The Floral Hill Murders

Chapter 1

The Starting Gate

“Hey Mister Burke, can I get another glass of soda”, Dylan said, and Markus seconded the motion, “me too”.  Cat and Tom took their twins to Judge Brennan’s for a bite to eat on a Friday night.   Tom took the time to explain to the boys that their grandfather was a famous union man with a great history called and he was called “Judge Brennan”.  Cat further explained to her twins that their grandfather was not really a judge, but rather an imposing figure at 6 foot 8 and 270 pounds that everyone looked up to, and why he was called “The Judge”, it was his stature and leadership that created all the history of being call “The Judge”.  He was called “Judge Brennan” by all the union members, and Walter Brennan was a sandhog, building the tunnels and tracks that the subway system in the city utilized.   Walter had a ticket in steerage on the Titanic, but the steerage on that fateful day was full.  It turns out he was thankful for missing that ship.  Walter did lose his best friend on that fateful trip, when he told Tim to take the last available steerage accommodation, but he was able to work through the details of his friend’s death and wound up working as a Sandhog, the men that dug the subways and laid the tracks.

Walter was a leader.  He did lead his men through very difficult times below ground, every day, side by side.  It was with Walter’s direction that the Sandhogs that became a driving force in the building of the big city that allowed the city  to grow, and he never asked for anything but a fair wage for him and his men.

What Walter  Brennan created with the sandhogs was legendary, and  that is how they came to  name the restaurant “Judge Brennan’s”.  The owners were hard working union members who understood the work that Walter Brennan put into creating the structure for the many unions that created the big cities across the United States and helped the unions survive have survived for many years.

The twin boys were awakened by their father revving his Harley in the garage.  They loved the sound of their dad’s Harley Davidson motorcycles.  Their dad was a Sargent on the motorcycle team for the city police force.  Thomas Dougal taught his twins to ride Harley’s while they were young.  Catherine, or Cat was never particularly in love with bikes.  In fact, she could care less if the boys ever rode a Harley.  But she loved Tom and everything about him since high school.

Cat succumbed to cancer three weeks after her 35th birthday, leaving Tom to raise the boys through their informative years.  And boy, did they have fun.  Dad, while being the adult in the crowd, was not in a position to tell the boys how to do anything, except fix their bikes.  The boys did not listen to anyone and the boys developed their own flair for the town.

They certainly got in enough trouble for their dad to be called down to the police station in Floral Hill on multiple occasions.  Tom and Steve, the Floral Hill Police Commissioner had a relationship that went back many years from the city police force and the PBA.   But the boys did have their mother’s gift for gab and could usually talk themselves out of any situation.  But on occasion that did not even work out well. 

Tom had unfortunately developed his own cancer when the boys were seniors in high school, and it was terminal.  He died three months after his diagnosis.  The boys, both 18, graduated high school without any parents, but their grandparents from their dad’s side made sure they graduated.  The boys were fortunate enough to inherit the home in Floral Hill that had been the family home and a lake front vacation home in New Hampshire.  Their grandparents also owned a lakefront home on the upper peninsula of Michigan that the boys and family used for hunting and fishing on a regular basis.  Their mother would have been so proud of the Dougal twins in this situation with the loss of their parents, and the young men that they turned into at this stage of their life.

Dylan and Markus Dougal were good boys at heart.  But without any guiderails, they would lead each other down a path that would continue to spiral downward the more time that passed.  The boys had a passion for motorcycles, Harleys to be exact that they got from their father.  In addition,  the two of them knew how to fix anything on a Harley.  At 18 years old and with all the money you needed for your life, this was trouble brewing, and they knew a whole group of bikers to get into trouble across the country.

With their dad’s influence, the twins knew some type of  boundaries, but only to a point, and with dad gone, the twins were testing the system on a regular basis.  The boys needed more structure than their resources allowed.   The grandparents either did not know how to control the situation, or were oblivious to the world and life the twins had created for themselves and their future.

The Floral Hill police department saw the twins as menaces.   These two needed to be coached into adulthood, but they lacked a coach.  But the bad situations may have already occurred.  The police tried to control the environment, but without a dominant household person in the situation, even the police were at a loss on this one.   The grandparents were not any help in this  situation, because they were not the parents.  The grandparents could not provide the grandkids with the necessary  assistance the twins required.  The Floral Hill Police Department regularly had a cruiser or black and white parked around the corner from the twins’ home just to be able to respond quickly to any developing situation at the house.

On a Wednesday evening, returning home from a  Broadway show at a local venue,  Joanie Scarpa at 82 years old,  exited the train at 11:51 pm and was raped and killed on Oak Street in Floral Hill.   No one called the Floral Hill police about the murder because  the body was hidden in the bushes.  Once the gardeners arrived on Friday, and they found something other than leaves in the bushes. 

The officers on the scene immediately called it into headquarters and requested that the local detectives be dispatched to the scene.  Kelli O’Brien and her partner for several  years, Jimmy Corsi,  were used to working together, but their gig in Floral Hill did not include murder.  The Floral Hill detectives had a history of dealing with various crimes and solving them.  Murder investigations needed to go to the county police for investigation.  That was the agreement with the Village of Floral Hill and Franklin County.  Floral Hill detectives would provide back-up to the county detectives.

Kelli immediately knew that she needed to call Sal Morabito, the lead county detective to bring him up to speed on new this case.  Kelli and Sal had a long-standing relationship of working cases, although murder was rare, there were a whole set of cases that they worked together.  Kelli and Sal worked hundreds of cases together  and most were successfully adjudicated in the court system.

