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THE FIRST THING TIFFANY did after she settled in at her computer was to do an internet search for Charles Hadley. The results listed page after page of every Charles Hadley from a pro football player to a music instructor. She looked for images of men named Charles Hadley but didn’t find any she thought might be a close match after she eliminated the ones that were too young or already dead. Then again...
Tiffany entered ‘Charles Hadley, Iowa, obituary.’ There were sixteen of those and she spent the next hour reading and eliminating each. “Nothing,” she moaned. She changed her search to the next state over and continued until she got too tired to think clearly. Her pie was long gone, but a glass of milk sounded good, so she went downstairs to get one and then called it a night.
At least, the Charles Hadley she was trying to find was probably still alive.
*
WITH THE PICNIC JUST a day away, women all over the county gathered the ingredients and made their favorite potluck dish. Last year’s frozen corn on the cob was taken out of freezers, seasoned and individually wrapped in foil, so it could be cooked on the barbeques. Potato and macaroni salads didn’t go over well at Blue Falls picnics, but no one was quite sure why. The ladies made them anyway. Others made baked beans, black-eyed peas, salads and last but not least, homemade pastries and ice cream. It was up to the men to wash them and provide tubs to fill with ice and soft drinks. They expected it to be the biggest picnic crowd ever, so everyone was encouraged to bring chairs and card tables if they could.
As soon as Tiffany arrived at work that Saturday, Mariam left her in charge of the store and went home to bake three pies and several dozen chocolate chip cookies.
*
THE TWO-CAR COLLISION on the Interstate was one of the worst Rod had ever seen and it happened just after he started his shift. Already, the flashing road signs had been turned to ‘caution’ and traffic was starting to back up. Three just arrived drivers were out of their cars, none of which seemed to know what to do.
From what Rod could gather, the car in front swerved to avoid something and clipped the other car, forcing it to roll down an embankment onto the service road below. The driver of the other car too harshly tried to correct his mistake, sending his vehicle rolling and flinging glass together with vehicle parts across both lanes of the east bound Interstate.
Rod pulled up in front of the vehicle on the Interstate, left his flashing light on, got out, and went to it first. He soon realized it was too late to help that driver, so he hurried down the embankment, touched the neck of each, and could not find a pulse on the two in the front seat nor one of two others in the back. He hurried around to the other side, put his hand through the broken window, and found a pulse. A teen, the only one wearing a seatbelt, was in the backseat and looked like she was just barely alive. He tried to open the damaged door to no avail, got on his phone, called for the jaw of life, and all possible assistance.
He reached through the broken window again, and gently touched her hand to try to comfort her. “Hang in there, Sweetheart, help is coming. We’re going to get you out of there in a few minutes.” The girl put a bloody hand in his. She had several lacerations on her face and arms, probably from broken glass, but she seemed to be breathing well enough. If she had internal injuries, he couldn’t tell.
“I’m Rod, what is your name?”
“Carolyn.”
“You’re going to be just fine, Carolyn.”
Occasionally, she opened her eyes and looked around as if she wasn’t sure where she was. Rod kept talking, hoping he could keep her from passing out, while at the same time praying the ambulance would hurry up.
At last, two ambulances arrived. While three of the medics confirmed the fatalities, the other two came to help the teen. To Rod’s surprise, it was Ben Coulter who brought the jaws of life, followed by two town cops and Vic, the morning deputy. She didn’t want to let go of his hand, but Rod had to get out of the way. He stood back and was amazed at how well and how quickly Ben got the caved-in door open.
“I’m right here,” Rod assured her. She was a brave young woman and only cried out a couple of times when the medics cut off her seatbelt and got her out of the car. As soon as they put her on a gurney, he took her hand again and helped carry her to the waiting ambulance. Once more he had to let go. Even then she was still reaching out her hand to him as the back door closed, the sirens were turned on, and the ambulance headed to the hospital.
Rod just stood there. He didn’t realize Ben was standing beside him until the tow truck driver put a hand on his shoulder.
“You did all you could, Deputy,” said Ben.
“So did you. Where’d you learn to do that?”
“The jaws? I’ve practiced on every old wreck that comes into the shop and a few more in the junkyard. My truck rolled and someone used them to get me out.”
“Well, if she lives, you saved her.”
Ben handed him a wad of wet paper towels. “You do know you have blood all over you.”
Rod hadn’t even noticed, took the towels and began to wash his hand and the blood off the cuff of his shirt. “Guess I’ll have to go home and change. Meanwhile, you want to help me clean up the glass?”
“Sure, It’s part of my job. I clean up and secure everything before I tow the wrecks away.” Ben opened a plastic bag and let Rod shove the bloody towels inside before he tied the strings, tossed it in the back of his truck, and grabbed a couple of push brooms. He handed one to Rod.
When they climbed back up the hill to the interstate, traffic was backed up for miles. Vic and one of the police officers were helping the medics remove the bodies, and the other police officer was taking pictures from every angle he could think of.
Ben took some pictures on his cellphone too, and then helped Rod sweep the inside lane. Soon, they were able to start letting cars through. As soon as he got the last car hooked up to his tow truck, he said, “After you get off, swing by my shop. I keep a bottle there and you look like you could use a drink.”
“You’re on,” said the deputy. He headed home to change his shirt and then went to the office to fill out the reports. By the time he was finished, Ben had forwarded the pictures taken on his cellphone to the sheriff, and Otis was looking them over.
“Wayne came in early to cover your duties while you got the wreck all wrapped up,” said Otis when the deputy came into his office.
“That was nice of him.”
“Yeah, he’s on our side all the way. Besides, a thing like this can make a man lose his concentration if he goes out on the road too soon.”
“Any word on the girl yet?”
“Not yet, but I’ve got a call into the hospital. One thing I hate about this job is not knowing the results, good or bad.”
Just then, Millie stuck her head in the open door and tossed a candy bar to Rod.
“Hey, where’s mine?” Otis complained.
“Aren’t you on a diet?” Millie asked.
“Nope, not until tomorrow.”
Millie frowned. “That’s not what your wife said.”
“It’s a conspiracy,” Otis grumbled. He narrowed his eyes and stared at Rod. “Don’t you dare eat that in front of me.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Rod could hear Millie giggling all the way back to her desk. “I’m fine, Sheriff, and what I’d like to do is look for that stray dog. I’ve got a feeling he’s why that first car swerved.”
“Suit yourself, but come back in if you need to”
“Thanks.”
For the rest of his shift, Rod drove up and down the service roads trying to spot the dog. Even after it got dark, he used the spotlight on his cruiser, but the dog was nowhere to be found. He went to the office, clocked out, thanked Wayne for his help, and then swung by Ben’s shop. He was surprised to find Ben still there and the door to his office wide open.
“Scotch okay?” Ben asked as soon as Rod came in.
“Perfect.”
Ben poured scotch in two paper cups and handed one to Rod.
Rod was about to take a drink when his cellphone rang. The caller ID said Nancy. “Hello there.”
“My friend at the hospital said to tell you the girl is going to live.”
