The Serial Rape Murder Case: Book Three of the Faldare Story: Karell

By Florence Joanne Reid

All evidence points to Gib Stranton as the murderer, but no hard evidence can be found. Gib has been very careful over the years. However, it has been proven he murdered two people and left them on the ground at the Nelson Ledges State Park. Hes gone into hiding.

Thirty Sheriffs departments in Portage, Trumbull, Mahoning, and Geauga Counties are looking for the man. Several FBI men are searching for the man. But Gib is good at disguisessecret stashes of cars and trucks, homes, apartments, and aliases keep him hidden.

Gib still manages to slip out and kidnap a woman, rape, and kill her. Police set up stakeouts, but he never goes where theyre waiting for him. Is someone helping him?

With FBIs undercover man Detective Gideon Granger thinking Gib will go after his ex-wife, family members agree to guard her day and night. Gideon thinks that is the only way he will capture the man. Can he?

In all that is happening, attorney for the family, Karrell Faldare, is working to get funds out of Harold Strangons estate before Gib absconds with it all, for Harolds daughters, twins Jean and Jeri and Meara and Nell. Karrell is also hunting for more elusive funds for Maryne from her ex-husband, Phil Montel. Both men were multibillionaires. Montel used a lot of false names. Can the hired detective in California discover where those funds are stashed?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 20, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524502621

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.

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Copyright © 2016 by Florence Joanne Reid.

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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.

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Rev. date: 05/18/2016

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CONTENTS

About Garrettsville, OH

Karrell’s Family

Prologue: Silas Faldare’s Home Office

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Fourteen

Major Characters

Acknowledgements

ABOUT GARRETTSVILLE, OH

Garrettsville, Ohio is an 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 auto display in the DQ parking lot, and a raffle with prizes, ending the day with fireworks display. Anything else added is purely the author’s imagination.

KARRELL’S FAMILY

Karrell Faldare; 59, wife Beth, Karrell is the executive attorney for all Faldare Enterprises, business or personal.

Beth Faldare; 54, married Karrell in April 1970, homemaker, has five children, Gwen Della, Calvon, Jesse, Rolan and Samantha Sue.

Gwen Della Faldare Timons; 33, married 15 years to Victor, is Larri’s personal assistant, children May 14, Emma 12, Dawne 9.

Victor Timons; married Gwen Della in March 1991, works for Hutton Computer Company as programmer.

Calvon Faldare; 31, served in Air Force 1992-1999 as helicopter pilot, in 1999 started the Faldare Charter Service, married 6 years Larri Hutton in April 2000.

Larri Hutton Faldare; is a computer programming expert who started her own company with Cal’s backing, children Roy 5, Opal 2.

Jesse ‘Skip’ Faldare; 29, joined the Air Force in 1994 and served 6 years, joined brother in Faldare Charter Service, also flies a small plane, eloped with Janice 2006.

Janice Balin; met Skip while he was in Air Force. She had two children by Skip before turning up at Garrettsville, children Norah 5, Allon 2.

Rolan Faldare; 26, just came home from serving his country, injured in helicopter crash and spent weeks in hospital, but able to drive RV for aunt and uncle while touring southern States, did what Skip did eloped with Cally 2006.

Cally Dean; met Rolan at army base when on leave and has twin boys by him before turning up at Garrettsville, Daryl and Dana 3.

Samantha Sue Faldare Kelly; 24, married while senior in school, graduated college with three degrees, in agriculture, business and husbandry, owns Kelly’s Gardens and Sculptured Yards, children Adren 5, Russell 4, Gavan 2.

Dan Kelly; six years older than Sami, started his career as a Woodsman Conservationist at age 12, became a Forest Ranger in 1994, joined Faldare Construction in 1998 where he met and fell in love with 16 year old Samantha Faldare, married 2000.

PROLOGUE

SILAS FALDARE’S HOME OFFICE

April 1, 2006

Silas Faldare sat at his office desk thinking about the past three months and crime and what he’d talk to Carson Greer about this time.

Not many family members knew Silas had a computer screen where he could talk to FBI Director Carson Greer face to face, so to speak, from home. Since his first consultation with Greer three months ago they had kept in touch. Silas didn’t think ninety-five too old to learn this new type of communication. He had seen it on TV and wondered if it was for real and when learning it was, bought the best and took lessons.

He didn’t drive his own car any longer, but had a driver. But still, he didn’t want everyone knowing his business. His driver was Ron Gregory, but this man was not related in any way to that shyster lawyer that had been killed while dealing in drugs. But Ron was one of his stable hands and had been with him ten years. Besides, Ron was black. That other Gregory was not.

But this Monday morning he put in a call to Carson Greer’s office. He’d made sure that Greer had the same type of communication device so they could talk about the case in private.

