Murder by Color

By Duke Dupree

Teenage twin boys were hiking in a national forest and decided to climb a tree to observe some wild hogs feeding in the area. What they saw when they looked up in the tree triggered a major investigation into a most horrific crime. Janet McFarland was a successful homicide detective with a big city police force. Janet is now a deputy sheriff on

• Language: English
• Publisher: Knight Books Press
• Release date: Jul 3, 2023
• ISBN: 9781088137208

Book preview

Murder by Color

Duke Dupree

Copyright © 2023 Duke Dupree

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 publisher.

Knight Books Press—Lillian, AL

Paperback ISBN: 978-1-0881-3704-8

eBook ISBN: 978-1-0881-3720-8

Title: Murder by Color

Author: Duke Dupree

Digital distribution | 2023

Paperback | 2023

This is a work of fiction. The characters, names, incidents, places, and dialogue are products of the author’s imagination, and are not to be construed as real.

Dedication

Dedicated to Jaye and Jessica, two members of my family who were tremendous contributors to completion of this novel.

Contents

Murder by Color

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

About the Author

Chapter 1

G

erald Floyd and his wife Bernice resided in Springfield, Missouri. Gerald was quite a successful business man. He owned a major brand tractor and farm equipment distributorship. In addition he owned a hardware store and managed the farmers co-op feed, seed, and fertilizer warehouse.

Gerald was also an avid sportsman. He loved the outdoors and spent all his spare time hunting, and fishing. He also liked hiking in the Mark Twain National Forest. He made a trip to Nebraska each year to go pheasant and grouse hunting as he loved wing shooting. At home he spent time hunting quail and small game during the seasons.

Hiking in the forest was also a passion of Gerald‘s. He liked the trails that were off the beaten path that no or few people traveled. Some were just animal trails, but Gerald knew them all.

There was a forty four acre tract adjacent to the Meramac River on the east and abutted the Mark Twain National Forest on the south. Gerald didn’t own the property, but a friend of his did and Gerald would park on this vacant wooded land because the part that bordered the river had some of his favorite fishing holes and provided access to some of his preferred hiking trails inside the forest. There was also small game-squirrels, rabbits, quail, and turkeys-that Gerald hunted on the property.

He tried on numerous occasions to buy the acreage from his friend, but the friend kept holding out telling Gerald that if he ever did want to sell he would offer it to him first. He assured Gerald that in the meantime he could use the place any time he wanted.

In 1980 a daughter was born to Gerald and Bernice whom they named Joyce Annette. Bernice had problems giving birth and could have no more children. Both Gerald and Bernice doted on little Joyce and she had every right to be a spoiled brat but she wasn’t. In her pre-school years she conducted herself like a little lady. Gerald was really proud of his little girl and credited Bernice with doing such a good job with her and raising her properly.

When Joyce was nine, her mother suddenly died of a stroke. Joyce was broken hearted at losing her mother whom she loved very much. Gerald was faced with raising Joyce by himself. His aging mother came to live with them and helped with the household chores and tended to Joyce. After a year or so, when Joyce was eleven, the grandmother passed away. Joyce was again heartbroken because she’d come to love her grandmother dearly since she had come to live with them.

Gerald started taking Joyce fishing on his friend’s property at a young age. He also took her hiking in the national forest. She could hardly wait for the weekends so they could go to the friend’s property and fish for catfish and other species. Gerald also took Joyce hiking on the trails in the national forest showing her the trails less traveled. She especially loved the animal trails as Gerald had shown her the different tracks of raccoons, turkey, deer, and other game.

When Joyce was 14 Gerald taught her to wing shoot and hunt for small game. When she was 15 he bought her a twenty gauge shotgun for wing shooting and a .22 caliber rifle for shooting small game such as squirrels and rabbits. But Joyce’s main passion was fishing. While she loved hunting, she spent as much time as possible catching catfish out of the Meramac river. Unlike most girls her age she could gut them, skin them, filet them, and place them on ice for eating when she got home. Gerald had taught her that if you didn’t want to eat the fish you caught, throw them back. Also, you didn’t shoot game just for the sake of killing. You cleaned and prepared the game for the table. In other words you eat what you kill. He also taught her the exceptions were vermin such as snakes, rats, etc.

