Nell wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with her day. She felt all nerved up and admittedly—a little scared. It wasn’t a good feeling, or one she frequently had. She would have liked to talk to her sister, Renae, who lived in Minnesota, but she was on vacation.
Renae would worry anyway and Nell wanted her to enjoy her well-earned and anticipated European cruise. She and her husband, Jon, would be gone for six weeks and everything in Nell’s life should be all cleared up by the time they returned.
Nell also had an older brother, Gary, and his wife, Pat who lived in the southern part of the state, but she didn’t want to worry them either. Then, later when she finally told her family about the Northwoodsman, they could all have a big chuckle at her silly fear.
Right now her energy needed to be focused in a direction other than dwelling on Northwoodsman anyway.
She hopped in her second-hand car, a caramel colored twelve-year-old Sable, and took off for Crivitz. The northern village was a mecca for outdoorsmen, hunting, fishing, ATVing, and camping. The reason Nell traveled to the area was not to participate in any of the outdoor activities though. That wasn’t her style. Instead, she went for retail therapy. With a population of less than one thousand people, they boasted a large number of interesting shops. There were many cute little boutiques with unique clothing and jewelry, but mostly Nell gravitated to the shops with fun decorating ideas.
Not being fond of big box stores, Nell wanted her personal oasis to be one of a kind. She had found lots of inspiration here and was always on the search for more. Nell loved to shop. She didn’t always buy a lot, but it was a form of relaxation for her. Except for clothes. There was nothing relaxing about buying clothes.
There were also some good eats in Crivitz. In one of the strip malls was a cheese house that also made homemade fudge. Mmmmmm. One of their latest summer creations was watermelon fudge that looked just like a slice of watermelon. Nell couldn’t wait to try a piece.
Time passed quickly as Nell neared her destination. The drive was so comforting from Bayshore to Crivitz. It was all very woodsy and rural, tall trees and farmland—not a sign of a big city in sight. The only nod to modern civilization was the new four lane highway.
After an afternoon of shopping, she was excited about her new purchases, but still had time for one last stop.
The cheese store beckoned. Not having the willpower to deny herself, Nell went in. She asked for only a small sample of the watermelon fudge. Scrumptious.
But then she really broke down and bought some cheese curds (this was Wisconsin after all). Feeling the dent in her pocketbook from the afternoon excursion, out the door she went. Still, Nell felt proud of herself. This may have been the first time she hadn’t bought two pounds of fudge to take home. Maybe she was finding her willpower.
Sliding into her car, she drove quietly home, enjoying the scenery and sweetness still lingering in her mouth.
Just as Nell pushed open the mudroom door through the garage, she heard her phone ringing. She set her packages on the table and ran to pick up the landline from the kitchen counter.
“Hello,” Nell said.
“Hello, Nell.” It was Elena. “A customer just left and no one else is in the shop right now, so I wanted to give you a call. Any more thoughts on Northwoodsman?”
It seemed like ages since the two had talked earlier that morning.
“Well, yes, as a matter of fact. I did a little research, Elena. I Googled ‘nattering nabobs of negativism’. It was Spiro Agnew that used the term. That told me that Northwoodsman must be at least around our age. I even have a suspect.”
“You’re kidding. Who?”
“Sam.”
“Sam of Sam’s Slam?” Elena gasped. “He was unhappy with that first review, but he didn’t seem like a nut.”
“The age fits and I looked back at other posts. This Northwoodsman character has added vile comments that weren’t there originally about every place I’ve reviewed. But the very first one he posted on was for Sam’s. My comments about his place must have sent him over the edge,” Nell speculated. “I keep thinking of how he slammed his fist on the bar. That gave me a start.”
Nell paused while she played with her gold necklace. Drew had given it to her and wearing it was comforting. “You know, maybe he is known for his outbursts—slamming his fist. Sam’s Slam, and all that.”
“I think you’re making more of his hitting his fist on the bar than it deserves. It was a macho action and granted, one I didn’t like, but he was upset for his daughter’s feelings. All the same, it could be Sam, I suppose. I’ll get on your blog and read what he wrote. This is creepy.”
“You’re telling me,” Nell said. “I talked to Kris and she said I’m being cyber bullied. So I put a new review of Sam’s Slam on my blog this morning. It was very complimentary and deservedly so. I’m hoping that is the last I hear of Sam.”
“Northwoodsman,” Elena corrected. “You don’t know for sure that it’s Sam.”
“I guess not, Elena. You’re right. Any interest in going to Bayshore Tap tonight for fish?” she asked hopefully. “I have a couple other places to write up for my blog, but it’s time to do another Friday fish place.”