Rod let out a huge sigh of relief, “Hang on, Ben is here too. She’s going to live,” he repeated.
“Good,” Ben whispered.
Nancy continued, “I’m here if you need someone to talk to.”
“That’s a tempting offer. I’d take you up on it but what I need most is a shower, a good night’s sleep, and to see you and Willie at the picnic tomorrow.”
“We’ll be there.”
“Nancy,” Rod said, “I’ve never wanted to hear a voice as much as I wanted to hear yours just now.”
“Sleep well,” she said before she hung up.
Ben watched his newest friend put his cell away and then swallow half his cup of scotch. “You’ve got it bad, don’t you?”
“And far too soon. I know, I know, I keep telling myself I’m rushing it.”
Ben set his drink on the counter. “Don’t worry, Nancy will slow you down if you move too fast. I’ve known her all my life and she’s a no nonsense kind of lady. She was homecoming queen in our senior year, editor of the school paper, and in every club and organization there is in a small town like this. I wasn’t surprised when she married a farmer though. She loves the land like no other woman I’ve ever seen.”
“It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve driven by this place often enough. Are you going to the picnic?”
“Yep, got a date of my own. You probably met Tiffany at the bookstore yesterday.”
“I did.” Rod chuckled and leaned a shoulder against the door jam. “Why is it everyone knows everything going on in this town, except who kidnapped the Woodbury baby?”
“Oh, I’m sure somebody knows that too, they just aren’t talking.”
“Are you one of them?” Rod asked.
“I was just a kid back then. I don’t even know enough to suspect who did it. My mom says, at the time there were rumors on top of rumors on top of still more rumors – each one contradicting the others.”
“That’s what I keep running into. Still, I bet you know most of the older generation.”
“I bet I do too.”
“Mind if I call once in a while to ask if a name I come across rings a bell?”
“Sure, happy to help.”
Rod stood up straight and handed Ben his empty cup. “Thanks for the drink. I’ll see you at the picnic tomorrow.”
After he was gone, Ben hurried to lock up so he could go home and check on the huge pots of beans he was simmering for the picnic.
*
THE SPACIOUS CLEARING at the edge of Blue Falls Lake served as the perfect spot for a picnic, and for once it hadn’t rained enough during the winter to leave unforgiving potholes in the dirt road. With no formal parking lot, ‘park where you can,’ was the order of the day. Already several of the choice spots were taken and older children were swimming in the crystal clear water.
The weather on that particular day in May could not have been more cooperative. The sky was cloudless except for a white streak left by a highflying jetliner, and the forecast was for temperatures in the mid-seventies. The lake was surrounded by bushes, trees, and fallen logs where those who wanted a little privacy could sit and simply take in all that nature had to offer. Toddlers, with parents closely watching, would soon be wading barefoot along the shallow shoreline. The breathtaking waterfall on the other side of the lake cascaded down from the ledge of a high cliff, and splashed into the water below.
At every sporting and holiday event throughout the year, a handbasket was passed around to collect picnic donations, with which to buy hamburger, hot dogs, buns, condiments, paper plates, plastic utensils, cups and sodas. As was their custom, the picnic committee and their families arrived early. It consisted of nearly fifty people, all with assigned duties, and all concerned that they might not have enough to feed this year’s expected crowd.
The committee included farm families and town people alike, friends all, and all happy to let George Marshall exhibit his yearly picnic organizational skills. As soon as they arrived, sounds of laughter and excitement began to fill the air. First, they unloaded the back of two large trucks, and set up and arranged extra picnic tables. Of course, it was Sunday, so many would not arrive until after church, which was fine with those who had a lot more to do before it was time to eat.
After they were positioned next to the camper hookups, gas and electric grills were turned on, and charcoal was added to the other barbeques. The foil wrapped ears of corn were scheduled to be cooked first and then kept hot in a big warmer rented from a restaurant supply house. Tubs were filled with ice, soft drinks were added, and a toddler trying to climb into one of the tubs was rescued at the last moment.
As each family arrived, they set their food contribution on the tables, and then went to visit with friends. Each intentionally left an empty place on the first table traditionally reserved for Ben’s famous beans. As usual, the farmers talked about crops, while the townspeople talked about their businesses and jobs. All of them seemed cheerful and content to be there, although most were keeping an eye out for Michael Woodbury and Jerry Terrell.
Deputy Vic Stonebrooke agreed to work the morning shift, and stay on patrol until one of the part-time deputies came to take Rod’s shift. Deputy Wayne Griffin tried to talk Otis into making the picnic his retirement party as well, but Otis had other plans. Even so, it was to be Wayne’s last town picnic before he left the sheriff’s department. Wayne came early to help set up too, and was especially happy to greet the farmers, with a smile and a handshake, that he had watched over for so many years.
When Sheriff Pierce and his wife arrived, Otis unfolded two comfortable lawn chairs, seated his wife, greeted several people, and then looked around. He frowned, pulled his cellphone out, and called Rod.
“On my way,” said Rod.
“You better be,” the sheriff said in a teasing tone of voice. “There are a couple of young ladies here who’ve heard you’re single.”
Rod puffed his cheeks. “This job is more dangerous than I thought.”
The Sheriff laughed and hung up.
By the time a sleepy Rod showed up and set his bag of chips on one of the tables, he guessed there were already a hundred people there, all chatting and laughing – hopefully not at him. He soon spotted the sheriff and went to greet him. Rod tipped his hat to Mrs. Lois Pierce. Seated next to Lois on an equally comfortable lawn chair was Earl Woodbury.
Otis said, “Of course, you know Mr. Woodbury.”
“Mr. Woodbury,” Rod said. He didn’t expect it, but Earl offered to shake his hand and Rod gladly accepted. Hopefully, the handshake would imply Earl did not resent being arrested. “How are you feeling these days?” Rod asked. Earl only nodded.
By then, Otis was tugging on Rod’s shirt sleeve, urging him to follow him. The sheriff proceeded to introduce the young deputy to a young married couple with two small children, and then an elderly couple. Rod tried to remember all the names when the introductions kept coming, but Otis hardly gave him time to make note of one before he introduced the next.
“Where’s Millie?” Rod asked after yet another introduction.
“It’s her year to dispatch for both the county and the police force. I’ll be sending you over with a plate of food later.”
“My pleasure.”
“She’s married,” the Sheriff said.
Rod grinned. “I know, that’s why I like her.” When the sheriff was otherwise detained, Rod tried to spot Nancy. Apparently she had not arrived yet and if she didn’t come soon, she and Willie would have to park far away, and would have quite a distance to walk up the dirt road. There were more people to meet, but he couldn’t help keeping an eye out for the two people he wanted to see most.
*
BEN PICKED TIFFANY up right on time, and because she was going anyway, he offered to give Beverly a ride. “Where’s Earl?” he asked as he relieved Beverly of a large, square pan filled with scalloped potatoes.
“He left early this morning,” she answered. “One of the boys have probably picked him up by now.”
“I’ll swing by the bench just in case.” Ben carefully set Beverly’s casserole on the bed of his pickup next to three large containers, and then helped her into the back seat.
