by Peggy Dulle
As I put the food into my car, my cell phone rang. I glanced over at it and smiled. Tom. He was probably calling me with information. Of course, he didn’t know that I was already on my way to Clainsworth. He might not like that.
“Hello.” I said, as I leaned against the car door and braced myself for Tom’s aggravation at me for leaving without telling him. He is a bit controlling; I guess it’s the cop in him. But I’m a teacher – I like to be in control, too.
“Hi, honey. I’ve got that info for you.”
“Thanks.”
“I talked to an Officer Farrell, and he read me everything that was in the report.”
“Great. Tell me what he said.”
“Danielle Slammers was thirty-two years old and a kindergarten teacher for ten years. She was stabbed twice with a knife and died as a result of the wounds. The maid discovered her body in the afternoon. The Medical Examiner didn’t find anything unusual at her autopsy, except the two knife wounds. Her body was sent back to Centerville, Oregon, for a memorial service, then to Minnesota, where she was buried in her family’s funeral plot.”
“Any suspects?”
“No, the local police think it was a vagrant looking for cash. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Any fingerprints at the scene?”
He laughed. “You’ve been watching too much ‘CSI’ again, honey. The hotel room had about a hundred sets of prints. Some were matched to the housekeeping staff, but nothing came of the rest. With that large of a sample, they have to wait until they have a suspect and then match them to the prints found at the scene. Unfortunately, there never was a suspect.”
“It doesn’t sound like the local cops did a very thorough job of investigating her death.”
“They did what they could. There wasn’t much to go on.”
“Did it say why she was in Clainsworth?”
I heard Tom flipping through his little notepad where he always took notes on his investigations. “Nope. There’s nothing in the report about that.”
“That’s strange and a good place for me to start nosing around about.”
“Good idea. By the way, when are you leaving?” Tom asked, “And are you going to Clainsworth or Centerville first?”
Since I was already on the road, that was an easy question to answer. “I’ll go to Clainsworth first and see what I can find out.”
He cleared his throat. “You missed a question, honey.”
“You are so clever, Sheriff Tom.”
“That means you’ve already left, haven’t you?” A hint of irritation crept into his voice.
“Well, yes.”
“I wish you had called me to let me know that you were leaving. Did you take your gun?”
I ignored the first comment and said, “Of course.”
“Even though I got you a license to carry it, you might want to let the local police know you have it and why you’re in town.”
“Do I have to?”
“No, not really. You’re a private citizen, but since you’re going to be asking questions about a murder, it would be nice to let them know.”
“Yeah, but last time the clowns owned the cops.”
“That doesn’t happen in every town, honey. Most police departments are not owned by the local bad guys.”
“Are you taking a stand for all the police officers in the world?”
“I might be.”
“Okay. If the opportunity arrives, I’ll let them know about the gun and why I’m in town.”
“Good. And could you try and keep me informed, too? Last time, I spent hours worrying and pacing the floor between your calls from the psycho clown camp.”
“I will when I can, love.” I added that last part to throw him off. It worked.
“Did you just call me…” he stuttered.
I interrupted him. “Talk to you soon, Tom. Good bye.”
I hung up the phone and smiled. I loved getting in the last word. I hadn’t called him “love” since the night I was high on the clown’s drugs, called him, and made rather lewd suggestions. He ordered me to drink several pots of coffee, which I did since the drugs were also for mind control. I haven’t called him “love” since. But it was time, and I certainly felt strongly about him. Thoughts of him always made my heart skip several beats and being with him made me feel more complete than when I was alone. Besides, it shut him up, didn’t it?
My phone rang again. Before answering it, I checked the display. I wasn’t ready to have another conversation with Tom. But it was Justin.
“Hello.”
“Hi, Teach. How’s the drive going?”
I glanced around at the wide-open road. “Uneventful, so far.”
“I did some research for you.”
“Great. What did you find out?”
“You already know that Ms. Slammers was a teacher, but she was also a Math Mentor for her district. In fact, she presented math classes for other districts and at a yearly math conference in Monterey.”
“I went to that conference a couple of times. It was really good. I probably saw her, but just can’t remember. It’s three days and about ten sessions a day.”
“I also looked up the town of Clainsworth.”
“What did you find?”
“There isn’t much, except that the town hosts a yearly eating contest at the end of June. This week, in fact.”
“An eating contest?”
“Yeah. Their specialty is something called ‘apple pots.’ The guy that holds the record ate forty in one minute.”
“Yuck.”
“Yeah, and messy, too. There’s a picture of him on the town’s website. It’s gross!”
“Anything else?”
“I put a small article from the Clainsworth Record on your desktop. It has some information, but not much.”
“I couldn’t find any local paper for Clainsworth.”
“You just don’t have my skills, Teach.”
“Were there any follow-up articles?” I asked, hoping for more information than the little I knew so far.
“Nope, just the one.”
“Thanks, Justin.”
“No problem, Teach. I love being your Super Cyber Sidekick. Talk to you soon.”
