All of a sudden, Granny heard Silas slam his car door, saw her door open, and felt herself being pulled out of the car and gently pulled through the silo door.
“What, what are you doing Silas Crickett?” Granny sputtered as she tried to get out of his clutches. “Silas, are you going to murder me too? Did you do it?”
The moon was shining through the small window in the silo, giving off a little light so Granny could see the glint in Silas eyes. “Let me go! I’ll find my pitchfork,” Granny warned.
Silas laughed, grabbed Granny, and kissed her like she hadn’t been kissed in years.
Granny took her hands and pushed against Silas’s chest, moving herself away from him, but not before giving him a swat on his arm. “What are you doing? Have you gone mad? Wait till I tell Franklin or Thor or your son! You’re a cantankerous, sniveling old man, preying on unsuspecting old women.”
Silas laughed louder. “That’s the Hermiony Vidalia Criony Fiddlestadt that I know. The Hermiony that doesn’t let anyone get the best of her and certainly isn’t ready to settle in to old age! Now, let’s solve these crimes!”
Silas walked out of the silo, leaving Granny staring at his back. Before following Silas out of the silo, she gave a glance around to see if the old pitchfork was still there in case she needed it. Not finding it, she made a mental note to herself to never leave her birthday present pitchfork at home again.
Silas was sitting on the cracked front steps of the house waiting for Granny. “Has Amelia said why this Robert Blackford left her and why he took her son?”
“Sure, she told me yesterday while we were having our nails and hair done at the spa because we’re such good friends,” Granny answered sarcastically. “Has your son or Thor told you anything about why I have dead people on my farm?”
“They’re having a hard time finding out why the two men were here. It appears that Robert Blackford was living in Canada under another name. That’s probably why your sister’s detectives didn’t find him. You know, in those days they didn’t have the technology they have now. They’re working on finding out what connection Dickey Lee Hatchet had to Robert Blackford.”
“Maybe Amelia knows and she isn’t telling,” Granny surmised.
“You need to find out. You need to make friends with your sister.”
“I can’t. She’s after Franklin. She’s trying to steal another fiancé from me. No, you’re right, Silas! I need to keep my enemies close. I need to save Franklin from her! Oh, no! Maybe she’s pretending to be me when she’s with Franklin!”
“There could never be two of you, Granny,” said Silas. “She couldn’t pull that off; she’s too nice.”
At the implication that she was the not nice twin, Granny stomped over to her car, got in and revved the engine, “If you want a ride back, you’d better get in or I’ll leave you here for the coyotes to eat, Mr. Supercilious.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Franklin was waiting on the steps when Granny and Silas drove into her driveway. Silas immediately got out of the car, turning to Granny who made no move to exit the car.
“Gotta face the music sometime,” Silas said, indicating with his head that Franklin did not look too pleased. “In case the record sticks, you know where I’ll be.” Nodding again to Franklin, Silas walked across the street to his house.
Granny pushed the garage door opener and gently eased her car into her garage. She took a breath, turned off the ignition, closed the garage door and looked at the stairs going to the turret of her garage. Getting out of the car, she climbed the steps to the turret. Looking down from the turret window she saw Franklin was still waiting on her front steps. She made a decision.
Opening one of the windows, she called out to Franklin, “Come on up! It’s a beautiful night.”
She saw Franklin move off his spot on the steps, heard the side door to the garage open, and listened to the heavy tread of his feet on the stairs.
“Hermiony, would you mind telling me where you were?” he said. “It’s almost midnight. I was worried. You were out in your car; you weren’t answering your phone––and with two dead bodies on your farm, I was afraid we might find yours next. And then….you come waltzing home with Silas Crickett!”
“I wasn’t waltzing; I was ditch hopping.”
“Ditch hopping!” Franklin’s exclamation was as loud as loud could be without him actually screaming at his fiancé.
“Do you think I’m too old for ditch hopping Franklin?” Granny challenged with a sweet tone.
“Yes, yes, I do. You could have broken your neck and I’m going to break Crickett’s neck for egging you on. It was probably his idea.”