“Are you sure you want to continue blogging, Nell? This isn’t too stressful for you?”
“No. I’m fine. And I am hungry for fish.”
Elena laughed. “Sounds like a plan to me. Let’s meet there at 5:30.”
Bayshore Tap was a great local spot that had been around for years. Nell could always count on having a great meal at a fair price here. That, of course, meant the place would be packed and she’d have to wait awhile for her food. But the wait was expected and all part of the experience as it gave her the chance to talk to others from town and catch up on the news around the area.
As luck would have it, Nell saw Elena getting out of her car just as she pulled up to the parking lot and they walked in together.
“We may have to wait even longer than usual. Did you notice all the cars in the lot?” Elena asked.
“That’s okay by me,” Nell said. “It just feels good to be out of the house tonight.”
Nell opened the door to a blast of cold air and the thump of loud rock music. If anyone was trying to watch the national news on one of the flat screens at several locations around the bar, they were out of luck. The place was crowded so they squeezed between some patrons to order their drinks. Elena and Nell stood nearby until a group left and then they grabbed stools at the bar.
Such were the maneuverings of a Friday Fish Fry in Wisconsin, Nell thought.
Elena quickly snagged the bartender to put their names down for a table. That formality taken care of, they sat back to relax and enjoy their drinks. A whiskey Old Fashioned sweet with pickled mushrooms (good for a serving of vegetables) was Nell’s choice of poison. And Elena ordered a gin martini with an olive as they discussed what had happened during each of their days. A waitress appeared with menus, but neither Nell nor Elena needed them as they ordered their usual Friday night fish.
At 6 PM sharp, the bartender lowered the music and turned up the sound on the television for the Green Bay news. Everyone’s attention was drawn to the screen as the news anchor made a startling announcement.
“This just in. A body has been found in Wausaukee. Police are keeping a lid on all information. They have not revealed the age or gender of the person or even if foul play is suspected. Tune in at 10:00 for an update. The weather for the weekend is . . .”
Nell tuned out the rest of the forecast and watched as the information about the body started quite a bit of speculation in the bar, which was ridiculous in her opinion, as no one even knew the slightest bit of information yet. Most likely, there had been an unfortunate accident. However people were carrying on as if it was a murder. Drug related? For insurance money? Interrupted robbery? Scorned lover? Unwanted wife/husband? Child abuse? Sibling rivalry? All possibilities were mentioned.
In no way did Nell think there was a murder so she joined in and shouted out, “serial killer” which garnered a lot of chuckles. And Elena added, “mob hit” to the same response.
Elena and Nell were just finishing their second drink when they were called to the dining room. They were led to a table right in the middle of the large room which was Nell’s least favorite spot. It looked like they were the centerpiece and all eyes were on them. But Bayshore Tap was a busy place and if they refused this table it might mean a long wait for another. Besides, their meals came out just as they sat down, so there was no going back.
Elena and Nell had both ordered the pan-fried walleye with baby red potatoes, coleslaw, and rye bread with raw onion. It was a dish they had eaten many times before, but Nell wanted to refresh her memory on all the high points for her blog posting.
The thought came to her briefly about asking for a doggie bag. But she decided pan-fried fish probably wouldn’t hold up very well as a leftover.
And as it turned out, she ate every morsel on her plate.
With her last bite, she acknowledged some changes needed to be made.
“Before we go,” Elena said, after they paid their bills and were walking out of the door, “I wanted to mention that I read your blog over and this Northwoodsman does seem to have some real animosity towards you. I couldn’t find where he had written anything after your second review of Sam’s, so maybe it is over. I hope so.”
“Thanks. Me, too.” Nell gave Elena a quick hug and they each returned to their cars.
Nell turned on music when she got home and gave some serious attention to George and Newman. She had been neglecting them lately. They went out the sliding glass doors and she threw the ball around to them. George was certainly more athletic than Newmie. Nell gave the ball a good toss and George scurried right to it and then ran past it. He seemed to be on the trail of something. Nell thought it was probably the scent of some animal in the woods. George stopped at the underground fence line, but started to howl.
Something was back there.
“George! Come!” Darn him. He wouldn’t come.
After calling for him several more times, Nell walked out and herded him back into the house. There were forty acres of woods back there that didn’t belong to her. She knew that more than just the deer and turkeys that she was used to seeing inhabited that area. A few years ago even a bear was back there.
Maybe she would need to keep the doggie door locked for a time. She didn’t want anything to happen to her boys.