by Tonya Kappes
He was on the phone with the sheriff’s department, telling them to come to investigate the house. I stayed behind to soothe a very upset Mary Elizabeth.
“I can’t believe this.” She wrung her hands as she paced back and forth. “I’m usually a good judge of character.”
“You had no idea.” I didn’t know what to say to comfort her. “At least he didn’t hurt you.”
“He was such a nice young man.” Mary Elizabeth looked at the table with a blank stare. “He sat where Hank was sitting. He enjoyed the meatloaf.”
“You heard Hank. The scent stopped at the road. He probably hitched another ride, like he said, and he’s long gone.” I wanted both of us to believe the words coming out of my mouth, but I was scared.
Six
Before I left the Milkery, Hank had every single officer from Normal at the bed and breakfast. They checked every nook and cranny in and around the farmhouse.
“This is an open investigation which means the bed and breakfast and the Milkery will remain closed until further notice,” Hank told Mary Elizabeth and Dawn
“Have you lost your mind?” Mary Elizabeth looked at me with an open mouth. “I think he’s lost his mind.” She turned to Dawn when she didn’t get a response from me. “He thinks we can just up and close a thriving business. Closing the bed and breakfast is fine, but what about all the cow’s milk? The eggs? They will spoil, and local restaurants pay for our fresh products.”
I thought Hank was going to have to take Mary Elizabeth down to jail because she was giving him the business about how she wasn’t going to close the Milkery. And he thought I was bad.
I left it up to Dawn to be the sane one. I reiterated my offer for them to come stay with me for the night or as long as they needed to, but they declined.
There wasn’t much more for me to do there, so I gathered up the casserole and the cinnamon rolls and headed back to Happy Trails, leaving Hank to calm Mary Elizabeth down.
I kept my eyes peeled on the windy roads all the way back to the campground for any signs of a person walking along. The further away from the Milkery I got, the safer I felt, and I was so happy to hear the gravel spit up from underneath the wheels of my car as I entered the campground.
There were a few campers sitting out in by their firepits. Soon the flames would be the only light around.
Henry was putting the finishing touches on the Tiki Hut for the party tomorrow. I loved how he had put an old tent around it to make it look like a civil war camp.
Dottie was sitting outside of her camper with a cigarette dangling from her mouth and the pink sponge curlers in her hair, a nighttime ritual.
I stopped my car in front of her camper and rolled down the window.
“What’cha doing?” She asked through a puff of smoke. “Why don’t cha get out and visit?”
“I’ve got to let Fifi out, but we’ll walk up here.” I drove off in the direction of my camper and parked on the concrete pad.
The weather was perfect for an early spring night. These first few months of the year were hard to figure out weather-wise. Freezing in the morning, hot during the afternoon, and chilly at night. Tonight was a little more on the warm side, which was perfect for strolling around the campground and making sure all the tourists were okay.
I grabbed the flyer of Greaser that Hank had asked me to make copies of from the passenger seat. If I didn’t grab it now, I’d forget or leave it in the car.
I looked down at what appeared to be a fairly normal person, my gut tied knots at the thought of telling my guests to be on the lookout for this guy.
Fifi was dancing at the door when I opened it. She scurried down the few metal steps of the RV and hurried over to the grassy area to do her business. The little white puff ball of fur on the tip of her tail wiggled in delight. She was good about staying around the camper, so I left her outside while I grabbed her leash.
The sight of her leash made her jump up and down with delight. She loved going for walks. She didn’t know that she didn’t need a leash while we were at the campground, but I always used it anyway.
She was a designer poodle with a very fancy pedigree background. Before she came to live with me, she’d been formally trained. She was a show dog and was to continue the family line with the perfect mate.
