If Our Stones Could Talk Sharon Christensen Chapter One

“More mail. Can you believe it?” Lucy Campbell sighed. “Can’t even a day go by when we check and see an empty mailbox?” “Oh, come on, Lucy,” George, her husband, said, sitting on the coach, turning on the television with the remote. “It wouldn’t be any fun getting no mail. Everyone has to get more than just bills. There has to be some junk mail once in a while to make them feel needy.” “Yeah, well, the spread of neediness can go to someone else once in a while,” she said, laughing. “So what kind of junk mail did we get today? Oh, wait! Let’s see if I can guess. Today’s Saturday, so it must be coupon day! Oh yeah, and don’t forget, it’s toward the end of the month, so it must be time we get our monthly ‘will your family survive after you’re gone’ pieces of mail.” “Okay, Mr. Know-it-all, I’ll humor you,” Lucy said, picking through the stack. “Let’s see, bill, bill, advertisement addressed to you for life insurance, and of course, here’s some of those fun coupons you’ve been anxiously waiting for!” “Ah hah! Have I got it pegged or what?” “Lucky guess, I’d say.” Just then the doorbell rang. “Oh, hi there, Mrs. Campbell,” Mr. Billings, the mail carrier, said, smiling. “I have a certified letter for you. Sorry I forgot to deliver it with your other mail.” “That’s okay,” she said, signing the green certified mail card. “Thanks, Mr. Billings,. hHave a good day!” “You too,” he said, walking off. “And you didn’t think life could be so good on a Saturday now, could you?” George said, teasing Lucy. “I’ll hold that opinion until I see what this says.” “Fair enough. So open it. Let’s see what the great news is!” “ I’m not quite sure,” Lucy said, standing in the middle of the living room, reading through it. “It looks like some kind of life insurance policy claim letter regarding my mother.” “Your mother?” “Ah, yeah,” Lucy replied, sitting down on the coach next to George. “So what does it say?” “It says Dear Lucy Rose Downing Campbell,” Lucy started to read. “So much for starting out on a personal note,” George said, snickering. “ Yeah, right,” Lucy responded sarcastically. “Anyway, Dear blah, blah, blah. Our Ccompany has recently gone through a merger between our company, National Life of Peoria and Millennium Life Insurance Company. While the actual process of merging the two companies has gone smoothly, our Ccompany has discovered several files that needed our attention. It has come to our attention while going through old records that a woman named Rosalinda Harris had purchased a whole life insurance policy through Millennium Life. Your name appears as the beneficiary. If you are not the named beneficiary to this whole life insurance policy, please accept our apologies and disregard this notice. If the person named as the purchaser of the policy is now deceased, and if you are the above-named beneficiary, please contact us. Please include with your correspondence a certified copy of your birth certificate as well as a certified copy of the death certificate of the purchaser in question. Upon receipt of the proper identification, we will release the funds to you. Very truly yours, Melvin Thompson, Lost Claims Representative.” “Now that’s what I call interesting mail,” George replied. “Hey, mMom,? dDad?” Gabe Campbell, Lucy and George’s youngest son, called out. “We’re in the living room, Gabe,” Lucy responded. “Mom,” Gabe said in a hurried voice, as he skateboarded into the living room. “Gabe!” Lucy said. “Sorry,” he said, stepping off the skateboard. “Can I borrow some money so the guys and I can go to Shopmart?” “Shopmart? What for?” “Oh, I don’t know. Probably something for my board.” “How much do you need?” George asked. “I don’t know. I have $20 already, so maybe another $10?” “Sounds reasonable,. hHere you go, son.” “Thanks, dDad.” “Be home for dinner, okay?” “Oh, by the way, can we have a sleepover here tonight?” “ Tonight? George, what do you think? Can we handle an extra set of boys for the night?” Lucy saisked, laughing. “Oh sure, why not?” George responded, laughing too. “The more, the merrier.” “Thanks, mMom, dDad. See you guys later then. Bye.,” Gabe said, skateboarding out of the house. “I swear, this third one’s either going to kill us or keep us in hair dye!” “You got that right!” “Anyway, back to that letter,” Lucy said, placing her attention back to the letter. “Is there a copy of the policy with the letter?” “No, there isn’t. Just a bunch of file numbers near the top. Looks like there’s a toll-free number listed. I’ll call and talk with this, what’s his name, Melvin to see what this is all about.” The rest of the weekend was uneventful. Lucy decided not to tell her brother and sister until she received more information from the company. Not long after arriving at her office, she placed the call to the company. “ Good morning, National Life Insurance Company of Peoria, how may I direct your call?” Tthe receptionist answered. “Good morning,” Lucy said. “May I please speak with Melvin Thompson?” “Certainly, I will connect you. Have a good day,” she said before transferring the call. “You as well, thanks,” Lucy replied. “Hello, this is Melvin Thompson, may I help you?” “Ah, yes, hello. My name is Lucy Campbell. I received a certified letter from you the other day, and I wanted to find out more about it.” “Of course. Do you happen to have the name of the purchaser or a policy number?” “Yes, it’s regarding a whole life insurance policy that was purchased by a Rosalinda Harris. The file number is RH-94283478.” “Thank you. May I please put you on hold while I look this number up?” “Sure.” “Okay, this will just take a moment.” While Lucy waited for a few minutes on hold, classical music played in her ear. What a strange way to start your Monday morning, she thought. Not that thinking about her mother was strange, but the reason why she was making this call. What’s this all about? she thought?. Waiting on hold for some guy to tell her that her long -ago -dead mother had probably taken out some small insurance policy that she named Lucy as a beneficiary? What else could it possibly be? “Okay, Ms. Campbell, I’m back. If I could just verify your full name and birth date?” “ Sure,” she responded. “It’s Lucy Rose Downing Campbell, and my birth date is December 27, 1958.” “Okay, Ms. Campbell.” “Oh, please call me Lucy.” “ All right, Lucy. It seems that your mother, Rosalinda Harris, had taken out a few policies with us.” “A few?” “Yes, there appears to be three of them.” “Three?” “Yes. It looks like maybe, given the dates, ah, do you have siblings?” “ Why, yes, I do. That would make sense, wouldn’t it? I have a brother, James Peter Harris, and a sister named Dottie. I mean Dorothy Jean Harris-Faulkner.” “Can you tell me their birth dates?” “Um, sure. James’s birth date is June 22, 1960, and Dorothy’s is April 12, 1962.” “Great. Looks like we have three accurate matches.” “Okay, so tell me this, Mr. Thompson, how did you track us down all these years?” “ Well, we let computers actually do the work for us. Let me explain. When the two insurance companies recently merged, we basically were cleaning house, so to speak. We ran a listing of all old policies, focusing in on the ones that had never been collected upon. Yours and your siblings were some that came up. It looks like this is your lucky day.” “Why do you say lucky? How much are these policies worth now,? aA few hundred dollars each?” “Quite the contrary, Lucy. It looks like in 1962, when your mother took out the three policies, they were each worth $100,000. Each of you were named a beneficiary to their individual policy.” “My word. How much do you estimate them to be worth now?” “Well, I’d have to run the numbers on them officially, but I would guess, conservatively speaking, of course, and off the record, mind you, I would guess they would be around the $500,000 mark for each policy.” “Seriously?” “Like I said, those aren’t the official numbers, mind you, but I would estimate them to be pretty close.” “I don’t really quite know what to say. I’m in shock.” “I bet you are. Most people are when I tell them about their long -lost policies.” “Mr. Thompson, did you send similar letters to both my siblings as well?” “Yes, they each would have received one. If they didn’t receive it today, it should be no later than Wednesday.” “Okay, so what’s the next step in this whole process?” “ What you need to do is have you and your siblings obtain a certified copy of your individual birth certificates, and just one certified copy of your mother’s death certificate. The only other document you would need is to have each of you sign permission for the others to discuss these files.” “Sounds simple enough. I’ll contact them and get things rolling. I know they’ve both been on vacation with their families, so I’ll leave them a voice mail and give them a heads up as to what’s happening.” “ Very good. It’s been a pleasure talking with you this morning, Lucy. That’s all the information I have for you so far. I look forward to hearing from either you or one of your siblings soon.” “ Thank you, Mr. Thompson. You can count on me getting this project going right away.” No sooner had Lucy hung up with the insurance company when, she placed calls to her brother and sister. “Hey, James,. iIt’s Lucy. When you get this message, please, please, please check your mail right away. And then call me. You should have received a letter from an insurance company named National Life Insurance Company of Peoria. Don’t throw it away, it’s not an advertisement. I’ll explain more when we talk. So call me, okay? Love ya,. bBye.” Lucy then called her sister, Dottie. “Dottie, it’s me, Lucy. Call me when you get this message and after you’ve checked your mail. You should have received a letter from an insurance company named National Life Insurance Company of Peoria. Don’t throw it away, it’s not an advertisement. I’ll explain it to you when we talk, okay? Love ya,. bBye.” Over the course of the next few days, while she waited for James and Dottie to call, Lucy kept busy with the ever -growing stacks of files on her desk. After her initial shock over the news, Lucy decided that she could at least start by getting all the paperwork needed for her and her siblings to get this claim rolling. Working downtown has its advantages sometimes, Lucy thought while she decided to slip away on a lunch hour to get the documents. “Okay, Mrs. Campbell,” the clerk at the Health Department said. “Here are the certified copies of the three birth certificates you need. Is there anything else I can help you with?” “Yes, I also need a certified copy of a death certificate as well,” Lucy responded. “Sure. Just fill out this form and bring it back to the counter when you’re done.” “Okay,” Lucy said, taking a seat at the table. When it came to the part about the date of her mother’s death, Lucy drew a blank. She took the form up to the counter and explained it to the clerk. “You don’t remember when she died?” Tthe clerk asked, rather confused. “Not exactly. You see, my siblings and I were very young. All I know is it was in 1962. Like September or October.” “Okay, well, we’ll start with that. Hold on.” “Thanks.” After a few minutes, the clerk came back with the death certificate in her hand. “Here you go,” the clerk said, handing Lucy the document. “Oh, good, you were able to find it,” Lucy responded, handing the clerk the money. “Not a problem. It helps to have it narrowed down by a month or two for that year. Is there anything else I can help you with?” “No, thanks. I believe I have everything I need. Have a good day.” “You too.” Before she left the building, Lucy took a quick look at the death certificate. Date of death, October 18, 1962., oOkay. Looks right, she guessed. Glancing down at the cause of