Joyce was a pretty girl and dated quite a bit her junior and senior years in high school, but had no special feelings for any of her dates. At 17 she entered college at Missouri State in Springfield. The college was within commuting distance of the Floyd home so Joyce lived at home during her college years. She always fixed breakfast and dinner for herself and her father.

During Joyce’s sophomore year in college the old gentleman that owned the forty four acre tract of land passed away. Gerald didn’t know if the heirs would let him and Joyce still hunt and fish on the property. A few days later the old guy’s attorney called Gerald and told him to stop by his office because the man had left the acreage to Gerald in his will because he loved it so. Gerald was dumbfounded but also elated that he now had title to the property.

Since Gerald now owned the forty four acre tract outright, he decided to build a cabin on the acreage. Electricity was installed from the main line to the property. He had a deep water well drilled. The water must have come from an artesian underground river because it was as cold as ice when it was pumped to the surface. He also had an oversized septic tank installed with additional field line footage. He then had a cabin constructed on the property. The house contained approximately three thousand square feet, three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, nice kitchen with a kitchenette nook, a huge den/living room, game room, and screened in deck. They had all the comforts of home in this cabin. It was tastefully furnished and was truly a home away from home.

During Joyce’s sophomore year in college, she dated a few boys but, again, had no special feelings for any of them. Just after midterm her junior year she met Jack Bonner. Jack was a senior and a computer science major and they met one afternoon in the research library where Joyce was having problems with one of the library’s computers. Jack asked if he could help and quickly fixed the problem.

For the next few afternoons they would see each other in the library and chat for a few moments. On Friday Jack asked Joyce if she’d like to go to dinner and she accepted. He called for her at her home she shared with her father and she invited Jack in to meet him. This was unusual because most of the time her dates would ring the doorbell and she would answer and leave.

Jack met Gerald and was very respectful. The next day Gerald asked Joyce if this boy was special. She told her father that she really liked him so far, but they hadn’t known each other for very long. She also told her father if he asked her out again she’d probably go. As it turned out Jack and Joyce started dating each other exclusively. When Jack called for Joyce at her home he would always chat with Gerald for a few minutes. Gerald became quite fond of the boy.

Jack had finished college and he and a partner named Miles Carpenter formed a computer company. Joyce was in her senior year and was graduating with a degree in accounting with a parallel degree in business.

Jack and his partner were geniuses at computer hardware and software but had no head for business. Their small company was growing and they needed someone for a business manager. Jack wanted to offer the job to Joyce. Jack’s partner was reluctant at first about bringing Jack’s girlfriend into the business, but after he interviewed Joyce he was just as enthusiastic about Joyce as Jack was.

Gerald had wanted Joyce to come to work for him. She had relieved some of his regular employees during summer vacations, when school was out, during high school and college. She told her father that in his company she would be the boss’s daughter and she wanted to see if she could make it on her own, so she declined.

Joyce organized Jack’s company, incorporated it, valued the stock, and just generally made it a viable business. It was becoming more and more profitable. Jack handled the software side of the business, his uncle Ike the hardware side, Miles handled sales, and Joyce the administrative side. They became a very successful team.

Jack, with Gerald’s blessing, started spending weekends with Gerald and Joyce at the cabin. Jack had done some hunting and fishing in his early teens so he was glad to get back to the outdoors. He loved to hunt, fish and hike as much as Joyce did and always looked forward to his weekends at the cabin with Joyce and her father. Gerald’s knees were growing painful so he slowed down a lot on the hiking, but encouraged Jack and Joyce to do so. Soon Jack knew the back trails and short cuts as well as Joyce did.

After a couple of years Gerald became unable to work. He begged Joyce to take over and run his businesses since she had proven herself to be such a good manager. She consented to do so since she had trained someone to take her place at Jack’s company. Jack and Miles didn’t want to lose Joyce but understood the obligation she felt toward her ailing father.

Jack’s background also had the outdoors instilled inside him. He was born to Terence and Bonita Bonner and named John Paul after his paternal grandfather. Since the grandfather was called Jack the baby was called little Jack. The name Jack stuck and he was called Jack the rest of his life.

Jack’s parents worked in a lead mine. Terence was a miner and Bonita was the bookkeeper. Bonita’s brother, Ike, was a computer geek. He loved little Jack and started him on computers when he was three. Little Jack took to computers like a duck to water. He loved operating computers and this thrilled Ike.

