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Ten minutes later the small parking lot was almost full. Two more police cruisers had arrived. Eric Perdale cordoned off the area with yellow tape, and Josiah Engebrecht dusted the van doors for fingerprints. Sammy the snake, as my boys were starting to call it, was safely placed into the cage and transported to the County animal control office until further notice. Our lunch was part of the "crime scene area" so we called the Pit Stop to have something, anything, delivered.
Martin decided to deliver it himself, placing his lunchtime assistant, Millie Parker, in charge of the shop. "I needed to see myself that you were really alright this time."
I was so happy to see him, as were the children. They were learning, as I had two nights before, crime scenes on TV or in books are much more exciting than living through one. There was a lot of just waiting around for your turn to do something. Having a new audience for today's story was exciting for Hunter and Skylar, who were able to report how their camera pictures, taken of the items before the police got there, were now considered evidence.
The chief had made a few encouraging comments as he collected the camera into an evidence bag about the details the boys captured. Their pictures, after all, were now the only record of the items in the black box.
"He took the whole camera, Dad," complained Hunter.
"But he said he would give it back once they downloaded the pictures from the memory card," said Skylar.
"Does the camera still have the rabbit mummification pictures on it?" Hunter asked Skylar.
"Oy, I hope not," I said.
"And Frank found the hide-out." Travis chimed in.
"What hide-out?" Martin asked.
"I heard Corbin talking to Eric..." Travis started to tell his tale.
I cut him off. "Use his title while he is working, young man."
"Sorry, Mom. Uncle Corbin told Officer Perdale how Ranger Frank used his old tracking skills to find a trail that made a beeline from Harvey's tree to the nearest road, which is only about a block away hidden by the trees." Travis explained. "They even found a matted down area where the perpetrator had been hiding when we came down the path looking ourselves."
"The person must have been following their part of the map." Audrey spoke what we were all thinking.
Skylar thought it through. "The box was closer to the end of the trail than the beginning. He or she could have put the snake it the van after we started the trail."
"And then hid when we arrived at the box, maybe. It could be he or she had the X that marks the spot, but not enough clues to find the right tree? Or the snake took too long, and we beat the perpetrator there." Hunter finished thinking out-loud.
Emily looked at me with a question in her eye. I offered, "Perpetrator is another word for villain."
The Chief's arrival prevented any more discussion. "Mr. Bailey, with your permission, and attendance, I would like to interview the children concerning the recent events."
One, by one, the Chief questioned each of the children, with Martin as their parental supervisor. As another witness, I was not allowed to be the children's chaperone. Finally, it was my turn. For the third day in a row, I received the third degree by the Chief. When did we arrive? Was there anyone else here at that time? Did we lock the van doors? How long was our hike? Who knew we were coming here? Martin had brought my favorite fountain soda drink with the lunch. Even so, the whole process was tiring and monotonous.
The chief also seemed to acknowledged that fact. "Three days, three crime scenes. Tell me when the next one is, and I will come prepared with your favorite soda- my treat."
My mouth dropped open, then closed. Did he think he was being funny, or was he being serious?
"How should I know? Unless, you still believe I am involved in this case?" I asked.
"Why shouldn't I?" He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.
"Because whenever I find something, I call the police right away."
He brushed that off, "Just a way to cover your tracks."
"Because I am patiently co-operating and answering all your questions."
"Again, just a way to cover your tracks."
This argument wasn't working. Time to change gears. "I didn't have to report the body."
"Actually, the law requires you to report a death." He stated.
"But a killer wouldn't report the death, but let the it go to the dump. And, why would I tell you about Harvey's room, why would we have reported the map from the train? Why would I have called when we found the stuff. OR even taken the pictures? Or invited Frank along?" I fired questions back at him.
"Those are valid questions." Rising to his full height, he glared. "Or, you could have planted this whole thing so we would look for other people. Officer Cross told me all about the kids' experiments and why they were doing them. Maybe they set the whole thing up to protect you. And, of the items in the black box, you could have quickly taken something out that belonged to you."
