Murder at Harriston

By John J. Law

One of the richest men in town has been murdered while in his bed.
It's up to Sheriff Jack Whittlestone to locate and apprehend the killer.
Is he up to the task or will he have to rely on his hot-headed Deputy to do the job?
The murdered man's business partner is the prime suspect, but is he the only suspect?

• Language: English
• Publisher: J.C. Hulsey Books
• Release date: Mar 29, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224049936

Book preview

Chapter One: Murder in A Boom Town.

It was getting dark but the town of Harriston was just starting to kick. Like a bull that had been kept in the corral for way too long, the local saloon was slowly coming to life. The day was just slowly giving way to the night, and there were still a lot of hours of merriment left.

Recently, the small town of Harriston was slowly coming into its own. The once-small and sleepy town, was now making significant strides in growth. The discovery of oil in the town vicinity made progress a real and tangible thing. A lot of new establishments were sprouting all over the town like a general store, a telegraph office, and most recently a brewery right at the front of the town. These establishments taking root were landmark steps for the town, and the mood everywhere was generally upbeat. Life was looking up, with the promise of even better things to come for everyone.

This night was a particularly significant night. It was the night after the inaugural opening of the brewery. The H&H brewery had just opened its doors to the public for business, and whiskey and drink flowed freely for all. Or at least for this night only, courtesy of the brewers’ principal owners, Thomas Hedgerton and Randall Hendershaw. The two businessmen had rightly decided that their names were way too long to pronounce and remember together for the business name. Their business needed something short, catchy, and easy to remember thus, H&H whiskey was born.

Tonight, they would celebrate their good fortunes in business, and give a little back to their loyal customers.

Drinks are on us!

Randall's cry was met with thunderous approval from the crowd in the saloon. It seemed as if all of Herriston packed into the saloon for this night, and for good reason. Just as Hendershaw had said, it was a night of free drinks from the generous owners of H&H.

Whoo-yeah!

All right!

Let's go!

Various cheers of approval reverberated throughout the saloon. On this night seemed as if the small establishment would shake apart from the raucous cries of their patrons. The sound of the saloon piano playing rag music soon followed the wild cheers of the people. The saloon was in full swing.

Come on, everyone! Drink it all up, for tonight, the drinks are all on H&H whiskey!

The crowd cheered again. Randall had them eating from the palm of his hand and for good reason. He meant every word he said. The drinks were definitely all on them, much to the chagrin of his partner, Thomas Hedgerton.

I'm glad to see that you're enjoying yourself tonight, Randy. Thomas said.

Randy smiled at Thomas and held his shoulder.

I'm enjoying myself, as well as I should! The drink is flowing freely, and there's great times to be had by all!

Randy caught Sheriff Jack Whittlestone's eye. The sheriff of