Grandpa Jack was an avid fisherman and he started taking little Jack fishing when he was five. Jack also loved fishing and the outdoors. On weekends little Jack, his grandfather, and his father would go fishing and camping out in the woods.

During Jack’s early elementary school years he became quite proficient with computers. By the time he entered high school he had patented a couple of computer software programs. He began receiving royalties and placed the money into investment opportunities and savings accounts. By the time he entered college at Missouri State he had been granted some more patents and invested his money wisely.

In Jack’s junior year in college he met Miles Carpenter. They decided to pool their resources and start a computer company once they finished college. The boys were very competent technically, but weren’t very good business men. That, of course, is when they hired Joyce to operate the administrative side of the business.

Joyce had left Jack’s business and taken over running her father’s businesses. After she had been doing so for about six months Jack officially proposed marriage. They had been talking on and off about marriage for the past couple of years. They were married in June of 2004. Gerald was in a wheel chair but wanted to give his daughter away, which he did. Gerald died soon after and it broke Joyce’s heart. Jack and Joyce continued to run their respective companies and both were flourishing and doing well.

A year or so after Jack and Joyce married, Joyce became pregnant. Sonograms revealed that she was carrying identical twin boys. Joyce started grooming a young MBA to run her father’s companies, which were now hers. She wanted to quit work when she gave birth to raise her family. Joyce gave birth to twin boys in March of 2005 when she was twenty five years old. Joyce quit work but remained chairman of the company and met with the managers once a month to stay in the loop. She took no active part in running the business.

Jack and Joyce were very proud of their twins. They named them Terence and Gerald after both grandfathers, but called them Terry and Jerry.

When the boys were old enough both Jack and Joyce taught them to fish and hike on the trails in the forest. They spent their weekends and a lot of the summer months at the cabin, which was now Joyce’s. By the time the boys started middle school they knew the woods and forest trails as well as Jack and Joyce, maybe even better. They, like their father, loved the outdoors and computers.

Jack’s company continued to grow and flourish. The stock price had grown to be quite high in price per share. Joyce advised Jack and Miles to split the shares ten to one making the price more affordable to small investors. They did so and the stock started rising again. In a few months the stock was almost up to half of the price when it split. Jack and Miles, who owned a majority of the shares, had become quite wealthy. A few months later a huge international corporation offered to purchase the company at a price per share twenty five percent higher than the selling price of the stock if they could acquire a majority. This meant that both Jack and Miles would have to sell. They talked it over and decided to sell out. This made both of them very rich so Jack, although just forty years old, decided to retire. He found it was a full time job just managing his portfolio. Joyce was the mastermind behind managing Jack’s fortune..

The twins were very close and were popular in school. They delighted in fooling some people into thinking one was the other. They especially liked deceiving their teachers, although some of the teachers didn’t think it was very funny. The boys continued their love of computers and could complete most of their school work on them.

The boys were now fourteen and school was out. The family was making preparations to go to their cabin for the summer. While no game hunting was in season, the fishing was great. The late spring weather was perfect for fishing and hiking. The boys dug out their heavy boots because the snakes were just warming up from their winter of hibernating. They also carried some sturdy sticks to sometimes beat the bushes ahead of where they wanted to go to scare any snakes off. The boys carried snake bite kits in their back packs and had been trained what to do if they ever got bit. Fortunately they never had to use this training. These boys had been taught all the ways of the forest and were quite at home while hiking. In addition to snake bite kits, they also carried compasses, water purification tablets, plenty of rope, matches, as well as other safety and survival equipment. It was all condensed neatly in and around their back packs.

This particular trip was to be pretty exciting for the boys. Jack and Joyce had agreed to let them build a camp close to their favorite fishing hole and it would also be near their prime hunting area for wild turkey and quail. The boys had been taught to wing shoot at an early age. They also loved to hunt quail and knew all the good hunting locations. Since the boys were so young, Jack wouldn’t let them hunt alone but would always accompany them. He did, however, let the boys do all the shooting. He and Joyce also taught the boys how to prepare the game for the table and saw to it that they always did so.

Jack hooked a trailer to their SUV and went by Lowe’s to get the lumber and other supplies needed to construct their camping cabin. They loaded up and headed for the cabin.