“The beans smell wonderful as always,” said Beverly.
“They better,” Ben teased. “They’ve been slow cooking for twelve hours.” He closed the back door and then opened the passenger door for Tiffany. After Tiffany was seated, Ben closed the door, walked around the truck, got in the driver’s seat, and then started the engine.
“Didn’t you promise to give me the secret recipe?” Beverly asked.
“Last one to ask for the recipe offered five thousand for it. How much you got?” Ben put his arm over the seat so he could see as he backed up, and winked at Beverly.
“Five thousand for a recipe?” Tiffany asked. “They must be some beans.”
“They are,” Beverly answered. “Some say it’s the only reason they come to the picnic.” She suddenly snickered. “What do you think Gloria will wear this year?”
Ben grinned as he proceeded to drive toward town. “That’s the other reason everyone comes to the picnic.”
“I bet it’s see-through,” said Beverly, “That girl sure does like to show off her body.”
“I hope not,” said Ben. “You know how mad Michael gets when the boys start ogling her.”
“Who’s Gloria?” Tiffany asked.
Beverly answered, “Michael’s only daughter, thank goodness.”
“That we know of,” Ben muttered.
“How old is she?” Tiffany asked.
“Fifteen?” Beverly guessed.
“Let’s see,” Ben started, “Alex is twenty-six and she was born ten years later, so she must be...”
“Alex is twenty-six?” a surprised Tiffany asked.
“Twenty-six going on thirteen,” Ben scoffed. “He still lives at home and draws an undeserved paycheck from Earl which he spends on cars and entertainment.”
“Wow. Anything else I should know?” Tiffany asked. “That reminds me. I can’t wait to get a good look at Crazy Eddie.”
“Don’t get your hopes up.” Ben turned down Main Street, slowed until he was sure Earl wasn’t still sitting on his bench, and then took the street that led to the turnoff to the lake. “He’ll be there, but not where anyone can see him. He normally parks his truck in the bushes and just watches.”
“He doesn’t come to get something to eat?” Tiffany asked.
Beverly answered, “No, his ex-wife takes him a plate. I don’t know why; she hates him with a passion.”
“Or loves him with a passion,” Ben said. “I’ve never seen her with anyone else, and his truck is parked at her house more often than not.”
Beverly moaned. “I need to get out more.”
Instead of parking behind the last car on the road to the lake, Ben drove right up to the front.
Deputy Rod Keller recognized Tiffany as soon as she got out of Ben’s truck, and went to greet both she and Ben. While Tiffany introduced Rod to Beverly, Ben handed him her pan of potatoes.
“Where shall I set this?” Rod asked Beverly.
“Any table will do.” After he walked away, Beverly leaned closer to Tiffany. “I agree; the deputy is very handsome.” She sighed, “If only I were younger, a lot younger come to think of it.” With that, she was off to talk to someone she spotted in the crowd.
The arrival of Ben’s beans had everyone else’s attention. Rod was amazed when several men rushed to the back of Ben’s truck and proceeded to carry three 40 quart pots to the reserved empty space on the first table. Immediately thereafter, a local police officer lifted the lid, smelled the tempting aroma, and then replaced the lid. He turned his back to the pots, folded his arms and took up his usual position as bean-guard. It made everyone smile and Rod that much more curious. He set Beverly’s casserole down, wandered over and made the mistake of attempting to lift one of the lids.
“Not on your life,” the cop warned. “No one gets one single bean until it’s time and I’m first.”
He looked dead serious, so Rod simply shrugged and walked away. By then, the sheriff was eager to introduce him to two sisters. From the grin on the sheriff’s face, it was easy to guess these were the two interested in Rod’s marital status. Rod politely greeted both Mary and Celeste, and found Mary the more pleasant of the two. Celeste asked a long stream of cop questions. Mercifully, the Sheriff rescued him and took him to meet some of the others.
Still standing next to Ben near the tailgate of his truck, Tiffany watched Rod and the sheriff for a few seconds, but when there was a noticeable buzz in the crowd, she looked to see what had their attention. To no one’s surprise, Michael drove his expensive car to the front of the line, found just enough room and parked at an angle beside Ben’s truck.
“We’re blocked in,” Ben whispered. He nodded to both Michael and his son Alex, as the two of them got out and walked away.
“Looks like it.” Tiffany looked at a dozen faces, decided she wouldn’t actually know Jerry Terrell if she saw him, and then smiled when she realized Earl was watching her. That’s when she discovered something she found a little odd. Several of the men were wearing identical brown vests and one of them was a deputy.
“It’s a club some of the farmers belong to,” Ben explained. “They get together once a month to talk about the crops. Deputy Griffin was made an honorary member years ago.”
“I see.” As they strolled from place to place meeting people, she listened to Ben promise the beans were much better than last year. During a moment without someone new to meet, she turned to Ben and rolled her eyes. “Nobody’s beans are that good.”
He whispered, “Don’t tell them, okay?”
Her first glimpse of Blue Falls Lake was both beautiful and inspiring, but there was one problem. “The waterfall is not blue?”
“It turns blue when the sun starts to set,” Ben answered.
“That, I must see.”
He smiled. “I was hoping you would say that.”
It was not what he said, but the way he said it that made Tiffany’s heart flutter. In an effort to keep him from seeing, she turned her attention to the people. The crowd had grown considerably larger just since they arrived. The smell of roasted corn already filled the air and was beginning to mix with the hundreds of hamburgers and hotdogs cooking on the grills. People laughed, children played, mothers tried to keep track of little ones, and fathers could be heard boasting about this thing or that. Michael seemed to simply disappear into the crowd, and if Jerry Terrell had arrived, Tiffany wasn’t hearing the same kind of buzz.
Beverly was talking to Tiffany’s boss, Mariam Eggelston. The next person Tiffany noticed was Alex Woodbury. How could she not, he was looking right at her. If she hadn’t already been annoyed by the way Alex behaved at the baseball game, she might have been captivated by his good looks. He indeed looked a lot like Michael, and even more like Earl must have looked at that age. Her appraisal of Alex was short-lived though, when Ben took her elbow and guided her toward someone he wanted her to meet.
“Mom, this is Tiffany. She’s working for...”
“Mariam. I already heard.” Nora Coulter smiled and then said. “Gloria is here.”
Ben frowned and reached for Tiffany’s hand. “Pretend you like me, okay?”
Tiffany was a little confused until she spotted Gloria Woodbury. The girl was wearing the shortest skirt Tiffany had ever seen and a halter top that was at least a full size too small. Gloria’s eyes sparkled when she noticed Ben, but when she saw him holding Tiffany’s hand, she began to openly pout.
“You definitely need protection,” Tiffany whispered.
Ben exhaled, “You have no idea.”
“Yes, well,” said Ben’s mom, “the last thing I want for my son is to have Michael for a father-in-law.” Just then, Michael caught sight of his daughter and headed straight for her. “Here it comes,” said Nora.
