The Great Pumpkin Murder

    The Great Pumpkin Murder

Suzanne Marsh

October 31^st, 1998

The leaves twilled toward the earth; the wind began to howl as if it were a lonely wolf. Sirens blared into the night. Murder was in the air. Detective Sam Graves sat at his gray metal desk wondering and hoping this Halloween would be a quite one. The call came in just before midnight; a young woman was found dead at Pumpkin’s R Us. ‘Damn’ thought Graves here we go, loony tune time once again.’ He grabbed his gun from his desk drawer, nodded to his partner Junior Detective Jim Passmore. This was the first murder to take place in the quiet little town of Uncertain, Texas.

Once on the scene the detectives first strode over to the body of the victim, one Barbara Greenthumb. Barbara was well known and liked in the small community. She had worked for Pumpkins-R-Us for several years and was co-owner with Magda O’Leary. Together they had made a success out of selling pumpkins; if one were in the vicinity, one could smell pumpkin bread or torts or pumpkin pie. Smells that filled the air with an aroma of pumpkin.

No one really knew where either Barbara or Magda came from; no one ever asked. Uncertain was the type of town it did not matter where someone was from, but it matter that they were now part of the community. Barbara had arrived first then Magda, some folks thought they were sisters. Barbara and Magda were both blond with blue eyes, one a bit plumper than the other.

Detective Sam Graves stood over the tarp covered body. He pulled the tarp down noting the stab marks in vital areas. This was a crime of either hate or vengeance; Sam, knew from experience that was going to be a difficult case to solve. Sam motioned Jim over to where the victim was located:

“This is a murder that we need to solve now, or it will become a cold case.”

“A cold case, that indicates an unsolved crime on the books for more than a year.”

“Exactly, Barbara was big on community, she donated to the police fund and various

charities.”

“I have heard that more than once. What do you need me to do?”

“Once the coroner is done, we will have a better idea of where to begin the investigation.”

Time was not on their side.

October 1^st, 2022

Sam Graves and Jim Passmore were now both retired. One sleepy afternoon in early October Sam received a phone call:

“Hello, am I speaking with Detective Sam Graves?”

“Yes, this is Sam Graves, I am retired from the force now.”

“Very well detective, I have a tip on a murder that took place in Uncertain twenty-four

years ago.”

“Okay”

“Do you remember Barbara’s partner Jenny Holmes? Check out her alibi it won’t collaborate

with what she tells now.”

The call ended with a click of the phone.

The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but Sam could not seem to place it. He quickly took a cell phone number from the tipster. He then called the station to find out who had the cold cases. This case of the Pumpkin Patch Murder had always bothered him.

Tanya Magurk sat at her desk down in bottom of the police station; she termed it the dark dingy dungeon of Calcutta. She was jarred out of her doldrums when her phone suddenly rang:

“Magurk here”

“Hello, my name is former detective Sam Graves, would you mind pulling the files on the

Pumpkin Patch Murder. I was one of the detectives who worked the case back in ‘98.”

“Give me about an hour. Are you coming to the station?”

“Yes, but I am going to pick up my old partner Jim Passmore on the way.”

Sam ended the call, then prepared to leave his apartment. Magurk, sounded as if she were his age, and should have retired when he did. Times had certainly changed since he was on the force, with the exception of the cold cases. This would require his full attention as he and Jim went through their notes on the crime as well as all the evidence they had collected at the original scene. He was not even sure he believed the anonymous tip; this cold case had niggled at him since he had first investigated the crime.

Barbara, as Sam began to remember, was pretty woman, she had been stabbed several times with a sharp object; they had never determined what the sharp object had been, nor had they found the murderer. ‘Maybe the second time around we will solve this case’ Sam thought as he drove his 2009 red Tundra truck toward Jim Passmore’s residence. Sam and Jim arrived at the police station and made their way to the cold case cranny. Margurk, strode toward them with several large boxes full of evidence:

“These were all I could find; I can continue to look but I believe this is all there is.

Why the interest after all these years Detective Graves?”

“I received an anonymous tip that sounded as if it might be a legitimate lead. I spoke

to the chief and he agreed to allow Jim and I to work on this case.”

Sam and Jim took the cardboard boxes and left.

“Sam, now are you going to tell me about the tip?”

“Yeah, Jim. Let’s grab some coffee and donuts before we start.

“Fine with me just don’t tell Carrie I had donuts.”

“My lips are sealed.”

They stopped at Donuts R Great then proceeded to Sam’s apartment.

“The tipster informed me that she was stabbed with the knife she used to carve a

pumpkin. The face she carved was not a typical Halloween face it was the face of

a terrified female. The tipster thought it might have been Barbara herself.”

“Yeah, this is the best lead we have gotten. This could solve the cold case.

“That is what I am thinking.”

They knew it would be a long night.

The first box of evidence contained the forensic photos of the victim. Sam could feel the tears in his eyes welling up. That tip he hoped and prayed that it was good; there had been so many tips that the police switchboard was overloaded. Sam looked closely at the photos; Jenny Holmes was not among the people gathered outside the pumpkin patch. It could be the tipster was correct.

Sam and Jim decided that what they had discovered in the picture could not wait until the following morning. They knew now that Jenny was the murderer.

Jenny Holmes, lived in a mansion on top of the hill just outside town. Sam hoped she would be there, he hated stake outs. The two men drove in silence. Just around the bend they could see the mansion. They pulled off the side of the road; they called for backup just in case. While they waited, they observed Jack Cartwright going into the mansion. What connection they wondered were those two. They did not have to wait long. Jenny opened the gate and Jim drove in. Sam marveled at how large the mansion was, maybe Jim was a border. Sam could wait no longer; he motioned Jim Passmore to stay with the sedan while he went up the hill and around the mansion. He remembers a small path and part of the stone wall that he could go through. He rounded the mansion, when he noticed Jenny and Jack kissing. He was now sure there was some connection to the murder. Jenny, began to undress Jack, Sam went back down the hill, motioned for Jim to meet him at the front door. They had an old arrest warrant for Jim and Jenny. Those would have to do for the time being.

“Jenny Holmes, this is detective Sam Graves, open the door now.”

Jenny gathers her house robe around her, she opened the cautiously:

“Yes detective, I thought you were retired along with detective Passmore.”

“Yes, we are both retired, however after we received a tip two days ago, we

received permission from the Chief to look more closely into the case. May we

come in?”

Jenny knew she had been found out. She had been the one to stab Barbara the first two times. Jack had stabbed her the other four times.

“Jennifer Holmes, you are under arrest for the murder of Barbara Greenthumb.”

“John Cartwright, you are under arrest for the murder of Barbara Greenthumb.”

Finally, the mystery of the Pumpkin Patch Murder had been solved.