“My ancestors, on my mother’s maternal side, used scarecrow totems as warnings, but they also had spiritual meaning and told the story of the tribe. They were the protectors, the sentinels of the land, and were used to mark territory, ownership. When the African slaves were sent to faraway lands, they took small totem scarecrow dolls called poppets with them for personal protection, and voodoo dolls for personal power; they believed evil spirits could be sewn into them to be used for curses.
“Lots of folks think the Africans were savage in their customs, but the Anglos and Celtic people were just as crazy. The Druids had a ritual of turning humans and animals into living scarecrows and sacrificing them for a good crop. Folks there still copy that ritual when they have Bonfire Night and burn up a straw man. In England, bodies were strung up like scarecrows on posts as a warning to lawbreakers. In London, criminals were hung along bridges that were turned into gallows for all to see. This came to be known as a gala event. Then, they started making straw people with wax or wooded faces in the likeness of dead people, dressed in the deceased clothes, believing the clothing and belongings held their spirit. These scarecrows were called hollow men, a warning to the wicked that we all become hollow in the end.
“So you see, Chief, a scarecrow can have many meanings. You might ask yourself, was the victim’s body brought to the scarecrow and tied to its post to instill fear, or was it a warning. Was he tied to the scarecrow as a sacrifice, or was he put there to be protected until found? Was the scarecrow’s face changed to project terror, or was it altered to depict terror? How do you see the scarecrow, Chief?”
“At first I saw it the way I thought most folks around here did, as something to scare crows and other the birds away from the garden. But I’m beginning to see it in a new light, Mamma Phoebe, and can understand why some people talk about scarecrows as if they are real. I believe you are right in that it has more significance than the murder itself. Why that scarecrow, why that place? I hadn’t thought of it before, but maybe the scarecrow and the place are somehow mixed up in the murderer’s life.”
“You just head on in that direction, Chief. You’ll find your way. You always do. You just need to be on the right path.”
Satisfied with the new insight she had given him, Farley changed the subject, “Enough talk about my problem, Mamma Phoebe. Tell me, how does it feel to be retired, sitting and rocking and watching the vineyards grow? You must be very proud of Miss Pen.”
“Well, Chief, it’s a fine thing to see what she has done with this land. I think of all those years she worked like a servant and lived so quiet, raising Raven, and keeping to herself. She’s like a late-bloomin’ rose, as fine a woman as God put on earth and I am proud of her. You know, Chief, in my life, I always had attention, people comin’ and goin’, needin’ this and needin’ that. I had my powers and my gifts and my glory. I even had an admirer, a fine doctor who claimed to truly love me, married though he was. Then Pen gave me her precious boy to teach. One day he will take over all of this land and we’ll both live on in him. But she’s still in her prime. The Raven Brook Falls Winery Lodge will soon be open and she’ll be working as hard as ever, overseeing things. But now there is a problem I’d like to talk to you about, seeing as we have your problem all discussed.”
“Does it have anything to do with the film company, and Miss Pen’s admirer?
“Yes it does. I hope some folks don’t go to thinking I had anything to do with it just because they used to come to me begging for love potions and spells. Pen doesn’t need my help to attract a man. Besides, I’m retired. No, that director, famous though he might be, is under her natural spell as surely as any man can be. What worries me is she seems to like him and he’s got her over there on his movie set asking her advice and pulling her into a part of our history she’s only heard about from me. He’s getting too personal in this way and drawing her closer to him through his movie. I’m not sure how I feel about it or his intentions. He’s a man known all over the world and was at least twice married. Pen may be wise, but she is not worldly. I haven’t said my piece to her, but I’m about to. What do you think about it, Chief?”
Farley gave her a knowing smile and replied, “I think you are itching to come out of retirement, but he hasn’t given you cause, yet. I know how much you love Miss Pen, but don’t underestimate her. She might be enjoying his attentions and might even be a bit smitten herself. But you and I know there is nothing more important to her than Raven, you, and the future she is making here. He may be experienced in worldly ways, but not in mountain ways. They are deep and abiding, Mamma Phoebe. You are the best example of that. Now tell me about the admirer you once had. Come on now, give me all the details.”