Most people towered over me in height, so I refuse to be intimidated by it. "If it wasn't for my family, you wouldn't have found the black box in time or even have the pictures." I ended, realizing I was leaning across the desk and was yelling at him.
"If it wasn't for your hysterical screaming making your WHOLE family run to you, we would still have the black box." He leaned right in at me and whispered. His meaning was clear: not just my family's safety, nor my freedom, but Corbin's job was in peril.
In the ensuing silence, floorboards creaked just outside the office door. The crescendo of our voices had drawn an audience. The thought knocked the wind out of my sails, bringing the tension inside the room down a notch or two, but I was too mad just then to completely back down. We just stared at each other eye-to-eye.
I broke the silence. "Are you going to charge me with anything?" I inquired as calmly as I could.
"Not yet." He admitted, though the threat hung in the air. Stepping over to the door, he added, "We are not finished here."
He opened the door to reveal shoes I recognized. My short stature restricted my view over people's shoulders, so I relied on other views. Three pairs of skinny legs wearing gym shoes belonged to my boys. Behind them, one pair of custom ordered high arch black loafers, lightly dusted with flour, belonged to my husband. Off to the side, a pair of black shiny dress shoes with uniform pants implied one officer awaited next instructions.
Officer Engebrecht said, "The van had a faulty passenger lock so Mrs. Bailey couldn't have locked the door if she wanted to, making it easy for anyone to break in."
Accepting this information, Chief Flint replied, "In that case, if you are finished dusting for prints, release the van. Mr. Bailey?"
"Yes, sir?" I heard Martin reply.
"May I suggest you use the purple van to take your children home? I don't believe your wife would be comfortable driving it just now."
My whole family started speaking at once giving the Chief some fuss about leaving me here.
He waited until their rant calmed, "No criminal charges will be filed today, I promise. I just have a few more questions, and then I will personally deliver Mrs. Bailey home safe."
"He is right, Martin." I added, coming to the door. "Can you take the kids home in the Purple People Eater? I will be fine here."
"Are you sure, Rainbow?" Martin pushed past the Chief, hugged me and slipped a phone number along with the spare keys to his van into my pants pocket. He whispered, "Remember even the innocent need a lawyer sometimes, to help navigate the system."
"I will remember that. I promise," I whispered back.
His touching concern was one more reminder that this situation was turning serious. Evidence, without a few true witnesses and a smoking gun, was a set of incomplete facts that could be mis-interpreted.
I could see from an outsider's point of view that the fact that I reported a body, knew my town well, was in the house with the ransacked room, and now unwittingly distracting a police officer certainly weighed heavily in my direction. But that wasn't what worried me the most.
My main concern? A murderer was out there today. He or she was following my family because I fell into this mess. Shuddering to think how close my family was to harm because of me, I need to do something about it now! Think, Rainbow, Think! I must find a way to work with the new Chief so he could arrest the true criminal.
They left and Chief Flint headed back around Frank's desk. "Now, where were we?"
"You were going to tell me that you don't want to arrest me, because deep down inside you don't think I did it."
That made him stop in mid-step. "Where did you come up with that idea?"
"Do you want the actual event that triggered that thought, or the reasoning behind it."
"Both, if you don't mind," he said, leaning back into the chair, crossing his hands behind his neck. "I want to know why you think you can read my mind."
"Let me start with the reasoning. First, as we have discussed, I have no motive."
"That we can find yet. But you might have just covered up some evidence," he cut in.
I ignored him, counting on my fingers, "Second, you saw how I reacted to finding Harvey."
"I have witnessed many criminals fake all kinds of emotions if they thought it would get them out of trouble."