Traditionally, Jack let the boys out at a point on Hwy. 32 where they could hike a couple of trails and wind up at their favorite fishing hole on the Bonner property. He told the boys he would drive the trailer down to the spot they wanted to build their cabin and park it. They would unload it as they constructed the cabin over the next few days.

After a couple hours of driving they reached the point on Hwy. 32 where Jack let the boys out to hike the rest of the way. They walked an hour or so along one of their favorite back trails and heard a strange noise off to the north of the trail. Exits off the trail were rare due to the thick underbrush. The boys found an exit and crept toward the noise. Through some brush they saw a group of feral hogs rooting around and feeding. They decided to move closer and climb a tree they saw through the underbrush. They quietly made their way to the tree and when they looked up they saw a sight that scared the hell out of them.

Chapter 2

J

anet Diane Bennett McFarland’s mother was from a small town in south central Missouri. She attended college at Missouri State in Springfield. That’s where she met her future husband Charles Bennett. They met during Janet’s mother’s senior year and married when she finished college. Charles was a 1st lieutenant in the U. S. Air Force and was transferred to a base close to San Francisco in California.

After they were located about a year in California, Janet was born. The year was 1987. The Bennetts were transferred to different bases around the world, but were brought back to where Janet was born when she was sixteen. She finished high school as salutatorian of her class at seventeen and attended college at Berkeley majoring in criminology.

She returned home in 2008 and attended the police academy in Oakland. She was originally hired by the Oakland Police Department as a fingerprint technician, advanced to the marine patrol, and in 2010 took the detective exam and passed it with a high score. She was advanced to a detective job in the robbery division and was detailed to the homicide division two years later.

Detective Bennet was a very meticulous homicide investigator and solved some really tough cases that earned her a couple of promotions and some awards. She also excelled on the pistol range.

Along the way she was married to Dwayne McFarland whom she’d met while investigating a case at the building where he worked. The McFarlands bought a nice house in Alameda and were very happy for a year or so. Dwayne worked for a large computer manufacturer, was really good at what he did, so he was offered a nice promotion. The only problem was that he would have to transfer to Chicago. Janet really didn’t want to leave her job and California, but had been brought up to go where the husband went. It was decided that Dwayne would go on to Chicago and send for Janet when he got squared away.

Janet put their house on the market, stored their furniture, and moved back home with her parents. Her father had been ailing for some time with cancer and she helped care for him. Janet had written Dwayne a few letters telling him what all she had done but got no replies.

One day a man showed up serving papers on Janet. Dwayne was suing for divorce. The papers had been prepared by an attorney there in Oakland. Janet immediately contacted a lawyer she knew and had him look into the matter. As it turned out Dwayne only wanted the car he was driving as far as property settlement and Janet could have everything else. This included equity in the house, which had appreciated quite a bit, the car she was driving, which was older, but paid for, and all their checking and savings accounts. Janet did not contest the divorce or request alimony and Dwayne didn’t even show up for the divorce proceedings. Janet never knew why Dwayne wanted to divorce her and she was too proud to ask him. She just assumed it was another woman.

Janet’s father’s health kept deteriorating and one night he died in his sleep. Janet’s mother was devastated. A few months after the funeral she decided to move back to her roots in Missouri. She still owned the farm where she was raised. The farm land was leased out to a farmer in the area and the house was rented to a separate couple. The house was becoming available due to the lease expiring so Mrs. Bennet moved back home. Janet took some vacation time and helped her. Janet had her mother grant her power of attorney so she could dispose of her house in California and other possessions she didn’t want to move to Missouri. Janet decided to rent, on a short term six month lease, a furnished apartment until she could find her another house.

Four months later Janet received word that her mother was in the hospital. Janet took vacation time and flew to Missouri to see about her ailing mother. She had developed diabetes and her eyesight was failing, although pneumonia is what had hospitalized her. When her mother was well enough to return home, Janet decided to quit her job and move to Missouri to care for her mother. Janet was fairly sound financially due to the divorce settlement. She had a month left on her apartment lease and used that month to give notice to her employer that she was quitting to move to Missouri. She had her furniture, which was still in storage, moved to her mother’s house in Missouri. She said goodbye to all her friends on the police force and moved to Missouri to care for her mother.

