Recipe Foe Murder (standard:mystery, 4814 words)
Author: Jim Keim	Added: Aug 24 2016	Views/Reads: 2957/1842	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Gillian does away with her husband & it appears the police chief does it for her - a perfect recipe.

RECIPE FOR MURDER BY JIM KEIM 

Chapter 1 

Wow? Isn't life wonderful?  Even when murder interrupts its process.
They were on our way home to Pennsylvania from a week long vacation 
trip to Maryland, visiting in-laws, when all hell broke loose. Their 
radiator on the van started overheating and they had to pull off to the 
side of the road to let it cool down. What a shame!  They were only 6 
miles from home. The Masseys decided, since they had to wait for a 
spell, that they'd open the cooler and see what they could find to 
munch. They pulled out some pudding snack cups and milks. Sam readily 
volunteered to drink the last beer, upon which Gillian blurted out a 
definite NO. Sam swore and protested a bit and then, finally poured 
himself some milk. Gillian kept thinking how she'd be glad when they 
got home. She was happy to visit with her parents but it made her week 
there a living hell. Sam hated them and he didn't have to try very hard 
to make it known. He complained the entire week they were there. Josh 
and Jena were restless from the long ride and wanted to play on the 
nearby hillside. Gillian, at first wasn't in favor of it, but then 
decided it would be all right. “Just be careful, kids and don't stray 
out of our sight.” “We won't mom, we promise.” They went toddling off 
on their way as Sam and I stood in front of the van, with its hood 
propped open; steam spewing out like a volcanic eruption. Suddenly her 
train of thought was interrupted by Jena's scream. She came running as 
I took off in a sprint and met her half way. “What is it honey?  Are 
you all right?” “Oh mom, come quick. It's awful . . . it's . . .” She 
was crying so hard, it was difficult to understand what she was trying 
to say. Gillian followed her over to the hillside and there it was?a 
body. Part of an arm was sticking up from a mound of loosely packed 
soil. By the neatly painted nails and the wristwatch, it was quite 
apparent the body was that of a female. Gillian pulled out her cell 
phone and dialed 911, giving her location and the reason why she was 
calling. The local police arrived within minutes. “Ma'am?  You reported 
a body was discovered?” “Yes sir.” “And your name, please?” “Oh?it's 
Gillian Massey, but it was my daughter Jena who found it?er . . . I 
mean her.” “I see. And why are you folks parked along the roadside 
here?” “Oh, well?our radiator was boiling over so we stopped to let it 
cool down. My husband had just closed the hood when you were arriving. 
We're on our way home from vacation.” “Very well. Why don't you folks 
stay by your vehicle while my partner and I go have a look? An 
ambulance should be arriving momentarily. We waited while they loaded 
the bagged body into the ambulance and hauled it away. The officer 
asked us to stay in town for a day, just in case they had a few more 
questions to ask. Gillian explained they were only 6 miles from being 
home and she gave them their address and phone number. The police were 
soon on their way and so were they. Gillian just wanted to get home and 
put this nightmare of a trip behind her. 

Chapter 2 

The Masseys arrived home within the hour only to find something horrible
had happened to Gillian's sister, Stacey. She wasn't able to get time 
off from her new job, so she had to stay home this time. She'd been 
living with Sam and Gillian for several years now. The sight of blood 
on the living room rug sent Gillian into hysterics. Sam came in and 
helped her over to the sofa. “Jesus, Sam. Someone ku . . . kil . . . 
killed her. Why would . . .?” “Now hold on. Maybe she had an accident 
and went to the hospital. After all, her car is gone.” “No Sam, I don't 
believe this was an accident. That's a lot of blood there. And look, it 
leads through the den and out towards the back door.” They followed the 
trail out the door and down the steps, to where it disappeared at the 
driveway where Stacey parks her car. They called the police to make 
their report, and they said they'd send a team of officers over soon as 
possible. They told us not to touch anything. Some time had passed and 
they finally arrived. The officers looked over the scene and found a 
blood stained ax lying outside in the bushes. They said they'd take it 
along back with them, along with blood samples from the living room 
carpet. Gillian also gave them a full description of Stacey's car. Then 
a phone call came in and the older officer answered it. His face 
ashened. “Mrs. Massey, I'm afraid I have some bad news for you,” he 
said with a grim expression on his face. They've identified the body 
you folks found back along the roadside. It's Stacey Edwards.” “Oh my 
god, my si . . . sister. Somebody really did kill her.” Gillian burst 
into tears as she fainted, falling to her knees. The officers caught 


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