Growing up in Vivian, days ran the gamut from boring to even more boring. Nothing ever seemed to happen much in the sleepy bayou town. At least that's how we excitement-hungry teens usually felt. I recall only one murder in Vivian - maybe the only one ever. It involved the parents of one of my high school classmates. The mother was going out every night to Mrs. Ray's, one of the local honky tonks, and carousing until the wee hours. Supposedly, when her husband found her undies in the glove compartment of their car he went berserk and killed her with a ball peen hammer.
He tossed the murder weapon into the Myrtis Mill Pond (not a smart move as the pond is less than ten feet deep.) When confronted, he readily confessed the killing.
The Myrtis Mill Pond lies on the west side of town, about five miles from the Texas border, and became an important destination for Vivianites, on dates with little else to see or do. Whenever I visit, I have to pass the location, and my psyche never fails to overflow with poignant memories.
The pond plays an important role in my short story Southern Fried Murder.
P.S. – The sheriff and his deputy in Southern Fried Murder became the models for the sheriff and deputy in my first novel Ghost of a Chance. For those of you that may have missed it, here is a link to the YouTube video for Ghost. While there, please check out my other book trailer videos.