death was what Lucy found quite disturbing, stopping her in her tracks. The main cause of death was listed as a homicide, with a secondary cause of death listed as brake lines severed and a blow to the head with a blunt force object. Lucy could only focus on the word homicide. This couldn’t be right, could it? Her mother wasn’t murdered. Her death was caused by a single car accident. That’s what she had always been told. Lucy brought the death certificate back up to the counter. “Oh, hi, back again? Something else you need?” Tthe clerk said. “Ah, no. I just have a question,” Lucy said, putting the death certificate down on the counter. “I wanted to make sure this death certificate is accurate.” “Accurate? How so?” “ I mean the cause of death that’s listed on it. It says the main cause of death was a homicide. This doesn’t make sense. It can’t be hers.” “Why not?” “Well, I was always led to believe my mother died due to injuries caused by a single car accident, not murder.” “I can’t tell you if it’s accurate,” the clerk said, looking at the document. “It is clear how it’s stated here.” “Could someone have gotten my mother’s reason for death mixed up with someone else that died around the same time?” “I suppose it might be possible. Pretty rare, but I can check if you would like me to.” “Could you?” “Sure. I can check the deaths for the surrounding dates. I’ll be right back.” “Thanks.” The clerk came back after a few minutes with no encouraging news for Lucy. “ I’m sorry, but it looks as though this was it. Nothing around that date at all that it would have been switched with. If it really was murder, like it says, there has to be, at the very least, some sort of police report, perhaps a newspaper article, something that tells about it. Maybe something about an investigation, any arrests, a trial, that sort of thing. Another possibility to check into would be the autopsy report.” “Hmm, do you know where I could get a copy of the autopsy report?” “You would have to contact the individual county’s Medical Examiner’s Office.” “Okay then. Thanks a lot for all your help. I appreciate it.” “Any time. Good luck with your search.” “Thanks.” Lucy walked back to her office and called George, explaining what she had to do in order to obtain her mother’s autopsy report. She asked him if he could pick up some pre-cooked food on his way home from work. “Thanks for bringing food home tonight, George,” Lucy said, as she walked into the kitchen that evening. “It’s been quite a day.” “ No doubt,” George said, dishing up some food. “So tell me more about this discrepancy on your mother’s death certificate. What did it actually say?” “It said the main cause for her death was homicide.” “ Homicide? How can that be? I thought you always said she died from injuries sustained in a single car accident.” “I always thought that too. I even questioned the clerk at the Health Department as to the validity of the certificate. I thought maybe it might be that someone got mixed up and put the wrong cause of death on the certificate.” “What did the clerk say?” “She said it probably wasn’t a mix up. She checked for surrounding dates of death but there wasn’t any. Before I left she suggested that I contact the Medical Examiner’s Office in the county where she died to see if I could obtain a copy of the autopsy report.” “That might tell you something. How caren you going to get a copy of it?” “I have to either put my request in writing or actually go to Pearl River.” “Well, it’s something to think about,” George said, sitting down at the kitchen table. “Okay, enough talk about dead people. No offense, but I’m hungry. I personally am going to start eating.” While Lucy waited over the next few days for calls back from James and Dottie, she couldn’t help but wonder what really happened. “Hello?” Lucy asked. “Hey, sis. It’s James. Got your message. So what’s up?” “Hey, James,. gGlad you called back. Do I have news for you. Let’s try to get Dottie on the phone too. That way I don’t have to go through all the information twice.” “Okay.” “Hello?” Dottie asked. “Hey, Dottie,. iIt’s Lucy and James here.” “Oh, hey, guys, what’s up? What was that message that you sent me all about, Lucy? Oh, James, how was your trip?” “Great. Took a million pictures, of course. And yours?” James asked. “Perfect, as usual,” Dottie responded. “Hey, guys?” Lucy said. “Remember the purpose of this call?” “Sorry, sis,” James and Dottie chimed in. “Did either one of you open that letter I told you about in my voice mail to each of you?” “The one from National Life of something or other?” James asked. “Yeah, that’s the one,” Lucy responded. “No,” James and Dottie responded in unison. “Well, open it!” Lucy shouted. “Trust me. You two are going to be in shock.” James was the first to open his. “Okay, so it looks like mMom had some sort of life insurance policy on each of us?” James said. “But what does this mean now? I mean, she’s been gone for over 40forty years.” “It means, dear brother, by the way it reads…,” Dottie said, after reading hers., “Is that we can cash in each of our policies.” “I spoke with the rep from the insurance company, real nice guy,” Lucy said. “He told me all we have to do is come up with certified copies of each of our individual birth certificates, and a certified copy of mMom’s death certificate.” “That’s it?” James asked. “Can you help us out with that since James and I are out of town?” Dottie asked. “ I’m one step ahead of you guys for that part of it,” Lucy responded. “I’ve already obtained a copy of all your birth certificates and a copy of mMom’s death certificate. All you two have to do now is send me a few lines stating something like it’s okay for me to handle this for you two. Then we should be set.” “So it’s a done deal then, right?” James asked. “Ah yes, from that end, it is,” Lucy responded. “But I do have some startling news for you two. Are you both sitting down? It’s about what was written on mMom’s death certificate.” “Yeah?” James and Dottie responded together. “Mom didn’t die the way we’ve been told all our lives.” “What do you mean?” “How did she die then?” “Ready for this? Oh, she was in a car accident, all right. But it wasn’t just a single car accident. Mom was a victim of homicide.” “A what?” “That’s what the main cause of death says— – homicide. The secondary cause of death was the brake lines being severed and a blow to the head with a blunt force object.” “There must be some mistake,” James said. “Are you sure?” “Yes, I’m sure. I had a talk with the clerk at the Hhealth Ddepartment the day I received it. She suggested that I get a copy of the autopsy report to find out more details. Once I receive it, I can send each of you a copy of it.” “So did it say anything else?” James asked. “Good gravy, James, wasn’t that enough?” Dottie replied. “ Well, I don’t know. You don’t really run into death certificates all that often you know.,” James answered. “ No, it really doesn’t say anything else strange. Date of death, where the body was brought to, and those sorts of things.,” Lucy said. “Does it have anyone else listed on it, like who the doctor was, who reported it, that sort of thing?” Dottie asked. “It’s kind of hard to read, but I think the name of the attending physician was a Charles Murphy?” Lucy responded. “How about who reported it? Was it dDad?” James asked. “No, it wasn’t him. I’m not sure who this person is,. I’ve never heard of him before. It looks like a Leroy Kraemer.” “Who’s that, I wonder?,” James saisked. “I have no idea,” Lucy responded. “Maybe the autopsy report will help. Maybe some sort of police report? I’ll have to do more checking into this thatn I thought.” “Okay, keep us in the loop,” Dottie said. “ You know I will,” Lucy said. “In the meantime, can you guys send me that signed authorization? That way, I can get the paperwork sendt in to the insurance company.” “Sure, sounds good,” James and Dottie chimed in. “Okay, talk to you two later.,” Lucy said. “Bye.” “Bye,” James and Dottie responded. Chapter Two

While waiting for her car to be repaired a few days after talking with her siblings, Lucy started thinking more about her mother’s death certificate. Who can that Leroy Kraemer be? she wondered?. Would anyone from that far back even know who he was, or even remember him? She thought maybe her brother might remember. It was worth a try, she thought. Having not been able to get ahold of him, she left a voice mail. “Hi, James, I was wondering about that guy’s name on mMom’s death certificate. Just wondered if you could recall anything about him. Give me a call, okay? Love ya,. bBye.” Her car finished, Lucy went home to make a phone call to her mom’s cousin, Betty. She thought Betty might have some sort of a clue either to Leroy’s connection to her mom, or even just to get some more background of what her mom was like. “Pearl River County Public Library, how may I direct your call?” “Hello, may I please speak with Betty Sutton?” “Hold on, I’ll transfer you.” “Thanks.” “History Department, Betty speaking,. hHow may I help you?” “Betty? This is Lucy calling. Do you have some time to chat?” “ Lucy! How nice to hear your voice. Of course I have time to talk. These dusty old history books aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. So what’s up?” “It’s about my mom, Rosalinda.” “What about her?” “I know it’s been a long time and all, but I think there’s some unanswered questions I’ve ran into lately that really needs to be explained.” “I’ll try to do my best. So what do you want to know?” “Okay, so let me ask you this to start off. What things do you remember about my mom, just, you know, general things.” “Oh boy, let’s see. Um, I know she was a good dancer. Kind of strange that that would come to mind, but your mom and your dad went out all the time before you kids came along. Sometimes they would get a chance to go out after you three were born, but not too much. That was of course until the accident.” “So what else, before the accident, I mean?” “Well, I know she loved you all very much. SHher and your father had a dream life together. Things were going very well for them, I’d say. Your dad had one powerful ministry going for him at the church, and your mom, of course, didn’t have to work once you kids all came along. Let’s see, what else? Oh, I know. She loved to garden. Living on the farm, she had plenty of opportunity. The farm really wasn’t your dad’s thing, but he knew your mom loved it, so he bought it for her. He even went so far as to hire a farmhand, a young fellow, to help out when he was gone, sort of to look after the place.” “Whoa, stop. A farm? We lived on a farm?” “Why, yes. Didn’t your grandma ever talk about it with any of you?” “No, not a word. Grandma really didn’t bring up anything much about the past. Then again, we kids really didn’t think to ask either.” “Well, no matter, I guess. When the accident happened, everyone became scattered.” “What do you mean scattered? And you mentioned a farmhand?” “Yes, although I can’t recall his name. I do remember though he took a real shine to your mother.” “A shine?” “Oh yes. He followed her around when she was outside, helped out with all the heavy stuff, you know. I really think he genuinely liked her, maybe more than what she wanted to ever admit. Just my opinion, if you ask me.” “What do you mean?” “Let’s just put it this way. Your mother was so head over heels in love with your father that if anyone else were checking her out so to speak, she wouldn’t have even noticed. That’s how much in love she was with your father.” “Wow, I never knew a lot of this. So, Betty, do you remember anything else, like the accident? I’ll tell you why I’m asking. To make a long story short, I needed to get a copy of my mother’s death certificate. It seems there are some old life insurance