Shadows in the Dark E-Book

Sherry Moss Walraven

• Herausgeber: Proisle Publishing Services
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

The McMurphy family had a beautiful ranch and a loving family. Everything was going great until the dad of the family had a fatal heart attack.

          A rumor was going around that the McMurphy dad had buried his money in his yard. That was when everything became insane. People would come snooping around at night and bringing a shovel with them so they could dig in their yard. Even some Granny’s came snooping around. The Sheriff comes and puts the Shadow People, this is what they started calling them.

          They were hoping these Shadow People would stay away, but that wasn’t to be. Amid all the hassle they have had. Little Grace was kidnapped. They were determined to get the daughter no matter what they had to do.

          The jail was becoming to be a popular place. The jail stayed filled up because of all the Shadow People. The family was trying to think of ways to get people to realize they didn’t have money buried in their yard. They tried their best to be nice, but it was beginning to be a problem.

          The mom, Bella, was worried about kids. When they saw some Shadow People, they would get on their horses to shoo them off. They even put their bull in one of the pastures to help run off the people. The older kids would be helping. They didn’t hurt anyone. The Sheriff just put them in jail for a couple of days.

Leseprobe

in theDark

Shadows

By

Sherry Moss Walraven

© Copyright 2024 by Sherry Moss Walraven

ISBN:

978-1-963735-63-5 (Paperback)

978-1-963735-72-7 (Hardcover)

978-1-963735-73-4 (E-book)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher disclaims any responsibility for them.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Proisle Publishing Services LLC

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“When I am afraid I put

my trust in YOU.”

—Psalm 56:3

Chapter One

The McMurphy Family

The McMurphy family sat around the large dinner table on a chilly night in Wyoming. There was a great deal of conversation going on around the table this night about the weather, horses, and Granny Grace and Jack’s gout.

“Granny Grace, would you say the blessing over the food tonight?” The family never knew what Granny might say when saying the blessing.

“Yes, Dear Lord, we need to pray for Sassy’s dad to get over his gout. We don’t know what gout is, but it must be painful if it makes a grown man cranky. We thank you for the delicious food and we pray it won’t kill us. That’s about it, Lord. We love you and praise you. Amen, brother Ben, back your ears and dive in.”

“Thank you, Granny. That was very interesting,” Dad said as he gave a big chuckle.

“Luke, how is your Rodeo team doing?” His dad asked with a smile. Luke was like him. “We both did the rodeo. I couldn’t be prouder.”

“We are doing great. If we do well next week, we may go to the State Championship competition.” Luke was proud of their Rodeo team.

“I want to do the Rodeo,” Little Grace says. Luke looked at his ten-year-old little sister and said, “You need to be at least fourteen and in high school to be on the team.”

“When you turn twelve, I may teach you a few things, so you will need to be patient for a couple of years,” Luke says. He was thinking that would make her happy.

Granny Grace, who lives in her cabin on the north side of the ranch, told Grace she would teach her some things about the Rodeo. Granny had been in the Rodeo when she was a much younger girl.

Matthew stepped in the conversation, “Mama, you will not be getting on a horse. You are eighty-five-years-old.”

“Oh flitter, I know I am old, but old Granny still has a few tricks in this old body.”

“Granny Grace, why don’t you tell her what to do when it’s her time to start to begin being taught by her grandmother.”

“You don’t understand that I may know how to do things. I still have my horse in the stable, don’t you?”

“Yes, but Mama that horse is almost as old as you are,” Her son, Matthew, who was the dad of these three kids, said with a smile. He knew his mama was stubborn, so we all need to keep an eye on Granny Grace. We can’t let her out at the barn.

“I am going to change the subject.” Mama Bella says.

“Faith, how is your softball team this year?” Bella threw out her sweet smile. Sassy’s mom had told Granny about dad’s gout when they were at the quilting club.

“We are doing great, Mama. I hit a homerun last week.”

Everyone forgot about Luke’s girlfriend being with them. Bella asked, “Sassy, how are your parents?”

“Dad has gout, and he is cranky as an old bull. Mama is okay and praying Dad will get over this gout thing as soon as possible.”

“We don’t get together enough with Sassy’s family. They are our closest neighbors, but they probably stay busy a lot.” Bella says. Bella knew everyone on this ranch had their chores to do.

“My Dad and Mom are always doing something if it’s inside the barn or something around the pastures,” Sassy explained.

Sassy had another question, “Mr. McMurphy, I was wondering what your job is exactly. I know it requires you being out of town for a day or two every so often.”

“Well, I go around doctor’s offices and hospitals to show and hopefully sell new medicines.”

“Okay, that must be fun to meet new people,” Sassy says. Bella looked her husband in his eyes and smiled.

Chapter Two

Matthew

The next morning after the kids traveled to school, Matthew and Mama Bella sat at the table eating breakfast and drinking their allotment of coffee, which was a lot.

“Matthew, what did the doctor say about the pains in your left arm? Was it your muscles?” Bella was concerned about her husband. She hoped it wasn’t his heart. Surely, Matthew would have told her.