Leave it to me to ruin that. I’d been babysitting Fifi for Tammy, her former owner. Like I said, she loved running around the campground. I didn’t worry about the filthy mess and matted clumps of mud she had in her pristine white fur, figuring I’d give her a bath before she went home. That I could control. What I couldn’t control was Rosco, the brown and white pug, taking advantage of Fifi and the rest was history. Poor little Fifi had become pregnant with what I coined a pugoodle. You know, a mash up of Pug and Poodle. Well, Tammy didn’t think that was at all amusing, especially since she’d put so much money into Fifi. Tammy said she didn’t want anything to do with Fifi, so she came home with me.
Fifi had her sweet babies and Hank gave one to his mother. And here we were today. Fifi was a confused, previously rich campground dog. One minute she acted all pedigreed and the next minute, not so much.
“Good evening, Mr. Bassett,” I greeted the man who’d driven into the campground earlier today. “I want to apologize for not being able to show you around this afternoon when you got here.”
“It’s no problem.” His lips barely moved underneath his full mustache. “Dottie gave us everything we need. My wife, Barbara, and I have been to many campgrounds in our motor-home. We’ve been traveling around the United States. We were happy to see you really do provide all the hookups. Some campgrounds say that but leave out the part where they charge you an arm and leg to use them.”
“We stand by our word. I can’t believe other campgrounds do that.” My words only encouraged him to tell me more about their cross country adventures.
“Now we are making our way up the east coast to see some family members. I’m a bit of a Civil War buff, so I planned this leg of our journey around the reenactment tomorrow.” He rocked back on the heels of his Timberland boots.
“We are happy to have you.” I put Fifi’s leash under the toe of my shoe. It was hard to unfold the piece of paper Hank had given me and hold the leash at the same time. “I wanted to let you know to be on the lookout for this guy.”
He took the paper from me and adjusted it in the beam of the street light to get a better look. It was in between daylight and dusk, making it hard to see perfectly. It was a beautiful back drop for the Daniel Boone National Park that surrounded Happy Trials.
The burnt oranges and light pinks cast a blue tint on the forest and mountains, giving them a warm glow that filled your spirit and couldn’t help but remind you why people loved it here so much.
“I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about and he’s long gone from Normal by now.” I didn’t like how long it took for Mr. Bassett to study the picture. I couldn’t read his body language and I really wanted to know what he was thinking. “Besides, the last time the dogs picked up Greaser’s scent, he was heading out of town.” I shrugged and said with confidence, “I’m sure he hitched a ride and is long gone.”
“Interesting.” He sucked in a deep breath and handed me the paper back. “I’ll keep an eye out.”
I folded it back up and stuck it in my back pocket in exchange for my ringing phone.
“If you’ll excuse me.” I hit the green answer button when I saw it was Betts calling. “If you need anything,” I said to Mr. Bassett, “my camper is right over there, and you can always call Henry.”
We gave each other one of those goodbye nods as I put the phone to my ear.
“Are you okay? All the girls and I have been worried sick about you and Lester,” I said with a bit of worry in my voice and with eagerness to hear what Betts had to say.
“We are fine. A little shaken, but fine.” Her voice sounded unsteady and not fine, despite what she was telling me and wanting me to believe.
I walked around the
lake in case I ran into some more campers. I wanted to tell them about Greaser instead of just posting a few flyers around the campground like Hank wanted me to.
“Lester is a little more upset than me because he’d been praying with Greaser when Greaser took complete advantage of him. The poor guard, she almost broke her hand trying to get her Billy club back from him.” She told me the horrific details while I continued to walk the campground with Fifi trotting alongside of me.
I was happy to hear Betts and Lester were okay and glad to see Henry had gotten the twinkle lights strung from post to post around the lake. The pedal boats were tied to the small dock and ready for the campers to use. The Tiki Hut had red, white, and blue lights and American flags dripping off the roof.
The party was going to be a success and now that Greaser was long gone, I knew we were going to have a good time.
“The guard was a she?” I asked, making sure I had heard right. I had assumed the guard was a man.
