by DK Land
As he entered the front door of the Sheriff’s Office, his mind was so preoccupied that he didn’t bother to look over at Irene’s desk. He merely said his usual, “Good morning, Irene,” and headed toward his office.
His thoughts were interrupted with, “Daddy!”
He turned toward the familiar sound to see his daughter sitting on the chair next to Irene’s desk. She smiled as she rose from her chair. “Hi, Honey,” he said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t even see you there.”
Shauni chuckled nervously, “Daddy, are you feeling well? You walked right by me like you were walking in your sleep, or something.”
Harold smiled uneasily, “I know, Darlin’. I guess that I’ve had so many things to think about lately that my mind seems to be going on overload.” As he held his hand out to direct her into his office, he asked, “Was there something you wanted to see me about, or is this just a visit to check up on the condition of your slightly senile old man?”
“Oh, Daddy!” said Shauni, as she walked into his office. “You’re not senile. I’m sure the things that have been taking place at the hospital have been just as confusing to you as they have to us.”
As Harold closed the door, he said, “Well, between trying to make some sense out of all of the weird things happening at the hospital, the death of Willy Sadler, and trying to keep the Mayor from having a heart attack before this weekend is over, I guess you could say my plate has been pretty full lately.” He sat down at his desk. “So, what can I do for my beautiful little girl?”
She asked, “Is there any possibility of us being overheard while we’re talking here?”
With a questioning look on his face, he glanced at the intercom sitting on his desk. The switch was in the off position. He looked at his office door to make sure that he couldn’t see Irene’s outline through the frosted glass. With a frustrated look, he said, “On occasion, I have noticed Irene trying to eavesdrop by listening outside my door. Especially when I’ve got the Mayor in here. I think she’s afraid she’s gonna miss out on some real juicy gossip that she can share with the rest of the members of the local chapter of the ‘Lonely Hearts Club’. It looks like we’re safe.” Then he smiled. “What did you want to talk about, Honey?”
Shauni cleared her throat as she began to speak. “Daddy. Medesha is a small town, and like all small towns, there are very few secrets. If your neighbor sneezes, half the town is going to say, ‘bless you’.”
Harold answered, “That’s what’s so nice about living in a small town, Shauni. Everybody cares for everybody else.”
Shauni continued, “I know that, Daddy. And I agree. I love living in a small town. In fact, Jefferson and I both love living in a small town. In fact, I think it would probably help ease your distrust of Jeffer if I let you know just what our plans are after we’re married.”
“Honey!” said Harold. “I never told you that I didn’t trust Jefferson!”
“No, Daddy,” said Shauni. “I know you’ve never said you didn’t trust Jeffer. But, that’s just it, Daddy. You’ve never said anything to me about your feelings for the man that I love and am going to marry.” She held her hand up. “Daddy, please just let me say this. The last thing I would ever want to do is to hurt your feelings, but I feel that we’ve got to come to an understanding about my life, and the man that I want to spend the rest of my life with. I know you’ve heard this before, and I believe it’s true. They say that a woman naturally seeks out a mate that most closely exemplifies the one male guiding force in her formative years. For me, that’s always been you, Daddy.”
Harold argued, “But, Honey. Jefferson and I aren’t anything alike…”
Shauni interrupted, “Daddy, you don’t have any idea just how much alike the two of you actually are. I know that Jefferson is a Cordain, and because of his heritage, he probably has more money available to him than most of the people in this town put together. But, that says absolutely nothing about the kind of person he is.”
“You know?” said Harold. “Jefferson and I have never even been able to sit down and have a real meaningful conversation. The differences in our backgrounds are so extreme that I don’t think there would be a single subject that either of us could seriously discuss without fear of offending or boring the other.”
“No, Daddy!” said Shauni. “That’s not true. There are so many things about Jeffer that remind me of you. You have always made it very apparent that you love me and you want me to be happy, no matter what I do with my life.” She paused before she continued. “Those are the very same things that Jeffer has always made clear to me. You see? Long before there was even a hint of love between Jeffer and myself, there was always a deep and caring friendship.”
Harold said, “I’ve always felt that that should be the basic requirement in any relationship.”
Shauni replied, “You see, Daddy! You have always lived your life by those feelings of yours. You’ve always made it very apparent to the people you love that your interests in them are out of true love for them, and not out of a selfish desire to see how you can benefit from their friendship. That, Daddy, is exactly how it has always been with Jefferson and me. We’ve always been there for each other. We’ve always tried to help each other simply because we’ve always cared.”
She tried to search her memory for an example, and finally said, “I don’t like to bring up heartaches from the past, but when Momma died so tragically; that was a terrible time for both of us. I know that you tried as hard as you could to make things better for me. You tried to dry my tears and I could always feel that I had you to lean on. But, even as you had times when you needed the shoulder of an adult to help you through those times, you had Mabel to talk to. Well, I had my Daddy, and believe me I greatly appreciated your understanding of my sorrow, but at times, I also needed somebody more closer to my age that I could talk to. That one person was Jefferson, Daddy. That was when Jefferson used to drive down to the docks in his parent’s boat and he would just sit there for hours while I cried. He understood my pain. He knew my feelings.”
