December 1, 1872
M. Wilcox
Rancho De La Flores
Los Angeles, California
My dearest Carrie;
To think that yesterday, I despaired of finding something to write to you today. It has been a quiet week, with few injuries or serious illnesses. Indeed, my plan was to write to you that the pueblo has been blissfully peaceful for a change.
Alas, my darling sister, I considered too soon. Late last night, poor Mr. Hewitt was foully shot to death, and I, along with his wife, were the witnesses to the deed.
I believe that I made mention of him in last Sunday’s letter. He is the poor dissipate that I am treating for liver disease. Or, rather, I should write that he was, now that he is beyond any treatment my poor skills can offer. His wife, Mrs. Hewitt, and I have been friendly, and she is quite bereft. I do hope the horror of his killing will make up for the gross humiliation he caused her earlier that evening.
He should not have gone to the party that Mrs. Glassell held last night in our new social hall. He was far too ill, and not only furthered his dissipation, he disgraced himself all over the ballroom floor.
We do not know who the malefactor was in the killing. It was so dark that all I saw was a shadow, perhaps a cloak or a coat. Or possibly even a skirt. Furthermore, there seems to be little reason to have killed him. My friend, Mrs. Sutton, has determined that the shots were fired at close range and there were six of them. She believes that the malefactor was exceedingly angry to have done such a thing.
I could well understand Mrs. Hewitt being that angry. But while she was worried that the humiliation, she suffered would make it difficult for her daughters, she unaccountably misses him. Perhaps it is not so unaccountable. Mr. Hewitt was quite inoffensive and most people I know found him very congenial, in spite of his dissipation.
The greater difficulty for me will be to decide whether I should take up the chase for the killer. Things ended so badly last time, and not just for me, but my dear friend Mrs. Medina. It is a blessing that she has recovered fully. And while Mrs. Sutton has also recovered from that terrible time a year ago, she, too, was almost lost. True, one cannot allow evil to proliferate, and it does all too easily if not stopped in time. But must I be the one to risk the lives of her loved ones to stop it?
Ah, well, we shall see. Please send my fondest thoughts to our father. I shall write him soon. And give your own children a warm embrace on behalf of their too distant aunt.
I am, as ever, your loving sister;
Maddie
Death of the Drunkard, Old Los Angeles Mystery Book #5
Genre: Historical Mystery
Release: November 2023
Format: Digital
Purchase Link
One inoffensive drunkard. So many reasons to kill him.
A bold shooting ends the life of Mr. Hewitt, the buggy manufacturer on a cold night in December, 1872. Physician and winemaker Maddie Wilcox is particularly puzzled, since it was clear that Mr. Hewitt was soon to die of his own dissipation. Nonetheless, she is drawn into searching out his killer by the grieving widow.
Maddie soon finds out that there were several people who might have been offended by Mr. Hewitt, including those hoping to bring the Union Pacific railroad to Los Angeles. As Maddie battles the usual winter colds and her own homesickness, the local men begin vying for her affections. Soon, Maddie realizes that she is searching for a killer determined to win the prize, no matter what the cost.
About the author
Author Anne Louise Bannon’s husband says that his wife kills people for a living. Bannon does mostly write mysteries, including the Old Los Angeles Series, the Freddie and Kathy series, and the Operation Quickline series. She has worked as a freelance journalist for magazines and newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times. She and her husband, Michael Holland, created the OddBallGrape.com wine education blog, and she co-wrote a book on poisons. Her latest novel is thriller Running Away to Boston. She and her husband live in Southern California with an assortment of critters. Visit her website at AnneLouiseBannon.com or follow her on Facebook.