by DK Land
Ollie grinned. “That’s great, Tandy! What are you going to do with all your free time?”
In one smooth motion, she jumped out of her car and stood there with her arms outstretched. “Ta da!” she said with a big smile. “I’m here to start my new job!”
She stood in front of Ollie dressed in a pair of dark blue coveralls that were several sizes too big for her. She slowly turned as if she were in a style show. “What do you think? Pretty cool, huh? I bought them over at Sorenson’s Hardware.” Then she pouted. “They’re the smallest size that the Mayor had in stock. He said that they don’t get very many miniature mechanics coming in to buy coveralls.”
Ollie laughed as he looked down at her feet. She had rolled up the cuffs several times and he still couldn’t see her shoes. “Well, to be honest with you,” he said. “It looks like there’s room for two of you inside there.” He paused. “Uh, Tandy, are you even wearing any shoes?”
She grinned as she pulled up the cuffs and showed him her bare feet. “Nope! Nuthin’!”
Ollie frowned and pretended to be disappointed. “Now, don’t you remember what you said over at Mabel’s?”
“What was that?” she asked.
“I seem to recall that you said something about Davey Pederson having to wear his shoes at all times when he’s working here,” he answered. “Don’t you think that if Davey has to wear his shoes, everybody should have to wear shoes?”
“Well, no. Not really,” she reasoned. She pointed at her feet. “See? I don’t have webbed toes like Davey does.”
Ollie smiled. “But, we don’t know for sure if Davey really does have webbed toes.”
She grabbed the front of Ollie’s shirt and pleaded, “But, Ollie! We don’t want to find out, do we?”
Ollie laughed, “No, I really have no desire to see Davey’s feet. Say, Tandy, you didn’t really mean that you came to start working now, did you?”
“I most certainly did,” she answered.
“Uh… do you really plan on wearing those coveralls while you’re working?” he asked.
She reached up and grabbed his cap and placed it on her head. It was so large that it covered her eyebrows and Ollie could barely see her eyes as she answered, “Well, of course! I can’t hardly dress like a waitress when I’m pumping gas and changing a muffler filter, or rotating spark plugs and stuff like that, can I?”
Ollie laughed. “Changing a muffler filter?”
“Well… yeah!” she replied with a smile. “You know… all that mechanic stuff that people have you do? I have to look like I know what I’m doing.”
He continued to laugh as he said, “But, Tandy. You look more like an escapee from a prison farm than a pump jockey. And besides, I really don’t think that it would be very safe for you to be working around here in pants that you would be tripping over every few feet.”
Tandy giggled. “Okay, Mr. Torgerson. These coveralls are just a joke. Paul Sorenson said that I could borrow them for a while and that I could return them if I didn’t get them all dirty.” She tipped her head back in an attempt to look him in the eye as she peered out from under the bill of his oversized cap. “Sure had ya going, didn’t I?”
He chuckled as he answered, “Yes! You definitely had me going. I didn’t want to hurt your feelings, but I just couldn’t let you try to work in that get up. You’d probably kill yourself, or get dragged off down the highway with your sleeve stuck in the door of some customers car.” Then he became more serious as he said, “Uh, I’ve never had a woman work for me before. I really don’t know what would be appropriate for you to wear while you’re working. Do you think that blue jeans and one of my work shirts with my logo on the back would be okay?”
“Well,” she said as she removed his cap and placed it back on his head. She unzipped her coveralls and began taking them off as she continued. “I’ve done some thinking about that. I figured that I’d probably be spending quite a bit of time out here in the sun. You know? Pumping gas and stuff, and… well… it’s been a long time since I’ve really been able to get any kind of a sun tan. So, what I thought I’d do is…” She stepped out of her huge coveralls and stood there waiting for Ollie’s approval. “I thought I’d wear this.”
Ollie’s eyes bulged noticeably as he looked at Tandy standing in front of him dressed in tight shorts and an equally tight tube top. Hesitatingly, he said, “Umm, Tandy. You look… well… you look beautiful! But… but, I can’t have you dressing like that!”