She laughed flirtatiously and then told him her story.
He promised to routinely check on the film company, with Pen in mind. The afternoon had almost passed, and he got up to leave, kissed her on the cheek, and stepped down from the porch. Jeremiah waddled around the corner to see him off with a croak. When he reached the cruiser, he turned to wave goodbye and noticed something about the garden he had missed.
He called to her, “Why don’t you have a scarecrow in your garden?”
She replied with a mysterious grin, “I don’t need one.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
ON THE WAY BACK TO town, Farley called the office to check in with Aura Lee.
“I’m glad you called, Chief. Miss Randolph, from the elementary school, is here wanting to talk to you. She’s been here only a few minutes, should I ask her to wait?”
“Yes, thanks Aura Lee. I’ll be right there. Have her wait in my office.”
He wondered what had brought the new principal of Serena Elementary School to the police station so late in the afternoon. Martha Randolph was not one to make a fuss over minor issues and dealt with problematic situations with authority and efficiency. She had also earned the respect of the community in a very short time. Serena’s elementary school had only eighty-six children, but was considered one of the best in the county as evidenced by the school’s high proficiency ratings.
By the time he arrived, Aura Lee had Miss Randolph seated in his office with a cup of steaming coffee she had not touched.
When he entered the room, she looked up and crossed both hands over her chest with a deep sigh and said, “Chief Farley, I was hoping to catch you and I’m sorry to intrude, but I had to talk to you in private. I’m afraid when word gets out about what I have to tell you, there will be a furor and I’m concerned about the children. Please forgive me, I’m not being clear. I am so upset. Please, let me explain.”
Farley sat down behind his desk as she began.
“Last week one of the third graders, Molly McKinney, started crying in class for no apparent reason. When her teacher, Miss Bradley, took her aside, she started sobbing and talking about being afraid of the scarecrow that will come and take her away in the night. She said she had seen the scarecrow looking in her bedroom window. Her parents had told her she’d been dreaming but she was still afraid. Miss Bradley calmed her and told her to believe her parents.
“That was the first incident, Chief Farley. Since then, several more students have reported seeing the scarecrow. One of our second graders was so terrified, she did not come to school the next day. The parents of these children all say they haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary. But each child insists that the scarecrow appeared at their window. One child, Bobby Dillon, said he saw the scarecrow on his way home from the library, just as it was getting dark. He lives right here in town, a block away from the library. He is in the fifth grade.
“Of course, the children are talking to one another about it. The scarecrow has replaced the bogeyman in their minds and their reality. Not one adult has seen this imaginary creature, nor have there been any official reports of sightings that I know of. That’s why I came here, to ask if there has been any reports of this nature, and to tell you what happened this afternoon.”
Farley repli
ed, “This is the first I’ve heard of it Miss Randolph. We haven’t had a call.”
“Chief Farley, do you think the origin of these sightings could stem from the murder that happened several weeks ago? The newspaper reporters have exaggerated the ghoulishness of the crime with their ‘Scarecrow Murder’ headlines. Perhaps one of the children heard an adult talking about the murder and became frightened, or maybe an adolescent used the story to scare a younger sibling. Somehow, the scarecrow has crept into the imaginations of our elementary school children and with every effort put forth by the faculty we have not been able to extricate it.”
“It’s certainly possible. The headlines have provoked a fascination with the subject that may have carried over to the children. You were about to tell me what happened this afternoon.”
“Yes, I’ll go on. To make matters worse, another alleged sighting occurred today after school. Jimmy Walker, a sixth grader, had stayed behind after gym class to practice his basketball foul shots. When he came out, alone, he saw the scarecrow standing on the hillside above the gym, staring down at him. He ran as fast as he could back into the main building and straight into my office. He was so shaken, I called his parents.