As soon as she saw the rage on Michael’s face as he wove his way through the crowd to his daughter, Tiffany moved a little closer to Ben. When he reached her, Michael grabbed Gloria by the arm and hauled her, kicking and screaming, toward his car. He yelled, she screamed, and everyone else just stood and watched. Michael insisted, in no uncertain terms, that she get in his car. After she did, he closed the door and then pointed his finger at Gloria the whole time he walked around to the driver’s side. She didn’t move a muscle, and soon Michael got in, and slammed the door.
Somehow, Michael managed to avoid hitting Ben’s truck when he back up, slammed on the breaks, threw his car into forward, and then raced down the road kicking up a dust cloud behind him.
Ben let out his held breath and so did Tiffany. “Will he hurt her?” she asked.
“He wouldn’t dare,” said a woman she had yet to meet.
“Tiffany, this is Andrea, Gloria’s mother.”
“It is nice to meet you,” said Tiffany.
“Don’t worry dear, I threatened to shoot Michael if he so much as laid a hand on Gloria.” Andrea giggled. “He believes me too.”
“That’s a relief,” Tiffany breathed. “He looked mad enough to kill her.”
Ben let go of her hand and nodded toward a group of people. “Those two blondes are Michael’s first and third wives.”
“Which one is Birdie?” Tiffany asked.
“Birdie never comes to any of the town’s social events,” Andrea answered. “It’s her way of snubbing the women who don’t approve of her affair with Michael.”
Tiffany was surprised. “You know about that?”
“Everyone knows.” When Pamela motioned Andrea over, she nodded. “Have you met Birdie yet?”
Tiffany shook her head. “Not yet.”
“You’ll like her when you do. We like her. She’s the best friend in the world to have when you’re Michael’s ex-wife.”
After Andrea was gone Tiffany looked puzzled. “What do you suppose she means? How can the mistress be the wife’s best friend?”
Ben shrugged. “Beats me.” He nodded toward a tall man with dark hair standing next to a woman near the soda tubs. “That’s Jerry Terrell and his wife.”
“Really? I wondered what he looked like in person. All I’ve seen are the videos and they mostly show Michael.”
Ben added, “His wife will do all she can to keep him from getting into an argument with Michael, but Jerry is as bullheaded as Michael.”
“That’s true,” said Ben’s mom. “Things have been heating up for nearly a year. Just look at how everyone watches Michael and Jerry. They are expecting them to actually fight this year.”
“Promise to protect me if they do?” Tiffany asked.
“I promise to move you out of the line of fire long before that.” As soon as his mother drifted away, he began to introduce Tiffany to several friends closer to his age.
At last, Rod spotted Nancy and Willie walking up the road. She was carrying a heavy homemade ice cream maker, so he went to help. The moment Willie spotted him, he ran into the deputy’s arms.
“Hey bud, how are you?”
“Fine.”
Rod set the boy down and took the ice cream maker out of Nancy’s hand. “You should have called me when you got here; I would have...”
“And let you miss it when Michael and Jerry start to argue? No way.”
“Good point.” He took Willie’s hand and walked them to the dessert table. “How’s your arm?”
“Better, thanks to you.” She waited while he set the ice cream maker on the table, and then turned just in time to see Ben coming toward them. “Oh look, it’s the bean guy,” she said.
Ben touched his cheek to Nancy’s. “I have a name, you know.”
“Do you? I never knew that.” Nancy winked at Tiffany. “Who’s this?”
“This is Tiffany Clark. Careful or she’ll tell you one of her famous stories.”
“I am intrigued.”
“Nancy makes the best ice cream in the world,” He told Rod. “What flavor did you make this year?”
Nancy answered, “Your favorite. I made it just for you.”
Ben playfully licked his lips and then turned to make the announcement others in the crowd had been waiting to hear, “CHERRY!”
When some of the people shouted their approval and applauded, it made Nancy blush. “He does that to me every year,” she told Rod.
Seated next to his wife, Otis spotted the way Rod was looking at Nancy. “So that’s what Millie is up to. She’s matchmaking again. Hope it works out better this time than last time.”
Tiffany couldn’t get enough of watching all the fascinating crowd. People come in all different shapes and sizes, with some having physical marks of distinction and others not. Ben put Willie on his shoulders so the boy could get a better look around and continued to talk to Nancy and Rod. That gave Tiffany more time just to observe. She might have expected some animosity between Beverly and Mariam Eggelston since they both worked for Earl at one time or another, but the two of them seemed delighted to be in each other’s company. “The informant,” Tiffany muttered.
“What?” Ben wanted to know.
“Oh nothing.” Tiffany found Deputy Rod Keller more fascinating than most and although he found a place for Nancy and Willie to sit at the last empty picnic table, he was all business when it came to keeping an eye out for trouble. Rod seemed to be studiously sizing people up the way she liked to do, but then all officers did that. Her detective father did. That’s where she picked up the habit. Her dad always said you can learn a lot by the way people hold themselves, dress, and either do or don’t openly express their emotions.
Just now Rod was watching Beverly and Mariam. Tiffany felt sorry for her boss. How awful it must be to be considered a suspect all these years. On the other hand, Mariam could have moved away, although it might have made her look even more guilty. Tiffany wondered what she would do in the same situation, and decided she could ponder that later.
By the time Michael came back, the crowd had grown even larger adding a multitude of card tables and chairs. Gloria was not with him and word of it seemed to shoot through the crowd faster than an eagle spreads its wings. Michael ignored their whispers and went to stand at the far end of the clearing, where by then Alex had drifted to as well. Tiffany immediately looked to see where his ex-wives were. All three were staring at Michael, who could not have looked more uncomfortable. Everyone else seemed to be looking at the way Jerry Terrell was laughing at Michael’s discomfort. Fortunately, Michael pretended not to notice, but the wrinkles in his brow had decidedly deepened.
Rod noticed a particular man as soon as he started to approach him.
“You’ll be coming around to talk to me soon anyway,” he said. “I’m Tom Connor, foreman over at the Tile Company.”
Rod shook Tom’s hand. The man looked to be around Earl Woodbury’s age, although he had obviously put on a lot more weight than Earl. “You still work there, Mr. Connor?”
Tom lowered his voice. “I keep an eye on things for Earl, if you know what I mean.”
“Do you remember the people Earl fired right before the kidnapping? I believe there were three of them?”
“I remember. I’m the one who caught them. We keep a pile of broken tiles in the back of the warehouse to give to people for art projects, or to those who are down on their luck and need to patch an old floor. The three Earl fired were throwing away perfectly good tiles, taking them home at night, and selling them on the side to one of our flooring customers. They had a nice little business going there for a while.”
“It was two men and a woman, correct?”
“Not exactly. She was just a kid really, and the boys where her older brothers.”
“I see. In your opinion, would any of them have tried to get even by taking Earl’s daughter?”
Tom shook his head. “I’ve wondered about that a thousand times, but even the oldest boy couldn’t have figured out how to do it without getting caught.” Tom tapped his temple with his finger. “Just not that smart.”
When Rod saw the sheriff motion him over, he shook Tom’s hand again. “Thanks for the help.”
“Any time, Deputy.”