“It was Blanche Davis.” Betts acted as if I should know her. “Gosh, sometimes I forget that you’re not from here. Blanche is the daughter of a longtime member of the church. Blanche doesn’t get to church much because she’s always working. She likes to sit in on the sessions we do with the prisoners. She says she feels like she’s in church. Lester tells her that she’s already doing God’s work in the prison by being a good example.”
“Lester finds the good in everyone, doesn’t he?” I didn’t know him all that well. We’d only interacted a few times, but he was well-liked in the community and I had only ever heard great things about him.
“He does. He’s even forgiven Greaser for escaping, but he is beating himself up about it. I told him that it wasn’t his fault Blanche didn’t have her holster on.” That caught my attention.
“She didn’t have her gun?” My jaw dropped.
Fifi began to bark and tug, extending the leash as far as it would go. I reeled her in and unclipped her, letting her run over to the performance stage near the Recreation Center. Blue Ethel and the Adolescent Farm Boys were setting up. Ethel was Rosco’s mama and he was with her.
Rosco and Fifi kissed and sniffed each other. I was fine with it now that Fifi was spayed and unable to get pregnant. Tammy would have had a fit if she saw Fifi interacting with what she’d call a dog from the wrong side of the tracks.
“Lester said she never wore a gun when they did one on one time with the prisoners because he wanted them to talk freely. When I go in and do one on ones, the guards always have their guns on. I feel safer, but I don’t have to worry about that now.” She let out a big sigh of relief.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“The FBI put a stop to anyone coming in and out of the prison until they find Greaser. But like Lester said, Greaser has long left now.” She sounded confident.
“Did he say something to Lester?” I asked.
“Lester didn’t say much to me, but I overheard him telling Hank that Greaser had said, and I quote, ‘Preacher, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m gonna be going a long ways away from here and you tell the cops that.’” Her voice changed, making me think it was how Greaser talked.
“Unbelievable.” I shook my head.
I decided to walk up to the office and run off a couple copies of Greaser’s mugshot and make good on my promise to Hank. If the flyers weren’t up, it’d be the first thing he’d notice when he came to see me.
“What’s unbelievable?” Dottie asked. She was sitting in one of the plastic chairs near the office door, pushed back, teetering on the hind legs of the chair.
“Is that Dottie?” Betts asked.
“It is. I’m at the office.” I pushed the back of the chair down to all fours before I walked into the office. Dottie grumbled under her voice.
“Can you tell her and the rest of the Laundry Club that I’m fine? I got all their texts, but we’ve been in and out and so busy talking to the sheriff’s department and other officials I don’t know that I’ve barely had time to go to the bathroom.” She sounded a little more like herself, which settled my nerves a little.
“I have a breakfast casserole and some of Mary Elizabeth’s cinnamon rolls that Dawn made for you and Lester.” I snuggled the phone between my ear and shoulder while I opened the top of the copier and slipped the piece of paper out of my pocket to make a few copies. “I told her I’d drop them off to you in the morning.”
“I’ve got to go to the Laundry Club to do taxes before the deadline, so do you want to meet me there?” she asked.
“I’d love to. I’m so glad everyone is okay,” I told her before we said our goodbyes.
I stared at Greaser’s mugshot.
“But where are you?” I asked the photo.
I had an eerie feeling in my gut that we had not seen the last of him.
Seven
“So Lester isn’t going to play his role in the reenactment?” Queenie asked, with a snide tone at the other end of the phone call.
I was thankful Lester and Betts were okay, but Queenie wasn’t as forgiving about Lester not being a soldier.
“Who am I going to get that’s responsible enough to use a bayonet?” she questioned me like I knew of someone.
“I’m going to drop the casserole off to her.” I hadn’t thought the text message I’d sent the girls at the Laundry Club this morning would spur a call from Queenie.