His wife’s death had been solved. Harold Stranton had killer her. His daughter-in-law’s kidnapping and rape had been solved. Harold Stranton again. All those witnesses at the fateful poker game in 1964 were solved. Harold Stranton had done it and confessed before he died.

As for all the rape and strangle cases he had stumbled onto, purely by accident, was mostly solved now. A friend’s grand-niece had been raped and killed, and he’d mentioned that a couple years earlier that her father had had a fight with Gib in a bar. In talking to a few of his other older cronies, other similar incidents came to light.

Silas knew Gib had a jail record for bar fighting. He had looked up five years’ worth of those fights and found they only happened in the summer. Then in the winter a year or two later a woman related to the man would be murdered. He saw a pattern. That’s what he had taken to his old friend Carson Greer.

He’d met the man about twenty or twenty-five years ago just freshly out of the FBI training at Quantico. He remembered it was Carson’s first case, but that was about all he recalled.

Silas hated getting old and forgetful.

Over the years they’d kept in touch, one old man, one young detective, and Silas had watched Carson’s career bloom.

So when he came upon a problem he took it to Carson.

Since that time Gideon Granger had come to town. He wasn’t sure if Gideon was still an FBI man, merely undercover, or a real Detective working for GPD. But Gideon had set people looking at Gib Stranton’s record of bar fights going back almost twenty years. He’d discovered that a couple years after the fight, a woman of that man’s family was murdered. Five or six women a year, murdered, going on eighteen years. That amounted to ninety to a hundred women,

But that was spread over four different counties, and nearly thirty different towns. It had eventually come to those thirty lawmen that they had a serial killer working in their vicinity that covered acreage twenty mile wide, twenty miles long. That was a big area. But all evidence collected was circumstantial, and nothing they could take to court and prove Gib had killed all those women.

The three murder victims that had turned up at Nelson Ledges held proof that Gib had done it. Now Gib was a wanted man. He was slick in staying hidden from the police for the past couple weeks. They all feared Gib would kill again. He seemed out of control.

That’s what Silas wanted to talk to Carson Greer about.

But of course, he heard about those three drug dealers caught the end of March, in which two of them were killed outright, the third died of his injuries just last night. Several million dollars’ worth of drugs had been confiscated.

Since the men responsible were dead and no court time wasted, the drugs had been taken to a place where they would be destroyed, rather than locked up where someone might steal them and get them out on the street.

Now Silas wanted to know what was going to happen about capturing Gibson Stranton. That man had a lot to answer for.

Silas! Greer said when his brown face came on his screen. Has something else happened since those three drug dealers were killed?

Just wondering what’s being done to get Gibson Stranton off the streets.

It’s in Gideon Granger’s hands now. I won’t be talking to him until Wednesday when he comes in to report. We’ll talk about Stranton at that time. His killing streak is hopefully over since he only kills during the colder winter months. It will be hard and almost impossible to arrest him on the flimsy evidence collected so far.

You have no other information?

I’ll hear what Gideon has to say and what he plans then I’ll get back to you, Greer promised.

They spoke together for another few minutes, but then signed off. Carson was a busy man, but Silas was glad to be able to talk to him. He’d been the FBI Regional Director for the past six, going on seven years. Silas had paid attention to his rise from an agent to higher positions over the years, until he moved to Cleveland. Far as he knew, the Greer’s only had two sons, Harold 22 and Charles 20, and neither was an FBI man, but they were military men. They were young yet.

He guessed he would have to talk to Sheriff Ron Spears if he wanted to find out what the police were doing about Gib Stranton.

But it was proven Gib killed those two people at Nelson Ledge parking lot a few weeks ago. He was a hunted man, wanted for those murders. Surely, Silas thought, Carson knew that.

ONE

April 1st Saturday Morning 2am

Marty Tyler, stable hand, called Jed Faldare’s house to report a fight going on at the stables. It was two in the morning.

Not only did Jed make a run for the stables, but so did Jim Reede and Gideon Granger, both FBI men who lived with Jed for the time being. They were dressed in only jeans and boots, but they carried a gun.

Jed’s yell had also woke Gideon’s son Todd, who dressed hurriedly and followed the men out to the stable, curious to see who was fighting and why.

Gideon risked a shot in the air just as Jed burst into the building. Jim turned on the lights. Three men had been in the building attacking one man who was down on the floor, curled up to minimize kicks to his chest and stomach.

One man turned and ran as soon as he heard the shot and made it to the door at the other end of the stable. Another man was in the process of kicking the man on the floor. Gideon didn’t hesitate, he shot the man, winging him in the arm. The one left standing immediately raised his hands, but he had a gun in his hand and when he saw who had come in, quickly lowered his hand and snapped several shots at the three men, who ducked.

But Gideon didn’t hesitate to shoot the man. He had not intended to kill him, just wing him, but as he shot the man moved and took the shot in the chest, killing him before he hit the floor.