“Relax, the idea was there, but all I did was go for a drive. I saw you with Amelia. Did you know it was Amelia and not me?” she asked.
“What kind of a question is that? Of course, I knew it was Amelia. Why would I think she was you? She was upset for some reason and then she got a call that the alarm was going off at her chocolate factory. I offered her a ride. And what’s this about you misplacing your car again? Amelia said you left your car at her place in the middle of the night.”
“Franklin, you see those stars up there?” Granny pointed to the stars. “You see that cemetery back there?” Granny pointed to the cemetery.
Franklin looked toward where Granny was pointing. “Ah, yes.”
“We’d better enjoy the stars before our bodies are six feet under and we’re one of those stars.” Granny moved closer to Franklin, stood up on her tippy toes, since he was such a large man, wound her arms around his neck and gave him a big smooch.
Franklin, taken aback by Granny’s uncharacteristic action, was caught off balance and fell back against the window screen. As he hit the screen, it fell out of the window and the top of his large body toppled out the opening, with his feet catching the sides of the window frame, leaving Franklin dangling from the turret upside down.
“Franklin! Franklin! You’re falling for me!” Granny said tartly, grabbing at his feet to keep him from going any farther out the window. “I had no idea I had that kind of effect on you!”
Franklin grabbed her arms and she pulled him back into the turret.
“What has gotten into you, Hermiony? First you run off with Silas, and then you overwhelm me with passion so much that it knocks me off balance and I almost end up splattered on the ground.”
Granny laughed. “I wanted to knock you off your feet and I guess I did.”
“More like you were trying to distract me so you didn’t have to answer my questions. Oh, well, never mind. I actually came by with some news about Robert Blackford.”
Granny gave a sigh and turned to the steps. “All right, Franklin; let’s go sit on the porch like two old people.”
“Woo hoo!” Mavis yelled from across the street as they came out of the garage. “Everyone okay over there? We saw Franklin hanging from the turret window. That was a great stunt! You’ll have to show us how you did that sometime. Did you have special shoes?”
Penelope happened to be taking out the trash at the same time that Mavis was hollering. “Mom, is that you? What are you doing up so late?” Then, seeing Franklin through the light that was shining down on the neighborhood from the moon, she nodded her head in understanding. “Mavis, it’s late; maybe we should leave mom and Franklin alone.”
“Hey, Penelope!” George piped up. “Where’s Butch? Come on out and we’ll light up the fire pit.”
“George!” Mavis admonished, “Didn’t you hear Penelope? Franklin and Granny want to be alone.”
“I’ve got the portable fire pit,” Silas interjected, walking across the street hauling a metal fire pit. “George, I could use some help.”
“Got ya!” George hurried to help Silas. “Anyone got any marshmallows?”
“What did I just say, Silas?” Penelope asked. “Don’t you know the meaning of the word alone?”
“They were just alone and she tried to throw him off the turret. Besides, he’s
got a wandering eye for Amelia. You don’t want your mom to be suckered, do you, Penelope?” Silas challenged.
“Fine, come on, Butch! We’ll chaperone these old people,” Penelope said as Butch stuck his head out the door to see what all the yelling was about.
Mavis ducked back into her house for a second.
Franklin looked at Granny. “It’s time for you to move to my house, Hermiony. It’s a lot quieter at my Victorian––not so many nosy neighbors.”
“I can’t move to your house, Franklin, I’m building on to mine. Starts next week,” Granny smugly announced.
“We’re not living here after we get married. Do you understand, Hermiony?”
“You’re not married yet, so I venture this ornery old woman can build whatever she wants!” Silas put his two cents worth in.
Franklin was about to reply when Mavis joined the group. “Didn’t want to have a party without Ditty Belle and Delight so I called them. They’ll be right over. Delight said she’s bringing a new Pink Percolator cold drink for us to try. Silas, she said she named it after you.” Mavis plunked down her lawn chair.
“She never names anything after me!” George complained.
