Signal to Murder Read online

  Signal

  to

  Murder

  Sorrell’s Awakening

  First book in The Sorrell Mystery Series

  Authored By

  Rhone` Sonnier Louviere`

  And

  Barbara Miller Sonnier

  Edited by: Barbara Miller Sonnier

  And

  Rhone` Sonnier Louviere`

  Amazon CreateSpace Book

  Self-Published

  Copyright 2013 by Ron J. Sonnier

  Barbara Miller Sonnier

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the self-publishers, Ron J. Sonnier and Barbara Miller Sonnier.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s and co-author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Some events may resemble actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, this is coincidental.

  Genre Tags: Murder fiction thriller, Mystery suspense fiction, Psychological thriller fiction, Christian mystery suspense fiction, Therapy dog mystery fiction

  ISBN 978-1484186947

  (Rhone` Sonnier Louviere` and Barbara Miller Sonnier)

  FIRST EDITION

  Book design by Ron and Barbara Sonnier

  Also written by Rhone` Sonnier Louviere`:

  Biloxi Rhapsody (Memoir of a Storyteller)

  Copyright 2012

  “Light”

  Defeated in word but not in thought,

  my thoughts coupled with desires,

  have since seen me thru.

  Thru bright of day and dark of night,

  my path guided by Noble men of light.

  By: Rhone` Sonnier Louviere`, written in 1961

  Previously published in “Biloxi Rhapsody”

  By: Rhone` Sonnier Louviere`in 2012

  “Lumiere” (Francais)

  Defait en parole mais pas dans la pensee,

  mes pensees couple avec des desirs,

  ont depuis vu me thru.

  Thru lumineux de la journee et obscurite de la nuit,

  Mon cheminement guide par les hommes nobles de la lumiere.

  Un poeme par, Rhone` Sonnier Louviere`

  This Book is Dedicated to

  The Light of the World

  and

  Our Treasures

  INTRODUCTION

  Keith Edwards begins each day looking out of his second floor apartment window and across Elm Street into Forest City Park. He is struggling with acute amnesia trying to remember who he is. Keith Edwards is unaware of Six, his diabolical nemesis, who has blackmailed many unwilling participants to carry out a second attempt on his life.

  “Signal to Murder” is a mystery rich in culturally diverse characters. From each character’s vantage point, he or she tells of their lives before, during, and after their involvement in the planned murder attempt. As you will note the dialog is not repetitious, but a common situation recounted by various individuals. Each individual reflects their involvement and happenings at the crime scene as though they are preparing themselves to be interrogated by homicide detectives.

  “Signal to Murder,” as told by all of the characters, gives a different spin to the facts accompanied by multiple flaws. Flawless memory is not possible. Each character remembers, quite differently, the facts and certain truths before, during and after the premeditated murder attempts on Keith Edwards’ life.

  The first attempt on Edwards’ life was unsuccessful. He was in a coma for several months. When he woke from the coma, Keith Edwards had total amnesia and two distinct personalities. A second and third attempt to murder Keith are planned and carried out as Keith works at recovering his memory, his life.

  The perpetrators meet with opposition from Keith Edwards’ newly found family which includes his faithful therapy dog, Dillon, his deceptive Grandfather, Francis Rene` Sorrell, and his resourceful Grandmother, Marguerite Teller Sorrell.

  FOREWORD

  Sevan. Life Giving Sweet Water; the most popular boys name in France. Pronounced Sehv ahn.

  Seven. Spiritual completeness/perfection.

  Six. Weakness of Man/power of Satan.

  To Kill: To deprive of life; cause the death of.

  (Merriam-Webster online dictionary)

  To Murder: The crime of unlawfully killing a person especially with malice aforethought.

  (Merriam-Webster online dictionary)

  Commandment of God: Deuteronomy 5:6 Thou shalt not kill.

  Murder: The Law of Moses, while it protected the accidental homicide, defined with additional strictness the crime of murder. It prohibited compensation or reprieve of the murderer, or his protection if he took refuge in the refuge city, or even at the altar of Jehovah. (Smith’s Online Bible Dictionary)

  Exodus 21:12, He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death. (King James Version of the Holy Bible)

  Chapter 1

  Francis’ Cane and the Red Dog

  The old one had a restless night of dreams and nightmares; this is normal for him. After tossing and turning and waking from his moans and whimpers, he finally managed about an hour of restful sleep.

  He awakens early and slowly gets into his fetal position, then he rolls his body to the left a little facing the center of the bed, and lastly he rolls to his right and onto his back. Completing his ritual, the old one rolls onto his right side and slides his buttocks into a sitting position. With each move he makes, he grunts with arthritic pain as he slowly rises to a standing position next to his bed.