policies that we were notified about. However, in order to cash them in, we needed to get a certified copy of her death certificate.” “Was there a problem getting it?” “Oh no, I have a copy of it. It’s just that it’s worded very oddly, that’s all. For the main cause of death, it says a homicide. The secondary cause said brake lines severed and a blow to the head with a blunt force object.” “Really? I guess it’s been so long that I forgot how it could have been worded.” “ But, I, we were always told that she died from her injuries caused by a single car accident.” “Well, part of it’s true. There was an accident, but it wasn’t an accident. Do you know what I mean?” “Okay, so humor me on this one. You said my mother died in an accident, but it was no accident? Does anyone know what really happened?” “As far as I know, it’s still a mystery to this day. And that’s probably why it’s been so hush-hush all these years too. The bottom line fact of the matter is, is that your mother was dead. No matter if they found the person who did it, it wouldn’t have brought her back. They tried for years to find the person who was responsible, but it turned into one of those cold cases. And I suppose as you kids got older, everyone thought it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Your mom was gone.” “ What about my dad? I suppose you’re going to tell me that he’s alive somewhere living another life?” “Did your grandma ever say anything much about him?” “That he died of a broken heart.” “Oh, Lucy. I think you’ve got it all wrong.” “How so?” “You’ve got to understand. I mean, after your mother died, there was chaos. There was the investigation, the funeral, the burial, and then your dad just took off.” “Took off?” “Yes, vanished into thin air. He left a note for your grandma saying that he needed to sort things out and would she watch you kids until he returned.” “And he never returned.” “No. So your grandma had no choice. I mean who would be able to take care of three little children?” “I knew that gGrandma was a lawyer back then, so do you remember who took care of us when she was at work?” “ Work? Honey, your grandma gave up everything for you three kids. Oh sure, she might have taken a case or two once in a while, mainly when you kids were old enough to go to school, but remember, that was in the 1960s,. tThere wasn’t really any good way for her to work from home, not like it is today.” “ I never knew she gave up so much. And yet she never talked about it. I mean, she would talk about my mom and dad sometimes, but she didn’t talk to us about the things you’ve told me.” “I guess that was her way of coping. I’m sure she grieved in her own way.” “True. So what about my dad again? What do you think ever happened to him? Do you think he died of a broken heart like gGrandma said?” “Lucy, I just don’t know. I mean, he was so devastated when all this happened. You don’t usually expect to meet your wife for lunch, and then find out a little while later she died in a car accident. There he was. His wife was just killed and now he had three babies to raise. How was he ever going to do it? It was all so overwhelming for him. It wasn’t like it is now. This was 1962 we’re talking about.” “ I get the part about going away for a while to sort things out, but forever? It just doesn’t make any sense.” “ No one really knows. Between you and me, I think he had some sort of nervous breakdown. He was really beside himself. He almost couldn’t contain himself at the funeral.” “I also noticed a name on the death certificate as someone who reported the accident. It was Leroy Kraemer. Do you recognize that name?” “That name sound vaguely familiar, not sure though. Hmm, you know, come to think of it, now that you mention it, I think he was that farmhand we talked about earlier.” “Do you think he could have been in the car at the time of the accident?” “ I can’t remember. Seems to me that he wasn’t riding along with her. Maybe near enough to be a witness? Not sure. It was a long time ago.” “Now you’ve got my curiosity piqueaked! I’ve got to find out more about this. After all, if she didn’t die because of a single car accident, I wondered what really happened.” “You always were the curious one, weren’t you? I hope you can find out more, Lucy. It sure would be nice to put some closure to all of this once and for all.” “I think I’m going to call James and Dottie. Maybe we can put our heads together and come up with more ways to figure out what really happened.” “Sounds good. Let me know if you find out anything, okay?” “Oh, it won’t be if. iIt will be more like when. I’m definitely going to get to the bottom of this!” “Okay. wWhen you find out, let me know. I’ll be anxiously waiting to hear from you.” After the long conversation with Betty, Lucy took a break and walked around the block before tackling some more files at her office. That evening, she called James and Dottie, discussing all of the answers to the questions she had when she talked with Betty. They all agreed that if Lucy had a chance to travel to Pearl River, that it would be a good place to start the investigation. When George came home from work, she told him of the conversation with Betty, and the idea that sher and her siblings came up with. George agreed that perhaps doing some in- person research would be better. “You know that would be a good reason to see your grandma and all your aunts and uncle too.” “Yeah, you’re right. It’s been a while since I’ve seen all of them. You know, I always wondered why they are where they’re at.” “What do you mean?” “Well, why would gGrandma be at an assisted living facility in a small town like Pearl River? After all, we grew up here, in a big city.” Chapter Three

After going through some files to pack for the trip and clearing her calendar for the next few weeks at work, Lucy was on her way. She had been back to Pearl River several times since college to visit her grandma and uncle and aunts, but this time, knowing what she knew now, making a trip like this was different. Before she left home, Lucy arranged to stay at Betty’s for the duration of her trip. Driving into Pearl River and before getting to Betty’s house, Lucy decided to take a drive by the cemetery and stop at her mother’s grave. She hadn’t been for a few years, but felt compelled to stop there before traveling any further. As Lucy entered the gates to the cemetery, she noticed a small stone building off to the side. Hmm, I wonder if that’s where the office was, she thought to herself. It looked like the cemetery had filled up more since she had been there, so she wanted to make sure which way her mother’s grave was. As she was pulling up to the building, there was an older gentleman touching up a garden on the side of the building. “Excuse me,” Lucy said, stopping, getting out of the car. The man didn’t hear her at first, so she asked again in a louder voice. “Excuse me. Can you give me some directions please?” “Oh, sorry, I had these headphones in. Can’t hear a darn thing except the music when I’ve got them in my ears!” “Oh, I understand,.” Lucy chuckled Lucy. “Say, I’m looking for a particular grave site,. iIs this something you can help me out with?” “Sure, come into the office. I’ll look it up for you.” Stepping into the office, the man turned on the computer on the desk and asked Lucy the name she was looking for. “Harris. Rosalinda Harris.” “Rosalinda, just like it sounds?” “Um hmm.” “Harris, Harris, Rosalinda. Ah, here we are. Let me print this out for you.” “Oh, thanks. It’s been a while since I’ve been here, and it looks like the cemetery has filled up a bit since then. I like the fact that you can also look up names on the computer.” “Yes, we installed this a few years ago. Since we’ve expanded, it really helps.” Lucy checked the printout as she and the man walked out of the office. “It’s pretty easy to find. Just go up to the top of that hill,” the man said pointing over to the right. “Then turn left at the first little street, and then right again. There’s some taller monuments there,. cCan’t miss it. If you have any trouble finding it, just come on back.” “All right, I will. Thanks,” Lucy said, returning to her car. When Lucy found what she thought was the grave site, she got out of her car to check the name on the headstone. What a nice quiet spot, she thought to herself. Walking up closer to the headstone, she touched it, rubbing her hands along the engraved letters and the smooth granite. Lucy stood there for a while before leaving. She wasn’t sure how she should feel. Neither she nor her siblings really remembered their mother. Even with her being the oldest at the time of their mother’s death, Lucy’s memory was spotty at best. Before leaving, she vowed to her mother that she would find out the truth about what happened. After driving out of the cemetery and finding her way into town, Lucy felt different. The downtown area hadn’t changed all that much, but enough where Lucy took notice. With the directions that Betty had given her, however, she found the house without too much difficulty. “You’re finally here!” Betty exclaimed, coming out to meet her. “It’s been too long!” “You’re absolutely right, Betty,” Lucy said, taking in a breath of fresh air. “After the conversation we had on the telephone, I just knew I had to come in person and get my mission accomplished. Thanks so much for letting me stay with you.” “Did you think I’d have it any other way? Please come in. Make yourself at home. Just in time for lunch.” “Ah, like my husband George would say, a woman after my own heart!” As they made their hoagies, Lucy thought this would be a perfect opportunity to start her investigation. Who knew her mom better than her cousin Betty? “Betty, I know we talked about this before, but can you tell me more about mMom and dDad? Maybe something other than what you’ve told me before.” “Oh, Lucy, your mom and your dad were the best,” Betty said, as they sat down at the kitchen table. “I couldn’t have asked for a better of a cousin. Your mom was like a sister to me. She was smart, funny, talented, and beautiful. Everyone liked her. You know, you remind me so much of her. And you take after your dad too.” “Thanks, Betty. However, it’s obvious that someone didn’t like her toward the end.” “That’s true.” “ You know, of all the things you’ve told me about my parents, what happened surrounding the accident and afterwards, there’s one thing that keeps coming back into my mind.” “What’s that?” “That guy, the farmhand. Leroy Kraemer.” “What about him?” “I just can’t put a handle on it, you know? There’s something with this. I think there has to be something, some connection, you know what I mean? I don’t know. Maybe it’s just a gut feeling.” “I don’t really know what to say about him. I didn’t know him all that well. I don’t think a lot of people did. If I remember right, I think he was sort of a drifter before your dad hired him.” “Kind of a jack-of-all-trades?” “ Exactly. I think someone from the church knew someone who knew someone who knew him sort of thing. He was probably looking for work, and I think your dad felt sorry for him and wanted to help him out.” “You know, Betty, you were saying earlier that my dad was gone a lot, and that he had a powerful ministry going for him at the church. What did he do exactly at the church?” “What do you mean, what did he do? He was the pastor!” “Pastor? Of what church?” “Why, Pearl River Evangelical Free Church. Didn’t your grandma ever talk about that either?” “No. Boy, the list of things she didn’t tell us kids is growing, isn’t it?” “Your dad, he was smart and talented too. His sermons were so popular that he would pack ‘’em in every Sunday. And the music, whooey, you close your eyes and you’d think you were hearing a Hheavenly chorus of angels singing.” “But you