Niall Magill

Thanksgiving Murder in the Mountains: a Cold Case Niall Magill

"Skeletons sometimes talk to us from the grave," said Grandpa Niall in a four-way phone conversation with his grandchildren, Brooks, Eliza, and Austin, teenagers who make up the B. E. A. Wares Detective Agency. If Grandpa was right, a murder took place in the dark of night, more than thirty years ago in the tiny village of Cassel, California, located in the intermountain area featuring Mount Lassen and Mount Shasta, world-famous volcanic mountains in northern California. A cold case if there ever was one, it became suddenly current once heavy November rains, a mud slide, and a visiting dog partially uncovered an unmarked grave containing a full skeleton. A DNA sample soon identified it as belonging to a prominent attorney who had disappeared 30 years before. Unlikely twists and turns led to the involvement of prominent figures in the Northern California community and the possibility of prison time for local Native Americans and for one of the wealthiest ranchers and property owners in the area. A retired FBI agent, now Sheriff, was called in, but was only slightly interested until Grandpa disappeared. The tale of intrigue, murder, kidnapping, and greed continued to excite Grandpa and the B. E. A. Wares. However unlikely finding the killer may have been, the cold case sparked interest and some fear in the small communities in Northern California, as the antagonism between the ranching community and the Native Americans rose like the memories of a distant past. Well-established interests were threatened as well. For more of Niall Magill's books, please check out our website: http://www.holidayhistoriesandmysteries.com Thanks!