Harold was surprised. “I remember those times. I remember seeing the two of you sitting in that big boat anchored a couple hundred feet away from shore and I always wondered what you could be talking about. I’m sorry, Honey. I had no idea. I guess I figured he was just sitting there bragging to you about the places he’d been and all the things he’d seen.” He reached across his desk and patted her hand. “It never entered my mind that he would be helping you through the pain of losing your Mother.”
“Well,” Shauni replied with tears in her eyes. “That’s exactly what he was doing. He was being a truer, more understanding friend than any of my friends from childhood could have ever been.” She went on to explain her fiance in more detail. “Daddy, did you know that Jeffer was not always an only child?”
He raised his eyebrows, as he said, “No, really? I’d always heard that he was the Cordain’s only child. What happened to…?”
“Just like you, Daddy,” she replied. “Jeffer lost a brother when he was very young. The two of them were three years apart. Jeffer was the youngest, and he idolized his older brother, William.”
“What happened?” asked Harold.
“Before they came to Minnesota,” she answered, “the Cordains lived in Connecticut. They were from a very rich family and, because of their wealth, Jefferson’s older brother had been kidnapped. Things got all messed up when his father tried to pay the ransom, and the F.B.I. stepped in too soon, before they could recover his brother. Anyway, the kidnappers ended up killing Jeffer’s brother and they were never caught.”
Harold was deeply shocked. “Oh, my God! Honey, I never even had a clue that Jefferson and his family had suffered so much. I’m so sorry.”
She smiled softly as she continued. “That’s okay, Daddy. Jeffer has never discussed the situation with anyone except me. But, you see? When I lost Momma, Jefferson could understand completely the pain that I was going through.”
“
Yes,” answered Harold. “I do see. And, I’m beginning to understand just how deep your relationship goes. I’m also beginning to feel a great deal of pride in Jefferson for the way he has treated you all these years.”
Shauni glowed at her father’s words. “Thank you, Daddy! He truly is a wonderful person. Really he is. And another thing, Daddy; I’ve always felt that you didn’t really understand why Jefferson chose to go into Pathology.”
Harold hesitated, “Well… yes, it has always seemed to me to be a rather morbid thing to be interested in.”
Shauni grinned, “I know, it does seem morbid. But, Jefferson has always wanted to try to prove that a person’s soul, or life force, continues to exist after the body has died. You see, Daddy? He’s doing this for very personal reasons. He’s trying to find a way to prove to himself and to me that his brother and my mother still continue to exist. They just no longer exist within the confines of our three dimensional world.”
Harold began to feel strangely comforted by his daughter’s words. “Honey, I am so thankful that you decided to have this discussion with me. You have settled a lot of worries and questions that I have had in my mind for a very long time.”
Shauni was pleased with her father’s reaction. “I am too, Daddy. And I’m so happy for the reaction you’ve had to the things I’ve tried to explain to you. Oh, and I almost forgot. One of the main things that I wanted to tell you is that Jefferson and I have every intention of spending the rest of our lives living right here in Medesha.” She grinned as she said, “Of course, being that Jeffer is so wealthy, we do plan on taking some rather exotic vacations once in a while.”
Harold stood up and walked around his desk. He bent over and kissed Shauni on the forehead. “Honey, I think it would be wonderful if the two of you could vacation in the most exotic places in the world, but the thought of you moving away has been one of my greatest fears. I’ve always wanted only your happiness, but I’ve always hoped that you would find that happiness within the Medesha city limits.”
Shauni laughed. “Well, Daddy. After we’re married, we’ll be living in Jeffer’s house up on the north end of the lake. So, technically, I won’t be within the Medesha city limits.” Then she took her father’s hand. “But, I won’t be far away, Daddy.”
“Well,” he said. “I guess you won’t be so far away that this old small town sheriff won’t be able to visit once in a while.”
As Shauni started to rise, her smile began to fade. “Oh, Daddy. Did Mabel have a chance to tell you that Jefferson and I would like to have a very private meeting with you?”
“Yes, she did,” he replied. “She said that you wanted to talk to me in my capacity as Sheriff, not as your father.”
“That’s right,” she answered. “We have some very important information that we feel you need to know. But, like I mentioned earlier, this is a small town and we need to keep this an absolute secret. Would you be able to meet us up at Jeffer’s house this evening, without anyone knowing that we were going to have a meeting?”
He thought for a moment and said, “Why don’t I come up there about five or five-thirty? I’ll just tell Irene that I’m going up to the Cordain property to do some follow up investigation of the site where Willy Sadler’s body was found.”
Shauni smiled at her father, and said, “That’d be perfect, Daddy. We’ll see you around five or so then.” With that, she kissed Harold on the cheek and left his office.
