“Did he happen to say if he wanted to be cremated or buried? Any kind of service?” Smoke said.
“Yes, he has a plot by his wife and daughter. His brother and parents are next to theirs. Floyd didn’t want a formal service. Just a graveside committal,” Bentley said.
“What about his possessions?” Smoke said.
“He had no one to leave them to and told me to auction it off, including his house and acres. He named the auction company he wanted me to use. I have the combination to his safe where he kept personal documents and other treasures. He wanted me to check with the historical society, see if they want any of the old photos he has of his farm from back when. If not, I’m supposed to dispose of them. He prepaid his funeral expenses. All of his wishes are documented and notarized.”
“It seems so lonesome to make those decisions, knowing he had no one special to leave his things to,” I said.
“I agree, and it happens more often than you’d like to think,” Bentley said. “I’m looking into the legalities of the VA and Social Security making deposits into his bank account two years past his death. Most of it was sent through automatic payments, likely set up by Jasmine Wilkins, but will probably need to be paid back. It might be more complicated than it’s worth for them.”
Word spread among the county employees, especially in the sheriff’s office and highway department. Over sixty of us gathered at the cemetery that adjoined a country church, a mile down the road from Floyd Myren’s house, to pay our respects at his second burial. None of us had known him, but we all cared. With all he’d dealt with in his last years, it was sad to think the two people close to him at the end were the angel of death and her son. The one consolation I had was he wasn’t alone. A messed-up thought, given who the people were and what they’d done to him.
Smoke slid his hand into mine, consoling me. The pastor shared words of comfort then closed in prayer. I heard a lot of sniffling among the troops. The highway guys and many of the deputies had been involved in recovering the bodies buried in Coyote Bog and were moved by the brief service.
When the prayer ended, some shook hands or exchanged hugs, and others quietly slipped away. My closest friends and I migrated together by our vehicles in the parking lot. Smoke, Vince Weber, Amanda Zubinski, Brian Carlson, Todd Mason. Each one had red eyes, either from holding back tears or from letting them fall.
“Huh. Well, I didn’t think it’d hit me like this, not even knowing the guy,” Weber said.
Zubinski stuck a finger in his ribs. “You’ve wanted to know who he was ever since you helped pull him out of the bog.”
Weber shrugged. “Yeah.”
“All I can say is identifying Mister Myren and burying him with his family was a good way to close the books on this case,” Mason said.
“That’s for dang sure,” Carlson added.
“I have to add, in all my years here, this was one of the toughest investigations. But in the end, the good guys took down the bad guys,” Smoke said.
“It’s what we work for, and it surely does our hearts and souls good when justice prevails,” I said.
I lifted my hands and smiled. The others followed suit and we exchanged high fives all around.
Christine Husom is a National Best-Selling Author from Minnesota. She served with the Wright County Sheriff’s Department. Husom writes the Winnebago County Mysteries, the Snow Globe Shop Mysteries, and has stories in many anthologies. She is a member of the Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America.
Winnebago County Mysteries
Murder in Winnebago County follows an unlikely serial killer plaguing a rural Minnesota county. The clever murderer leaves a growing chain of apparent suicides among criminal justice professionals. As her intuition helps her draw the cases together, Winnebago County Sergeant Corinne Aleckson enlists help from Detective Elton Dawes. What Aleckson doesn’t know is that the killer is keeping a close watch on her. Will she be the next target?
Buried in Wolf Lake When a family’s golden retriever brings home the dismembered leg of a young woman, the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department launches an investigation unlike any other. Who does the leg belong to, and where is the rest of her body? Sergeant Corinne Aleckson and Detective Elton Dawes soon discover they are up against an unidentified psychopath who targets women with specific physical features. Are there other victims, and will they learn the killer’s identity in time to prevent another brutal murder?
An Altar by the River A man phones the Winnebago County Sheriff's Department, frantically reporting his brother is armed with a large dagger and on his way to the county to sacrifice himself. Sergeant Corinne Aleckson takes the call, learning the alarming reasons behind the young man's death wish. When the department investigates, they plunge into the alleged criminal activities of a hidden cult and the disturbing cover-up of an old closed-case shooting death. The cult members have everything to lose and will do whatever it takes to prevent the truth coming to light. But will they find an altar by the river in time to save the young man’s life?
The Noding Field Mystery When a man’s naked body is found staked out in a farmer’s soybean field, Sergeant Corinne Aleckson and Detective Elton Dawes are called to the scene. The cause of death is not apparent, and the significance of why he was placed there is a mystery. As Aleckson, Dawes, and the rest of their Winnebago Sheriff’s Department team gather evidence, and look for suspects and motive, they hit one dead end after another. Then an old nemesis escapes from jail and plays in the shocking end.
A Death in Lionel's Woods When a woman’s emaciated body is found in a hunter’s woods Sergeant Corinne Aleckson is coaxed back into the field to assist Detective Smoke Dawes on the case. It seems the only hope for identifying the woman lies in a photo that was buried with bags of money under her body. Aleckson and Dawes plunge into the investigation that takes them into the world of human smugglers and traffickers, unexpectedly close to home. All the while, they are working to
uncover the identity of someone who is leaving Corky anonymous messages and pulling pranks at her house. An unpredictable roller coaster ride
to the electrifying end.
Secret in Whitetail Lake The discovery of an old Dodge Charger on the bottom of a Winnebago County lake turns into a homicide investigation when human remains are found in the car. To make matters worse, Sheriff Twardy disappears that same day, leaving everyone to wonder where he went. Sergeant Corinne Aleckson and Detective Elton Dawes probe into both mysteries, searching for answers. Little do they know they’re being closely watched by the keeper of the Secret in Whitetail Lake.
Firesetter in Blackwood Township Barns are burning in Blackwood Township, and the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office realizes they have a firesetter to flush out. The investigation ramps up when a body is found in one of the barns. Meanwhile, deputies are getting disturbing deliveries. Why are they being targeted? It leaves Sergeant Corinne Aleckson and Detective Elton Dawes to wonder, what is the firesetter’s message and motive?
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