“He said it could be several things, and one of those things was that it could be my heart, but don’t you worry your pretty little head about me. I am tougher than I look.”

“I did us a favor. I paid off the house and the ranch which covers the barn, horses, and the whole property. I also paid the insurance of the house and property taxes for the year. I paid Luke’s truck insurance for the year, and Faith’s Jeep for the year. We won’t have to worry about property taxes.”

“Did we have that much money?” Bella asked.

“Yes, Ma’am, and much more. Do you remember the thing I told you about?” He has twenty waterproof boxes full of money. “It should have enough money for the rest of your life.” Matthew was proud he could leave her money enough for the rest of her life.

“Are you trying to tell me something? Is this arm thing going to be serious?” Bella was worried now. Bella was almost crying, but she didn’t want to worry everybody.

“He said I could live longer, or I could go any time. My heart is not good, and when I go, I have a life insurance policy with your name on it. It will be for two million dollars.” Matthew explained. He didn’t want his family to be without.

“Matthew, I don’t want to think about this,” Bella was crying profusely now.

“Don’t worry. Like the doctor said, I may be around for years.” He hugged Bella and went to feed the horses.

“Just in case, I am going to make time to go to all the kids' activities at school.” Matthew prayed he had time to spend more time with the kids.

Bella smiled at her husband, “Are there any people who knows that you robbed banks for all this money?”

“I have covered my tracks well,” Matthew told her not to worry. “You know, Bella, we have a beautiful place here. We keep the barn clean, and the horses are well-groomed. We have a nice house and three great kids. Granny Grace has her own cabin on the property. Everything is going good for us. I just would like to see my babies grow up and get married.” Matthew knew they had been blessed with a beautiful ranch, good healthy kids, and they had each other.

“Matthew, they are getting older every day. Doctors are not perfect,” Bella smiled at her husband.

“I worry about my mama. She is getting older. She is already eighty-five,” Matthew says.

“Don’t worry. I will take good care of Granny Grace,” Bella wanted to make sure he knew that she would take care of his mama.

They heard the kids driving up the long driveway. Faith picks Grace up from school every day, unless Faith has a ballgame, then Bella picks her up from school.

Matthew walks outside to see the kids. He asked about school and their sports. Grace ran up to her dad, and he picks her and swings her around. He was full of love and laughter as he sat on the porch and watched his kids.

Bella walked out on the front porch and sat in the rocker beside her husband. “Everybody, come get some of the homemade ice cream. I just made it.” She didn’t have to tell them twice. They dove into that ice cream like hungry lumber jacks.

They sat on the porch until it was beginning to be dark.

After dinner, Bella, Faith, and Grace helped clear the table and washed the dishes. Matthew walked to the kitchen and asked Bella if he could help her do the dishes.

Bella shot out a silly chuckle as her husband picked up the dish towel, so he could dry the dishes. Bella smiled because this was a first for her husband to help with what he called ‘women’s work’.

Matthew told Bella he was tired and was going to bed.

“That is okay. You have had a long day,” Bella didn’t like that Matthew’s face was pale. She had no clue what was going to happen. She went in the kitchen and prayed for Matthew and her family. She didn’t think she could live without Matthew.

Everyone decided to go to bed. “The kids said sitting all day in a desk wears a person out.”

Chapter Three

The Service

Bella got up before everyone to start the coffee pot, and prepare breakfast. Bella wouldn’t let her kids go to school on an empty stomach. She never fails to make a good breakfast for her family before they begin their day.

Bella watched Luke pick up five chocolate chip muffins. He liked those better than blueberry. She smiled and gave him a bag to put them in. She liked that she was able to cook for her family. She didn’t care how many strays the kids brought in to eat.

“Do you have a minute?” Bella asked Luke with a large smile.

“Yes, what do you want me to do?” Luke always would do things for his mom. He noticed all she did for the family, and he wanted her to know how much he appreciated she did for them.

“Go wake up your dad. He never sleeps this long.”

Luke ran back to his mom. “Mama, I can’t wake up dad. I think you need to call the doctor.”

“Call the doctor for me. I’m going to see what I can do.”

The doctor was at the house in six minutes. He couldn’t get a pulse, but the doctor kept trying to revive Matthew. He finally pronouncedhim dead. Bella, the kids, and Granny Grace was standing by Matthew until the funeral home took him away.

The kids went to their rooms. Bella went to each of the kids’ room trying to comfort them. She told them that their dad had gone to Heaven, and he wouldn’t have sickness anymore. “He is with Jesus now. We will miss him. He will always be in our hearts. He was a good man, and a good dad.”

It was going to the graveyard on the south of the property. They thought he would like to be buried in that cemetery. It was a family cemetery where their grandfather, PaPa Buck is buried along with Buck’s brother, John. Bella knew Matthew wouldn’t like to be buried anywhere except in the McMurphy Family Cemetery.

Bella was trying her best to keep herself together for her kids’ sake, and Granny Grace. She knew Matthew’s sister was on her way. She is called Aunt Trudy. She was close to Matthew. She never had kids of her own, so she called Matthew’s kids hers too. Matthew’s kids love their Aunt Trudy. She was trying to console her Mama.