  The old one’s pain is the result of injuries his body suffered when he was a young man. In addition to early injuries, over the years he has met with accidents that further injured his already aching body. The man is now in his late sixties, and he must cautiously exercise his body so that he can remain mobile; this he manages to accomplish each day. As the day progresses, with every move his agility improves and his pain subsides proportionately.

  The red dog that is in the man’s residence senses more than hears the old one’s movements. The dog jumps down from the leather couch where he has been sleeping. The animal knows that he is not supposed to climb onto any of the furniture; he has been told not to sleep on the sofa. He thinks dog thoughts, “But, the couch is so comfortable to sleep on.” The dog has a very nice plaid dog pillow, but he likes to sleep where humans have been.

  The dog stretches and walks to the old one’s bedroom. When he reaches the bed he walks in front of the man leading him into the hall and to the bathroom door. Stopping at the bathroom door and stepping aside, the dog allows the man to step next to him. The man leans down slightly and pats the dog on the head; he then straightens up and enters the bathroom. The dog watches as the bathroom door closes in his face.

  The old one’s companion waits patiently as he hears every sound the man is making while in the bathroom. The dog hears the rushing of water when the toilet is flushed, there is another sound of running water as the old one splashes water on his face and brushes his teeth, and finally the man’s companion hears the turning of the door handle and sees the bathroom door open. The man looks down and smiles into the panting and smiling face of his handsome red coated friend.

  Returning to his bedroom the elderly man puts on some strange clothing. His attire is black cargo pants, a black tee shirt, white athletic socks with black dress socks pulled over them, and lastly he slips on his black therapeutic Crocs.

  After the man has finished grooming and dressing himself he walks down the hall and into the l
arge living room. He walks slowly over to the large living room window, opens the window blind, and then raises the large blind all the way up so that when the sun shines it will stream into the space. The old one stands quietly looking out toward Forest City Park which is directly across the street.

  It is still a little dark outside, but the sun is slowly rising over Rockford, Illinois (referred to by many as Forest City because of the abundance of Elm trees located in the region). Although he has a hearing problem, the old one can hear the singing and chirping of many birds; he knows that squirrels are already scampering around the grounds and trees, and that the rabbits are out, but getting ready to retreat to their safe warrens.

  The red dog, with apparent dog amusement, very intently watches every move the old gentleman makes.

  There is a mattress hanging on the far wall of the living room. The man had the mattress made to his specifications. It is eight inches thick and four feet wide by six feet in height. The mattress is covered in a black heavy duty material, has a large Tai Chi symbol in the middle and hangs vertically, from the ceiling, by a black pole and six special hooks. The mattress is attractive enough to be left in place for daily exercise.

  The man has retrieved his wooden cane from the coffee table in front of the leather couch. He looks at the red dog and smiles; he knows the dog slept on the couch last night. The dog sees the old one smile and thinks, “He knows I slept on the couch last night.”

  The man begins his martial arts practice. As is his custom when practicing this particular martial arts move, the old one is facing the kitchen and he turns to his left and steps out with his left foot. He efficiently and smoothly extends his left leg in the direction of the hanging exercise mattress, and throws the cane, underhand and side-arm, across the width of the living room (the exercise mattress is hanging next to an exterior building wall, therefore there is no inconvenient noise to other residents of the apartment building). The throw has been executed with great speed and force; in the middle of the move he lets out a deep low grunt expelling air from his mouth. The cane hits the mattress with extreme impact then bounces off and falls to the thick carpet. The old one can make this move and throw from his left or his right with equal effective results.

  The dog has found a safe place, but he is surprised and jumps back every time the old one repeats his attack on the mattress. Following each throw, the old one walks across the room to retrieve his cane. When the cane makes contact with the mattress, the mattress expels air and lets out a thumping sound. The cane is jettisoned the width of the room striking the upper half of the mattress; the old one tosses ten times with great force and accuracy.

  After the tenth toss, the cane falls once more to the carpet beneath the mattress. The old one has been trying to get the dog to retrieve his cane. Repeatedly, he looks at the cane and then at the red dog. The dog looks at the cane and back into the face of the old one. He woofs one time and moves his head slightly, this is no in dog language; he does not retrieve the cane.

  The man gets this unfavorable reaction from the dog as the dog continues to look up at him. The dog then smiles with amusement, as he chooses to disobey and ignore the order. The old one says, “Little fella, I guess your one emphatic woof means no. Well, at least we are talking to one another.”

  The dog refuses to fetch or do any tricks. He feels it is not dignified and will not compromise his personal dog standards. He is not threatened by words or gestures of encouragement, nor is he tempted by treats.

