The Crossing Read online

  the Crossing

  A Carson Reno Mystery

  Gerald W. Darnell

  the Crossing

  All Rights Reserved

  Copyright © 2011 Gerald W. Darnell

  All Rights Reserved .This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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  ISBN: 978-1-4689-1211-1 (ebook)

  Rita - Hostess Starlight Lounge

  “Too late? What do you mean too late?”

  “What!” Was all I could think of to say!

  “Oh, yeah and why is that?”

  “Yep, and now I’m ready for lunch!”

  “When is the last time you saw Tammy?”

  “Was Reverend Jeremiah Higgs there?”

  “Good afternoon, Mayor,” I said. “May I buy you a drink?”

  “Wow, Carson,” he chuckled. “Are you responsible for all this?”

  “What? Why would you say that?”

  “First thing tomorrow morning, early!”

  “None of us did,” I added, “but at least we don’t need a trial!”

  “We are,” we both said at the same time!

  “Great!” Nickie said. “Are you guys staying or leaving?”

  The

  Crossing

  A Carson Reno Mystery

  Written by

  Gerald W. Darnell

  the

  Crossing

  Copyright ã 2011 by Gerald W. Darnell

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews, without written permission from the publisher.

  Gerald W. Darnell

  C [email protected]

  The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real person, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Be sure to check out Carson Reno’s other Mystery Adventures

  Murder in Humboldt

  The Price of Beauty in Strawberry Land

  Killer Among Us

  Horse Tales

  SU nset 4

  Cast of Characters

  Carson Reno - Private Detective

  Rita - Hostess Starlight Lounge

  Marcie – Peabody Hotel Operator

  Andy – Bartender Down Under

  Mason ‘Booker-T’ Brown – Head porter Peabody Hotel

  Nickie/Ronnie Woodson – Owners Chiefs Motel and Restaurant

  Tommy Trubush – carhop Chiefs

  Florence (Flo) – waitress at Chiefs

  Mavis – waitress at Chiefs

  Dr. Barker – Gibson County Coroner

  Jack Logan – Attorney /Partner

  Leroy Epsee – Sheriff Gibson County

  Jeff Cole – Deputy Gibson County

  Scotty Perry – Deputy Gibson County

  Elizabeth Teague – Airline Stewardess and friend of Carson’s

  Mary Ellen Maxwell – Humboldt Socialite and owner of Maxwell Trucking

  Judy Strong – Vice President of Maxwell Trucking

  Gerald Wayne – Owner Wayne Knitting Mill

  Nuddy – Bartender Humboldt Country Club

  Larry Parker – Chief of Detectives Shelby County

  Joe Richardson – Associate Drake Detective Agency

  Tammy Whitmore Blurton – Humboldt resident

  Sonny Blurton – Husband of Tammy Blurton

  Barney Graves - Judge

  Carl Menard – Humboldt Police Officer

  Thomas Whitmore – Father of Tammy Blurton

  Nora Whitmore – Mother of Tammy Blurton

  Richie Whitmore – Brother of Tammy Blurton

  Robert Henry Walker – Humboldt resident

  Yarnell Walker – Brother of Henry Walker

  Colleen Walker – Sister of Henry Walker

  Bert Sappington – Insurance Investigator

  Temple Truett – Memphis resident

  Sandy Scarlet Rogers – Memphis resident

  Jeremiah Higgs – Reverend Nazarene Baptist Church

  Benjamin Abernathy – NAACP Attorney

  Raymond Griggs – Humboldt Chief of Police

  Richard P. ‘Dick’ Valentine – Former Humboldt Chief of Police

  Tony Bailey – Humboldt Police Officer

  L.D. Newell – Mayor Humboldt

  Mike Barker - Alderman

  Chip Falstaff – Captain Tennessee Highway Patrol

  Billy Joe Bobbitt – White Demonstrator

  Jerome Davis – Deacon Nazarene Baptist Church

  Dedication

  Leldon R. Darnell, my father

  1920 - 2000

  Contribution Credits

  Elizabeth Tillman White

  Judy Steele Minnehan

  Mary Ann Sizer Fisher

  Nickie Scruggs Lewis

  Material Credits

  Humboldt Public Library

  Gibson County Historical Website

  Humboldt Courier Chronicle

  Strawberry Museum

  Prologue

  The racial problems of 1962 have found their way to the small West Tennessee town of Humboldt. A white woman has been brutally murdered, and one of Carson’s childhood friends has been accused of the crime. Carson’s friend is a colored man who once worked for his grandfather, but the accusations and problems extend beyond the crime and to the heart of this small community.

  Carson finds a divided town; a town divided along the lines of race and the interference of outside groups, which makes this division even wider.

  Challenged with defending his friend, Carson must find a solution before the two sides collide, which would definitely have devastating results.

  Join Carson, as he faces one of his toughest challenges in ‘the Crossing’ .

  Chapters

  · A Letter to the Readers

  · The Crossing

  · Introduction

  · A Train Called The City of New Orleans

  · Robert Henry Walker, Jr.