I closed my phone, shook my head and chuckled. I didn’t see myself as any kind of superhero. But I sure appreciated Justin’s help. He’s probably some kind of computer hacker but we never talk about how he gets me the information I need. During the clown episode, his computer expertise was very useful. Everything on their website was password protected, but Justin was able to get me information that helped bring down their organization. When I got home from Clown Camp, he’d said that helping me made him feel like he was “standing up against the bad guys.”
As I drove I thought about Danielle. Why had she gone to Clainsworth? It would have been too early for the eating contest. Her family was from Minnesota, I supposed because that’s where she was buried. There was a memorial service for her colleagues, students and friends where she taught. The school district also posted a memorial plaque on an outside wall of the district office for Danielle. It seemed they did that for all of the employees when they died. But then her body was shipped to St. Paul, Minnesota.
Shelby barked at a herd of cows on the side of the road and I laughed. I don’t think she’s ever seen a cow before. She probably thinks they’re just big black dogs. And she loves to play with other dogs. Shelby tried to leap toward the window but was held tight by her harness, a good investment after the first car ride with her. She went nuts and almost jumped out the window to chase a bicycle. I think she was run over by something with wheels in a past life because she always goes crazy around them.
I glanced at my watch. It was close to eleven-thirty. That made sense. My stomach growled. I have lunch around eleven-thirty every day during the school year and my stomach is well trained. After a quick drive through Wendy’s, Shelby and I munched on French fries. It quieted both of us.
As I sat in the parking lot eating my lunch, I checked the file Justin sent me. According to the small newspaper article, Danielle’s wallet, credit cards and about two hundred dollars in cash were still in her purse at the inn. Wouldn’t a vagrant have taken those? The local cops’ theory didn’t sound plausible to me.
The saddest part was that when the maid discovered the body, Danielle’s beagle was lying next to her with its head on her chest. The dog growled and would not let the maid anywhere near the body. Eventually, animal control was called and they were forced to lasso the dog and pull it away from Danielle. Whatever happened to that dog?
Why weren’t there any other articles or information about Danielle’s death in either the Clainsworth or Centerville newspapers? Did no one really care? It seemed that Danielle’s death had barely caused even a small ripple in the world. I would change that. At least I could find out what happened in that inn. Maybe bring a little closure to Danielle’s family and friends. And even some justice for Danielle.
Around five-thirty we were near Clainsworth. I knew it even before I saw the city limit sign. Huge banners hung from telephone poles starting ten miles out of town, all advertising the “Apple Pot Festival.” I still didn’t understand what an apple pot was but figured I’d be an expert soon.
My last adventure began with a Spring Festival and it ended well. I took this as a good omen.
That’s when I heard the explosion.
My car tumbled off the road, my head snapped forward and hit the steering wheel.
I blacked out.
Chapter 3
When I woke up, the sky had darkened. How long had I been out? I wondered. My head pounded and Shelby was licking my hand.
“It’s okay, girl.” I patted her on the head and she barked.
“What the hell happened?” I asked Shelby. She barked again.
My forehead felt sticky, so I pulled the rearview mirror toward me, reached over and switched on the overhead light, and looked at my head. Oh yeah, it was blood. A two-inch cut adorned the right side of my forehead. At least it didn’t appear to be bleeding anymore. It’s the upshot of owning an older car - no airbags. Although you never get your chest crushed, you do occasionally knock yourself out by hitting your head on the steering wheel.
I felt my arms, thighs, neck, and back. Nothing appeared to be broken, but every muscle in my body hurt. And I couldn’t move my legs. They were pinned under the dashboard. Obviously, I’d done more than slip into a ditch. I must have hit something that crushed the front of my car. My door wouldn’t open no matter how hard I pushed. Shelby danced around in the seat and barked.
“Great. You have to go the bathroom, don’t you girl?”
She barked again. I unhooked her from her harness attached to the passenger seatbelt.
“Well, try your door. Mine’s stuck.”
She barked again.
I unhooked my seatbelt, leaned over, and stretched my hand toward the passenger door. Even though I could touch it, I couldn’t push it open. Shelby continued to turn around in her seat and bark. Great, we were stuck and pretty soon it would smell like urine in the car. Shelby didn’t have the biggest of bladders. When she needed to go, she went. That’s when I heard a voice and saw a flashlight coming toward me.
I rolled down my window and shouted, “Help! I’m stuck.”
The first face I saw belonged to a young man with facial acne and flaming red hair. He was a welcome sight.
“What happened, lady?”
What kind of question was that? Wasn’t it obvious? But I just answered honestly, “I don’t know.”
A teenage girl was the next face I saw. She had long blond hair, a beautiful complexion, and weighed maybe a hundred pounds. If she weren’t here to help me, I’d have hated her immediately. “She’s been in an accident, stupid,” she said to the boy.
He crossed his arms and bellowed, “I’m not stupid!”
The girl shook her head and looked back at me. “Hi, my name is Kate and my stupid friend over there is Ted.”