She was dismayed as she asked with a frown, “What’s the matter, Ollie?” Somewhat embarrassed, she said, “Don’t I look… well… don’t I look good enough?”
Ollie was also embarrassed as he answered, “Oh, Tandy! You definitely look ‘good enough’. It’s just that… ah… it’s just that you look too good! I can’t have you washing people’s windshields and checking their oil and stuff like that while they’re staring at you. And, believe me! I know they’d be staring at you!” His face began to turn red. “Heck, I can’t help it, Tandy. I’m staring at you!”
Suddenly, she began to feel proud as she said, “Why, Ollie Torgerson! Are you jealous?”
“No!” he snapped back defensively. “Of course I’m not jealous! I just don’t think it would be right to have all those guys coming in here staring at you.”
She smiled coyly as she placed her hands on her hips. “Come on, Ollie. Admit it. You are jealous, aren’t you?”
He mimicked her stance with his hands on his hips as he replied quietly, “Well, okay. Maybe I’m just a little jealous. But, the point is that I’m not going to let you work here and walk around showing off how pretty you are. I’ve made my decision, and that’s final! You are going to wear one of my work shirts with the logo on the back.”
Tandy was pleased with herself as she grinned, “Okay, Boss. I’ll wear one of your work shirts with the logo on the back.” Then she asked, “Would it be all right if I wore shorts instead of blue jeans? Please, Ollie?”
He smiled, “Okay! You can wear shorts.”
Then Tandy added, “But, Ollie? All of your work shirts say Ollie on the front of them. People are going to get mixed up. They’re going to think that my name is Ollie too.”
Frustrated, he replied, “On Tuesday, after the holiday weekend is over, I’ll call the supplier and order some shirts with your name on them. I don’t know if they’ll have them in your size, but at least people won’t think that your name is Ollie.”
She crossed her arms and said, “No. I’ve changed my mind. I think I want to wear your shirts. ‘Ollie’ is a nice name. I don’t think it would be so bad if people think my name is the same as yours.”
He smiled softly as he replied, “Okay, Tandy. You can wear my shirts.” Then he added, “But, you also have to wear shoes!”
* * *
Next door to Ollie’s Service Station, in front of Mabel’s Coffee Shop, Sheriff Harold Wheaton was opening the passenger door of his squad car. Smiling, he said to Mabel, “Please have a seat in my home away from home, Madam.”
“Why, thank you, Sir, “ she answered. “You’re not going to arrest me are you, Mr. Law Enforcement Officer?”
After he had walked around his cruiser, and seated himself in the driver’s seat, he said with a serious look, “Well, now. That just depends on how cooperative you are. I’m sure that you’ve heard in the past that people are always supposed to cooperate with their local law enforcement.”
“Harold!” Mabel exclaimed. “I really don’t think that the kind of cooperation you’re referring to is what is meant by that statement.”
He winked at her as he reached across to the glove compartment and pulled out his citation book and said, “Alright, Lady! I’m gonna have to cite you for ‘Failure to Yield’.”
“Oh ho!” said Mabel. “So that’s the way it’s going to be, is it?” She held her wrists together. “This is police brutality, Sheriff Wheaton! Here! Go ahead and put those handcuffs on me. You can lock me up and throw away the key.” T
hen she added with a pout on her face, “Just make sure I’m out of jail by eight o’clock this evening so I can lock up the diner.”
As he started the engine of his cruiser, he said, “I’m sure that somebody will come along to bail you out by then, Miss Marten.” Then he looked toward Ollie’s, and said, “Well, lookie there will ya! Now, what do you suppose those two are up to?”
Mabel looked in the direction that Harold had indicated and inhaled deeply. “Well, my word!” she exclaimed.
Next to the pumps of Ollie’s Service Station stood Tandy and Ollie. Tandy stood dressed in shorts and a tube top with, what appeared to be a pair of blue coveralls lying on the ground around her ankles. Mabel said with a chuckle, “I guess Tandy has discovered that disrobing in the middle of a service station parking lot is a sure way to get a man’s attention.”