"I didn't. And I could have just as well reported it without falling on him". I shuddered just to think about it again. "Third, yesterday. If I was responsible for the search, I could have blamed the mess in Harvey's room on the police looking for evidence. Paula would believe me, as on TV the police searches are always messy. Instead, we reported it straight away to you."
"Officers under my command would never destroy a room like that."
"Fourth, if I had created that mess, I would have had the missing part of the map. After living here most of my life, I could have followed the map easily, picked up the treasure box without anyone being the wiser. Especially not the police. Instead we told you, through Corbin, where we were going, included Mr. Winter as accompaniment, and called in the find."
"Taking the time to open the box and handle the items."
"My kids did that, with gloves on, and took pictures..."
"Which you could easily delete a picture before handing it over."
"... while supervised by Mr. Winter. Ask him if you are worried."
"I did."
"And his account matched the pictures." I smiled, knowing I had him.
He brushed away that fact. "He is a friend of yours, which makes his testimony questionable."
This man was incredibly exasperating! I rolled my eyes at him. "And finally, we come to the creature. The whole town knows how I hate those things. Emily told you the story, and I have the hospital records to prove it. I would never have willingly touched that, that...abomination of a creature. That reaction was not fake."
I waited for him to claim the whole town was in on the ruse, but he sat mute.
Continuing, I added, "But your belief in my innocence peeked through when you put various family members in charge of the creepy evidence before rushing off to the next crime scene. If you believed there was probable cause of me working with accomplices, you would have put me in cuffs in the cruiser. We wouldn't be having this conversation here."
"Perhaps that was just an error in judgment," he stood up and walked over to stand in from of the window.
"That you would have rectified a long time ago, if you really believed that."
"I concede,” he offered, crossing his arms, “that I do not have quite enough concrete evidence. Yet. Besides, your children would have objected quite strenuously."
I only raised my eyebrows at that statement. Really? "The children of a suspect wouldn't have stopped you in St. Louis, so I can't believe that would stop you here."
He sighed, walking to the office door, "I think it is time to take you home, where I suggest you stay, so I have time to look for a new suspect."
"Finding a new suspect is a good idea, though I am afraid I can't stay put. At this rate, I am going to be late for the Ladies Aid meeting allowing the tongues to wag freely." I joked as he opened the front door to the Center.
Chief Flint had the decency to look aghast. "What?"
"Oh, come on Chief. Don't look so surprised. It will be all over town by now that Martin took the kids home, while we chatted here. Welcome to small town life."
"Mrs. Bailey, I ...."
I held my hand up to stop the protests. "I never said you did anything wrong. Nor would I spread any rumors as such."
He shut the door, thanked Frank for the use of his office, and we walked to Martin's van.
"But you are an intuitive man, so let me paint you a picture. What happens when you mix a small town, with old ladies, and a good-looking bachelor who just moved into town to work a respectable job?" I let that sink in for a half a minute. "You are, and will, continue to be the talk of every ladies circle in town for quite some time."
"So, this is a very talkative town, after all?"
"Hmmm, that statement implies that people are not talking to you much?"
He nodded.
"Let me ask, just how many invitations to people’s houses have you received since you arrived?"
"A few," he admitted hesitantly, opening the passenger side door for me.
"And how many have you accepted?"
"None."
"Why? Do you refuse to stay out of small-town politics? Or just consider yourself a private person?"
He considered the question, "Both, I guess."
I shook my head, "Refusing the invitations is not always a good idea. If you seem anti-social, you will not receive much co-operation in town."
I sat in the passenger seat of the Pit Stop catering van, after taking a good preventative look around and under the seat. I have had enough scares in the last few days to last a lifetime, thank you very much.
"I noticed." He said under his breath. Closing my door, he walked around the front and got in the driver's seat. "Yet, you haven't stopped talking since I met you."
"Shall I take that as a compliment?" I smiled.
"Just stating the truth." He teased, "Usually it is the guilty suspects who prattle on, trying to save their own skins."