“I’m Liza.” I pointed to my legs. “And I’m stuck.”
Shelby barked again.
“And my dog has got to go to the bathroom.”
“Ted, see if you can open that other door and let her dog out.”
I picked up Shelby’s leash from the seat and handed it to Kate. “Keep this on her if you get the door open. I don’t want to lose her.”
“No problem.” Kate took the leash and threw it over the car to Ted.
Ted had to yank several times on the door, but it finally opened. He hooked Shelby on the leash and took her out. She went directly to a tree and peed.
“Can you call someone to get me out of here?” I asked Kate.
“Already done, Liza. My dad runs the local tow truck service. He’s on his way. Do you need an ambulance?”
“I don’t think so.” I felt my arms and legs again. “Everything seems to be okay. I have a cut on my forehead, but it’s not bleeding anymore, so it’s fine. I’m just stuck.”
Then my phone rang. Kate and I glanced at it. It kept ringing.
“Aren’t you going to answer that?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.
“It’s got to be my boyfriend, Tom.” I shook my head and smiled weakly, “He has an uncanny way of knowing when I’m in trouble.”
Kate laughed. “Just tell him you’re fine.”
“Good idea.” I opened the phone. “Hello.”
“Hi, honey. How’s it going?”
“Fine.”
“Have you gotten to Clainsworth, yet?”
“No, not quite. But I’m almost there.” Well, it was the truth, right?
“How was the drive?”
“Uneventful.”
“That’s your favorite word these days.”
“Yes and it’s so true.” I laughed lightly. “My life is pretty uneventful.”
I saw the lights from the tow truck. “I’ve got to go. I’m almost into the town. How about I call you when I get settled in my hotel?”
“Sounds great, honey. I look forward to your call.”
“Talk to you soon.” I closed the phone.
Kate smiled. “Sometimes it’s just better if they don’t know, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” I sighed deeply.
A large man wearing brown overalls with, “Bill’s Towing Service” embroidered across the front, came up to the car. He was probably ten years older than me with dark black hair tucked under a baseball cap. His face was round and accented with bright green eyes that glistened in the moonlight.
“Are you okay, Ma’am?”
“I’m fine and not old enough to be called Ma’am. My name is Liza and I appreciate you coming out and getting me out of my car.” I stuck my hand out the window toward him.
He shook my hand. “I’m Bill, and I’ll be glad to get you out.” He stood back and looked at my car. “But I think your car is totaled.”
“It was time to buy a new one anyway.”
“Good attitude.” He winked at me.
“Stop flirting, Dad, and get her out,” Kate said, obviously the boss around here.
Bill blushed and left. Ted came back with Shelby, who jumped back into the car and licked my face. I patted her on the head and she lay down, taking her shotgun position again.
Kate pointed to the harness. “It’s a good thing you keep her hooked up. She probably would have gone flying through the windshield without it. Most people don’t follow the safety rules about dogs in cars.”
“I’m a big rule follower.”
“Teacher?” she asked.
“Yeah, how’d you know?”
“Well, they tend to be big rule followers but it was your bumper sticker.” She pointed toward the back of the car.
“Oh yeah, ‘If you can read this, thank a teacher.’ Guess I’ll have to get a new one.”
“Go with something sexier. I’ve seen ones that say ‘If you can read this, kiss a teacher.’” She laughed.
I stumbled when I tried to stand up and Bill grabbed me. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes.” I stood up straight and leaned against my car. The sides were crushed and the hood was smashed. In fact, there was only about a foot left to the front of my car. Bill was right; my car was a distant memory.
“Here’s what caused the accident,” Bill called from the back of my car.
I joined him. “What?”
“Looks like you blew your back left tire, probably on one of the many potholes in our great roads. Then, you crossed over to the other side and rolled down into one of our massive irrigation ditches.” He pointed to the front of my car. “That wouldn’t have been too bad, but the front of your car struck a huge cement block that someone must have tossed into the ditch. It’s probably left over from a road job.”
“Great.” I shook my head. “Have you got a car rental place in town?”
Bill chuckled. “It’s not that big of a town.”
“She can always use Kate’s car,” Ted said, sarcastically.
I glanced from Ted to Kate. “Oh, no, I couldn’t use your car.”
She glanced at Ted, frowned and then to her dad. “I’m grounded for two weeks. I won’t be driving it.”
Bill nodded. “That’s right, and if you sneak out after you say you’ve gone to bed again, I’ll sell it to Liza.”
Kate’s eyes widened. “I’ll never do it again, I promise.” She grabbed her dad’s arm and smiled up at him.
“Good girl.” He patted her head. “That’s what your dear old dad wants to hear.”
“Well, I’m not sure about the car,” I said. “But I could use a ride into town. Can you tow my car in, too?”
“No problem. How about I take you and the kids into town and I’ll come back tomorrow morning and get the car?”
“That’s great.” Out of the backseat I grabbed my two bags, one with my clothes and the other with Shelby’s food and our treats.