  Dillon Won’t Do Tricks

  Dillon laughs

  Dillon cries

  And

  Dillon follows with his eyes,

  Dillon eats

  Dillon drinks

  And

  Dillon really thinks,

  Dillon dwells

  Dillon smells

  And

  Dillon tells,

  Dillon works

  Dillon plays

  And

  Dillon stays,

  Dillon preens

  Dillon schemes

  But

  Dillon’s not mean,

  Dillon picks

  Dillon shticks

  But

  Dillon Won’t Do Tricks

  Rhyme Written by: Rhone` Sonnier Louviere – 07/01/2013

  (Dillon is “The Sorrel Dog”)

  The old man shakes his head from side to side in exasperation while he crosses the room. Still attempting to get the dog to interact, he instructs the dog to sit, and then to roll over, but the dog politely and with a dog smile refuses. The dog will only do those things which a therapy dog can do with dignity. The old man retrieves his cane and returns it to the coffee table in front of the leather couch.

  A therapy dog is a dog trained to provide affection and comfort to people in hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, and schools. Therapy dogs come in all sizes and breeds. The most important characteristic of a therapy dog is its temperament. A good therapy dog must be friendly, patient, confident, at ease in all situations, and gentle. Therapy dogs must enjoy human contact and be content to be petted and handled, sometimes clumsily. Some therapy dogs also receive service training and are able to assist physically impaired humans. (Trouwe Hond K-9, Professional Dog Training Service.)

  The man heads for the kitchen; the dog follows in hot pursuit. The dog expects fresh water and food. The dog also knows that the man will give him a special treat, some human food.

  After entering the kitchen, the old one gives the dog fresh water, places some kibbles in his food bowl and hand feeds him a few small treats. He knows that the dog likes to eat human food, and he occasionally gives him this special treat. The man has noticed that Dillon watches each move that he makes. The dog waits patiently as Francis prepares the breakfast fare.

  The old one prepares the coffee and as it brews he considers breakfast. This morning, he awakened a little earlier than usual so he plans to prepare breakfast for himself and the young man, his roomy.

  The man’s wife has instructed him to consider preparation time and cooking time when planning a meal. His wife has also taught him how to cook by getting organized and gathering the ingredients together. She taught him to clean as he prepares, therefore the after meal cleanup will take less time. The man estimates that this morning his preparation and cooking time will be over an hour. The coffee is ready, and the old one has his first cup.

  For breakfast he begins to prepare buttermilk biscuits to accompany corned beef hash and fried eggs. Francis has prepared this meal for his Grandson before, and knows that he enjoys the food.

  Buttermilk Biscuits

  Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees, and grease a cookie sheet with Crisco (you can also line the pan with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray).

  In a 3 quart bowl place 2 cups of Gold Medal self-rising flour and ½ cup of Crisco shortening. Using a wooden mixing spoon cut the shortening into the flour (mixture will be slightly granulated)…pour ¾ cup of buttermilk (slightly more if hand forming the biscuits) into the bowl and mix with wooden spoon.

  (The man is going to form his biscuits by hand, therefore he puts between ¾ cup and 1 cup of buttermilk in the bowl. The additional buttermilk will make the mixture more pliable, and he will lightly flour his hands before forming each biscuit. The flour on his hands will thicken the dough slightly so he has to be careful not to flour his hand too much. Stiff dough means tough biscuits; he knows this because his wife told him. His wife said if the dough feels light and springy, the biscuits will be light.)

  The man flours his hands and kneads the dough a couple of minutes, then breaks off dough and forms his biscuits. As he forms each biscuit, he places it on the pan touching the other biscuits. After all the biscuits are formed, he flours his knuckles and presses the top of each biscuit (the man’s wife learned this technique from her maternal grandmother). The biscuits are baked for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top. Drop biscuits are also delicious.

  Corned Beef Hash and Potatoes


  In a non-stick pan (his wife prefers Emeril cookware) place a small amount of canola oil, then add potatoes (possibly five medium potatoes) which have been peeled and cut into small pieces (not necessary to dice), sauté a short time. Next, add a small amount of water, cover and steam the potatoes until they begin to break apart (cook over medium heat and add additional water if necessary). After the potatoes are cooked add a medium sized diced sweet onion (the onion will add a slight crunch to the hash) and a can of corned beef. Stir the mixture until thoroughly heated; salt and pepper to taste.

  Fry eggs. To serve place corned beef and potato mixture on a plate and top with fried eggs.

  Note: Add favorite jam, butter, syrup, and coffee for a wonderful breakfast, brunch, or dinner.

  The breakfast is cooking and baking as the old man pours a second cup of coffee. The red dog would like some of what is in his cup, but is denied, again. The man hands the red dog a few more morning treats, but the dog is waiting for some of the breakfast; he has eaten the few treats, but has not touched his kibbles. The dog likes biscuits ladled with butter and cane syrup poured over them. The old man recently introduced him to this special treat. As he watches the man in his movements and preparations, he can tell he is going to partake of this delicacy. “Yum,” he thinks in dog language. Francis places a dish on the floor and the dog eats happily.