I mockingly frowned before explaining. "Welcome to small town life, Chief Flint. Locked doors, uncommon. We may not like everyone, but seeing as we bump into each other often enough, we have learned to live with them, flaws and all. Complaining about neighbors can be a favorite hobby, but we would give the shirt off our back, if they needed it. However, just moving next door doesn't a neighbor make. It takes days, months, years to make the connection. Unfortunately, with the Harvey situation, you didn't get much time."
"What about you?" Chief Flint asked suddenly, after a quiet mile down the road.
He caught me off guard. "Me what?"
"You started talking since the minute we met. What do these 'little old ladies' say about you?"
"Oh, me?" I laughed. "I don't care. I have been a rabble-rouser since I began to walk." When the Chief quirked an eyebrow, I added, "I simply don't play by society's rules."
"Explain." Chief demanded.
"Easy example? I had the audacity to marry a Maurey."
"First marriage?" Chief asked.
"No." I laughed, "I take it that Josiah didn't explain the Big Feud, yet?"
"Are you referring to the chocolate stain? I didn’t ask."
"Yes. Big feud between the Jensens and Maureys. Some love triangle family feud started before, but exasperated by, the Civil War. The stories on either side do not match, so no one knows how it started exactly, but the implications reign to this day."
"I am afraid to ask, but was are these implications?"
"First, think Romeo and Juliet. Marriage between the feuding families simply doesn't happen."
"But you and Mr. Bailey?"
"Martin is a Maurey on his Grandma’s side of the family tree, while I am a Jensen. We have had eighteen wonderful years of marriage together, and I pray every day for more. But the rules are still there in the minds of most of the town residents."
"At least your story didn't end like Romeo and Juliet." The Chief frowned, "Same for Josiah Engebrecht and Melissa Anderson, then?"
"Yes," I declared, "this is also why we need you, not Corbin, to be Chief. Too many still follow the rules."
"There are more rules?" He asked.
"Yes, we also broke the second rule." I tried to explain, "You see, handing down the family farm or business to the next generation is not just a happy occasion, but assumed and expected."
"And you are against this?" Chief asked.
"No, but I believe people should choose to be what they want to be, and work at a job they love for the rest of their life."
The Chief nodded.
"Martin, as oldest male, was expected to take over his father's pharmacy, but his heart wasn't in it. I encouraged him to dream instead. Owning a restaurant has had its ups and downs, but we work through them together." I continued, "You see, long ago I decided to be myself and be proud of it. When I make a mistake, which we all do from time to time, I own it, apologize and do my best to make amends.” I turned to the window, “And then I started doing 'strange things' according to the neighbors."
"Give me an example."
"Well, I have a large family, with five children. And I gave up my art career to be a stay-at-home mother. Most people understood that one, thinking I would go back to work when the kids were in school. But to top that off, I decided to home-school them. That was the big one right there. People felt I was turning my back on the community that raised me after my mother died."
Turning to the Chief, I added, "But I bet you have heard all the tongues wagging about me already. Surely you were checking up on me."
"There are no complaints on public record." He responded vaguely. "So why do you home school?"
"Ah. That is the question I am asked all the time. There is an easy answer, yet it is very hard for people to truly understand."
"Try me," The Chief said encouragingly.
"Well, basically, it is a lifestyle that fits us. By staying up later and getting up later, the children spend more time with Dad. They learned to work together, with people of all ages, as they helped with catering jobs. Also, I can tailor to each child's individual needs without sacrificing other lessons. It started with the twins, who could read chapter books by kindergarten, and loved checking out science books from the library. We did send them to school for a few weeks, but they didn't fit in. They asked too many questions, and couldn’t sit still when told. So, we brought them home. All of our children have developed curiosities that never end. I personally think it is a good thing."
The Chief pulled into my driveway.
"So here we are," I spoke a little brighter, "my house, school or crazy zoo, whatever you want to call it. I don't mind. It fits our family, and that is what matters."