Harold walked over to his office window and watched his daughter as she walked across the street to her car. The many things that Shauni had just told him were running through his mind at high speed. He felt enormous pride that, even as a grown woman, this wonderful child of his still felt compelled to confess her deepest feelings to him and to show her love and respect for him by still calling him ‘Daddy’. He could also sense a kind of golden glow of respect beginning to grow within his heart for the man with whom his daughter had fallen in love. The revelation about the times after his wife’s death had come as a complete surprise. He was suddenly very thankful that Jefferson Cordain had been there for Shauni when she had experienced such terrible heartache at such a young age.
As he watched his daughter drive down the street in the direction of the hospital, he began to worry about their upcoming meeting. What could be so extremely important that the two of them would feel the need to meet with him, the local law enforcement, in such controlled secrecy? Had they uncovered something meaningful concerning the outbreak that had occurred at the hospital? Had they inadvertently or intentionally been somehow involved with those poor kids getting sick? Did Jefferson have something to tell him about the death of Willy Sadler?
Harold knew he had to clear his mind of any preconceived assumptions. His daughter had been open and honest with him about herself and also about Jefferson. If either of them had done anything immoral or illegal, he was sure that Shauni would have felt compelled to forewarn him in some way that their upcoming meeting would be a time of disappointment and confession. He had to calm his fears. He knew this was going to be another long day.
Chapter 10
Ollie’s Service Station and Bait Shop was one of the oldest businesses in Medesha. During Ollie’s high school days, he had worked part time for the previous owner. When Ollie graduated, the owner offered to sell the business to Ollie, and allowed him to make payments until the business and the building were completely paid for. It had taken Ollie five years of scrimping until he was finally able to call the business his own.
The building and all of the equipment were very old and out dated, but Ollie liked it that way. He always made sure that everything was polished and painted and in perfect working order. He was proud of his old fashioned gas station with the two old red gas pumps in front with the frosted glass globes on top that were shaped like crowns. Visiting Ollie’s Service was like taking a trip back in time to the old days of uniformed attendants and full service attention. When a car would drive up to the pumps, it would drive over an old air hose that stretched across the concrete apron and a bell would ring inside the service bay to indicate that a customer needed service. Rain or shine, Ollie would run out to the pumps and greet his customers with his famous grin. He’d fill their tank, wash their windshield, and check their oil; all for the same price that the other two stations in town would charge for a self-service fill. Because of his caring personality and his full service attention, Ollie’s was the busiest station in town. Being so close to the lake was also quite beneficial. Most people with boats in tow would stop to fill their vehicle and their boat before continuing down to the boat ramp.
It was Saturday afternoon, the day before the big ‘Boat Parade’. Saturdays were always quite slow for Ollie until the boating season began. He knew that next Saturday would very likely keep him so busy that he would probably not even have a chance to run over to Mabel’s for lunch. But, today he’d had very little business all day. The lack of business had allowed him some time to prepare for the upcoming busy season by cleaning and tuning up his tow truck.
There were two major items in Ollie’s life which were fairly new. Almost four years ago, after he had paid off his service station, he immediately drove his old worn out tow truck to Duluth. That same evening he came home driving a brand new shiny red four-wheel drive tow truck, and pulling a new seventeen foot aluminum fishing boat; both of which were equipped with all the bells and whistles he could possibly think of.
From past experience, he knew that the boating season would bring frequent demand for the use of his tow truck down at the boat landing. It always seemed to happen that, usually during his busiest time of day, some hapless out-of-towner would back his boat trailer too far into the lake and get his vehicle stuck. The extra money that he earned with every trip down to the landing had been more than enough to make the payments on his truck and his fishing boat.
He had just finished changing the oil on the tow truck and was in the process of changing the air filter when the service bell rang
indicating a customer had driven up to the gas pumps. From his position in the service bay, he couldn’t see the vehicle at the pumps, but he yelled out, “I’ll be with you in just a second!”
He continued positioning the filter, when an apparently impatient customer honked their horn. He answered, “Hello! If you’ll give me just a second, I’ll be right there.”
Another honk came from the direction of the gas pumps. This time the driver continued to honk the horn. “Oh, for heaven’s sake!” said Ollie as he took a rag from his back pocket and wiped his hands as he walked out of the service bay. “Some people get in so much of a hurry they can’t even take the time to…”
Sitting at the gas pump was a familiar old rusty Toyota. “Tandy!” he said with a huge smile, as he walked over and leaned on the open driver’s door. “What are you doing here this time of day?”
She fluttered her eyelashes, as she said, “Gee, Mr. Torgerson. What’s a girl gotta do around here to get a little service? Do you know that I’ve been sitting here for almost a minute and a half?”
He smiled and bowed. “Oh, I am so very sorry, Ma’am! Please forgive me for being so slow. I promise I’ll try to do better the next time you grace my establishment. Honest I will.”
She put on her sunglasses and tipped her nose in the air as she looked away. “Well, to tell you the truth, Mr. Torgerson. I’m just not sure if I can tolerate this kind of slow service.” Then she broke into giggles as she continued. “Mabel said that the girls are working out so well that I could have the rest of the weekend off! Do you believe it? I even get Memorial Day off! Isn’t that fantastic? I don’t remember the last time I had a whole weekend off.”