  · Humboldt

  · Bea’s Place

  · The Circuit

  · Tensions

  · Trouble Everywhere

  · Angels and Demons

  · More Bad News

  · Parades and Protest

  · Sex, Lies and Murder

  · Clean Up

  · Courier-Chronicle Article Reprints

  A letter to the readers

  It seems some things never change, while others always are. 1962 is a year where everything seems to be changing and, unfortunately, a large majority of our country’s citizens are having a difficult time dealing with it.

  My grandfather was a farmer and he owned and farmed many acres of land in West Tennessee. As a little boy, I spent most of my summers riding with him in his old truck or sitting on his lap while he drove a tractor. These were times that I cherish and will remember forever.

  Because he owned a lot of land, my grandfather employed several families to live on this land and help with the farming. These employees were called ‘Sharecroppers’ . My grandfather furnished the land, the equipment and the housing. The ‘Sharecropper’ did most of the work, and they actually ‘shared’ in the profits that came from selling the crops, thus the name, ‘Sharecropper’ .

  These summers, when I wasn’t in the truck or on the tractor, I was u
sually at one of the ‘Sharecropper’ houses, playing with their children. In addition to raising crops, raising children was also something they did very well. All the families had at least four, and some had as many as ten kids – they liked large families! And, of course, as the children got older, they were taken into the fields to help with the farming.

  It was during one of these summers when I met Robert Henry Walker, Jr. He was the seven-year-old son of Robert and Roberta Walker. Henry, as he was called, was second youngest of the eight Walker children. He had one younger sister, four older sisters and two older brothers. They all lived in a small two-bedroom house, along with a grandmother and, what seemed like, a half-dozen dogs. This was a close and happy family, and I spent many wonderful days that summer playing in the front yard of the Walker home.

  Years later, as I was sharing this story with someone, they asked me that magical question, ‘were they colored or white’? I didn’t know the answer. I mean, I knew the answer, but I actually had to think about it. That was just something I had never thought or cared about. The fact that the Robert Henry Walker, Sr. family was colored was something that had never occurred to me. I didn’t care and was surprised that anyone else did.

  Carson Reno

  The Crossing

  T he Crossing is a ‘self-named’ community located to the west and south of the small West Tennessee town of Humboldt. The name denotes the area where the north/south Gulf, Mobile & Ohio (GM&O) and the east/west Louisville and Nashville (L&N) railroads cross. The ‘Crossing’ has transfer tracks, where north/south or east/west traffic can be turned around or rerouted in other directions. This makes the area perfect for produce and product transfer. Empty boxcars from the north arrive, are loaded with fresh produce and then turned around and routed back to their original destination. Also, loaded boxcars with fresh produce arrive from the south/west and are then rerouted to eastern or northern destinations.

  During the harvest season, the Crossing is where local farmers bring their crops to be graded, packed and shipped on railroad cars to various processing plants in other parts of the country. While some locally grown strawberries are routed this way, the majority of activity is centered on cabbage, corn, melons and tomatoes. Time is critical when dealing with perishable produce, so farmers with their trucks line up for miles waiting to unload produce at the various packing sheds. It must be rapidly graded, packed and shipped to its final destination. These sheds operate seven days a week and around the clock, with some employees working 80 to 100 hours per week. Farmers need to be unloaded quickly and then get back to their farms to gather more products. The produce buyers must make sure their purchased fruits and vegetables are rapidly processed and on their way to market as soon as possible.

  With the exception of a few winter months, the ‘Crossing’ is a very busy community and a valuable source of economic income for the surrounding areas.

  The ‘Crossing’ is also an area known as being ‘on the other side of the tracks’. Its residents are mostly colored, as well as the churches, schools, and yet white merchants owned the majority of the businesses. However, the economy of the ‘Crossing’ is good, and several Humboldt merchants operate successful satellite or second storefronts in the ‘Crossing’ community. Even though segregated and separate, the ‘Crossing’ plays an important part in the West Tennessee economy.

  Introduction

  T ammy Blurton’s job at ‘Skeeter’s’ in Jackson was really just an excuse to get out of the house and away from her husband, Sonny. The former, Tammy Whitmore and Sonny Blurton married while they were both seniors at Humboldt High School. It was a marriage built upon never ending love – a love that ended soon after their graduation. Dreams of happy times faded to dreams of reality, as the work, bills and responsibilities took the place of parties and football games. Most of their classmates went off to college; Tammy and Sonny went to work.

  Sonny went to work for Chester Hagler at H&R Plumbing and Electric. He was learning how to be a plumber. Tammy went to work at Alton Box and was doing well enough to advance through several positions with hopes of becoming a supervisor – then she got pregnant.

  Tammy continued to work through her 30 th week of pregnancy; then she spent the next 6 weeks in bed. It was an extremely difficult delivery, and the baby, a boy, lived for only two days. According to the doctor, the baby was born with a serious heart defect, which could not have been prevented. He assured Tammy that her work, activities and personal care had nothing to do with the death of the baby – she didn’t believe him. In fact, neither did Sonny.