Chief Flint put the car in park. "Of course, you are aware of and following the state laws concerning homeschooling by reporting to the right people and testing."
"No required testing in our fair state. Homeschooling laws vary quite a bit from state to state. There should be a printout of the state laws already on file at the police station. I made sure of that when we started this journey so everyone would be aware of the legalities,” I reported, bringing out my 'Momma Bear' voice again. "I might be a horrible cook, and inconsistent housekeeper, but when it comes to protecting my children, I am spot on."
"How do you know if they are doing well in school if you don't test them?" he inquired, turning off the engine.
"Ah, the age-old question. I believe that excessive testing is bad for students. There are other ways to know the children are learning without regurgitating the facts onto a piece of paper. Too many schools are having to teach to the test. That is not my goal. I wish for them to grow up to be happy, healthy and productive members of society.
"Through homeschooling, they have learned to work with people of varied age groups and enjoy doing it. As for actual school work, we have a math program, a writing program, and a phonics program. After that, all we need is a library card, and a healthy curiosity. When they had a question, I didn't spoon feed the answer to them. Instead I taught them how to research the answer, by interviews, reading, and doing experiments."
"Are you sure everything is being covered?"
"Chief Flint, I might be unconventional, but I believe in responsible behavior. I do the standardize tests every three years since third grade, just for people like you," I winked. "Every time, each one of them scored at or above grade level in all subjects. So, yes, I think our style is working."
I looked at the faces that popped in the windows as we arrived. "Speaking of learning, why don't you come inside the house while you wait for a ride. The kids can show you, first hand, what they have been working out. I know you will probably hate it, infringing on police procedures and all. But they are only concerned for me, and have always loved a mystery."
He only grunted a reply before opening the van door.
Not seeing the other van in the driveway, I knew Martin was back at the shop, which was fine with me. After all, we have a business to run. Opening the door for us was my Uncle Arlis Cross, Corbin's father and the man who helped raise me.
"Is Aunt Irene here?" I asked, after introducing Chief Flint.
"Naw," Uncle Arlis answered in his slow country drawl voice. "She dropped me off and ran with the cookies for the meet'g. She would have given you a ride, but thought it better to make sure the ladies were fed on time."
"Martin called us," he added, glaring at the Chief. "To protect the grandkids."
"Thank you for coming over," I gave him a hug.
I lead the way into the rest of the house and I found all the children around the dining room table, creating pencil drawings of Harvey's items. The twins jumped up quickly when we entered the room.
"Hi, Mom," announced Hunter, looking as if I caught them with their hands in the cookie jar. "And Chief Flint."
"What do we have here?" the Chief asked.
Skylar cleared his throat after a moment of silence. "Well, sir, we didn't think you would let us have copies of the pictures we took. So, we are creating drawings of what we remember."
Smiling, I went over to have a closer look. "Oh, what excellent details we have here."
I could see the name of the casino coin. River's Luck Casino sounded familiar, I just couldn't think of where.
Audrey had a good eye for jewelry and did her best to recreate the bracelet. She showed me the inside writing. "I know there was writing inside. I think I have the names correct, but not positive. I didn't realize I needed to memorize them."
Hunter had a skill with numbers, "I wrote down the dates from the newspaper articles we found. I thought we could go to the library and look them up."
"Good idea. Or we could check with the newspaper microfiche also," I agreed. "But I am sure Chief Flint has someone already doing that and we don't want to get in his way. How about we put that on tomorrow's schedule? Meanwhile, I brought him in to see the gelatin experiment. Why don't you explain that to him while I change clothes."
Eager voices echoed down the hallway. Being able to logically communicate their experiments to friends and neighbors has been an important part of our home-school education. I figured the family would keep the Chief occupied for a full five minutes, giving me a chance to get ready for the next event.