Harold laughed as he drove away. “Boy, I’ll say! Did you see Ollie’s face? I think that boy might be a pretty good crime scene investigator, because he sure wasn’t overlooking any of the details. Was he?”
Harold made a u-turn in the middle of the street, and continued driving west on Main. As he headed in the direction of Medesha Memorial Hospital, he asked, “Are you sure that I’m not taking you away from your business too soon? I’d hate for you to come back to some kind of big problem that those girls can’t handle on their own.”
Mabel replied, “No. I don’t think they’ll be needing me ‘til closing time.” She frowned as she continued, “And then, they’ll need me only because I’ve got the key to the front door.” She smiled again, as she said, “You know? I think that was really sweet of those girls to have gotten together like they did to review all the procedures of the operation so they could do all the work without me being there to supervise. And with Marti being so willing to take over as manager while Tandy and I aren’t there, well, that alone is going to make it so neither of us are going to have to work much at all this summer.” She leaned back and said, “Oh, Harold. This is going to be a wonderful summer. I really am in need of some rest and relaxation.”
Harold replied, “I can’t think of anyone who deserves it more, Mabel.” He thought for a moment, and continued, “You know? If you would have given Marti a key to the place, you wouldn’t even have to go back to lock up.”
“I know,” said Mabel. “But, that place is like my baby. I have to go in and see that it’s sleeping well, you know?”
As Harold parked near the entrance to the hospital he said, “I’m going to have a short conversation with Gerard Slocum and Dan Roberts for just a few minutes. If you would like to visit with J.T. while I’m with the Doctors, I’ll let you know when we’re done.”
With concern, Mabel replied, “Sure, Harold. That’ll be fine. I just don’t understand why poor little J.T. has to be kept here in the hospital while all the other kids have already been sent home.”
“Well,” said Harold. “I guess that’s what Dan and Gerard would like to discuss with me.”
They walked into the main entrance of the hospital, and greeted Cindy at the front desk. “Good afternoon, Cindy,” said Harold. “Are the Doctors around? I have an appointment with both of them.”
“Hi, Sheriff Wheaton. Hi, Mabel,” replied Cindy with a smile. “Yes, Sheriff. They’re both waiting for you in the Doctor’s Lounge. You can go right back there if you’d like.”
“Thanks, Cindy,” said Harold.
As Harold walked into the lounge, both men greeted him. “Hello, Sheriff,” smiled Dan Roberts. “Good to see you.”
Gerard said, “Say, Harold. How’ve you been? Come on in and have a cup of coffee.”
Harold smiled as he sat down at the table where Gerard and Dan were sitting. “Hi, Guys. No thanks on the offer for the coffee. It seems as if every time I show up here at the hospital, I’ve just come from Mabel’s, and the last thing I need is another cup of caffeine in my system. So, what did you want to see me about?”
Dan began, “Well, as you know, Harold, J.T. Zimmerman is the only patient that we still have hospitalized after our horrific ordeal.”
Harold nodded.
“This morning,” Dan continued. “I accompanied J.T. and his mother by ambulance, to Duluth where we had him undergo a CAT scan.”
“What kind of problems is the boy having?” asked Harold.
Dan looked over at Gerard. “Actually, it’s quite strange, Sheriff,” replied Gerard. “J.T. has been coming to us for all his bumps and bruises and regular checkups since the hospital opened. We’ve never done a brain scan on the boy because, for one thing, we’ve never felt that he needed it. And of course, we don’t have the equipment to perform such a procedure either. However, it has been very noticeable since his dramatic recovery, that the poor kid has just not been his normal self.”
“Oh, really?” said Harold. “How has he been different?”
“Mostly, it’s been his short term memory,” answered Dan. “The boy seems to have great difficulty remembering people’s names and faces. Sometimes, he can’t even remember his own name. Why, this morning, on the way to Duluth, he didn’t recognize his mother! The poor kid has absolutely no outward signs of physical head trauma, and no signs of brain stem injury. But, he shows all the symptoms of having suffered a severe concussion.”