said he just disappeared?” “ Yes, he did. None of us could ever figure it out. After the funeral, there was the investigation. After he was cleared of that, he just basically lost it. Poof! Gone! Not a lot of warning, nothing. We all thought he needed help, but he just wouldn’t hear of it. He blamed himself, he blamed others, and he even blamed God!” “How could he ever have blamed himself? He wasn’t even there!” “Don’t know. All I know is, like I told you on the phone, your grandma had to step in. She hired the best lawyer she knew that could help him, in case he needed it. But obviously, it didn’t turn the way everyone thought it would. Your dad was cleared, of course, but he began to act and say really odd and peculiar things. Then like I said, poof! He just disappeared. Between you and me, I think he just sort of flipped.” “Flipped? Like mentally ill flipped?” “Um hmm.” “So once my dad was cleared of any wrongdoing, where did the investigation go from there?” “Well, I’m sure you can imagine that it was the biggest event of the year around these parts. People started to talk. You know small towns, everybody knows everything about everyone, or at least they think they do. Everyone loved both your dad and your mom. But when that kind of accident happens, there’s bound to be skeptics.” “Okay, before I get any more thoroughly confused, maybe you can tell me something else. While all this was going on, where was this Leroy fellow? I thought he was supposed to be close to the family?” “That’s a good question. It’s true. During the time Leroy spent with your family, he did become close. He not only worked around the farm, he did some odd jobs around the church too. When your dad was gone on his preaching trips, he entrusted Leroy with you kids and your mom. Sort of to both watch over the place, and to have a man around the house to protect everyone. But you know, the more I think about it, he was just a little strange.” “How so?” “ Hmm, not sure. Just something I’m trying to remember about him. I don’t know. Maybe I’m putting too much thought into it. If I figure it out, I’ll let you know.” “I guess the more information I can soak into my brain, the better. It might help figuring out this mysterious puzzle. I just keep wondering what did happened to my dad after all these years.” “That’s part of the mystery, I guess. Maybe he really did have a mental breakdown and he’s in a hospital somewhere. You would think if something really serious happened to him, someone out there would have been told.” “I know, unless he developed some sort of psychological amnesia? It’s just getting more twisted with each new turn of events.” “Tell me about it. So what else can I tell you?” “I’m not sure where I should go from here. Maybe check some old newspaper articles? That might tell me some of what was written about the events back then.” “That sounds good. They might give you some more leads. You know, maybe another place would be the Sheriff’s Office? They might have something in their archives too. I’m not sure how far back their records go, but it’s worth a try.” “Good point.” “Hmm, maybe another place to try, although it might be a long shot. If the newspaper office doesn’t have the articles archived that far back, maybe the Pearl River Historical Society might have them going back further. I’m not sure of the hours, but a friend of mine and your mom’s, Victoria Hawkins, still works there part-time. I’ll check with her if you’d like. She’s worked there forever. If anything is there, she would know.” “That sounds like a solid source. Say, by the way, what’s the name of the sSheriff? That way I won’t look like a complete idiot when I go in there to talk with someone!” “It’s Zack, Zack Carlson. Nice young man. Just moved here a few years back. I think he’s around your age.” “ That name sounds familiar. Oh my gosh, if it’s the same guy I’m thinking of, I do know him. We went to prom together! It’ll be fun to see him again. No offense, I wonder why he moved to Pearl River? I thought he was always the big city type of guy.” “He mentioned one time when I first met him and his family that they just wanted to escape the big city life, slow down a bit. Say, not to change the subject or anything, but have you stopped by to see your Ggrandma yet?” “No, I thought I would settle in and then go see her.” After lunch, Betty joined Lucy in her trip into town. Betty went back to work, and Lucy stopped by the assisted living facility where her grandma and uncle and aunts lived. Her grandma, Esther, was ninety-two92 years old, and lived there with her brother, Franklin, who was ninety-four94. Their younger sisters, Viola, 88, who was Betty’s mother, and Katherine, 85, also resided there. Although she had a pleasant visit, Lucy didn’t want to mention too much right away as to why she was in town, but promised to stop back soon. She figured that if she found more information first, it might be easier for them to recall some old memories. After the visit, she went to see if the sheriff was indeed her old friend Zack. Maybe he would have some clues on how to start unraveling this mystery. Chapter Four

The door creaked as Lucy walked into the Sheriff’s Office. Not seeing anyone at first, she wasn’t sure if she should stay or come back another time. Just then, a tall, slim, blond man came around the corner from the back room. “Zack Carson, is that you?” Lucy asked, smiling. “ Why, Lucy, Lucy Harris, how the heck are ya? I’m sorry, you don’t go by Harris anymore, do you?” “Hey, that’s okay. It’s been a long time. I’m a Campbell now. But anyway, I’m doing just great,. hHow about you? My mom’s cousin, Betty, told me about you and your family being here.” “Can’t complain. So what brings you to Pearl River? I thought you said at one time that it’s a nice place to visit but you wouldn’t want to live here?” “I’m just visiting. That’s one of the reasons I stopped in. First, to see if it really was you;, and second, I have a huge favor to ask you. I’ve got a real mystery on my hands to try to solve.” “ You, of all the people I know of, can’t figure out a mystery? Oh my, Lucy, you’re losing your touch!” Zack said, laughing. “Just kidding. So what’s up?” “It’s about my mom’s accident case.” “ What about it? I thought from what you’ve always told me, it was a single car accident?.” “Yeah. That’s what we were led to believe all these years too.” “Okay, so now I’m hooked. What really happened?” Lucy proceeded to tell Zack about what she knew so far,: the insurance papers, the death certificate information, and everything that Betty had told her up until now. “That’s really quite some news. I would have never believed it if you hadn’t told me yourself.” “Strange, isn’t it? That’s where I need your help. I need you to do some digging into your old files on this one. Any information I can get my hands on will help.” “Of course. It’s pretty quiet here this afternoon,. hHow does now sound?” “Sure. Why wait.” “All right, come with me. I think the old files from around that time are in a spot in the back room, probably shoved in a corner somewhere back there.” “Lead the way.” Zack and Lucy went in to the back room, and sure enough, the boxes were stacked up way in the corner, the type of area that hadn’t seen much human contact for quite some time. “Okay, now, when was it again?” “1962. October to be exact.” “Okay, we’ll start by pulling some of those boxes down to see what we can come up with, and then go from there.” About ten minutes later, they located what they were looking for. The entire box was devoted to Lucy’s mom’s accident case. “That’s the whole file on the case?” Lucy asked, amazed at the size. “I didn’t think it would take up a whole box.” “Well, here goes, let’s open it.” “Are you ready for it?” “Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?” “I mean, there might be some pretty ugly things in there, you know, maybe pictures of the accident scene.” “Zack, I know you mean well. I’ll be okay. I’m at the point of just wanting to get more information so it can lead to solving this mystery. That way, I can put it behind me.” Despite soundbeing confident sounding when she told Zack she wanted to just get it over with, Lucy didn’t let on that deep down she was apprehensive about what could be in the box. Taking a deep breath, Lucy opened the file and started looking through it. She was amazed at the contents. Inside the file box was not only the accident report, but there were also reports from emergency workers, and a statement of not only her father, Peter Harris, but that farmhand, Leroy Kraemer. There’s that name again, she thought to herself. Why did that name keep popping up throughout almost all of this investigation? “Well, where do you want to start?” Zack asked, carrying the box up to the main office area. “ I’m not sure. Maybe I should just close my eyes and point!” Lucy said, chuckling, pulling out a random bunch of papers, giving some to Zack. “This looks like the basic accident report.” “Okay,” Zack said, examining the two-page report. “It looks pretty standard. Names of the parties involved, etc.” “Hmm, what else?” “Not much. On page two here, it looks like some sort of sketch of how it happened, or what was thought to have happened. At least it was what was reported at the time at the scene.” “Let’s see,” Lucy said, taking it from Zack’s hands. When she took it, she had a funny feeling, almost like goose bumps going through her. “Lucy, what’s wrong?” “Oh, nothing, I guess. I just had a very weird feeling while I was looking at the report. Anyway, back to the sketch. It looks as though her car was traveling east on, let’s see, what’s this, Highway 2?” “Um hmm, looks like it.” “Okay, and it looks like it must have happened not too far from where the farm was. That’s probably why Betty said that that Leroy guy was the first one on the scene.” “ Hmm, I don’t think that that’s quite an accurate sketch from what the report says,” Zack said, skimming further through the report. “What do you mean?” “Supposedly Leroy said that ‘he had to swerve to avoid your mom’s car.’ He claimed that she was driving out of control, real erratic.” “Swerved? How could that be? The way Betty recalls, it was that my mom’s car just left the road., Aapparently to avoid some sort of animal, and then after she left the road, she hit a tree and died instantly. At least that’s what the word on the street was.” “Well, not according to this report. It states that ‘a man by the name of Leroy Kraemer was the first on the scene, but Mr. Kraemer stated he swerved to avoid the other car in order to not go into the river.’” “That really doesn’t make any sense now.” “It also says that ‘he got out of the car immediately and went over to help Mrs. Harris, but to no avail. She was dead at the scene. He ran back to the Harris farm house and called the sSheriff.’” “And that’s what it says in the basic accident report? Can I get a copy of all this, the reports and pictures?” “ I don’t see any harm in it. After all, you are an immediate family member of the deceased.” “Maybe if I read it all again, it might sink in a little better. I might be able to come tomake some kind of sense tof all of it.” “ In my line of work, you learn to trust the instincts of the victim’s family. They’re usually right.” Zack made copies of all the pictures and reports that were in the file. Lucy took everything back to Betty’s house to re-read the reports to see if anything else pops out as a clue to this mystery. Betty came home a little later to find Lucy and her mounds of paper and pictures spread out all over the dining room table. “What have you gotten yourself into today?” Betty asked, laughing. “This all came from what Zack’s office had in their files.” “Find anything interesting?” “Actually, yes. I’ve found out quite a bit. But does it make sense? Of course not!” Lucy said sarcastically. “Like what?” Betty asked, picking up some of the pictures. “Like the fact that her death wasn’t due totally to a single car crash. And that’s just for starters.” “Whoa, are you sure about this? That’s what everyone’s been told all these years.” “That’s just it. I really believe someone is trying to cover this up.” “Okay, Mrs. Detective. What else did you find out?” “Look at these pictures, for instance,” Lucy said, showing Betty some of the black -and -white photos of tire and skid marks against the dirt gravel frooad. “By looking at them, it looks as though there were two cars involved:. Both my mom’s and another one.” “Okay, so if there was another car involved, whose was it? Do you think it was that Leroy fellow?” “I don’t know. I think it would almost have to be. In one of the written reports, it did say he had to swerve to avoid hitting the victim’s car and he almost went into the river because of it.” “Didn’t you say too that he was the first on the scene?” “Um hmm.” “So what else did it say about your mom’s car?” “Let’s see. It says here that ‘when the car finally came to a stop it had crashed into the tree head on and that Mrs. Harris had hit her head on the windshield.’ I don’t know. sSomething still doesn’t seem right.” “I wonder why the death certificate says then that they ruled it a homicide because of the severed brakes and the blow to the head with a blunt force object. Tree branch, perhaps? Nah, I think you’re right. It doesn’t add up.” “I know. I just don’t know how the blow to the head part mixes into the car accident part.” “I think you’re thinking about this too much, Lucy. How about we go into town and grab something to eat. You need food to fuel your brain. The fresh air will do you some good.” “Oh, I suppose you’re right. The file had been sitting there in the corner of the Sheriff’s Office for over forty40 years. What’s a few more hours!” By the time they got back to the house, it was dark, and Lucy needed some well-deserved sleep. It had been an emotionally charged day, and if she wanted to get up and start back at the investigating early, she knew she needed more sleep. Early the next morning, Lucy was starting to go through more papers when Betty came down for breakfast. “I see you’re back at it. You are determined to find out what happened, aren’t you? Did you get any sleep at all?” “ Once my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light. I’m just sorting through the statements of people who came after the accident.” “Well, dear, as much as I would love to stay and dig through more papers with you, I need to get down to the library early. We’re organizing the semi-annual book sale that’s going on this weekend, and I wanted to get a jump start on it.” “ That’s okay. I don’t think I will be bored anytime soon. I have plenty to keep me busy.” “If you come across anything really bizarre, give me a jingle, okay?” “Will do. You’ll be the first to know.” “Thanks, bye.” “Bye.” Lucy took advantage of the quiet house to really delve into this mystery. What she found were things that made this whole case just not add up even more, and were quite disturbing. In the course of going through more paperwork, the telephone rang. “Hello?” “Hi, Lucy,. iIt’s Zack. I hope you don’t mind me calling you at Betty’s place. I ran into her on the street a few minutes ago, and she told me you were back at the house looking through that file.” “No, of course I don’t mind, Zack. I’m glad you called. Are you working today?” “No, it’s actually my day off.” “Would you mind coming over? I have some things I found Iin the file that are quite disturbing and just downright weird. Maybe you can help me out with it.” “ I’ve got some errands I need to take care of first, but how about, say, I’ll be over around ten or so?” “Sounds good. I’ll put some coffee on. We may need it.” “Okay, see you then,. bBye.” “Bye.” Before Zack stopped by, Lucy spent some time organizing some of the documents, sorting them by the different types that they were. “Okay, Lucy, now what’s so disturbing or weird about all this stuff,?” Zack said, pulling up a chair at the table. “I can’t really put my finger on just one or two things. It’s just bits and pieces I’ve been trying to put together. I figured I would start small and work my way up from there. That way, I might not forget anything in the process. Trying to keep everything organized.” “You always were the methodical type now, weren’t you?” “Hopefully, now I can use that in my favor!” “Okay, where do you want to start?” “All right. Let’s start with this statement that was taken at the scene at the time of the accident. There’s only one in the whole file.” “Your point is?” “ The point is, is that you would think more people would have been there to give a statement about this, wouldn’t you?” “I suppose. Depends on what the report says, I guess.” “Okay. For instance, let’s start with Leroy Kraemer’s reasoning for this accident. It says that ‘he was in his truck coming from the Harris farm, going west on Highway 2, when he saw a dark blue Chevy Sedan at the top of the hill coming down toward him.’ When asked if the car was traveling at a normal rate of speed he is quoted as saying: ‘Yes, until it started to come down the hill then it looked like it was gaining speed.’ It goes on to say that ‘the driver of the Sedan started appeared to be losing control of her vehicle, and that Mr. Kraemer had to swerve off part of the road to avoid hitting the oncoming vehicle. He went into the ditch, stopping just short of the bridge near the edge of the river. He heard a crash and got out of his vehicle, ran towards the scene, and discovered it was Rosalinda Harris. She was slumped over the steering wheel. There was so much blood and glass all over, and there was a large tree branch near her head.’ “The report also says that ‘Mr. Kraemer claims to have moved the tree branch off her of her and checked to see if she was still breathing, whichbut she was not. He ran back to the Harris farm house and called the Sheriff’s Department. He also called Peter Harris, Rosalinda’s husband. By the time he returned to the scene, the ambulance, the sSheriff, and Mr. Harris were already there. Mr. Kraemer was able to get his car out of the ditch with the help of some local people that arrived on the scene. Mrs. Harris’s car needed to be towed away.’” “That’s quite a report. It sounds almost too real to be true, you know?” “When you read this, don’t a lot of questions pop up in your mind? They do in mine. Like, for instance, how could the tree branch hit her on the head and then she hit the windshield? Or did it happen the other way around? What about the blow to the head? Was it from the tree branch? Maybe I’m just being picky and reading more into this than I should.” “So there aren’t any other statements from anyone else?” “Nope. There’s a general police report here. It looks like it’s from my dad, Peter.” “So don’t keep me in suspense,. wWhat does it say?” “ It looks like they were questioning him about his and my mom’s last conversation together at the church.” “What did they ask him?” “ It starts out with the usual ‘where were you when the accident occurred’ type of questioning. My dad answered that ‘he was at the church.’ It then went on to ask things like, ‘wWhat was the subject of the conversation did you hadve with your wife before she left?’ He said that ‘they talked about what my mom’s plans were for the rest of the day, and she said that when she got home, sher, the kids, and her mother were going on a picnic. He reminded her to have the brake fluid checked out down at the local gas station before going home, and she assured him that she would. They kissed each other, said they loved oneach another, and then she left.”’ “Nothing too much out of the ordinary, I would say. Except the part about the brakes. I wonder if she ever had them checked out.” “Hmm, that’s a good point. Maybe she didn’t. And maybe, just maybe, that might have caused her to have an accident of that proportion.” “It might be another lead to follow up on,” Zack said, looking at his watch. “I have to get going. I promised the kids I’d take them to the lake this afternoon. Sorry I can’t stay any longer to help you muddle through all this.” “That’s okay. I appreciate the help you’ve given me already.” “If you need any more assistance, please give me a holler.” “Okay, I will. tThanks. Bye.” “Bye.” Lucy continued pouring through more reports and lookeding at more pictures. One thing that kept coming back to her was the fact that her father asked her mother to have the brakes checked out on her way home. Lucy wondered if her mother ever did that. She then went through some more papers until she came across an investigation report regarding her mother’s car. She was amazed at what it read. It stated: ‘“The 1960 dark blue Chevrolet dark blue Sedan, license plate number 385DKS, was taken from the scene of a single car accident on October 18, 1962, for further investigation. The following damage was noted: on the outside front of the vehicle, there was substantial damage to the fender, lights, grill, hood, and windshield. Minor scratches were on both sides of the vehicle. The driver’s door had been pried open. Due to the nature of the head-on accident, the internal section of the car (under the hood), showed significant damage to both the water pump and radiator. Upon closer observation, it appeared that the brake lines had been tampered with, which leads to the investigation of a homicidal nature, not one of an accident as previously reported. The findings of this investigation have been certified to the best of our knowledge, and have been passed on to the Pearl River Sheriff’s Department for further investigation and follow through.’” Lucy sat in shock. This couldn’t be happening. Finding out that her mother’s car accident wasn’t really an accident after all. T—that was troubling enough. The next step was going to be finding out whether her mother’s death was ruled a homicide due to the blow to the head with a blunt force object or was it really something else?. If it was a blow to the head, when did that happen? After the accident? Who would want to kill Rosalinda Harris? AShe was a preacher’s wife, for goodness sake. What could she ever have done to anyone to cause something like this to happen to her? These were just a few of the many questions Lucy needed to have answers to. She realized that she had her work cut out for her. Chapter Five

