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ALMOSTLY MURDER...WITH PETS i Marion Moore Hill's contribution to ALMOSTLY MURDER..WITH PETS is "Bear With Me," a tale of an irritating but lovable black dog named Bear, the young woman who "inherits" him, and the possible murder of one of her neighbors. Does Bear solve the case? Not exactly. But then again-- Sample the story: BEAR WITH ME "Oh, Bear!" The woolly black puppy sat back on his haunches, regarding Allison with a placid, tongue-dangling expression. Grains of dirt spilled from his wide muzzle. "Kevin and I worked so hard on this lawn," she wailed. Setting down her briefcase and purse, she grabbed his collar and scolded, "Bad dog! I'm going to kill your owner when she gets home!" He shut his mouth and cocked his head, looking so quizzical Allison had to chuckle. "Sure made a mess of your front yard, didn't he?" a frail voice spoke nearby. "Oh, hi, Ridley," Allison said. Her neighbor, a stooped, gray-haired man with a gentle, lined face and a hangdog manner, stood looking over the high wooden fence separating their properties. She walked over. "You know anything about training dogs?" she asked plaintively. "My co-worker Karen was given this one as a gift, and she left for Europe with her parents soon after. I don't know how to make an animal behave--especially a big, unruly puppy like Bear." Hearing his name, the dog waved his white-tipped tail, brushing the turf behind him. Liquid dark eyes regarded the humans with good will. "We've allus had cats," murmured Ridley. "Leastways my wife did. My daughter won't have any pets around." Hearing wistfulness in his voice, Allison asked, "Carolee hasn't moved back home yet?" "Nah. Her and her husband's still having problems." He sighed. "I wish--" "Dad. What you doing out there so long?" Ridley cringed, turned to look at the petite blond on the porch behind him. "Nothing much. Just passing the time of day with Miss Williams." Allison waved a hello. Carolee glared, whipped around, strode into the house and banged the door. Allison raised an eyebrow. "She don't like me having friends," Ridley confided. "Especially women. But lord, Allison, Margaret's been gone nigh five years." "Is Carolee afraid you'll remarry?" "I guess. Not that I have much to leave her anyway. Only this house." Back to Top Allison glanced over his tidy bungalow and well-kept grounds. "It's a nice place." She noticed a spindly bush sticking out of newly turned earth at the rear corner of his dwelling. "Oh, you've planted something new. Seems late to put out roses, but you probably know more than I do about gardening." He smiled sheepishly. "I set it out while Carolee was at her bridge club last night. She give me 'what for' this morning for planting it late, putting it so close to the house, mostly for not checking with her first. A friend give it to me the other day, and I couldn't say no." "A woman friend?" Allison couldn't resist teasing....
A dancing roll of paper towels on TV faded, and a well-coiffed young man holding a microphone appeared. A sign on the building behind him said "Tulsa Police Department." "Speaking of work...," Kevin said with a rueful grin. "Police are investigating an anonymous phone tip received by KTUL-TV," the reporter said, "which claimed that foul play was involved in the Monday disappearance of Mrs. Willa Sloan. According to the male caller, and I'm quoting now, "Jacob Sloan knows a lot more than he's telling about what happened to his wife." File footage of the missing woman replaced the newsman's image, while his voice recapped an earlier report: Mrs. Sloan had been scheduled to speak at a charity luncheon two days ago. When she didn't show up, the event's organizer called her law partner, learning only that she had left work before noon to go to the luncheon. The TV picture showed an auburn-haired beauty chatting with two well-dressed older men at a reception for a visiting dignitary, her manner genteel but lively, bordering on flirtatious. She wore a stylish navy dress set off by a silver S-shaped pendant and a flashy two-carat diamond ring. The scene changed to a shot of her husband, a stockbroker, being interviewed by a female reporter the previous Monday. "I'm absolutely distraught," Jacob Sloan said, the balding, baggy-eyed man's morose expression at odds with his passionate words. "We talked about the luncheon this morning, and I've no reason to think Willa had changed her mind. Obviously I'll be filing a missing-persons report on her." The live picture reappeared, again showing the reporter in front of the police station. "Jacob Sloan said today through a spokesman that the phone call is obviously a cruel hoax, intended to hamper police in their quest to learn what really happened to his wife." "Didn't you say the Sloans live near you?" Kevin asked. Allison nodded. "That big Dutch Colonial two doors down. I only know her to speak to, but she seems friendly enough. I sometimes see her visiting with Ridley over the fence between their yards."...
Read the rest of "Bear With Me" in ALMOSTLY MURDER...WITH PETS. Order your copy from www.amazon.com, or send $9.95 plus $2.30 (total of $12.25) for shipping and handling to Marion Hill, P. O. Box 5172, Durant, Oklahoma, 74702.
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| CONTACT INFORMATION:
Marion Moore Hill is available to
speak at libraries, bookstores, conferences, book clubs, and other venues. To book her for a
speaking engagement, please contact Ms. Arlene Johnson, Arlene Johnson &
Associates, Public Relations, 406 South Boulder Ave., Suite 454, Tulsa, Oklahoma
74103-3825, phone (918) 493-1994; Fax (918) 582-6106; e-mail ajohnsonpr@cox.net.
To direct a question or comment to the author, e-mail marion@marionmoorehill.com or write P. O. Box 5172, Durant, Oklahoma 74702. Site last updated 7/7/08. |