“Were you able to get the results from the CAT scan this morning?” asked Harold.
“We sure did!” replied Dan. “The scan showed a small portion of J.T.’s brain has been basically robbed of any neurological activity.”
Harold was perplexed. “Wait a minute, guys. Are you sure you’re talking to the right person? The last time I looked at the plaque on the wall in my office, it said something about law enforcement and protecting and serving the people of this county. I’ve read that thing several times, and I’m sure it doesn’t say a single word about ‘medical consultation’.”
Gerard smiled, “We know what your official capacity is in this case, Harold. Dan and I have firmly decided that this whole episode with these kids was due to some kind of criminal activity. Being that J.T. Zimmerman is the one remaining victim that is still showing affects from it, we felt that we needed to inform you of just how serious this is.”
Harold still appeared confused.
Dan Roberts began to explain. “The scan that was performed on J.T. showed what appeared to be an empty space in his brain. That’s not to say that there is dead tissue lodged within a mass of viable, living tissue. It also doesn’t mean that he has suddenly been afflicted with some type of massive brain tumor. The spot in his brain has full blood flow. There’s just no electrical impulses entering or leaving that portion of the poor kid’s brain. In other words, what we are beginning to theorize is that somebody, somehow, basically snatched this kid’s electrical activity from his brain and neglected to put it all back.”
Harold was amazed. “My Gawd! I just don’t see how something like that could ever happen. I mean. Well, I suppose that scientists could possibly do stuff like that in a very controlled laboratory setting. But, jeez, Guys! These kids basically came in off the street with this sickness. From that point, they were all under the watchful eyes of you and the rest of the staff. There just couldn’t have been any way that somebody could have come in here and done all these things without being noticed. I am thoroughly confused about this whole damn thing.”
“Harold!” replied Gerard. “Believe me! We’re all just as confused as you are. However, from the beginning, we’ve never understood any of this. But, we are convinced that this was not some kind of rare illness. For reasons unknown to any of us, somebody with far more advanced techniques and skill has begun to perform terrible criminal procedures on the most innocent members of our community. We have no idea who has been doing these things. We have no idea how to correct the things they have done. And, we have no idea how to find them or how to stop them from doing it again.”
“In all of nature,” said Dan Roberts, “there is only one species that has the capacity to perform deeds with mali
ce. That one species is man. Tornadoes and hurricanes do not strike with malice. Viruses and bacteria do not strike with malice. Even the animals of the wild do not strike with malice. All of these things do what they are programmed to do. They don’t do anything out of hatred or malevolence. Only man can perform with malicious intent, and the things we have been experiencing have been exceedingly malicious.”
Harold realized he had been holding his breath while Dan and Gerard had explained their feelings. He began to feel dizzy as he released his breath and instinctively grasped for fresh oxygen. “So, from what I’ve been able to understand,” said Harold, “both of you firmly believe that this incident requires a complete criminal investigation. Am I right?”
Both men nodded.
“Furthermore,” Harold continued. “If I were to request a warrant from the judge to gain access to all your patient’s records, both of you would fully comply?”
Again they nodded. “In fact,” added Dan Roberts, “we have already set up a sort of mini-office in the maintenance room where you could study the files and make all the copies you wish. We’ve even asked Shauni if she would be willing to be your assistant. Of course she agreed instantly.”
Harold smiled as he rose from his chair. “Gentlemen,” he said, as he reached out to shake their hands, “I realize how sacred the doctor patient relationship is. I also realize just how determined you all are to get to the bottom of this mystery, and I fully appreciate your help in securing the warrant so that we can go forward and hopefully find this horrible person.”
Harold left the Doctor’s Lounge and walked out to the reception area. Thinking that Mabel would be in J.T.s room, he was surprised to see her standing at the counter talking to Cindy in hushed tones. As he approached, he noticed that Mabel was gently dabbing her eyes with a tissue. Concerned, he asked, “Mabel, what’s the matter?”
She tried to smile as she answered, “Oh, Harold. I guess it’s just that I was expecting all of this strange illness to be over and our little town could go on like before.”