Lucy decided that the only way she was going to be able to crack this case iwas to start getting to know the townspeople a little bit more closely. She figured someone had to have known something from that day so long ago. After all, this was a small town. History runs deep, and this accident, she was sure, would still be on the minds of someone, if she could just find that right person. One of the places Lucy decided to check out was the church thatwhere her father had been a pastor. After receiving directions from Betty, Lucy found her way to the church. She found herself getting very strange vibes when she pulled up to the building and actually saw it close up. It was almost as if she could actually remember bits and pieces of this place, and a lot of the activities that surrounded it during her early years. The front door was locked, so she made her way to the side entrance and went in. “Oh, hello,. mMay I help you?” Mary Williston, the church secretary, asked. “Yes,” Lucy responded. “My name is Lucy Campbell. I left a voice mail this morning.” “Of course, please come in. Have a seat,” Mary replied, escorting Lucy to one of the chairs. “Thanks.” “Now you said something in your message about wanting some information on a former pastor of this church? A Reverend Harris, I believe?” “Yes, that’s correct.” “Well, from what I could pull up on old records from our files, there isn’t much,” Mary said, a little guarded, wondering both who Lucy was and why she wanted information on this person. “Just that he basically was here from about 1958 until I believe it was October of 1962.” “Okay.” “ If you don’t mind me asking, why are you so interested in this particular person, especially from so long ago?” “It’s kind of a complicated story actually. It’s just that, well, Peter Harris was my father, and I needed to know more about him.” “Were you adopted?” “ No, no. He and my mother were married when he was a pastor here. I also have younger siblings. We’re trying to piece together our mother’s car accident and death. I thought there might be some sort of information here, that’s all.” “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were one of that poor woman’s children.” “You know about it?” “Not too much. Just what I’ve heard, you know, small talk over the years. It’s kind of like sometimes the church secretary knows more than anyone else about what’s going on,. yYou know what I mean?” “Oh, yeah. Kind of like my line of work. If you want to know what’s going on, just ask one of the secretaries,” Lucy said jokingly. “Exactly,” Mary said, laughing. “ So tell me the ‘small talk,’ so to speak. What have you heard over the years about this?” “It seems like the stories pretty much have died down, at least about the actual accident. The population of the church has changed;, the congregation gets older, some people dying off, moving away, new people coming in. The secretary before me, my Aaunt Clarissa, told me a lot about it.” “Like I said, I guess what I’m trying to do is really piece things together about what happened. A lot of what I’ve heard and read about just doesn’t add up.” “You know, the more I think about it, there is a storage room in the basement. It’s kind of one of those forgotten rooms that are just there. It’s one of those rooms that nobody really goes into anymore. We can see if there’s anything in there.” “Couldn’t hurt.” Mary and Lucy weren’t down there too long before they discovered a sealed box marked ‘“Personal Items, Reverend Peter Harris, 1962.’” What could possibly be in there that it would need to be sealed? Lucy thought to herself. They brought the box into the old fellowship hall and, after brushing off several layers of dust, put it on a table to open it. “Look at all this stuff,” Lucy said, picking through the things. “It sure wasn’t packed very well.” “No, it sure wasn’t.” While they were taking things out, Lucy had one of those weird vibes going through her again. “I really don’t know all that much about my mom or my dad, so hopefully I can pull some things out of here that will maybe spark some sort of memory.” “Like what?” “Don’t know. But I have a feeling I’ll know what it is when I find it.” They pulled out old file folders, pictures, and a few knick knacks. Some of the old file folders were quite thick. “Hmm, here’s one. It says ‘Sermons 1958-–1962,’” Mary said, pulling out one of the folders. “Sermons?” “Sure. IA lot of pastors I know keep their notes, that sort of thing, from each week’s sermons. Usually for future use, especially if they did a lot of research. Also a copy of the final version of the sermon.” “Looks like there’s quite a few here. Just out of curiosity, what is the date of the last set of notes and sermons in there?” “Looks like Sunday, October 14, 1962. Why do you ask?” “That’s the last time my dad must have preached. It was the Sunday before my mom’s car accident. She died that Thursday, the 18th.” “Ah hah. That would make sense. So what else is in there?” “Looks like some pictures, miscellaneous notes. It looks as though one day someone just brought in this empty box and plopped everything in and just sealed it shut. There’s not really any rhyme or reason to any of it.” “I remember Aunt Clarissa saying that it was all so sudden. A temporary pastor came in for a while, but when your dad didn’t return after a certain length of time, they had no choice but to hire a new permanent pastor. I suppose they really didn’t know what to think. They just cleared the way for the new pastor.” “True. Say, would you mind if I take this box with me so I can sort through it more diligently?” “By all means, it’s yours. It hasn’t been touched for over forty40 years, so I don’t really think it’s going to be claimed by anyone else anytime soon.” “Thanks, I appreciate it.” Lucy left the church and started thinking more about her dad. Poor guy, she thought. It must have been tough. But to just disappear? Back at the house, Lucy began to examine the contents of her father’s box. While sorting through sermon notes and scoops of little scraps of paper, she came across a packet of pictures. While looking through them, she noticed there was writing on some of the backs of them. “Hmm, these look interesting,” Lucy said, looking at each one of them. “It’s like taking a step back into time.” “Talking to yourself again?” Betty laughed, entering the room. “Oh, hi. I found a bunch of pictures that were mixed in with the contents of my dad’s box from the church.” “Oh my, look at how little you all were,” Betty noticed, looking at each one of them. “I know. It’s as if we’ve been frozen in time.” “Well, you sort of are.” “What do you mean?” “Think about it. If your dad is alive, this is the way he remembers you three.” “That’s what is so frustrating about all of this. At one point, I think I’m going down the right path to find just the right clues to solve this, and then at other times, I don’t!” “Kind of like spinning in one place but not getting anywhere?” “Exactly. It seems like I take three steps forward and then I end up going backwards. Each time I think I’m getting somewhere, I’ve opened up another can of worms!” “Think of it as a learning experience. You are learning about your past, but very slowly. For better or worse, that’s the way it is. You know you can’t change what happened, so you just have to sit back and enjoy the ride. Take it all in just the way it is.” “ That’s a great way to look at it. I’ll just keep going until I find out what really happened. I know I can’t bring them back, especially mMom. But maybe dDad is out there somewhere. In the meantime, I still believe there’s someone out there that knows more about this whole crazy thing.” “Miracles can happen you know.” “You said it.” “Ooh, look at the time,” Betty said, noticing the time on the clock. “I have to get back to work.” “Mind if I walk with you?” “By all means, join me. It’s always nice to have company along.” After Betty and Lucy parted ways downtown, Lucy decided to stop in the dime store. “Afternoon,” Lucy said, entering the store, the screen door closing behind her. “Hello,” the clerk replied. “May I help you find something?” “No, I’m just looking,. tThanks.” “Okay, just let me know if you need anything.” “I will, thanks,” Lucy replied, finding her way back to the craft aisle. A few moments later, the clerk approached Lucy. “Say, if you don’t mind me asking, are you Lucy Campbell?” “Why, yes, I am,” Lucy responded, seeming a bit confused. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I’ve seen you walking around town with Betty, Betty Sutton.” “Yes, she was my mother’s cousin. I guess that would make me her cousin too, sorry.” “Oh, I know what you mean. All that genealogy stuff is sometimes hard to explain! It’s just that you look like, I mean, are you related to Rosalinda Harris?” “Ah, yes, I am. I’m her daughter.” “The oldest, right?” “Yeah,” Lucy said rather hesitantly. “I’m sorry. Let me introduce myself. I’m Jenna. Jenna Mae Wilkins. I went to school with both your mother and father.” “Really?” Lucy said, sounding surprised. “My, you really do look like her.” “Okay.” “Oh yes, the striking image of her.” “Did you know them well?” “Yes, we were a close- knit group. It was me, your mother, Betty, Victoria Hawkins, and some others as well. Your mom was a real swell gal. She was the most popular of the group.” “That sounds like fun. Say, do you think we can all get together some time so we can talk about the past, when you knew them?” “Absolutely. I’d love it. Let me see if I can get ahold of them.” “That would be awesome.” “Do you have time to wait?” “Sure.” “Okay,” Jenna replied, dialing the number for Victoria Hawkins. “Good afternoon, Pearl River Historical Society.” “Victoria?” “Well, hi, Jenna Mae,. wWhat’s up?” “Victoria, you’ll never guess who’s in the store with me.” “Can’t imagine. Who?” “Lucy Campbell.” “Lucy who?” “Betty Sutton’s cousin from the city.” “Okay, should I know this person?” “You sure should. Do you remember Rosalinda, Rosalinda Harris?” “Of course I do, why?” “Lucy Campbell is her oldest daughter.” “You’ve got to be kidding.” “ No, I’m not. She wants to get together and talk about when we were all in high school.” “I would love to! It would be fun to see her and reminisce about old times.” “Hold on a moment, Victoria. I’m going to ask Lucy when she’s available. ” “Lucy, when do you think you could make it?” “Anytime it’s convenient for all of you, I guess.” “Okay, Victoria. I’m back. She said anytime it’s convenient for us.” “How about tonight?” “I’ll ask her. How about tonight?” “Tonight is fine.” “Victoria, how about seven7:00 or so?” “Let’s make it for supper, how about five-thirty5:30?” “Does 5:30 sound okay to you, Lucy?” “Great.” “Okay, Victoria, we’ll be over at 5:30 for dinner. See you then,. bBye.” “Bye.” Jenna Mae hung up and wrote down Victoria’s address for Lucy. “Victoria’s house is at 582 Maple. Do you remember where Maple is?” “Is that the street off of Fern Drive?” “Yes, that’s the one. It’s a cute little two -story blue house with white shutters and a porch with a swing in the front.” “I should be able to find it.” “Good. And bring Betty along too. We couldn’t leave her out.” “I’m sure she would like that. I think she has some sort of meeting to go to though, but I’ll ask her just to make sure.” “Okay, well, I better get going. See you tonight.” “Looking forward to it, dear. Bye.” Chapter Six

