Milk Carton Murders 29

This is much later after Hal's questioning. Dave has boxes he pulled from their attic. One has Friends of Foster Families files, the other two, photographs from over the many years. Dave and Pepper are trying to match pictures of the children in their files with any photos in the box. 

As always the italics is the other voice in Dave's head.

Dave took the lid off the first box. Inside were old black and whites, a man in a civil war outfit, some tintypes, and photos of both his parents when they were children themselves—even their baby pictures. At least someone had the good sense to write on the backs of most of them who was who. Unfortunately, there was nothing that was relevant to the case. He put the lid back on, pushed it to the side, and pulled the other one in front of him. This box of photographs held more promise, they were in the right time frame. There were a few of himself as a kid.
 
What? No baby pictures of our little, Davy? That’s weird, don’t you think?  

***

The link to the other Weekend Writing Warriors is here. You're bound to find something to pique your interest.

The Sunday Snippet writer's on Facebook are here. Between the two there is something for everyone. Thank you for any comments you leave me. Much appreciated!

*** 

BLURB:

When three small coffins are unearthed near the Wiscoy Creek during a routine dredging operation, it’s the last thing DAVE ROBERTSON, of the Lamont Weekly Times, expected. Pinned to the skeleton’s clothing are pictures from milk cartons of missing girls.

Dave is stunned to find that one of the girls is Sally―a foster child his parents had cared for through the Friends of Foster Families (FFF) program. Cold case files reveal the girls disappeared over 20 years ago. Knowing his house was the last place he saw Sally alive, he can’t help but suspect his dad.

How can he write the biggest story of his career if his father turns out to be the killer? If the voice in his head would shut up and let him remember, he might figure it out before he loses his mind and his dad is charged with murder.

Full blurb and snippet recap here.

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Milk Carton Murders 28

SETUP: We're leaving last week's scene where Dave's dad is being questioned. I'm leaving a lot of the next part out as it has too many clues to post before it's published (at some point). Let's just say there are other suspects and Dave is determined to help Investigator Pepper Black figure out who those people are. A lot of people worked at the dairy twenty years ago in the milk carton plant, not just Dave's dad. (Remember, Dave and Pepper have a deal, he can tag along for an exclusive for not printing the milk carton photos in the newspaper, and she wants to keep him close anyway, positive he's holding something back.) Below is a conversation between Dave and Pepper. She shows Dave a photo, hoping for a reaction, of what was in the coffin with the one foster girl who stayed at Dave's house when he was about 13. Pepper speaks first.

As always the words in italics is the "other" voice in Dave's head.

"The girl you knew as Melissa Riggs, a.k.a. our victim Samantha Briggs—who by the way, we need to start calling her by her real name—she had a stuffed dog, more teddy bear style construction, made of polyester which is why it survived.”

 Dave didn’t want to look at the photograph, nor did he need to. “Was it yellow?”

“Yes, extremely dirty, but it was yellow—and you knew this how?”

Dave slumped against the jeep, dragged his fingers through his hair, and back again. Please, he thought, no more headaches—focus. “Because I gave it to her; I think I won it at the county fair.”

You think? Oh come on Davy, quit being such a chicken shit, you can remember—or do I have to tell you?

***

The link to the other Weekend Writing Warriors is here. You're bound to find something to pique your interest.

The Sunday Snippet writer's on Facebook are here. Between the two there is something for everyone. Thank you for any comments you leave me. Much appreciated!

*** 

BLURB:

When three small coffins are unearthed near the Wiscoy Creek during a routine dredging operation, it’s the last thing DAVE ROBERTSON, of the Lamont Weekly Times, expected. Pinned to the skeleton’s clothing are pictures from milk cartons of missing girls.

Dave is stunned to find that one of the girls is Sally―a foster child his parents had cared for through the Friends of Foster Families (FFF) program. Cold case files reveal the girls disappeared over 20 years ago. Knowing his house was the last place he saw Sally alive, he can’t help but suspect his dad.

How can he write the biggest story of his career if his father turns out to be the killer? If the voice in his head would shut up and let him remember, he might figure it out before he loses his mind and his dad is charged with murder.

Full blurb and snippet recap here.

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Milk Carton Murders 27

SETUP: We continue the scene of Dave's dad, Hal, being questioned by the sheriff and Investigator Pepper Black for 20-year-old crimes---the murders of three small girls. One of the victims was Melissa Riggs (whose real name turns out to be Samantha Briggs), a foster child in their house when Dave was a kid. Their bodies were recently found when three coffins slide out of the Wiscoy Creek bank after a storm. Pinned to each is a piece of a milk carton with a missing child photo. Back then, Hal worked in the plant that made the milk cartons at the local Wiscoy Dairy.