The other man Gideon shot, although he had landed on his back on the stable floor, was now sitting up holding his bleeding arm.

Detective Granger put in a call to the Garrettsville Police Department to have some deputies come to Jed’s farm reporting a break-in, fight and shots fired, and to send an ambulance.

Jed went straight to the man on the floor where he discovered it was his cousin Earlle. His face was a bloody mess, cuts in several places. He didn’t move the man.

Stay still Earlle, helps on the way.

I heard horses kicking up a fuss. Came in to find out why. Two men jumped me as soon as I stepped inside. Another man turned off the lights. I think one was Gib, he breathed out, hurting everywhere. They thought I was you, Jed. Watch your back.

Jed remained on his knees at Earlle’s back, keeping him from moving. But he took out his phone and called Skip, waking him. He lived two houses up the street and had a helicopter.

Earlle’s been beaten bad, Jed told his cousin. I want you to fly him to the Ravenna hospital.

I’ll hitch up the chopper to my truck and be there in less than five minutes. All he did was pull on his jeans, stuffed his feet in boots, but grabbed his jacket hanging by the back door, and headed for his truck, which he backed up to the hangar. It didn’t take long to hitch his bird to the back of his truck and tow it down to Jed’s house.

Skip got out the back board and headed for the stable. He nearly tripped over someone on the ground outside the stable doors. He thought it might be one of the attackers, but when he opened the door, light shone on the kid laying on the ground. It was Gideon’s boy, Todd. He gave a yell for Gideon.

Everyone but Jed rushed out to find out why Skip was yelling. By then Ken Payser and Bill Arnold, two other hands who lived in the bunkhouse, had come to see what all the shouting and shooting was about.

Todd had a head wound and was unconscious.

Get my first aid kit from the chopper, Skip shouted. This kid is hurt bad, but not fatal. He’ll have a scar, though. Gideon, kneel down here and put your hand on his head to help stop the bleeding.

Until Skip spoke to him, Gideon had been immobile, too stunned to move once he realized it was his son that was hurt. Now he moved to help Skip, doing whatever Skip told him to do.

I’ve got another backboard on the chopper. One of you guys fetch it for Earlle, Skip ordered. I’ll take them both to the hospital.

Once he had the first aid kit, he tended Todd’s wound, wrapping gauze around his head to keep the pad in place. Only then did they move the boy to the backboard and strap him on the gurney.

Inside the barn, Earlle was getting the same treatment so he could be moved to the chopper. By the time both men were secured in the flying machine, deputies arrived to cordon off the scene. The man with a gunshot was put in the back of a squad car. The dead man lay where he’d fallen. The Ravenna SCI team was called in to take care of that man, and to investigate the area. Deputies were stationed outside both doors to the stable to make sure no one else entered.

Jed, while he watched over Earlle, had had the presents of mind to take pictures of the area with his cell phone while he waited for help to arrive. He got pictures of the injured man, the dead man, and the torn up area where the fight occurred.

Gideon, you ride in the back with the injured, Skip ordered. Jed, you ride up front with me and call in our destination. He looked around at the men who worked at the stables and barns. You guys hang around, answer questions, but keep an eye on things. And Sara Jane, you take charge of this situation.

Skip was sure Gideon would have issued those orders if he hadn’t been more concerned for his son. He didn’t know when Sara Jane had joined the crew at the stable, but was glad she’d gotten out of Gideon’s bed. She might be dressed, but her hair was a mess. Married life looked good on her.

When the ambulance arrived, they took the guy with the arm wound, strapped him to the gurney, took him to the emergency care center to have his arm bandaged, then rolled him back into the ambulance and dropped him off at the jail.

It was three in the morning when Sheriff Spears was awakened by a call from Detective Sara Jane Granger who thought the sheriff should know about what happened, and told of the fight that had gone on at the Faldare Stables and that a man had been killed. The Ravenna SCI team would be at Jed’s place in about ten minutes.

Ron Spears had time to splash cold water on his face to wake him up, dress, jump in his cruiser and get to the Bloom Road residence. He pulled in on the tail of the SCI van.

While that team went inside, the sheriff buttonholed Sara Jane and asked her what happened. She motioned for Marty Tyler to come over. Marty was accompanied by Ken Payser and Bill Arnold, the three hands who worked for her brother Jed.

What went on here tonight? the sheriff demanded curtly.

We have a couple mares about to foal, Marty explained. Someone has to be in the barn at all times just in case they need help, or the vet needs called. It was Earlle’s night. I heard the horses creating a ruckus and went to find out what was going on. I saw the fight, called Jed, then went to stop it. Earlle was down and they were kicking him all over the place.

Who is ‘they’?

