Murder Most Fowl

by Agnes Hooper

About the Author: I am a freelance writer and former newspaper reporter.

Excerpt

The derailment was proving to be a monumental headache for the Black River cops. It was bad enough that the eastbound train had jumped the tracks on its advance through the marshy flatlands of Lorain County to the rail yards in Cleveland. It also inconveniently happened where the tracks crossed heavily trafficked McKinney Road. Several boxcars toppled onto the railroad right-of-way and spilled their cargo, which included new washing machines and dryers.

All on duty officers were at the chaotic scene, rerouting traffic and keeping onlookers and scavengers away. The railroad was sending in a couple of cranes to hoist the engine back onto the tracks and right the boxcars, but it was going to take two, maybe three days to clean up the intersection. Chief Andy Drucker ordered all available off duty personnel to report in too, and that included Officer Linda Priebe.

An athletic five feet seven, with dark blonde hair she customarily wore in a French braid, gray-green eyes and a determined set to her jaw, Linda was a six-month rookie anxious to prove her bona fides. She peeled in to the PD parking lot, beelined for the women’s locker room and within moments was in uniform and headed out the door to her patrol car and the derailment.

“Linda, wait!”

 Milly Jensen, one of the dispatchers, was waving her over.

“Okay … okay … please ma’am, try to calm down. I’ve got an officer right here. I’ll put her on,” Milly was saying to the caller.

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