Hal insisted they bring along a box of old "Friends of Foster Families" files that Dave had pulled out of the attic, thinking it would help clear things up. And now the snippet.

 Sheriff Nazzaro put the photograph of Samantha Briggs that was sent to them by the Center For Missing Children to the left of the photo marked Melissa Riggs from his dad’s file box, and the milk carton piece to the right.

“I’m not seeing how your foster files help you, Hal,” said Pepper, then she turned to face Nazzaro. “Look closely at the pictures sheriff; all of them are the same girl, no doubt about that—but the photo of Samantha used on the milk carton, and the photo of Melissa from Hal’s file are exactly the same —identical.”

Dave was perplexed; it was true—they were the same pose, dress, hairstyle—duplicates, a reprint. “Maybe the killer made a copy somehow,” Dave said, trying to defend his father.

“Oh come on, Dave, someone else got their hands on your dad’s files to put the photo on the milk carton? This paper clip has been stuck to that photo on the file folder so long it’s rusted to it,” Pepper pointed out, “like it's never moved."

 “I can’t explain it, okay?” Dave blurted out.

“Well I can,” said Hal.

***

This is the last I'll post of this scene as I can't tell you what Hal says. It is after all a mystery.:) I plan to get it published one way or another and don't want to give away too many clues.

***

The link to the other Weekend Writing Warriors is here. You're bound to find something to pique your interest.

The Sunday Snippet writer's on Facebook are here. Between the two there is something for everyone. Thank you for any comments you leave me. Much appreciated!

*** 

BLURB:

When three small coffins are unearthed near the Wiscoy Creek during a routine dredging operation, it’s the last thing DAVE ROBERTSON, of the Lamont Weekly Times, expected. Pinned to the skeleton’s clothing are pictures from milk cartons of missing girls.

Dave is stunned to find that one of the girls is Sally―a foster child his parents had cared for through the Friends of Foster Families (FFF) program. Cold case files reveal the girls disappeared over 20 years ago. Knowing his house was the last place he saw Sally alive, he can’t help but suspect his dad.

How can he write the biggest story of his career if his father turns out to be the killer? If the voice in his head would shut up and let him remember, he might figure it out before he loses his mind and his dad is charged with murder.

Full blurb and snippet recap here.

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Milk Carton Murders 26

Dave's dad Hal is being accused of a 20 year old crime---the murders of three small girls. Last week we left off with Dave randomly referencing his Boy Scout pinewood derby car. We pick up in the same place right after Pepper says, "In the middle of all we have been doing the last week, you were thinking of your Boy Scout car?”

As always the words in italics is the "other" voice in Dave's head.

“I was trying to trigger my dad’s memory about Sally," said Dave.

“Trigger my memory—that’s what the car bit was all about?” said Hal, annoyed. “Why the hell didn’t you just come out and ask me?”

“Hal, if you have something you want to get off your chest about all of this, I'm asking; it’s time to let it go,” said Sheriff Nazzaro.

Their playing good cop, bad cop again, Davy—Nazzy with his let-me-help-you-ease-your-conscience shit.

“You're right, they're doing the good cop bad cop thing,” said Dave. Pepper gave him a quizzical look. Too late to take his words back—he had answered himself out loud except no one heard the other voice he was talking to.

***

Well, one of the reasons for the derby car, but not the only one. Sally (whose real name is Samantha) was a foster child at Dave's house when he was a kid. She watched as Hal helped Dave make his derby car. Hope I didn't loose too much this time in the creative editing to fit the eight.
The link to the other Weekend Writing Warriors is here. You're bound to find something to pique your interest.

The Sunday Snippet writer's on Facebook are here. Between the two there is something for everyone. Thank you for any comments you leave me. Much appreciated!

*** 

BLURB:

When three small coffins are unearthed near the Wiscoy Creek during a routine dredging operation, it’s the last thing DAVE ROBERTSON, of the Lamont Weekly Times, expected. Pinned to the skeleton’s clothing are pictures from milk cartons of missing girls.

Dave is stunned to find that one of the girls is Sally―a foster child his parents had cared for through the Friends of Foster Families (FFF) program. Cold case files reveal the girls disappeared over 20 years ago. Knowing his house was the last place he saw Sally alive, he can’t help but suspect his dad.

How can he write the biggest story of his career if his father turns out to be the killer? If the voice in his head would shut up and let him remember, he might figure it out before he loses his mind and his dad is charged with murder.

Full blurb and snippet recap here.

Read More