jarry laughed. Take these jokers out of here Gideon. That joke’s older than the hills. He’d fill his cousin in later tonight so he didn’t ask so many questions in the morning when he met the pair of twins.

When Gideon got them back home, Sara Jane was waiting for him in her police car. He joined her, while the two men went inside.

I just thought I’d let you know that Bette Colvane was released from the trauma center. Her three sons came and picked her up. They’re taking her home with them. She’ll stay with them for the next four weeks, then she’ll be back at her job at the corner drug store. None of her sons are married, but have a bachelor pad and room for her to stay.

Are they old enough to care for their mother?

Her oldest son, Walt, is twenty-one. When Doug, her next son, turned eighteen and graduated from school he went to live with Walt to take the pressure off his mother. She has fifteen year old Teddy and thirteen year old Wanda at home. It’s the same school district. They’ll all stay with Walt until Bette looks and feels better.

Gideon nodded. Bette had been beaten, raped and dragged outside, bound hand and foot, her mouth taped shut, to die in the freezing cold. Officer Cory Darlin had found her before that happened. That had happened last Saturday. Her assailant was in jail.

And I talked to Peter Moore, manager for Rite Aid, Sara Jane went on. Bette won’t be working the late shift for the next two years. Peter said he’d put a man on that shift, and he plans on putting better lighting at the back exit, in the employee parking lot, and maybe a camera. He was talking about one of those little, almost invisible, spy cameras.

"I’m