A bleat and some barks could be heard in the distance. “It sounds like the shysters and the cohorts are on their way,” said Granny. “They must have realized you weren’t home yet, Franklin, and decided to come back here.” Granny stood and looked toward the back of the house as the animals appeared from the direction of the Fuchsia Cemetery.
Delight and Ditty Belle arrived at the same time as Fish, Little White Poodle, Furball and Tank. Then Baskerville and Mrs. Bleaty joined the party. Radish was riding on Mrs. Bleaty’s head.
Granny scowled. “You let that bird out now that it’s summer? He’s going to end up in the birdskow, Silas. After all, his language isn’t always the best.”
At the mention of his name, Radish jumped off of Mrs. Bleaty and landed on Delight’s shoulder. Delight reached into her box and took out a red-beaded confection and gave it to the bird. “It’s my new treat for birds, named after you, Radish. It’s called Radish Razzle Dazzle! I thought it would be fun to branch out with my goodies.”
Radish, plucked the morsel from Delight’s hand and squawked, “Awk, it’s a ravish.”
Delight giggled. “Silas taught him that. Silas always tells me I’m ravishing, especially, when I give him an extra cup of Boneyard Specialty Coffee.”
Granny’s scowl became more pronounced as she looked at Silas, but before she could say anything, Little White Poodle dropped a tiny ring at her feet. Granny stooped down and picked it up to examine it. “What did you bring me now? Where did you steal this, Little White Poodle?”
Granny turned the ring over in her hand and held it close to the fire in the fire pit for light so she could examine it more closely. “There are initials on this ring. I think they are V. B.”
The women gathered around Granny to look at the ring.
“Who’s V. B.?” Ditty Belle wondered.
“Victor Borge? He was a wonderful old movie star,” Mavis added.
Penelope shook her head and laughed. “Maybe the shysters visited Antiquities Antique Shop today. You know, she’s always letting them in and giving them treats. Since it’s right across the street from the hardware store, I’ve watched her lure them in.”
The four men were sitting around the fire pit listening to the musings of the women.
“More likely they’ve been back scrounging around at the farm. You know how they are once they find someplace new. They’re relentless in exploring,” Franklin reminded everyone.
Granny settled down on the front step. “Well, I guess that’s a mystery for another time.”
The fire’s glow and Delight’s new Silas Sizzler lulled everyone into an easy conversation about the celebration that would take place at the end of the summer in Fuchsia.
“What’s the date for the Polar Bear Festival this year?” George asked.
Ditty Belle got out her cell phone and looked at her calendar. “It’s at the end of August. I’m on the Polar Bear committee and we decided we’d have it the week before school started.”
“Polar Bear Festival?” Silas’s puzzled voice asked. “I know I’m new to this town, but I have to ask why would you have a Polar Bear Festival in the summer?”
Ditty Belle, confused by the question, answered, “Because we have the Pink Flamingo Festival at Christmas.”
“Wouldn’t it make more sense to celebrate flamingos in the summer and polar bears in the winter?” Silas suggested.
“Silas,” Delight explained, not understanding why Silas was confused. “We can’t celebrate polar bears in the winter. Everything’s white and no one would see them. You can see flamingos in the winter. And in the summer, everything is colored, so you can see the white of the polar bears in the summer. It makes perfect sense.”
“We’re new too,” Butch agreed and winked at Silas. “When you’re in Fuchsia, act like the Fuchsians. Polar Bear Festival it is! Bring it on!”
They all raised their glasses to toast.
“Oh, my goodness; it’s almost 2:00 a.m. This is the second night this week we’ve been out so late,” Ditty Belle acknowledged.
Penelope raised her eyebrows at Ditty Belle’s statement and looked pointedly at her mother. “Yes, you old people won’t wake up for a month being out so late. Maybe it’ll keep you out of trouble.”
“Well, at least this time we didn’t end up in the hoosegow,” Granny reminded them.
“Speaking of the hoosegow, I do have some news to tell all of you about the case.” Franklin moved in closer so all could hear.