Janet now had no income, but the lease money from the farm and Mrs. Bennett’s survivor annuity from the Air Force was more than enough to sustain them. Janet placed employment applications with police and sheriff’s departments throughout the area. She got a call from a Florence Maples at the sheriff’s office of the county in which they lived. She was asked if she could come in for an interview. She stated that she could do so at their convenience.

The meeting was scheduled the next day at 10:00 a.m. Janet first met with Mrs. Maples, who was personnel assistant, bookkeeper, receptionist, secretary, and overall the complete office staff. She was then interviewed by Sheriff Lon Brooks, the high sheriff. Sheriff Brooks told Janet he needed a deputy that was experienced in homicide investigations, that his other deputies had no experience investigating homicides and her past experience in that area is what prompted him to interview her.. He further told her he had a couple of open cases and the trail was getting cold. Janet informed the sheriff she had solved some cold cases when she was in Oakland and would gladly accept the challenge here if hired. The sheriff told Janet he couldn’t equal the salary she was receiving on her previous job. They agreed on a salary and Janet could begin the next day. Janet went back to Mrs. Maples’ office and had coffee with her. Mrs. Maples then processed Janet’s paperwork, issued her a temporary badge, and swore her in.

Janet asked, Would it be okay if I take the files on the unsolved homicides home and study them?

Sure, said Mrs. Maples, You probably won’t find much information in them, though. By the way, my name is Flo and it sure will be nice to have another woman in the office.

It took almost a year, but Janet finally solved the cases with one suspect convicted and another incarcerated awaiting trial. Sheriff Brooks told Janet she really helped him toward his reelection run by solving the cases. Janet and Flo became good friends.

Mrs. Bennett’s health continued to deteriorate and she was hospitalized again. This time she didn’t come out. She passed away quietly during her hospital stay. The doctors told Janet that it appeared that Mrs. Bennett had just lost the will to live. Janet felt that her mother truly missed her father and had no desire to live without him. Her death really hurt Janet as she and her mom had become very close since Janet had moved in with her.

Janet, of course, inherited the house and the farm along with all of her mother’s possessions.

For a while Janet had no more homicides to investigate, but she proved to be helpful in solving other serious crimes. All of the other deputies liked for Janet to work with them on armed robberies, home invasions, burglaries, rapes, and other violent crimes. She was very professional and could usually follow procedures that led to arrests and convictions.

The office consisted of Sheriff Brooks, a chief deputy, which was vacant due to retirement, Flo, and six other deputies including Janet. They had four official vehicles, one for the sheriff, and three for the deputies. Sheriff Brooks was pleased that Janet fit so well with the unit not only because she was good at what she did, but also he liked her personally. The sheriff had known Janet’s grandfather and grandmother. They were good farm folks and Janet had this air of solid-as-a-rock personality. All of the other deputies as well as Flo liked working with Janet. Flo told her she brought an air of investigative professionalism to the unit and all there held her in high regard for that.

Janet felt good about being accepted as one of the group. She liked the small unit and enjoyed working with all of them. She actually looked forward to going to work each morning. The deputies rotated night duty, but working a few nights a month didn’t bother Janet. She rotated her turn just like the other deputies. The only exception was when she was working a homicide case. She then set her own hours and was excused from other duties. This county had very few homicides, no more than one or two a year.

Janet’s personal life was quite busy as she was spending all her off-duty hours caring for her mother. When her mother passed away, her home life changed dramatically. She busied herself going through her mother’s things, sorting out what she would donate to charity, and storing things with which she didn’t want to part. After all that was squared away, she began jogging and doing other exercises to stay in shape. She also started reading quite a bit on line. She wanted to stay up on investigative methods and other modern law enforcement techniques. These activities along with other necessities such as grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning house, and paying bills kept her off-duty hours quite occupied.

Janet also concentrated on her personal appearance. She had a beautiful face but never wore makeup during working hours. Also, she had long blond hair down to her shoulder blades. However, during working hours she kept it tied up at the nape of her neck, pulled tightly over the top of her head. Her eyes were sky blue and she had full red lips. She had large breasts and she wore a bra that flattened her out somewhat when she wore her uniform. When she was at work, unless you looked real closely, you would consider her somewhat of a plain Jane. Around her house and when jogging and exercising she wore her hair in a pony tail. She wore tight fitting jeans and loose fitting shirts. Her figure was quite nice with measurements of 38-25-36.