“You don’t get it, Mae. This is a big deal. If we don’t do the reenactment exactly the way it was and it is written in the script, we can get some of the state funding taken away. I have to send in a video. It’s not some willy-nilly thrown together little play.” Queenie rambled on about how she’d worked her hiney off to get all this funding and since Lester wasn’t hurt, he should be able to keep his word.
No amount of reasoning with Queenie was going to help. She was stressed out and until this was all over, she wouldn’t be her normal self.
“I’ve got to go. I’ve got to make a few calls to see who can stand in. Don’t you be late!” The line went silent.
While Fifi went out to do her morning business, I put some kibble in her bowl and freshened up her water. I would be gone a few hours until after the reenactment this afternoon. She wasn’t used to being home so much by herself. I added a few treats to her food dish.
I filled my coffee mug with the freshly brewed pot I’d made and grabbed the plastic bag with clothes Queenie had given me for the reenactment.
I checked my phone one more time to see if Hank had texted me with any updates on Greaser, but he hadn’t.
Fifi danced around the car in anticipation of me putting her in there as I packed all the things I needed to take with us, including the breakfast casserole and the cinnamon rolls.
“You be a good girl. I’ll miss you, ” I said to Fifi as I brought her back into the camper. I surprised myself sometimes with the baby talk I did to her. That was something I never thought I’d ever do. Well, I also never thought I would ever live in a camper, much less own a campground.
The day was shaping up to be pretty nice for a reenactment. The weather between winter and spring was hard to predict in Kentucky. One day it could be raining, and the next day two inches of snow could fall. Today the sun was starting to fade away the morning dew and cast a bright light on our little part of the world.
Downtown Normal was the cutest place. Cozy shops lined both sides of street. The street was one way each side and was divided by a grassy median with a small amphitheater and covered shelter. Several picnic tables scattered around the tall trees.
There was no doubt in my mind that there’d be tourists enjoying their lunch on the picnic tables today. The community theater would be starting up soon. During warmer weather tourists would flock to Normal since we were located smack-dab in the middle of the Daniel Boone National Forest.
Parents loved to bring their children here during their spring break. Hikers loved to come and enjoy the spring foliage that would soon be taking place.
I noticed the buds on the trees when I pulled into a spot in front of the Laundry Club. Soon all the shop owners would be working in their side yards.
Each shop was a renovated, cottage home-style building with a fenced side yard. Deter’s Feed-N-Seed used his side yard to make a mini-campsite to display all the cool items he sold just for those hikers and campers who came to town.
The Trails Coffee Shop had little tables set up in their side yard so tourists could sit outside and enjoy their coffee while taking in the breathtaking views of the park.
“Good morning,” I trilled when I used my backside to push open the door of the Laundry Club.
My arms were stacked with the casserole and cinnamon rolls, plus I had my coffee mug in my hand. I knew Betts would have some fresh coffee brewed. Although I probably didn’t have time to have one, since Queenie was such a mess, I did wish Betts would invite me to have a cinnamon roll with her.
“In here!” I followed Betts’s voice and found her in the office. She got out of the office chair and hurried over to grab the food out of my arms. “I have to say that I’m thrilled your foster mom has come to live here.” She licked her lips.
“Yeah. I guess I’m getting used to it too.” It was funny how once you’re a grown up you can see why someone like Mary Elizabeth wanted me to take all those fancy lessons. She only wanted what was best for me and I could see that now. “Plus, she does make a great homemade cinnamon roll that goes great with coffee.”
“Then we must have some.” Betts winked, getting the underlying tone in my voice.
I followed her back out into the laundromat and over to the coffee station where she set down the casserole and cinnamon rolls.
“I’ve already got my coffee,” I said and held up the mug I’d brought from home.
The Laundry Club was empty this morning. Betts had the morning news on the TV and the ticker on the bottom of the screen was a scrolling news alert about Greaser’s escape.
“I guess they still haven’t found him.” I gestured up to the TV when Betts came over with her cup of coffee and two small plates with a cinnamon roll on each.