As soon as Rod arrived, Otis stood up. “Just a word of warning. Lorna Dumont has been watching you. She claims she knows who kidnapped the baby.”
“Who does she say it was?” Rod asked.
“Her husband, Kyle Dumont. She’s been saying that for years, but she’s got no proof. Her husband ran off the next day with another woman, so she figures he had a bundle of money to run off with. The kidnapping is not all she claims he did. If it was in the news back then, her husband did it.”
Rod chuckled. “Thanks for the tip.”
Otis pointed out a few more people of interest including Michael’s ex-wives, who by then had turned their backs to Michael. “I got the feeling Pamela, his first wife, knows more than she said at the time.”
“About Michael’s alibi?”
“At first she said he was with her all night, but later she recanted.”
“Who did she say he was with?”
“Birdie. Pamela said she lied because she didn’t want to admit he stayed out all night. Too embarrassing for a wife, you see. People saw him at the Bed and Breakfast, so Pamela had to admit she lied.”
“Did any of them say what time he left?” Rod asked.
“Unfortunately none of them knew.”
“According to your notes, you didn’t believe Michael was involved anyway.”
“True, but I missed something somewhere and it might have been right in front of my face.” Otis smiled when his wife tugged on his sleeve.
“It’s a picnic, not the office,” Lois reminded him.
“Yes, dear,” Otis groaned, before he kissed her on the cheek and sat down.
Rod smiled, tipped his hat to her, and then went back to sit beside Nancy. By then, Ben and Tiffany had taken up seats across the picnic table from them.
People seemed to be moving closer and closer to the food tables, waiting for someone to yell. Finally, someone did.
“LET’S EAT!”
It didn’t take long for people to grab a paper plate and start to line up in front of the table that held Ben’s beans. Tiffany giggled when the cop turned around, grabbed a plate and removed one of the lids. With a large ladle, he helped himself to two servings, leaving little room on his plate for anything else. Next, he headed for the iced sodas, grabbed three and then made his way to the back of the crowd.
“They must be some beans,” Tiffany muttered.
“It’s more like a test of wills,” Ben whispered. “They are spicy hot.”
“Oh, I see.” She tipped her head to one side. “Do you think Michael is against my staying at Earl’s.”
“Don’t worry, if he is he won’t say anything for fear of upsetting Earl.”
“That’s good to know.”
Not everyone was eager to try Ben’s beans. In fact, those in line were mostly men including Michael and Jerry. The two men were closer in line to each other than was comfortable, and for a moment Jerry looked like he intended to eat more of the spicy hot beans than Michael. At length, he thought better of it and only took one spoon full.
It took a while for the eager bean eaters to load up their plates while the women helped themselves and the children to the food on the other tables. The line had lessened and there was plenty of food left over, by the time the two young couples decided to fill their plates, Tiffany wanted to at least taste Ben’s beans, but Nancy knew better and stayed well away from them. Soon, their choices were made and they returned to the table. Ben went to get sodas, Nancy helped Willie get a good grip on his hotdog and Rod finally relaxed enough to sit down and enjoy his meal. He especially seemed to enjoy the corn on the cob, and Tiffany laughed when he got corn stuck in his teeth.
The beans, Tiffany noticed, were missing from Ben’s plate. When he came back and sat down, she looked at the ones on her plate and then looked at Ben plate again. “I’m almost afraid to taste five thousand dollar beans.”
“Did I say dollars?” Ben asked. “It was more like five thousand pennies, which I don’t intend to count. It was Crazy Eddie who made the offer. I have no doubt he saves every penny he can get his hands on and loves counting them.”
“Have you spotted him yet?” Tiffany asked, just before she took a bite of her hamburger.
Ben said, “Sure. He’s been watching you the whole time. Don’t look, but his pickup is parked in the bushes right behind us.”
“Don’t look?” Tiffany scoffed. “You can’t tell someone like me not to look – it’s torture.” She intentionally turned and searched until she saw a glint of blue paint amid the bushes. “Why does he hide?”
“He’s crazy, that’s why,” Alex answered. Michael’s son plopped a plate down next to Tiffany’s on the table, and then sat straddling the bench facing her.
“Not as crazy as you,” a peeved Ben grumbled.
“True,” Alex smirked, “but I’m crazy in a far friendlier way. So Tiffany, what are you doing later? There’s a movie in Des Moines I have not yet seen, something about an apocalypse or something.”
“Sorry,” she answered, “all booked up.”
“That’s a pity. Well, there’s always tomorrow night. Where are you staying.”
“At your grandfather’s house.”
The look on Alex’s face betrayed his sincere surprise. “Earl never lets anyone stay with him, not even me.” He looked down and shifted his eyes from side to side a couple of times. “Come to think of it, I never asked if I could. Maybe I should, now that you’re staying there.”
“Stanley James Hunter,” Tiffany said.
Ben grinned at Nancy, “Can’t wait to hear this one.”
“What?” Alex asked.
“You remind me of Stanley James Hunter. He never thought of asking either. He just assumed and he always assumed wrong.”
“Oh,” Alex picked up his plate, shoved a spoon full of beans in his mouth, chewed, swallowed and then fanned his open mouth with his hand. “Best beans ever.” He peaked around Tiffany to look at the glare on Ben’s face. “Well, I better leave you two alone.” He nearly spilled his plate as he stood up, lifted a leg over the bench and walked away.
“Stanley James Hunter?” Ben asked.
“Arrogant, impolite and stupid,” Tiffany answered.
Ben tried to hide his suspicious smile when he asked, “But handsome?”
“Yep, the kind that could take a girl’s breath away.” When she glanced at them, both Nancy and Rod were smiling and listening.
“Except yours?” Ben asked.
“Oh, mine too. I dated him all the way through my junior year...and so did three other girls. I was a little slow finding that out.”
“Ouch,” said Rod.
Tiffany was dead serious when she said, “After I found out, he walked with a limp for nearly a week,” She turned to face Ben as if awaiting his next question.
Ben laughed. “He didn’t try to talk you into coming back?”
“Nope, he was just smart enough to know better. Last I heard, he was engaged to Chelsey. Now Chelsey and I are complete opposites.” Tiffany was so into her story that she forgot what she was doing and put a spoonful of beans in her mouth. Her eyes instantly bulged, and when Ben handed her an orange soda, she swallowed the beans and drank half of it before she stopped to take a breath. She fanned her mouth, drank the rest of the soda, and set the empty can on the table. “There ought to be a law against people like you, Mr. Ben Coulter!” She felt like everyone was watching the new girl in town make an idiot of herself, but Tiffany ignored them. She took another bite of her hamburger hoping to finally put the fire in her mouth and stomach out. It didn’t help much.
Ben nodded toward Earl. “You don’t see that often,” he said. “We can hardly get a smile out of him and I believe he actually laughed watching you.”
“That’s me, Miss Entertainment,” she said. Tiffany lifted her plate and threatened to scrape the rest of the beans off hers onto Ben’s.
He put his hand up. “No thanks, I’ve already tasted them.”
“And you still have a stomach lining?” Tiffany mocked. “You need to see a doctor!”