  They named the child, Sonny Jr. and buried him in Rose Hill next to Sonny’s mother. It was a short, sad funeral service held on a rainy day in Humboldt. Other than the funeral home personnel and the First Methodist Church preacher, only Tammy’s parents and Sonny’s father attended the graveside services.

  That was the end for Tammy and Sonny. They never forgave themselves and they never forgave each other.

  Tammy’s job at Alton Box was gone and now she needed something to keep herself busy and away from Sonny. Her brother, Richie, told her that ‘Skeeter’s’ in Jackson was looking for some inside and outside waitresses, and Tammy couldn’t get there fast enough to complete an application. ‘Skeeter’s’ is a restaurant similar to Chiefs, except they don’t offer rooms or cabins for rent. They do offer inside dining, a bar and outside curb service – just like Chiefs. What they offered Tammy was a way to get away from Sonny, Humboldt and the bad memories. What it also offered was an opportunity to meet other people, lots of people. For Tammy, it was also a chance to meet other men, and she did a lot of that.

  At 23, Tammy was still a very attractive girl. The pregnancy had not left its’ marks on her looks, and she could certainly turn a lot of men’s heads, when she wanted to. And ‘she wanted to’ a lot; Tammy enjoyed the attention. Certainly, something she wasn’t getting from Sonny.

  It was two days before anyone reported Tammy missing. Sunday and Monday were her days off and she always spent Monday visiting with her parents. When she missed her Monday visit, her father, Thomas Whitmore, called her house all day – no answer. He finally reached Sonny that afternoon, and Sonny told him that she had changed her work schedule and was working. Her father didn’t accept that answer, and Mr. Whitmore called the sheriff’s office to report Tammy as missing. The sheriff’s office collected information and made the usual and necessary calls. However, when she didn’t report for her shift at ‘Skeeter’s’ on Tuesday, her boss called her father to inquire about her absence. That’s when her father learned Tammy had definitely not worked on Monday, and in fact, had not worked since the previous Saturday.

  Tammy had not been seen by anyone since finishing her shift at ‘Skeeter’s’ at 1:00 AM Saturday night; however, it didn’t take long for the sheriff, Leroy Epsee, and his deputies to find Tammy.

  Crossing Rexall Drug Store, owned by Dr. Parker Williams and Dr. Whitley Johnson, is just around the corner from ‘Blue’s Pool Room’. ‘Blue’s Pool Room’ is a popular hangout for many of the residents of the ‘Crossing’, and many of the male colored citizens of Humboldt grew up inside the walls of ‘Blue’s Pool Room’. While the poolroom and the drug store don’t have much in common, they do share a trash dumpster located in the alley area behind both businesses. It was here where they found Tammy.

  Jack Cooley, better known as ‘Jack the Rack’, worked at ‘Blue’s Pool Room’ as a rack boy and ‘step and fetch-it’ for most of the patrons. It was his weekly responsibility to make sure all the trash was placed in the alley garbage dumpster for Tuesday’s collection day. Behind the dumpster, among all the discarded boxes and trash, is where he found Tammy Blurton. She was naked, except for an extremely bloodstained, short sleeve, blue work shirt with ‘Henry’ on the red name label above the left pocket. Tammy had been beaten, strangled, stabbed and presumably raped. It would be four days before the coroner could determine the exact cause of death.

  Leroy’s crime scene invest
igators did a good job and eventually located a large knife among the scattered trash bags. It was an eight- inch, butcher-type knife and had what appeared to be bloodstains on the blade. They also found a small slip of paper in the pocket of the shirt Tammy was wearing; it contained a name and phone number.

  Henry Walker SUnset 4 – 2031.

  A Train Called ‘The City of New Orleans’

  T he Illinois Central City of New Orleans runs regular schedules between Chicago and New Orleans. The 926 miles takes almost twenty hours and offers deluxe accommodations for all classes of travelers. Operating two trains, the southbound City of New Orleans departs Chicago at 5 PM on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The northbound departs New Orleans at 5:30 PM on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays. The trains make numerous stops, some of which are unscheduled and required by reservations made by travelers at the small stations along the route. The Chicago/New Orleans scheduled stops are Gary, IN, Cape Girardeau, MO, Memphis, TN and numerous stops in Mississippi – including Batesville, Grenada, Winona, Canton and Jackson. After crossing Lake Pontchartrain, the southbound passengers arrive at the New Orleans terminal at 1:00 Central Time – completing their twenty-hour journey.

  Our client, Black Diamond Insurance, was prepared to forfeit on a bond policy held by Jarrett Savings and Loan. Their semi-annual audit had uncovered over $500,000 in missing funds, and they had no concrete information on who the embezzler might be. Attention immediately focused on a Mr. Temple Truett, who had the access and ability to steal the money, but they had no proof.

  Compounding the problem, a check of Mr. Truett’s financial situation uncovered no appearance of the funds or any evidence of wrongdoing. They hit a wall; that’s when Black Diamond Insurance came to Drake Detective Agency for assistance.