Sal had many municipalities that he was responsible for solving crimes, but Sal had a special affection for Kelli, she was tougher than most of the individual village detectives.  Kelli could get things done whereas most of the other local town detectives were looking forward to  their pensions.  There was one other thing, Kelli could kick your ass in a fight.  That was something to be measured against when you had your back against the wall.  Sal needed to know that someone had his back, and Kelli would do just fine in a fight.

The twins, Dylan and Markus Dougal, had grown up surrounded by the roar of Harleys and the influence of their father, a city police sergeant and motorcycle enthusiast.  Despite their mother's disinterest in bikes and her early passing after a battle with cancer, the boys immersed themselves in the world their father loved.  Tom Dougal had cultivated a sense of Conway in them as they grew, teaching them to fix their bikes and instilling a passion that would persist even after his death from cancer during their senior year of high school.  Left with an inheritance that included a family home and a lakefront retreat, the boys faced the challenge of navigating adulthood without parental guidance.

Their grandparents attempted to provide support, but the absence of firm parental control left Dylan and Markus living on the edge, “drive fast and take chances” was their motto.  The Floral Hill police viewed the twins as troublemakers, aware that their indulgence in the biker lifestyle could lead them to further complications.  Despite this, the boys' charm and their mother's gift for gab often saw them wriggling out of tight spots, but their actions increasingly tested the limits set by their father when he was alive.

The police department struggled to manage the twins as best as they could, but with no authoritative figure present to guide them properly, the situation grew haphazardly.  As the situation grew more intense the local Floral Hill Police sought ways to lead these young men towards a more friendly environment. 

 The killing of Joanie Scarpa, an elderly woman who was assaulted after a late-night train ride, shocked the community.  Detectives Kelli O’Brien and Jimmy Corsi, accustomed to handling smaller crimes, now found themselves confronting another murder investigation.  Commissioner Steve Stanzione was not thrilled with another murder in the Village.  He would come to learn that his relationship with Tom Dougal that caused many of the current problems with the twins, now that the parents were no longer alive.

Kelli, experienced and tough, contacted Sal Morabito, the county detective responsible for Floral Hill, to collaborate on solving the case.  Their partnership, was built on trust and effectiveness in resolving past cases, was crucial given the rarity of murder in the  Floral Hill area.  Sal appreciated Kelli's determination and reliability, knowing she was a formidable ally, capable of tackling whatever challenges arose.   As the town grappled with the tragedy, the need for direction and accountability became painfully evident, especially for the aimless Dougal twins.

The twins were about to encounter a force of nature that they never had to deal with when their dad was alive.  Kelli O’Brien, the lead detective in Floral Hill.

Chapter 2

Kelli O’Brien

Kelli O’Brien grew up in Floral Hill as one of three children to Colleen and Robert Brennan, Maggie was the oldest and Chris was the youngest.  Her given name is Kellianne, but she always went with Kelli with the i.  Kelli was a Floral Hill Police Officer for 12 years, passed the Sargent’s test after 4 four years on the force and applied for a detective’s job once Joe Torrie retired.

When Kelli was younger, she was taller than all of her friends.  She was the best athlete in the family and excelled at anything she put a moment’s thought into at any given moment.  Kelli was not an overachiever; she just worked harder than everyone else to achieve her goals.

In high school, almost everyone was afraid of Kelli, because Kelli could kick your butt.  But not Ken.   Ken saw Kelli for exactly who she was in life.  A hard-working person who could move mountains, and that  was exactly what Ken needed and was looking for in a soulmate. Someone that would keep Ken on the straight and narrow path.

It was a match made in heaven with Ken and Kelli.  Kelli and Ken married right out of high school, against both sets of parent’s advice.  But Kelli and Ken knew what they were getting into in this marriage.  Both sets of parents were against marriage, but Kelli and Ken knew what they wanted out of life.  They had a plan, and they were going to see it through, because that is what they wanted.

Ken and Kelli lived in his parents’ basement until they graduated college.   Both Kelli and Ken graduated from different colleges at the same time.  They worked hard during the college years, each having multiple jobs and saving what they could for the future.

Kelli and Ken had their own plan, and soon after graduation from college, Kelli told  Ken she was pregnant,  In the same sentence, Kelli told Ken that she was going to be a Floral Hill Police Officer.  Kelli had passed the test with flying colors and  was at the top of the list.

Within the same week, Ken was hired on the recommendation of  his best friend from high school, Matt, who worked at a Hedge Fund in the city.  And the kids, Kelli and Ken were on their way.  They went from living in his parents’ basement to owning their own home in a matter of months after their college graduation, and before Ken jr. was born.

Kelli and Ken never looked back, they only looked into each other’s eyes and saw the love and determination that each individual needed to see to know they were on the correct path.  The path they had plotted for a really long time.  At least since high school but probably going back to grammar school.

The biggest part of being married is not agreeing to a 50/50 relationship in life.  In a relationship, you each have to give 100 percent.  Kelli and Ken were each willing to give 100 percent to their relationship.  That is why it worked.

Kelli gave birth to Ken Jr shortly after they closed on their home in the West End of Floral Hill.  Kelli was already on  the Floral Hill police force before she gave birth.  Her daughter, Colleen O’Brien came along a year later, OPPS.  But Ken and Kelli were a happy couple living in Floral Hill, with Kelli patrolling the neighborhood, and keeping everyone safe.  Kelli knew what was happening in the neighborhood and kept a pulse on any changes in their surroundings.

Ken was taking the train to the city each day and Kelli working her shifts, the lovely couple could do anything that they wanted, with the amount they were earning.  With the two kids,  they were a fantastic looking family, but both Kelli and Ken wanted more.

Ken became a partner in the Hedge Fund and Kelli was promoted to Sargent, and later detective.  They had agreed to save everything for retirement and hopefully retiring early.   Life is what happens while you make other plans.