When she took her mother to church, she would dress up nicely wearing a beautiful dress, high heeled shoes with stockings, her hair shining like silk to her shoulder blades, and her makeup on perfectly. She was a thirty one year old knockout. She continued attending and supporting her mother’s church each Sunday morning even after her mother passed away. All in all at age thirty one she was a beautiful woman but never flaunted her beauty during working hours.

Chapter 3

T

hat the boys saw on a limb twelve or thirteen feet above the ground were two naked human bodies hanging by the neck with ropes. The boys were so scared and excited that they ran all the way to the cabin where their parents were.

Jerry said gasping for breath, Dad, Mom,(pant, pant), we found dead bodies—

Jack interrupted him and told him to calm down.

Terry chimed in and said, It’s true. They were hanging from a tree limb.

Jack said, Okay boys, calm down and tell me exactly what you saw. He said, Okay, Jerry, you go first.

Jerry said, We were creeping up on this tree to get a better look at the wild hogs feeding in the area.

Terry said, We moved closer to see them better and decided to climb a tree.

Jerry said, When we looked up in the tree we saw the bodies.

Jack asked, Are you sure they were bodies and not just dummies that someone was using to play a joke?

Terry said, I don’t think they were dummies. They looked real to me. How about you Jerry?

Jerry said, They looked real to me too. There they were just hanging there with nothing on but their shoes.

Jack said, Okay, boys, you’ve convinced me enough that I need to go see for myself. You will have to take me there, but I don’t want you viewing the bodies again if they’re real. You can take me to the point where you spotted the tree and I’ll go the rest of the way alone.

The boys guided Jack to the point where they saw the tree beyond the underbrush. Jack carefully proceeded to the tree and saw what the boys saw. Sure enough, it was two real bodies. Jack thought it peculiar that they were naked except for their shoes and socks. Jack started to take some pictures with his phone, but decided it was too gruesome an atrocity to have pictures floating around.

Jack went back to the point where he left the boys and told them to follow him back to the hiking trail. Actually it was more of an animal trail, but a few hikers used it. Jack then phoned 911 and told the operator to listen carefully.

Jack said, I’m in the Mark Twain National Forest and have come upon two dead bodies. I need someone here in authority to take charge. I’m in a very remote area of the forest so let me suggest that you have whoever you send go to the Floyd place off Hwy. 32 and I’ll have one of my boys guide them to the area.

The operator asked, Is there a need for medical attention?

Jack replied, No, it’s in the hands of law enforcement and the coroner. It appears the couple was murdered.

What leads you to believe that? asked the operator.

They were hanging by their necks with rope, replied Jack.

Then I’d better send the sheriff’s department, said the operator.

Good idea, said Jack, I’m sure that the sheriff’s people will know where the Floyd place is, said Jack.

Jack sent Jerry to the cabin and told him to brief his mother and guide the deputies to the point on the trail so he could lead them to the crime scene. Jerry arrived at the cabin and told his mother that his dad had verified that what they had discovered was the real thing. He also told her that Jack had directed the deputies here to the house and he would guide them to the point on the trail so they could enter the area where the tree was located.

Dad and Terry are waiting at the entry point for the sheriffs, Jerry told his mother.

She said, I don’t want you and Terry going back to where the bodies are. That just sounds too gruesome and I don’t want you boys exposed to it anymore.

Jerry said, That suits me fine, Mom, and I know Terry doesn’t care if he never sees that sight again. It scared the crap out of us.

I can imagine, said Joyce.

About that time the sheriff’s deputies arrived. It so happened that one of the deputies, Scott Warden, had finished high school with Joyce. They hadn’t seen each other since graduation and were glad to meet again after all those years. Scott hugged Joyce and told her she was just as beautiful now as she was in high school.

Joyce said, Scott Warden, you’re still the charmer you were back then, but thanks so much for the compliment.

The other deputy was Janet McFarland. Scott said, Joyce, please meet my partner, Janet McFarland.

Janet and Joyce exchanged amenities and Scott said they should get down to business. Joyce introduced Jerry to Deputies Warden and McFarland and told him to relate the way he and his twin brother discovered the bodies.

Joyce said, Scott, I don’t want my boys exposed to that gruesome scene anymore. Jerry will guide you to the entry point on the trail, but Jack will show you the way to the tree.