Nancy laughed and pointed toward the three pots of beans, “Every year, Ben and I bet on how many will go back for seconds. The cop is headed there now.”
Tiffany watched the officer take another large helping, but instead of sodas, he grabbed several dinner rolls. From her purse, Nancy pulled out pen and paper and started to keep count.”
“How many did Ben bet there would be?” Tiffany asked.
“Under twenty-six.”
“And you?”
“I’m an optimist. I bet it would be over thirty-one. She counted the few who were starting to line up. Only nine? It looks like Ben might win - again.”
Ben wiped the superior grin off his face, and excused himself to take Willie to the bathroom, so tiffany got up and took their plates to the trash can. Next, she wandered over to the table to see how full or empty Ben’s pots were.
“These things nearly killed me last year,” one woman whispered to another as she poured a small ladle of Ben’s beans onto her plate.
“Yes, but what a way to die,” said the other.
Tiffany held her giggle until after they walked away. She was surprised to see Rod take a clean plate and fill it up again. “You’re still hungry?”
“This is for Millie, our dispatcher. She has to work today.”
Tiffany smiled. “Are you sure she wants beans?”
“I have no idea, but I don’t want to see the disappointment on her face if I don’t bring her some.”
“That makes sense.” Tiffany watched him take the plate to his cruiser, and then went back to their table, She sat next to Nancy facing out so she could watch the people better. “What happens next?”
“Well,” Nancy answered, “after the food has settled a little, there will be gunnysack races, swimming contests for the older children and spoon races for the little ones. Willie is old enough for that this year. They put a raw egg on a spoon and try to beat the other kids to the finish line without dropping it.” Nancy sighed, “I can’t count how many eggs he broke before he learned to walk fast instead of run.”
When two of Nancy’s friends came to visit her, Tiffany decided to say hello to Mariam and a few other women she’d met at the bookstore. Once in a while, she heard roars of laughter and desperately wanted to know what was so funny, so she excused herself and began to wander through the crowd. Yet, it was not until she happened to overhear two unfamiliar women talking in whispered tones that she carefully turned her back to them and eavesdropped on their conversation.
“All I know is that Shelley Woodbury went to a small office in Bloomfield nearly every day, even on Saturday,” an older woman with white hair said. “I only knew that because it was on my mail route and her car was often parked there. Very few people drove a brand new Mustang convertible that I knew of, at least not a dark blue one, so I suspected it was her. Earl bought her that expensive car the day after he married her, or so I heard.”
“But you actually saw her there?” the other woman asked. Several years younger, she looked as though she might be the older woman’s daughter.
“Just once that I recall.”
“Did you ask her about it?”
“No, it wasn’t any of my business. After the baby was born, I didn’t see her car for weeks, and then one day there it was again.”
Tiffany was dying to ask where the office was, but when one of the women noticed her, she walked away. She was willing to bet Earl didn’t know Shelley had a job, and it was a very lucrative one according to her bank statements. It might even explain some of the expenses too, if she owned the company and paid employees, but why pay them out of her personal account?
With that on her mind, Tiffany wandered around for a few more minutes and then went back to the table to keep Nancy company. Ben had Willie on his shoulders again talking to friends. She considered asking Ben the names of the women she overhead, but decided Earl would probably know, and she could ask him about it later.
The gunnysack races were hysterical once they cleared a space and got everyone organized. Three couples tripped over each other right at the finish line, making one couple the winner by just a head. The swimmers lined up on one side of the lake and when Otis fired his pistol, they raced to the other side. The good swimmers outnumbered the poor, and even Nancy and Tiffany cheered the slower ones on.
Rod came back just in time to watch Willie line up beside the other little kids, and carefully put his egg on his spoon. This time, the sheriff didn’t fire his gun, but he did shout, “GET READY, GET SET, GO!” Willie was holding his own until a little girl plodded ahead of him. Not to be outdone, he started to run and just as it always happened before, his egg fell off the spoon and splatted on the ground. The little girl won, much to Willie’s chagrin, and instead of coming to his mother for comfort, he went to Ben.
“Ben needs at least five children to keep him happy,” said Nancy.
“He certainly does adore your son.”
“Yes, and he doesn’t get to spend nearly enough time with Willie. When he tries to lock up early and come out to the farm, Gloria invariably shows up insisting there is something wrong with her car that needs to be fixed right away.”
“No wonder he is not very fond of Gloria.”
“Not fond is putting it mildly, but he has to earn a living the same as the rest of us, and Michael doesn’t care what Ben charges.”
“You and Ben have been friends a long time?” Tiffany asked.
“We’re cousins, actually.”
Tiffany was surprised at how relieved she was to hear it. She didn’t actually form the question in her mind, but she was about to wonder if Nancy was her competition.
Alex tapped Tiffany on the shoulder and proudly handed her a small plate. “My mom made it. Best apple pie you’ll ever taste.”
“Thank you.” Tiffany accepted the pie and boldly looked him in the eye. Dozens of times she’d looked through the mugshot books her father brought home, and never had she seen gray eyes the color of Alex’s. As soon as he looked away, she followed his gaze.
Amazingly, Gloria was back and had her arms tightly wrapped around an unwilling Ben. He still had Willie on his shoulders and was trying to push Gloria away, while at the same time making sure Willie didn’t fall off. At least Gloria was wearing jeans and t-shirt, but without a bra. Too bad too, because Tiffany was famous for snapping the backs of bras when she was annoyed with a girl. Of course, that was back in her high school days and she’d grown up since then.
It was tempting however, that she happened to be holding a slice of pie – except throwing it at Gloria would be too cliché even for Tiffany. Instead, she handed the plate back to Alex and followed Nancy, who was already headed straight for Ben. Ben managed to lift Willie off his shoulders and set him on the ground so Nancy could take the boy away. With both his hands finally free, he tried unsuccessfully to pry Gloria off him.
Tiffany tapped Gloria on the shoulder, but the girl only moaned and refused to let go, so Tiffany tapped her on the shoulder a second time, only harder. “I’m not going away, so you might as well turn around and talk to me.”
“Get a life!” Gloria snapped, nuzzling her face into Ben’s neck. Without hurting her, Ben tried to remove her arms, but she wiggled free and grabbed hold of him again. People were starting to watch, but Tiffany was determined. “Angie Tigerton!” she said louder than she should have.
“Goooo aaaaway,” Gloria moaned.
“Angie Tigerton.” Tiffany nearly shouted. This time, most of the people within hearing range had paused to listen.
When Gloria finally realized people were watching, she let go of Ben and turned to face Tiffany, “Who are you?” Ben moved away, but not so far away that he couldn’t rescue Tiffany if she needed it.
“Someone who doesn’t like girls hanging all over guys who aren’t interested.” Tiffany put her hands on her hips. “You take Angie Tigerton for example. She was pretty enough, but she didn’t like the kind of guys who wanted to date her. They were too wild, she always said. That’s why she tried to tempt Jeffery away from me. He was as clean as a whistle, no drugs, no smoking, and no profanity.” Tiffany wrinkled her brow. “I bet they’ve never said that about you, have they Gloria? As a matter of fact, you’re on something now.” She intentionally looked at the front of Gloria’s T-shirt. “I was right too, no bra.”