The rest of the afternoon went by fast for Lucy. After stopping by the library to tell Betty about the plans for the evening, Betty mentioned that she did indeed have a meeting to go to that night. “You go ahead without me. It’s a fun group. They probably will have a lot of insight to your parents, at least what they were like in high school.” “Are you sure?” “Absolutely. I’ll catch up with them some other time.” “ All right. Let me know if something comes up where you’re able to go, okay? We don’t want to let you out of the loop!” “Okay, I will.” Lucy went home to do some more digging in the mounds of paper she had accumulated so far. Sorting was half the battle, so she put her organizational hat on and went to work. Betty arrived home from work and went back out shortly for her meeting. Lucy went with her part way and then made her way to Victoria’s house. “Why, hello. You must be Lucy,” Victoria said, answering the door. “Yes, I am,. hHello,” Lucy responded. “Please come in. Are you alone? Betty couldn’t make it after all?” “Thanks. No, unfortunately, the one night she’s busy. She said she would catch up with all of you later,” Lucy said, entering the house. “Okay, well, dinner is almost ready. Come in and make yourself comfortable.” “Here, Victoria, these are for you,” Lucy said, handing her some flowers. “Oh, Lucy, you didn’t have to do that.” “Well, I wanted to bring something. Grandma always said to bring something to a place where you’re invited for dinner. I didn’t know what you were having, so I thought flowers would be a nice touch.” “Absolutely, thanks. Jenna Mae is in the dining room, helping me set the table. Make yourself at home. I’ll just put these in some water,” VictoriaJenna Mae said, taking the flowers and going into the kitchen. “Hi, Jenna Mae. Nice seeing you again.” “Oh, hi, Lucy. Come on in. I’m just putting the finishing touches on setting the table. You can have a seat here at the table isf you’d like.” “Can I help with anything?” “No, that’s okay. You’ve contributed with a beautiful centerpiece,. tThat’s enough.” “All right.” Lucy couldn’t wait to get started with the conversations about her parents. During dinner, they made small talk, getting to know each other better. After dinner and the table was cleared, they gathered in the living room. “ So, Lucy,” Victoria said., “Jenna Mae tells me you’re in town on a fact-finding mission, so to speak. Something about your mother and what happened with the car accident?” “Did she tell you the part about how it all started?” “Yes, she did.” “Okay. To tell you the truth, I’m not really sure why I’m doing this. I think it’s about gaining some closure on the situation.” “How so?” “Well, finding out that your mother died in a car accident, but thenonly to find out that it really wasn’t an accident, it was intentional., Aand then to find out that your father just disappeared into thin air., I feel like I’ve opened so many cans of worms. It’s hard to know where to turn to next.” “That’s what we’re here for, dear. We’ll try to help you out as much as we can.” “I do appreciate it. I have some pictures here too. I found them going through some of my father’s things at the church. Maybe you can help me identify some of the people in them.” Pulling out the pictures and placing them on the table, with pencil in hand, she pulled the first one out of the stack. “This one I believe is of the three of us kids.” “Yes, I believe that’s your brother James, isn’t it?” Victoria askaied. “Um hmm.” “He looks just like your dad. And the other one, let’s see, the baby, that must be your sister Dorothy?” “Yes, Dorothy, or Dottie as we call her.” “I think she looks like the both of them, don’t you agree, Jenna Mae?” “Definitely. And you look just like your mother did.” “That’s interesting to find out,” Lucy responded. “Your parents always did make such a cute couple,” Jenna Mae said, looking at some more of the pictures. “Tell me about their courtship, if you remember. Those are the things that my grandma never really told any of us kids about.” “That doesn’t surprise us,” Victoria said. “Your grandma, Esther, always has been such a private person, a little more reserved than most. I think your mother got her personality from her father, because Rosalinda was far from reserved!” “Say, Victoria, do you have your old yearbooks around anymore? Maybe we can find some pictures in there too.” “I’m one step ahead of you. I pulled them out after you called me.” “Wise woman indeed!” Lucy picked up one of the yearbooks, and started to flip through it. “I think Peter was about a year or two ahead of us, wasn’t he, Victoria?” “Yes, I believe he was two years ahead of us. Let’s see, this one that Lucy has opened should be maybe the year he graduated?” “Okay, I’ll check,” Lucy said, turning to the senior pages. Checking the senior pictures, Lucy found her father’s picture. “So that’s what he looked like in high school. You’re right. James really does take after him.” “Yes,” Victoria replied. “He was a real looker, if you know what I mean.” “Oh, Victoria!” Jenna Mae said, rather embarrassed. “ Well, he was, wasn’t he? Nothing wrong with that. He was voted most likely to succeed.” “Okay,” Lucy said, laughing. “I think I’ll find my mom’s picture next.” Holding her finger on the spot of her dad’s picture, Lucy turned to the other sections to find her mother’s picture. “Here she is. You’re right. It’s kind of freaky. It’s as though I’m looking at a picture of me in high school, not hers. Say, do you mind if I take some of these yearbooks with me back to the house?” “Of course not, dear,” Victoria said. “That’s a great idea. That way you can examine them on your own time and not feel so rushed.” “Thanks. So what else can you tell me about my parents?” “ Well,” Jenna Mae started to say., “I remember your mom liked school a lot. She always loved being able to learn new things. A real modern young woman of her day.” “ I think the greatest influence she had was from her parents,” Victoria said. “Your grandma was way ahead of her time when it came to women’s issues. She always said Rosalinda could do whatever she wanted to do if she made up her mind to do it.” “Well, it must have rubbed off on me then,” Lucy said. “Grandma was a strong driving force behind me going to law school, I’ll tell you that. I saw how happy she was twhen she had talked about her days as a lawyer, so I decided to follow suit.” “Your dad was quite an athlete, if I remember right too,” Jenna Mae said. “He was in football, baseball, and swimming.” “Oh yes,” Victoria said. “Had his picture in the local paper all the time. I even think he waent to state for swimming.” “Sounds interesting,” Lucy said. “I’ll have to add that to my list of things to check out in my search for articles and other pictures about the accident.” “Let’s see, what else?” Jenna Mae said, looking through another yearbook. “Oh, I know. Your mom had a real sweet, gentle spirit about her. So trusting. Notever a mean bone in her body.” “Didn’t she volunteer at the hospital with us?” “I think so.” “I think you’re right. If I remember right, I know that she had a way with the patients too. When they got out of the hospital, many of them wrote her kind notes of appreciation for her.” “My sister, Dottie, is a lot like that. Is there anything else you can tell me about my parents after they got married?” “They were such a fun couple,” Victoria said. “For a preacher, your dad had quite a sense of humor.” “A real practical joker,” Jenna Mae said, laughing. “What type of jokes did he play?” Lucy asked. “Oh, nothing mean or harmful, mind you,” Jenna Mae said. “Victoria, do you remember the time he didn’t switch the clocks at the church for daylight savings time?” “ I sure did. He had some of those poor people confused when they walked into the church. They thought they were on time, but by the church clock they were late! Could you imagine some people walking in thinking they were on time and hearing him saying the benediction?” Of course, they did the ‘real’ service after that!” “That’s cruel,” Lucy said, laughing. “Ah, cruel, but funny,” Jenna Mae responded. “I think that’s why so many people really truly loved them. Your parents were a real honest -to -goodness married couple. What you saw was what you got, no faking it from them.” “Your dad was so down to earth,” Victoria said. “Not like some stuffy, boring preacher that some people think they’re supposed to act like.” “Although gGrandma didn’t talk about my dad very much, I did get the sense from her that she really did love him, and talked about him like he was her son, not a son-in-law.” “Victoria, do you remember when Peter proposed to Rosalinda?” “I sure do. I didn’t think she would ever say yes! I knew deep down she was just teasing him though.” “Why, what happened?” “Like I said, your dad was always pulling pranks on people,” Victoria said. “Your dad came up with quite a plot.” “As I recall,” Jenna Mae said., “Yyour dad had this beautiful picnic planned over in Midtown Park. He thought of everything;: the food, the beverages, even down to matching napkins!” “Sounds romantic, the perfect setting. What happened?” “It was, until he remembered what he didn’t check on,” Jenna Mae said. “What else could he have forgotten?” “The weather! It rained, and it rained, and it rained. I swear it didn’t let up for three days!” Victoria said, laughing. “So when the rain stopped, your dad got an idea after seeing a rainbow. He called on of the members of the church who had one of those crop planes.” “Crop planes?” “Sure. He used it to ask your mother to marry him by having them do some skywriting for him.” “Now that’s what I call clever!” “We told you he was crazy about her.” “That’s why the whole thing just doesn’t add up. I don’t understand what made my dad just give up and leave. Grandma said he was totally beside himself. Maybe he really did have some sort of breakdown.” “I sure hope you find the answers you’re looking for, Lucy,” Jenna Mae said. “You know you can come to either of us any time for help on this,” Victoria said. “Thanks. I deeply appreciate it. You two have been so kind to open up your home like this and give the information that you did. You know though, it’s getting late. I better get going. I’ve got another full day planned for tomorrow.” “It sure was fun having you over for dinner, Lucy. We’ll have to do it again sometime soon,” Victoria said. “I agree with Victoria. We’ll have to get Betty over here the next time too.” “Sounds good to me. Maybe the next we get together I’ll have found out more.” With that, Lucy made her way back to the house, looking forward to making copies of pictures and looking for more newspaper articles and also checking on some land records, hopefully coming closer to solving the mystery not only surrounding her mother’s death, but also her father’s disappearance. Chapter Seven

The next day, Lucy started going over more documents. To think there was so much paperwork generated for one accident. Pictures, a map, charts, statements. It was all there. The more she thought about this, the more mystified she became. How could ther family she had known all these years keep such a secret? What else could they be hiding? Perhaps where her father was? All she knew was that she was going to get to the bottom of all this nonsense. It was a nice day, so she decided to take advantage of it and walk. It also gave her a chance to get some fresh air, instead of the smell of old paper and ink from all the files she had been going through. Lucy decided today was the day to obtain the mMedical eExaminer’s report regarding her mom’s accident. No time like the present, she thought to herself, walking in to the Pearl River Memorial Hospital. Walking into a hospital setting wasn’t what usually gave Lucy a strange feeling like this one did. Had she been there before? The only time she could remember, for at least what her grandmother told her, was when she just turned four and she had to have her tonsils out. Walking up to the receptionist, she asked where the Medical Examiner’s Office was located. “The Medical Examiner’s Office?” “Yes, I needed to obtain a copy of an autopsy report,” Lucy responded. “ Sure. That’s on the lower level. Third door on your left when you get off the elevators.” “Thanks.” Basements of hospitals always were creepy to Lucy. When she stepped off the elevator and walked toward the Medical Examiner’s Office, she felt as if she had to tiptoe down the hall. It was quiet. Not much down there. A storage room and an entrance to the morgue was what Lucy passed in order to get to where she wanted to go. The walls and ceiling appeared to be so close together. It was like she was in a time warp, as if the hospital forgot to change the look of the basement when they remodeled the rest of the hospital. Lucy found the office, and as she entered the door, it creaked. “Hello?” Lucy called out. “Anyone here?” A woman came out from the back room, carrying a stack of files. “Oh, hello,” the woman said, putting the files on the desk behind the counter. “May I help you?” “I sure hope so,” Lucy said. “I wanted to know if it’s possible to obtain a copy of an old autopsy report.” “Well, we’re not allowed to release these reports to the general public, unless you’re immediate family.” “I’m the victim’s daughter.” “Okay, could you please fill out this form?” “Okay, thanks.” Lucy filled out the form and took it back up to the counter. After checking Lucy’s picture IDi.d., the clerk