Granny Grace was crying saying a Mama should not have to see her children go before her.

The next day was the funeral in a little white chapel nestled in an abundance of trees. The ceremony was sweet, and people came to pay their respects to a good man. Matthew had lots of friends.

The casket was placed on the wagon that stayed in the barn. Luke hooked Matthew’s favorite horse to pull the wagon. Luke, Bella, Faith, Grace, and Aunt Trudy rode in the wagon toward the family cemetery while Luke drove the wagon for his dad.

Most of the people who attended the funeral, walked behind the wagon until they stopped at the cemetery. There was a great deal of people there. Everyone liked Matthew.

Granny didn’t want to ride in the wagon. She said it was “too dang high” for her to get in. “I’m too old to jump up in a wagon.”

Luke said he would help Granny Grace get on the wagon, but she declined. “I would probably fall off and break my hip.” Aunt Trudy told her mama she wouldn’t let her fall.

Chapter Four

Buried Money

Four men sat in a circle around an old Pot-belly stove in the old country store. They talked about every subject they could remember. The men came every day to sit and drink hot coffee and talk. They change the subject every day. Today their title of conversation was the death of Matthew McMurphy.

“I don’t think Matthew had a lot of money. He never bought much. He may be one of those people who doesn’t trust banks,” George Bruster says. “He may have it buried in a Mason jar.

“Personally, I wouldn’t want to bury my money because you couldn’t come in here and drink the coffee. I wouldn’t want that jar thing. I would need to shovel me up some money every time I needed something,” Trey Green said with a wide smile.

“I’m sure a Mason jar wouldn’t hold much money in it at all. I have never heard of anybody around these parts doing such a thing,” Larry Berry said. He couldn’t imagine someone even doing that.

“I don’t have enough money to even put in a jar,” Big Bear says. “We live simply.

“I would bet you he left his wife a life insurance policy. She would need it with three kids to raise. The two older kids work to pay for gas and insurance,” George said. “It may not have had too much, because life insurance is expensive,” Trey says.

“If you do something stupid, I don’t want to have a part of this. They are nice people. His wife has always been nice to us,” Bear says with a smile. “Bella gave us some good vegetables out of her garden last summer, and she always smiles at everyone.”

“I don’t think Matthew would bury money, so we need to just keep out of something that is not our business. First, I knew Matthew well, and I know he wouldn’t do such a thing of putting money in the ground. It is bound to be wet and wouldn’t be any good.” George knew Matthew for a long time. “We were in high school together, and friends forever.”

“He was a good man, and a smart man. All these years, he went to work where he knew he would be paid well. He had to go out of town, but he didn’t have to work a five-days-a-week job. He liked staying with his family, and he liked going to Luke and Faith’s things they do for school. Luke is on the rodeo team at school, and Faith played softball. The little girl is only ten years old.”

Chapter Five

The Diggers

The four nosey men sat together to plan. “We go tonight, boys. We will need to take shovels and flashlights. That should be the only things we need,” George thought he had a good plan. “We will need to park our trucks when we first see the road to the ranch and walk to the back of Granny’s cabin. She will most likely go to bed early.” George said.

Bear chose not to go. He didn’t want to see somebody be harmed. He didn’t understand why they think they are going to find money and be rich. That would be stealing.

“I suggest we go around nine or ten, since it would be darker,” Trey thought that was okay with him.

Larry looked at George and Trey, and said, “We need to also wear black clothes and leave your cell phones in your truck. That’s all I have for now.”

Granny Grace gets ready for bed, and a good night’s sleep. She thinks of the good life she has had. She had two children, Matthew and Trudy. Next came the three grandchildren. She couldn’t have a better daughter-in-law than Bella.

She was getting tired, so she snuggled under the covers. About an hour and a half later, something woke her up. She listened for a while. She looked between the curtains and saw the shadow of three men. Then she heard voices. She heard a man’s voice. She slowly tip-toed to get her shotgun out of her closet. After she checked to make sure it was loaded, she was quiet as she opened the door. The shadows were still there, but she couldn’t see the faces. She raised her shotgun and shot up in the air. The three men started running.

“RUN! You Devils and don’t come back.” Granny, in her nightgown, started to run after the shadows. She didn’t run very fast, so she turned and went to the main house. They heard the shotgun sound and ran toward Granny who was running toward her family.

Granny was out of breath, so Bella and Luke picked up Granny, so she could catch her breath while they took her in the house. They always had a bedroom ready for Granny too.

No one in the main house was asleep. Granny says she knew one of the voices. It sounded like George Bruster. She was sure it was him.

“You mean dad’s friend? Why would he be doing that at Granny’s house?” Luke was confused as to why they were in Granny’s backyard. Luke could only imagine how much Granny have been scared.

Bella told the others she would call the Sheriff in the morning, and get it worked out. “Until this is alright you can stay with us, Granny. You know we will take care of you.”

Granny told them that one of the men said something about money.

Luke said he would go over to Granny’s house and see what they were doing in the morning.