Gloria nervously glanced at Michael and lowered her voice. “Can’t you just go away?”
Instead of speaking softer, Tiffany increased the volume. “Have you been tested for all those nasty sex diseases? Some of them are really disgusting and there are new ones discovered every day.” She pointed at Gloria’s crotch. “Girls get warts too, you know, down there, and I’d be willing to bet you have them already. Then there are...”
“I do not have warts!” Gloria shouted, horrified as she glanced around at all the people watching them.
“Are you sure? Have you been tested?” Tiffany persisted.
“Shut up! Just Shut up!” Gloria railed. She covered her ears with both hands and then ran to her father’s car. She opened the back door, crawled in and disappeared from view.
Tiffany’s expression was one of pure innocence when she looked at Ben. “Did I say something wrong?” When everyone laughed, so did she.
Ben playfully put his hands on his hips too. “Jeffery? I thought his name was Stanley James Hunter.”
“Oh that?” she mumbled and she started to walk back to the table.
Tiffany didn’t mean to, but she was the one who started the yearly argument between Michael and Jerry Terrell. Michael was staring at Tiffany and it was impossible to tell if he wanted to smile or frown. That didn’t last long. When Michael noticed Jerry Terrell roaring with laughter, as if what happened to Gloria was the funniest thing he’d ever seen, Michael narrowed his eyes and began to march that direction.
Just as he promised, Ben pulled Tiffany out of the line of fire, dozens of others quickly moved back, and before anything could possibly prevent it, Michael socked Jerry in the eye. A taller man than Michael, Jerry lunged for Michael’s knees, forced him to the ground, and began pounding the hot headed Michael with his fists. Alex jumped on Jerry’s back to protect his father, and Jerry’s son grabbed Alex by the back of the shirt and easily tossed him aside. Naturally those who worked for both companies felt obliged to either break it up or join in. Unfortunately, the latter happened. Fists flew, men yelled, women screamed, and even Gloria came back and stood behind the crowd trying to see what was happening.
It seemed that every man there was involved somehow – even Crazy Eddie left his pickup long enough to record the fight on his cellphone. Tiffany might have gotten her first good look at him, but she was too busy watching the fists fly and staying out of the way.
Rod pulled his fire arm and was about to shoot it into the air when the Sheriff beat him to it. “KNOCK IT OFF BEFORE ONE OF THE LADIES GETS HURT!” the sheriff yelled. Slowly, men who were suspicious that the others might still throw a punch, backed away from their opponents. Relatives and friends helped others off the ground, and a doctor, who would much rather be taking a nap, grabbed his well-stocked medical bag.
Aside from cut lips and bruised faces, no one seemed to be badly hurt. Two of the men had Ben’s beans all over their shirts, and by the time Tiffany remember to look, Crazy Eddie and his pickup were gone.
The picnic was over, and more than a few people began the mad dash to get in their vehicles and leave the campground. Tiffany wondered if Beverly had been right – the beans, a possible fight, and to see what Gloria was wearing were the only reasons some of them came.
As soon as Michael left, Jerry took his family home.
Others stayed to swim and to have another helping of whatever was left of the free food, but in time most of them went home as well. Ben encouraged people to take the rest of his beans so he wouldn’t have to, and mentioned to Tiffany that he volunteered to stay and help clean up. That was okay with her.
While Ben talked to his mother and some other friends, Tiffany drifted away to take the daily call from her detective father. She assured him she was happy and well, and mentioned he missed a good fight. Their conversation lasted nearly half an hour and by then, Beverly and Earl had accepted a ride home with a friend. Alex, she noticed was still hanging around. She suspected Alex stayed in support of his little sister who quietly sat beside him on the top of a picnic table. Gloria’s propensity for shameless flirting was over – at least for that day.
Before Nancy and Rod left, Nancy suggested the four of them get together to play cards the next time Rod had a night off. They all agreed. Rod carried the empty ice cream maker and a sleeping Willie back to Nancy’s car, and waited until she drove away. He waved goodbye to Ben and Tiffany, and then set out to finish what was left of his shift.
After most of the people were gone, it was obvious what needed to be done. There was trash everywhere. With the help of two other men, it took Ben and Tiffany nearly an hour to clean up and load three big trash barrels onto the back of a truck to be hauled to the dump. By then, the teens had grown tired of swimming and gone home, leaving just them and two other young couples that were sitting on rocks near the shore talking and watching the approaching sunset.
Ben held out his hand and smiled when Tiffany put her hand in his.
“I’m thinking of coming back next year just to see what happens,” she said. “I might even bring my whole family. Picnics back home are tame compared to this one.”
“Providing either Michael or Jerry aren’t in jail for murder by then.”
“There is that possibility,” she agreed. Slowly, she walked beside him around the edge of the lake, stepping on rocks and jumping over a small stream before reaching a log they could sit on. “I was too hard on Gloria, wasn’t I?”
“Well, you might be the talk of the town for a few days. I doubt anyone has ever seen something like that before.”
“How come?”
“Because despite Michael and Jerry’s shortcomings, a lot of people work for them, and because both companies pay well, others hope to get hired someday. They wouldn’t dare confront Michael’s daughter. You’re an outsider, so you will probably get away with it.”
“If I don’t mind being talked about?”
“Do you?”
“Not especially, I’m used to it.”
“They talk about you at home?”
“Oh, all the time. Mother says I’m not very good at keeping my mouth shut, but she loves me anyway.”
“My mom likes you too. Know what she said?”
“What?”
“She said the guy who marries you will never get bored.”
Tiffany rolled her eyes. “That’s me, Miss Entertainment.” When he put his arm around her, she snuggled closer and put her head on his shoulder. “Ben, what do you think of Rod? I saw the way he looks at Nancy and since she is your cousin, I wondered...”
“You and Nancy are more alike than you know. She doesn’t let any grass grow under her feet either. I like that about her and I like that about you too.”
“Yes, but...”
“Believe me, Nancy knows how to dump a guy when she discovers a flaw she can’t put up with, and I completely trust her decisions.”
Tiffany was quiet for a time before she said, “Dad wants to know when I’m coming home now that my car is fixed.”
“And you said?”
She giggled, “Later.”
Ben put his other arm around her. “Are you sticking around for any special reason?”
“I can’t go until I find out how much you’re going to charge me.”
He pulled back to look her in the eye. “If I said no charge, would you be gone tomorrow?”
Tiffany lifted her head off his shoulder. “I can’t go tomorrow, I promised Mariam I’d give notice before I quit.”
“How much notice?”
“A day, at least.” She put her head back on his shoulder. “However...”
“What?”
“I would like to stick around until Rod finds out who took Earl’s daughter.” She could feel Ben physically relax and it served to confirm what she was coming to suspect – Ben was falling in love with her.
“That could take a while.”
“Another week or two, at least.” Tiffany said. “Have the falls turned blue yet?”
