Ben Time, a locomotive engineer pulls thousands of tons of miscellaneous freight from Indianapolis to Saint Louis day and night. He and his conductor find themselves held out of the St. Louis rail yard for an unusually long time. The delay involves the death of the train master. Ben finds that in order to absolve a fellow engineer of murder he needs to look into the facts. Complicating the matter is the fact that the engineer, he believes innocent of the crime, is an engineer who continually derides Ben for his faith. Dr. Tammi Huggins has a Ph. D. from Indiana State University in Leadership Administration in Higher Education. She has published some 50 plus articles in various denominational supplements. She is married to a retired railroader and has two adult daughters. She resides in Avon Indiana as well as Zephyrhills Florida. Murder and Misconception A Ben Time Mystery By T.A. Huggins Morgan James Publishing Copyright © 2018 T.A. Huggins All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-68350-510-5 Contents CHAPTER 1 Saint Louis, Nov. 6, 0130 EST, CHAPTER 2 Saint Louis, Nov. 8, 1030 EST, CHAPTER 3 Saint Louis, Nov. 8, 1800 EST, CHAPTER 4 Indianapolis, Nov. 9, 1300 EST, CHAPTER 5 Saint Louis, Nov. 10, 1200 EST, CHAPTER 6 Indianapolis, Nov. 10, Returned at 0300 EST, CHAPTER 7 Indianapolis, Nov. 11, 2100 EST, CHAPTER 8 Saint Louis, Nov. 12, 1900 EST, CHAPTER 9 Indianapolis, Nov. 13, Woke at 1800 EST, CHAPTER 10 Indianapolis, Nov. 14, 1800 EST, CHAPTER 11 Saint Louis, Nov. 15, Woke at 1600 EST, CHAPTER 12 Saint Louis, Nov. 17, 1400 EST, CHAPTER 13 Indianapolis, Nov. 18, 2300 EST, CHAPTER 14 Saint Louis, Nov. 20, 0100 EST, CHAPTER 1 SAINT LOUIS, NOV. 6, 0130 EST I awoke with a start, the phone blaring in the night. I hadn't set an alarm in twenty-some years. The phone took its place. I rolled over and picked up the handheld unit, then mumbled out my "Hello." The automated female voice replied with the familiar "Railroad calling," and continued with the menu options. I punched in my employee number and a series of numeric choices in the dark. Practice makes perfect. A real live female responded, "Mr. Time, you are on the E103 at 0130 hours." "Who is my conductor?" "Mr. Evans," she said, followed by a click and the dial tone. I really don't need to ask who the conductor is for my return trips. I do this because, when startled awake, I am uncertain whether it is a return trip. After the phone call, I have two hours to make it to the railyard and be ready to move the 1:30 AM train. I have therefore trained my body to lie in a semi-coma for about a half hour and then to move into a vertical stance and wander into the nearest shower. The shower usually brings me into consciousness. I dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt, placed my toothbrush back into my grip, and was ready to descend to the hotel lobby. The night man, Steve, was reading his iPad. "Hey Steve. How's it going? Have you seen Evans yet?" "No, have some coffee. I just made it, and there are some cookies left." "I think I will," I mumbled. I poured some black magic into the Styrofoam cup and added two packs of sugar. "Hope the coffee does the trick tonight, and hope Evans is on time. He's got the reputation of oversleeping, and we're on duty at 1:30 AM." I took several small sips of Steve's stiff brew. "Looks like our van is coming a bit early. Do you mind ringing Evans' room?" The sound of the opening elevator door caused us to turn in that direction. It revealed Evans standing under the lone transom light. Like Lurch from The Addams Family, he declared, "You rang?" Evans stands six feet seven. He has a broad forehead and speaks in a baritone voice, slowly and methodically. Most trainmen call him, appropriately, "Lurch." On the railroad, we rarely use a man's given name. My mother named me Benjamin James Time. The trainmen call me Big Ben. I prefer to think it has nothing to do with my protruding stomach, but rather because you can set your watch by my actions. "Come on, Lurch. We need to board our limo. The railroad waits for no man or beast. I'm the man. You're the beast." "Why did we get called so early?" Evans mumbled. "We were four times out [fourth on a list to be called out for a train] when we got in yesterday. I thought I'd get at least six hours of shuteye." "I don't know, but I haven't had eight solid hours of rest in two weeks," I replied. As I slid the van door open I said, "Hi Chuck. You on night duty?" Chuck, the driver, nodded and said, "Yep, and a cold night it is. Do you guys want to stop by Subway for some eats?" "We sure do," I responded. Lurch, just beginning to awaken, said, "I think I'm going to diet and skip the sandwich." "It's a twelve-hour trip home. Are you sure? You will be crying and complaining like a little schoolgirl, begging for some of my sandwich before we even get to Casey." "I need to lose a few. Got a new honey on the line." "You need to do more than just lose a few," I called out a