Janet hugged Jerry and said, I will personally see to it that these young men stay out of sight of that scene. They have done an excellent job of reporting these deaths.

Jerry was taking the deputies back down the trail and wanted them to run, but they convinced him a brisk walk would suffice. During the walk Jerry excitedly told how the discovery was made.

Jerry said, My brother and I were never so scared in all our lives. We practically grew up in the woods and we know our way around better than anybody else, but we had never seen anything like this.

When they arrived at the location where Jack and Terry were waiting, Jerry introduced the deputies to his father. They shook hands all around and Jack asked the deputies if they were ready to view the crime scene.

Deputy Warden said, Jack, Joyce requested that the boys not be exposed to that scene again and I gave my word that it would be as she asked.

I agree, said Jack, I can show you and Deputy McFarland to the area and send the boys on home. I’ll wait for you here.

Great, said Deputy Warden. That way I’ll be keeping my promise to Joyce.

The boys didn’t want to go home and miss all the excitement.

Jack said, Okay, but you guys stay right here and I’ll join you after I show the deputies to the tree.

Jack then showed the deputies to the tree. Janet cautioned Jack and Scott not to disturb anything.

She said, The hogs have done a pretty good job of messing the ground up around the crime scene, but there could still be some clues that would be helpful in solving the murders.

Scott said, Janet is an experienced homicide detective and we should follow her lead when it comes to murder investigations.

Jack and Scott stayed back and let Janet proceed. Her past job had taken her to many crime scenes and she knew how to observe the entire area with a minimum of disturbance. She then stood in a strategic location and started photographing the bodies, the area around the scene, and any other scenery that could be a total view of the crime scene. Janet returned to where Jack and Scott were waiting and reminded them that this was a crime committed on federal lands and investigation would have to be by federal law enforcement.

Scott said, You’re right. I know the local U. S. forest ranger so I’ll give him a call and start the ball rolling.

Scott punched in a number on his cell phone and said, Hey, my friend, it’s Scott Warden. Are you sitting down? Okay, here’s the deal. We’ve found two bodies hanging from a tree limb here in the Mark Twain National Forest. It appears they’ve been here one to two days. Since this is federal land, it’s out of my jurisdiction. I do have some people with me so if we can assist, just say so.

He then brought the ranger up to date and asked if they could do anything. The ranger wanted Scott and his crew to keep the area clear of traffic until he could get instructions from headquarters.

Scott said, Okay, here’s what the ranger has asked. He wants us to keep the area clear of other people, animals, and anything else that could disturb the scene. Do any of you know if there are any other trails that would lead to the scene?

Jack said, I don’t know of any. The boys know this area better than anybody else. How about it boys?

Terry said, The only other trails close by are one about two hundred yards north, but it’s too thick with brush between it and the tree clearing to be accessible.

Jerry said, The trail to the east is cluttered with too much thick brush to get from there to the tree. There are two more clear passages off this trail to the area, but they are just east of this point and you can see them from here.

Scott asked, Then you think this would be a good vantage point to keep the area clear of hikers?

Both boys answered, Yes sir.

Terry said, Would you want me to show you the other two entry ways to the clearing?

Yes, please, said Scott.

Terry took Scott up the trail a few yards and showed him the two other possible paths to the clearing. When he looked back he could easily see the others up the trail. Scott asked Terry if the entry they used was the closest to the clearing and he told him it was by several yards.

When Scott returned to the others he phoned Lon Brooks, the high sheriff, and brought him up to date on the situation. The sheriff advised Scott to cooperate with the feds until they could assume the investigation.

Jack sent the twins back to the cabin and told them to bring their mother up to date. The boys wanted to stay, but Jack told them if some other authorities were to arrive the cabin they would be needed to bring them to this point on the trail. The boys reluctantly departed for home.

When the boys returned home they told their mom what all had taken place down the trail. Terry asked his mother if their father just wanted to get rid of them. Joyce assured her sons that their father’s only interest was to show arriving officers the trail and to lead departing officers out. The boys were relieved that they weren’t being excluded from the project.

Terry asked his mom, Mom, who would do such a horrible thing to fellow human beings?

Joyce replied, I don’t know, son. People like us who are normal citizens have a difficult time understanding minds that would conceive such an atrocity.