“I think you all know that the reason Amelia couldn’t find Robert Blackford was that he moved to Canada and used an alias. He was living off the grid. That was why she couldn’t find him. Thor and the Tall Guy found out tonight that Dickey Lee Hatchet is the brother of Robert Blackford. Dickey Lee Hatchet has been in prison and was just released recently. Why the two brothers were holed up at Hermiony’s is anyone’s guess,” Franklin concluded.
“Why didn’t you just ask Amelia since you see her so often, Franklin,” Granny taunted.
“She doesn’t know, Hermiony,” replied Franklin. “And you could be a little easier on her. She doesn’t have a mean, deceiving, calculating bone in her body. She’s very sweet.”
“She pretended to be me and she stole my fiancé, Franklin! Do you know what a chameleon is? They can change colors and look in two different directions at the same time––kind of like Silas.”
A loud belly laugh came from Silas. “I’ll be your chameleon, Granny; you can be my kaleidoscope. But I can guarantee you that the only direction I would look would be yours.”
“Ooooh!” Ditty Bell, Mavis, and Delight all gushed at the same time. Butch winked at Penelope.
Granny was going to comment on Silas’s words when Silas turned around and walked away, calling Radish to follow him.
“Aawk! Time for bed! Time for bed!” screeched Radish, flying after Silas.
The others, seeing the look on Franklin’s face, decided to leave, muttering their goodnights as they went back to their respective houses. Delight and Ditty Belle got into their car, honked the horn and drove away, leaving Franklin and Granny standing on the front lawn alone.
“Well, that was fun, “Granny remarked.
“It would have been more fun if Silas Crickett would have stayed home. You have to stay away from him, Hermiony. Luckily, when we’re married you’ll live across town.”
“Good night, Franklin,” Granny said sweetly, giving him a peck on the cheek as she turned to walk up the steps to her porch.
“One more thing, Hermiony. The initials V. B. stand for Vitele Blackford. He’s Amelia’s son––the son Robert took from her when he left. I’m going to help her find him.”
“You do that, Franklin. I’ll help too. But you’d better be careful. Remember, Amelia can turn into me in a minute. Mama always calle
d me the wild child and Amelia milk toast, but I really think Amelia’s toast is more French––like in oo la la. You might just end up with your toast burnt.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Sunday morning Granny woke up refreshed and ready to go to services at We Save You Christian Church. She hadn’t heard Pastor Henrietta’s sermons yet. However, she had it on good authority (Ditty Belle) that this was Pastor Henrietta’s week to preach. At We Save You a different denomination preached each week. The church was always full because each Sunday’s service was a surprise. Congregation members never knew which denomination they were attending on any given Sunday. It could be a Catholic Service, a Lutheran Service, a Methodist Service or more. We Save You was the only church in Fuchsia. There was no need for any more churches since We Save You catered to everyone.
After their Friday night chit chat on the front lawn, everyone was tired, so Saturday had been a laid back day. Granny left her cell phone in the house, took her lawn chair and plopped herself in the middle of the trees and lawn in her back yard to read. She had quite a forest now since Gram Gramstead and her son had tried to make her into a thief by stealing the forest out of Ella’s Enchanted Forest and planting it in her back yard while Granny was out hooking crooks.
Granny was always a little tearful when she first would sit in her yard, because the grass that Sally Katilda had lovingly given her before she’d died still came up green every year on the mound where it had been planted. It held a special place in Granny’s heart. She’d placed a knitting needle as decoration on the mound of grass to remember that she had caught Sally’s murderer, skewering the scoundrel who was responsible for Sally’s death.
Granny plopped her hat on her head and straightened her colorful dress. Now that she was no longer working undercover, she decided a red dress in a flowing gypsy style would be perfect to wear to church. After reading A Nate To Remember by Barbara Jean Coast and noting the fashions in the book, she thought she might transport herself back to the 50’s or the 60’s. After all, she never got to wear any fashionable outfits when she was younger because country girls didn’t dress up.
Granny Forks A Fugitive (Fuchsia Minnesota Book 4) Page 7