“Chief Farley, Jimmy is not one to tell tales, and I must tell you honestly that he seemed to be telling the truth. Now I’m beginning to wonder if there is a prankster who is being very clever. If this becomes known, perhaps others will imitate this person, for the attention. I’ve never dealt with anything like this. Maybe my imagination is running wild. I hadn’t thought of the scarecrow as real, until today.”
Farley leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment. Martha Randolph had good reason to be upset, and so did he. His unsolved case was sprouting tentacles, like the ivy that covered the hillsides of Serena.
Farley tried to reassure her. “I’ll call the Walkers and ask to have a talk with Jimmy. I’ll get to the bottom of this, Miss Randolph. Would it help to have a psychologist come to the school and talk to the children?”
Grateful, she replied, “Oh thank you, yes, it would. Our school counselor is overwhelmed and would appreciate help in this matter. Do you have anyone in mind?”
“I could ask Kate McManus or her husband, Devlin. They are no longer in practice, but are exceptionally qualified and could lend their assistance or suggestions. Kate is already consulting with me on one aspect of the case.”
“Thank you, Chief Farley. I feel greatly relieved to have your help. The thought of Halloween coming and scarecrows popping up everywhere is enough to give anyone a fright.”
She became thoughtful for a moment, then added, “Although, most scarecrows made for Halloween look friendly. I just realized that the staff and I have not asked the children to describe the scarecrow, not wanting to give it credibility. There must be something distinctive about this one that makes it so terrifying.”
He replied, “You have a good point, Miss Randolph. I’ll ask for a description from Jimmy Walker and Bobby Dillon before they have had a chance to compare notes at school tomorrow. They are the only two who claim to have seen it before dark. If their descriptions are the same, our scarecrow might be the prankster you suggested, and a prankster is someone we can catch.”
After Miss Randolph left, Farley called Jimmy Walker and Bobby Dillon’s parents to ask their permission to stop by and talk to their boys. They readily agreed. It was almost five o’clock and Aura Lee was about to leave. He gave her a brief synopsis of his confidential conversation with Martha Randolph and asked her to find out what she could about the sightings. Aura Lee took confidentiality seriously when it was demanded of her and could keep a secret when trying to extract information from others. He had to admit, the woman had a gift, and he wanted that gift set into immediate action. Tales about the scarecrow had not yet hit the rumor mill because the children had been discredited until now. But he had a feeling they would soon be the talk of the town.
Jeff and Judy Walker met Farley at the front door and talked to him in whispers before calling Jimmy from his bedroom. Both insisted Jimmy had never lied to them and expressed concern for his safety. Jimmy appeared shy, small for his age, wore glasses, and seemed an unlikely candidate for the basketball team. Farley supposed they were the reasons he had stayed in the gym for extra practice, an indication of gumption and determination.
Jimmy further impressed Farley when he stepped forward without prompting from his parents, and despite his shyness, started telling Farley what he had seen. He described a ragged figure, taller than himself, partially hidden by the bushes, wearing a tattered and torn wide-brimmed hat, his face covered in burlap sacking tied at the neck, a mouth sewed up with stitches, and sticks and straw sticking out of his sleeves. The scarecrow had stood still as a post, his arms outstretched from his sides until they started slowly reaching down towards him. He said he couldn’t move at first because of being afraid, but then ran fast as he could. He said he could run very fast because he’d been practicing.
Jimmy looked so small and forlorn to Farley. Although his lip had quivered once, Jimmy had held back frightened tears. Farley knelt down from his great height to Jimmy’s level, patted him on the shoulder, and told him he’d been very brave. He believed the boy, and liked him. His parents believed him, too, and were worried.
Farley was not prone to anger, but felt a sharp twinge of it as he left the Walker’s home. He drove over to the elementary school, a few blocks away, taking the ridge road that ran above and behind it. He pulled over at the top of the hillside overlooking the gym building. He could see the bushes where the scarecrow had stood waiting for some poor kid to spot him and thought a sight like that in broad daylight would have startled anyone, much less a child.