Don’t know. The lights were off. All I did was tackle one of the men, and there were three of them, and land a few punches. By then Jed, Gideon and Jim came running on the scene. Someone shot. The guy I was fighting with scrambled up and ran out the other door. I was on the ground. The two guys were still going at Earlle, kicking at him. I don’t know who shot the guy kicking Earlle, but he fell to the ground and I put a hold on him. The guy standing put up his hands, but he had a gun and started shooting. I think Gideon shot him. He’s dead, lying on the floor in there.

Spears grunted.

Skip Faldare air-lifted Earlle and the kid to Ravenna Hospital, Marty added.

What kid?

Gideon’s boy, Todd, Marty said. I think he was hit by a stray bullet from the dead man’s gun. And Jim went back to the house to be with Gideon’s two daughters so they wouldn’t be alone, just in case the guy who ran, returned.

Jim?

Jim Reede, the cook, the guy living in the basement of Jed’s house.

It was the first Sara Jane had heard that Todd had been shot. She was torn between going to the house to be with Gideon’s girls, or rush to the hospital to be with Gideon. Marty didn’t know how bad Todd had been hurt, but he was breathing. All Marty said was the boy was a bloody mess.

When the sheriff went inside the barn, Sara Jane went to Jed’s house, only to find that the girls, Rhonda and Kelsey were still sleeping. Nothing had awakened them.

I’m going to the hospital, she told Jim Reede. I need to know how Todd is, and if Gideon is okay.

Sara called her brother Jed to let him and Skip know that she was on her way to the hospital, if they wanted to return home. She’d bring Gideon and Todd home.

Gideon was sitting with Todd when Jed entered the emergency room to let him know that Sara Jane was on the way.

How’s he doing? Jed asked, motioning to Todd.

He’d gonna be fine, but he’ll have a headache. They gave him something to make him sleep. He’s lucky to be alive.

Jed heard the emotion in Gideon’s voice and put a hand on the man’s shoulder. I’ll stay with the girls. Jim can head for the jail and question the man who was arrested.

How’s Earlle? Gideon thought to ask.

He’s tough. We’re flying him home, and I mean home. Barret’s taking Earlle’s place in the barn with the mares. Earlle won’t be working for a couple days, then it’ll be on your new house. I heard they’re raising the flooring today so the masons can finish the basement walls. Earlle can sit in the supervisor’s chair and use a phone to direct the guys winding up the jacks.

Those jack are electronic, Gideon said. All they need to do is press a button.

Yeah, grinned Jed. Not like old times when they had to be muscled up with a handle. Oh, and my sister’s on her way. I told her not to forget breakfast. You know she’s gonna fuss over Todd all day, don’t you? She’s that kind of person. Then you can see what kind of answers you can get out of the man who was arrested.

If that sleazy lawyer hasn’t gotten him out of jail already.

"He’s dead. Word came in while we were flying that the raid on the drug bust in Ravenna went down last night. Dr. Maurice Heckle and Lawyer Stephan Gregory were killed. Howard Robins is in critical condition. He was taken to a hospital in Cleveland, and not expected to live. Seven other men were killed, two injured, and three outside guards arrested. The driver of the van that brought in the drugs was killed, along with the helper. ID’s haven’t been made yet on the delivery guys.

All the drugs and money involved have been confiscated. Jandal Riker was in on the job. He’ll probably get in touch with you later today, Jed added.

Ten minutes after Jed left, Sara Jane walked into the room carrying a bag of food and a tray with two coffees, which she set on the rolling table at the end of the bed.

How is he doing? she immediately asked.

He’ll be fine. The shot creased along his head and bled a lot, but he’ll have a headache today and tomorrow. He’ll be the talk of his class come Monday morning.

Sara ran her hand over Todd’s head and face. It won’t mar his handsomeness. She took a seat beside her husband and handed him the bag of food which contained two sausage and egg sandwiches that Gideon liked, and one sausage and cheese that she liked, along with hash-browns. It wasn’t enough for Gideon, but it would hold him for a couple hours.

I spoke to Jandal on the way in. He’s at the police station. They raided that drug drop last night. Three men are in jail and being questioned. That lawyer won’t be getting anyone out of jail again. He was killed. Jandal said he’d come around at Jed’s house after lunch. I told him to come for lunch. How soon can we take Todd home?

The doc said he’d be here around ten to see how he’s doing and if he can go home or have to stay.

I called Dori Baynard. She’ll be at Jed’s to take care of Todd.

I thought she was the family housekeeper?

She’s more than that. Taking care of people keeps the woman alive. She’d be insulted if we didn’t call her in for Todd. You know Granddad’s claiming your three children as his great-grandchildren, don’t you. That makes him twenty-eight now. He claimed Maryne’s two girls after she married Jarry.

What about Skip’s two kids since him and Janice aren’t married yet.

"Oh, they’re claimed. I talked to Skip. He was getting ready to