Once in my room, I tore off my clothes and threw them in the general direction of the laundry basket. Luckily, I had laid out a better pair of jeans and a pullover blouse. Add a new pair of socks and viola: a new me. I used a comb through my hair as I walked to the door to put my shoes on. I did not even bother to look in the mirror. No time for a beautiful routine today.
I grabbed a notebook and pen off the side table to replace the one sitting in the Police station lock-up. I would miss having those notes from the last meeting, but I have helped with fund-raisers for so many years, I could probably do it in my sleep.
Emily caught me as I re-entered the room.
"Does this mean the Chief likes us now?" she whispered to me.
I looked to Chief Flint, who turned at her question, for the answer to that one.
As he looked at all those expectant faces, he cleared his throat, then crouched down to talk directly to Emily. "Not all the evidence for this case has been found and analyzed yet. What we do have concerning your mother is circumstantial and tenuous at best. The police department, especially myself, would appreciate your continued support. Please report anything you see or hear concerning Harvey to be communicated back to me." He added, "Personally."
I nodded my thanks to him. My family would love to hear that I am off the hook and not a suspect anymore, but I also appreciate the fact that he didn't lie or sugar coat the facts. The older children looked a little relieved.
Emily asked, "What does Circumstantial and Tenuous mean?"
"Circumstantial means 'Pointing indirectly toward someone's guilt but not proving it.' And Tenuous means 'slight or weak connection',” he replied.
"Is that a good thing?"
"It means your mom has been at every crime scene, so far, but just being there doesn't prove anything," Chief answered.
"Speaking of crime scenes," Uncle Arlis started, “the boys here told me about this morning. About my son, Corbin leaving the scene."
I cut in, "Boys, how could you! That is Corbin's story to tell."
"Sorry, Mom. But we couldn't tell the whole story to Grandpa without it," Travis explained.
"No excuses. You will apologize to Uncle Corbin later,” I told them.
"About my son," Uncle Arlis continued, "I just want you to know that Irene and I raised our family to be God-fearing Americans, who put family first. Rainbow and Corbin were raised together like brother and sister, so of course he ran to help her. Now, I know he didn't follow big city procedures and such, but he is still a good police officer, a hard worker, and a quick learner, which ought to count for something."
While Chief Flint took a deep breath, considering what he was going to say, Corbin knocked as he walked in the front door, calling "Hello, Rainbow?"
"Come on in," I responded.
Walking into the dining room, he saw the whole crew. "Oh, Dad, hi, uh, you met Chief Flint."
The Chief took advantage of this way out. "Mr. Cross, it was nice to meet you. Children, I will check on your progress tomorrow. Mrs. Bailey, walk with us to the door, please."
"Certainly."
At the front door he paused, "Humor me, Mrs. Bailey, where are you going to be the rest of the day?"
"Of course. I am definitely late for the Ladies Aid meeting. By the time I get there now, all the cookies and coffee will be gone." I smiled.
"Any place else on your agenda?" He asked.
"Oh, tonight I have kick boxing class at seven o'clock at the Fitness Palace." I frowned. "Not looking forward to that like I usually do, but I also have commitments there. I will do my cleaning chores, and then I need to finish painting the men's bathroom afterward. Will probably be there until midnight." I explained.
"Will anyone be with you?"
"Not usually. But the Palace owners rent out keys for 24-hour access. People can get in with their own key, at any time."
"I will send a patrol car to drive by frequently then."
"That would be a comforting thought for me and my whole family. Now I better get going. Excuse me." I said, leaving Corbin to walk the Chief out.
Turning back to the living room, I gave some last-minute instructions. "Work hard to keep your Grandpa out of trouble." I said as I grabbed the keys to Martin's delivery van.
"Very funny, Rainbow, " Uncle Arlis fussed.
"Be careful, Mom." They called as I ran out the door.
I decided to slow down as I got close to the van. I couldn't help myself, but spent a few moments inspecting it for more surprises. Finding none, I pushed the speed limit all the way to St. Matthew's Lutheran Church on the other side of town.