He surmised it to be the brainstorm of some local juvenile, maybe two, considering the amount of sightings. They’d probably started sneaking around at night, looking through the windows of familiar homes, enjoying the thrill of their nefarious adventures, and were now gearing up for Halloween; just what he needed in the middle of a murder investigation.
Farley checked around the bushes for footprints, but layers of fallen leaves had protected the ground from taking an impression. He did find a few scattered pieces of straw.
Bobby Dillon was less forthright in his description. He was younger than Jimmy and not as detail oriented. He said the scarecrow had been hiding behind the large tree near the back corner of the Baptist church, across the street from where he was walking. He said the scarecrow came out and reached out for him and that is why he got scared. He said it couldn’t talk because his mouth was sewn shut, but he looked mean and not like a regular scarecrow. He couldn’t explain why. Farley was satisfied with Bobby’s statement and tried to reassure his parents.
Dan Dillon walked with Farley out to the cruiser.
“Chief Farley, if you find the punk responsible for scaring my boy half to death, he needs to be taken into the woods and taught a lesson. I’d be happy to go along to do some of the teachin’.”
It was dark by the time Farley caught up with Deputy Purdy, who was already on patrol near the compound access road.
Farley asked, “What do you want me to do if Tanner doesn’t leave with the rest of the crew tonight, Chief? They should be coming out any time now.”
“Give it another hour, Ben, then come back to town whether Tanner leaves or not. I need you here.” Farley explained about the scarecrow sightings.
“I want you to patrol in town until midnight and then go home. Come in by noon tomorrow because I need you to go over to the middle school and high school. Talk to the principals at both and let them know about the sightings. Ask for a list of potential suspects from their roster of troublemakers. Keep in mind that we could be dealing with a first time offender with no history of delinquency, someone old enough to be influenced by the headlines and young enough to get a kick out of scaring younger kids.”
“What about Zack Tanner, Chief?”
Farley sensed Purdy’s frustration at being
sidetracked from Tanner and responded accordingly, “I drove out to the compound today, checked along the access road and the fields near the parking area and found nothing suspicious. I’m going back tomorrow to pay a visit to the set. When Tanner didn’t leave with the others last night, you were right to suspect mischief. We’ll have a better chance finding out what kind if I’m on the set asking questions, rather than searching the area for the place he stashed the Ranger. But if you hadn’t gone looking for him, we wouldn’t have known he’d hidden it. That was good work, Ben.”
Purdy heartily replied, “Sure thing, Chief.”
Forty minutes later, a caravan of vans and other vehicles exited the access road and headed for the Serena Mountain Lodge. The Ford Ranger was last, lagging behind. Purdy followed, keeping his distance. When they reached town, Purdy was tempted to continue, at least out beyond the overpass, to make sure Tanner was heading for home. But it was time to begin the scarecrow patrol. It seemed beneath his new skills as an investigator. Purdy shook his head in disgust.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
A FURIOUS ZACK WAS NOT heading home. Not until he found out why Megan had upset his plans. He hadn’t seen her until late afternoon when he’d returned to the set with the stunt crew. He’d volunteered to do odd jobs at the end of each day to have the opportunity to make eye contact with her during breaks in filming. They’d been extremely careful not to be observed doing this. Today she wouldn’t even look his way, and then left with the others for the lodge.
What was she doing, playing hard to get? She hadn’t given him a sign, a note, nothing! He’d expected her to be waiting for him tonight. Did she think she could treat him like this and get away with it? She might be a movie star, but he knew her kind, needy, looking for someone to take charge. Women were all the same. If you didn’t put them in their place, they thought they could play you for a fool. Maybe he had been a little rough, but it had to be that way the first time or else he’d get caught in the cat and mouse trap of her thinking she was better than him, playing games, like tonight. He had to get to her, talk to her, hold her close, sugar her up a bit, and make her forget the pain. One more time and he’d have her wanting more.
The Silent Scream of the Straw Man Page 9