“Not yet.”
Tiffany Clark didn’t really care what color the water was, or the color of the entire world for that matter. It felt better to be in Ben’s arms than she’d felt in the arms of any other boy she’d dated. Of course, there hadn’t truly been that many. She was like Nancy, too discerning for her own good. If Ben had any faults, she was not aware of them. So far, he was kind, strong, loving to members of his family, a friend of nearly everyone at the picnic, and...come to think of it, she didn’t see anyone who didn’t like Ben, except perhaps Alex Woodbury.
Thinking a guy was nearly perfect could be dangerous. A girl should never fall in love until she knew all about a guy’s faults. Yet, not falling in love with Ben might be more of a struggle than it had been with Jamison White, her all-time favorite boyfriend – the one she knew better than to tell Ben about.
When Ben lifted her chin with his finger tips and lowered his lips to hers, Tiffany closed her eyes. Suddenly, all her cautions fluttered away like a gentle breeze.
*
AFTER HE DELIVERED a plate of food to Millie at the office and stayed to keep her company for a while, Rod went to talk to her father at the restaurant.
With everyone’s stomach full to the brim at the picnic, the place was empty, so Jake Jacobson brought Rod a cup of coffee and then took a seat in the window booth opposite him. “Millie likes you.”
“I think she’s pretty special too.”
“That she is.”
“If she ever needs anything...” Rod started.
“Thanks, but we’ve got her covered. We watch over Nancy and the boy too, although it is a challenge sometimes not to hurt Nancy’s pride. We make a big deal out of birthdays and holidays so we can give her what she might need. By the way, next time you go out there, can you see if her appliances are working. Millie says her freezer is making a strange noise. You know anything about fixing appliances?”
“Not a lot. She invited another couple and I over to play cards next week, so I’ll take a look.”
“Another couple?”
“Ben and a new girl in town, Tiffany Clark.”
“Excellent, Ben can fix anything. You repaired Nancy’s porch, I hear.”
“I just jacked it up and added a few cinderblocks. It’s not a permanent fix, but it’ll hold for a while.”
“Millie said it’s solid as a rock now.”
Rod paused before he asked. “Mr. Jacobson, were you here when the Woodbury baby was kidnapped?”
“I was. I helped with the search – everyone that could get away did. It was the 4th, you know, and people had a farmer’s market to run, but many of us searched the first day and several days after.” Jake sadly bowed his head. “By the third day, most of us thought it was probably too late to find the baby alive.”
“Did you know Earl’s wife?”
“Not well. She was not the overly friendly type. I don’t remember her ever coming in here for a meal, but then the Woodburys had a housekeeper who cooked for them. My wife said Shelley went to Des Moines to buy maternity clothes and baby things. That’s about all I know about her.”
“Did you go to the funeral?”
“We did.”
“Do you recall ever meeting a man by the name of Charles Hadley?”
Jake took a moment to think about that. “No, Sir, I don’t recall anyone by that name.”
“What about Lyndell Fagan?”
Jake chuckled. “Now there’s a story for you. He’s still in prison and probably always will be. He’s been saying for years he knows who took Earl’s daughter. No one believes him – that kid hasn’t told the truth one day in his whole life. If a lie worked better, which he always thought it did, it was the first thing out of his mouth.”
“He’s in for assaulting an officer?”
“Yes, but he claims the officer hit him first and that made it a fair fight. He should have been out of prison long before now, but he gets in fights with the other inmates and the judge keeps extending his sentence. He nearly killed a guy once.”
It was Rod’s turn to smile. “He tried to rob a bank?”
Jake chuckled a second time. “The one right here in town too. Lyndell wasn’t even smart enough to rob a bank where no one could recognize him. You’ll have to ask the sheriff, but that charge is probably still hanging over Lyndell’s head.”
“So, you don’t think he actually knows who took the baby?”
Jake gave that some thought. “I’d be surprised if he does, but he might know something that could help. He had it bad for Birdie in those days and even hung around Michael trying to impress her. A lot of guys would have liked to date Birdie, but Michael had the inside track on that one.”
“Birdie at the Bed and Breakfast?”
“That’s the one. A few weeks after the kidnapping, Birdie tried to kill herself and we almost lost her too.”
“Do you know why?”
“I can guess. Birdie was forced to put her baby up for adoption when Michael married Pamela, and I suspect the loss of Earl’s baby hit her pretty hard. You know how women are, they imagine all sorts of horrible things happening to their children. In Birdie’s case she didn’t know where her child was either. Her parents made her give her baby away so Birdie wouldn’t embarrass her congressman father. Everyone already knew, so what was the point? Anyway, after Birdie came back from the home for unwed mothers, her parents bought her a rundown motel that she somehow turned into a Bed and Breakfast. Of course, Birdie was expected to pay them back. Nice of them, don’t you think?”
An obviously resentful Jake got up and came back with a cup of coffee for himself. “The very next month, our esteemed congressman lost his election and her parents moved away. That had to feel like the worst double-cross in the world to Birdie. I doubt she’s talked to them since and I also bet she’s still paying off the Bed and Breakfast they saddled her with.” He took a sip of soda before he finished. “Go easy when you talk to her, okay? She’s a lot more fragile than other folks around here think.”
“I’ll remember that. Can you think of anyone else I should talk to who might remember something about the kidnapping?”
“Well, let me see. Some died, some moved away, and some wouldn’t talk even if you put a gun to their heads.”
“Why is that?”
“Because there is nothing they can do to save the baby now, and they think they could get into big trouble if they talked.”
“You mean for something like obstruction of justice?”
“That’s part of it. Another part is the way folks would talk about them if they spoke up after all this time.”
Rod took another sip of his coffee before he said, “I see. Care to suggest who some of these people might be?”
Jake pulled a napkin out of the holder, took a pen out of his apron pocket and wrote down three names. He handed the napkin to Rod and then put his pen away. “These might help. Also, Jason might tell you what Michael had to say about the kidnapping.”
“Michael’s brother?”
“That’s right. I suppose if Michael talked to anyone about it, it would be Jason.”
“Do you think Michael was behind it?”
“Behind it? Maybe. Took part in it, no.”
“Did he go to Earl’s house after he heard what happened?”
“That I don’t know, but he did organize a team of searchers the next day and was one of the last to give up. He even bought a bunch of portable phones so the teams could keep in touch. I don’t know what more he could have done.”
“What about the next night when Earl dropped off the ransom. Do you know where Michael was then?”
“No Sir, I don’t know where he was after they called off the search that night. Do you suspect him?”
“Not particularly. I’m just eliminating the ones I can.” Rod drank the last of his coffee, picked up his hat and stood up. “I better get back to work.”
“You want a sandwich to take with you.”
“No thanks, I’m stuffed.”
“Worst night of the year,” Jake complained. “Can’t even sell a sandwich to a cop.”
Rod laughed and walked out the door. In his cruiser, he opened his notebook and jotted down the things he learned from Jake. Once more he looked at the names on the napkin and committed them to memory. Rod tucked the napkin inside his notebook and then drove out of the empty parking lot.