Jerry asked, Mom, do you think the people that did this were crazy or demented or something?

Again, it’s hard for me to answer you intelligently because I just can’t comprehend someone committing such an atrocity, said Joyce.

Soon a sheriff’s vehicle pulled into the yard. Terry saw the car drive in and met the officer at the door before he could knock.

Joyce welcomed the officer inside. It was the high sheriff himself, Lon Brooks. He said, You probably don’t remember me since you were a young girl the last time I saw you, but I’m Lon Brooks the sheriff.

Joyce hugged the sheriff and said, Of course I remember you, Sheriff Brooks. You used to go to Nebraska with the group my dad accompanied pheasant hunting. You always brought me horehound candy, which I loved. How could I ever forget you?

And she hugged the sheriff again.

Oh, Joyce, you remembered. You were such a pretty little girl and we all adored you, said the sheriff. He then became very businesslike and told Joyce he’d heard from a federal investigator in Washington.

The Forestry Service will be sending an investigator from their department to conduct the investigation into these murders, said Sheriff Brooks, I would like to go to the scene and see this atrocity for myself since the feds asked me to keep the area secure until their special agent arrived. Could one of your boys show me to the point on the trail where their father is stationed?

Certainly, said Joyce, Terry will take you and Jerry will stay here with me.

Terry soon came down the trail with Sheriff Brooks. Terry introduced the sheriff to his father and they shook hands. The sheriff told Jack he’d heard from Washington and they asked him to keep the area secured until their man could get here to take over. He then asked Jack to take him to where his deputies were guarding the area as he wanted to personally observe the crime scene. Jack did as the sheriff requested.

The sheriff took one look at the bodies hanging from the tree limb and said, I’ve been sheriff of this county for seventeen years and was a deputy before that, but I’ve never seen a scene this gruesome.

Janet said, I know what you mean, Sheriff, I’ve viewed a lot of crime scenes during my career, but this stands out as one of the ugliest.

Scott said, I wonder why in hell they stripped them of all their clothes but their shoes.

Who knows, said the sheriff. What goes through the mind or minds of someone that would commit such an atrocity.

He continued, Let’s go back to the trail and talk to the Bonners. We’re probably going to need their help and cooperation until the feds take over.

The sheriff and two deputies arrived back at the point on the trail where Jack and Terry were waiting.

The sheriff said, Scott, you and Janet keep watch until I can spell you off with two more deputies in about four hours. Jack, can we use your place as a sort of command post? That will give the deputies a place to park and enter the trail.

Jack said, Certainly, Sheriff Brooks, my family and I will do all we can to assist. Me or one of my boys will escort the arriving deputies to this point and escort the departing deputies out.

Excellent, said Sheriff Brooks. Scott, you and Janet monitor the crime scene. Jack, if you don’t mind staying at this point and keeping other hikers from leaving the trail, I would appreciate it.

Jack said, I’d be glad to.

This will be our exchange point for arriving and departing deputies, said the sheriff, Later we’ll station one deputy here and one at the crime scene.  

At that point, Sheriff Brooks and Terry left for the cabin.

At the cabin Joyce invited the sheriff in for coffee. He explained to Joyce that Jack had agreed to use this place as sort of a command post for deputies changing shifts and a place to park their cars.

Jack also said that he or one of the boys would show oncoming deputies the way to the entry point on the trail to the crime scene and lead the deputies going off-duty to the place here.

Joyce said, Again, I don’t want the boys exposed to that awful scene again.

Let me assure you, Joyce, that the boys will only go to the point on the trail as long as the bodies are there. I agree that they should not be exposed to that gruesome sight again, said the sheriff. He continued, If you boys are going to be helping my office, you need to be sworn in as honorary deputy sheriffs. Terry, go look in the back seat of my car and bring me that canvas bag.

Terry ran to the car and got the canvas bag requested by the sheriff. The sheriff then pulled two badges out of the bag along with a printing device. He printed out Bonner, T and Bonner, J and attached them to the badges. He gave the badges to one of the boys and told him to be sure it was pinned on the right one. He then had them raise their right hands and swore them in adding that they would follow instructions to the letter. The sheriff then bade Joyce and the boys goodbye and left.

Jack’s presence on the trail served two purposes. (1) To be sure no hikers left the trail toward the crime scene and