started to look up the information. “This was a long time ago. I know we have them back even further than 1962, I just don’t know if they’ve been put ointo the database. Some of the old ones might not have been scanned in yet. It’s one of those projects that you do when you have the extra time.” “Oh, I hear you. I work in an office too and understand all about that process.” “Just as I suspected, it’s not here. I’ll have to check the old -fashioned way of doing it, —the card index. So what’s the last name again, Harris?” Tthe clerk asaiked, looking at the form. “Yes, Harris. Rosalinda Harris.” “Okay, from October 1962. I’ll be right back.” The clerk was gone for several minutes, and when she returned, she had an old, yellowed, file in her hands. Double checking to see if she had the right one, the clerk made a copy forof Lucy. With the copy in her hands, Lucy left the hospital and headed over to the library to show Betty the document she was able to obtain. “Well, hi, Lucy. What brings you here? Couldn’t take the smell of all those old papers anymore?” “You got it!” “So have you found out anything else new?” “I just came from Pearl River Memorial Hospital?.” “The hospital? Nothing’s wrong, is there? You feeling okay?” “Oh, no, no, no. I’m fine. I stopped by to see if I could get a copy of the autopsy report.” “Whew! You had me worried there.” “Sorry!” “So I take it you were able to get a copy of it?” “Yes, I did. It’s pretty detailed.” “I can take a break now if you’d like. I’ll just let Marge know. Be right back.” “Okay.” Betty and Lucy found a quiet area of the library and started looking at the report. “ The Ssummary of the autopsy report just gives stuff like her name, date of birth, height, weight, etc.,” Lucy said, glancing at it. “That and some file numbers and the estimated time of death. Let’s see, the eExternal/iInternal eExamination sSummary goes into more detail.” “Is it gory or anything? I don’t know if I could stand all of that!” “Just skimming over it, I don’t know, it looks okay, I guess.” “Okay, then go on.” “ I’ll read it word for word. ‘External/Internal Summary: The body is presented in a black body bag. At the time of the examination, the body is clothed in navy blue jeans with a short-sleeved, Vv -necked striped shirt, lightweight cotton jacket, and white anklets with white tennis shoes. The body is that of a normally developed, well-nourished Caucasian female, measuring 63 inches in length, weighing 120 pounds, and appearing generally consistent with the stated age of twenty-five years. The body is cold and is not embalmed. The scalp is symmetric, and there is extensive traumatic injury to the back of the top part of the head. Pupils are asymmetrically dilated. The teeth are natural and well maintained, and show injuries to be described below. The anterior chest and abdomen show injuries to be described below. The pelvis appears to be broken. The back is symmetrical and appears to be intact. Otherwise, there are no residual scars, markings, or tattoos.’” “That’s quite a description so far,” Betty said. “It just brings back so many memories.” “Like what?” “Oh, I don’t know. Everything about her, the day, your grandma, you kids, the way your dad took it after finding out what happened.” “Pretty tough, huh?” “Oh yeah, it was hard on everyone. Your mother was a near saint in the family. She couldn’t do not wrong. Neither could your dad.” “But if she was so well liked, who would cause this to happen?” “Lucy, if you could answer that question, it would be like solving the biggest mystery that’s hit this town in the last 100 years!” “Well, maybe with all these reports I’m going through, I’ll catch a break somewhere along the line and solve this. In fact, it was about two or three months ago when I started having strange dreams about my mom. Way before I received the information in the mail about the insurance policies.” “What kind of dreams?” “You know, it’s not like I dream about her every night or anything, but these dreams were pretty frequent for a while. I kept dreaming my mom was calling out to me, telling me to find out more about her. I couldn’t even tell by her face it was her, but it was that voice. It was so clear and audible, just like I remember her voice to be. I mean, I don’t believe in ghosts or anything like that, but it’s been on my mind a lot lately.” “Well, for your sake, I’m just glad to see it might finally be solved. Oh, look at the time. I better get back to work before it’s time to leave! Will I see you at the house for dinner tonight?” “Oh yeah. I have only about 150 more documents to look through, that’s all!” “That’s all? Okay, see you then,. bBye.” “See ya.” Deciding that she had had enough of reading for a while, Lucy drew some water and took a nice long hot bath and then laidy down for a short nap before getting up to start dinner. After dinner, Betty went downtown to the local VFW to play some bingo. Lucy decided to spend some more time at home just to watch some television and chill out before bedtime. She figured, like before, the autopsy report had been stored away in a back file room for this long,; it wouldn’t matter if it sat until morning. The next morning brought stormy clouds and rain. No matter, Lucy thought. She had lots of papers to go through. And then there was the infamous autopsy report. Maybe today was the day Lucy could go through the injury section of the report. After breakfast, Lucy started in with the papers. Just when she thought she was getting a few steps ahead in the investigation, other documents seemed equally confusing. The summary of the description of injuries in the autopsy report proved to be the most revealing so far. Just as she was starting to go through it, the telephone rang. It was her friend Zack. “Hey, Lucy, how’s it going?” “ Not bad, Zack. I’ve gotten somewhat further in sorting through these mounds of papers. A lot further than I thought I would be.” “That’s good. Anything really revealing?” “I stopped by the hospital yesterday and was able to get a copy of my mom’s autopsy report. I started reading it, and I’m at the point where I’m getting into the description of the injuries.” “I’d like to hear it sometime if you don’t mind.” “No, I don’t mind at all. Do you have time now if I read it?” “Sure.” “Okay. I’ll put the phone on speaker so you can hear it better.” Lucy put the phone on speaker, set it down, and started to read the report. “Okay, here goes. I’ll read the summary of the description of injuries. Let’s see, it starts out with injuries of the head and neck. ‘First, fractures of the mid to upper portion of the skull leading down towards the base of the neck being the most severely damaged. These injuries are considered fatal. Second, severe facial distortions due to muscle separation from the skull are the result of the impact. These injuries are non-fatal. Third, several displaced teeth and tooth fragment were found lodged in the tongue and the insides of the mouth and lips. These injuries are non-fatal. And lastly, there appears to be a fresh contusion around the base of the neck, measuring 6 -3/4 inches long by 1/8 inch wide. This injury would also be non-fatal.’” “Whoa, that sounds very detailed.” “ Yeah, they didn’t leave much to the imagination, did they? But wait, there’s more. Next are the injuries to the torso. Let’s see, what it does say is that ‘there are soft tissue ruptures of the abdomen and thorax. The colon and small intestines breached the abdominal wall and ruptured, expelling the contents. The bladder ruptured, spreading urine throughout the cavity. The opinion of this Medical Examiner is that those were fatal wounds. The summary of this external/internal examination is that all organs are within normal limits. There also appears to be a higher than normal level in the toxicology report due to an unknown substance found in the blood stream. There is no underlying pathological disease, conditions or congenital abnormalities that were observed. Rigor and liver mortis, in addition to body temperature and other factors, indicate an estimated time of death being sometime between 11:00 a.m. and Nnoon on October 18, 1962.’ At the bottom, there wais an addendum to the report that states: ‘The evidence collected at the scene indicated that the car was initially taken to a local car repair shop. When it was determined that the brake lines had been severed, it was taken to the state crime lab for further investigation.’” “So basically your mom really didn’t die because of the accident, I mean she did, but even if for some reason she did lose control of the car, she might have been able to stop in time if the brake lines weren’t severed.” “Exactly. Now the only other mystery is why did the death certificate say that she died due to a blunt force object hitting her head? It didn’t mention anything like that in the report, other than the non-fatal contusion to the back of the head.” “ Do you think it was missed somehow? Maybe because there were so many other injuries?” “This is really beginning to become more like a quest. A personal quest to find out what exactly happened to my mother. Little things are coming out, but it’s putting all those little pieces into the big picture, you know what I mean?” “Yeah, I do. So what’s the next move, Detective Campbell?” “Hah, hah. Very funny.” “Maybe you should talk to some of the older people around town;. yYou would think they would have some recollection of the event.” “True. I could check in with my grandma again. Not that I don’t want to see her, but time has flown by so fast. I did go and see her and my great aunts and uncles when I first got to town, but I really didn’t want to say why I was really here, at least not at that point. I wanted to have more substantial information to go on before I approached them on the subject.” “Makes sense. I suppose it’s better to go visit them in person rather than always reading old newspapers and autopsy reports!” “You said it. I think I’m going to call Dottie and James about this latest report I found. They’ll flip when they hear it.” “Sounds like you’ve got your work cut out for you. I better go anyway. I promised I’d take the kids out for some burgers and then I have to come back home to pack before I head out of town tomorrow.” “Oh yeah? Where are you off to?” “I’m going with a bunch of buddies on a fishing trip for a few days.” “You fishing?” Lucy laughed. “As I recall, aren’t you the one in junior high that got at least one fish hook in your finger and almost landed one in your eye?” “ Oh yeah, Lucy, you’re too funny, not! I’m much better now. Ask any one of these guys, they’ll tell you.” “Okay, okay, I believe you.,” Lucy said, still chuckling. “You have a good time. I’ll catch up with you when you get back. Hopefully by then I’ll have more solid leads.” “Great. See you in a few days. Bye.” “Bye.” After taking a walk around the block to get some fresh air, Lucy put a call in to both James and Dottie. “Hey, James, Dottie.” “Lucy, we’re glad you called. We’ve been thinking about you. How’s it going?” James asked. “Have you found anything interesting yet?” Dottie asked. “Oh yeah, you bet I have. You’re not going to believe the latest report I’ve found.” “Like what?” James asked. “ Like how about the fact that mMom really wasn’t in a normal car accident like everyone has said all these years.” “What do you mean?” Dottie asked. “How did it happen then?” “Get this. She died from a car accident all right. But it was no accident per se. The brake lines were cut.” “Cut?” “Cut. And there’s more.” “What could possibly top that?” Dottie asked. “She may have also possibly died in part from a blunt force object hitting her in the head. Although I think this might be an error on the death certificate because there isn’t anything like that in the autopsy report.” “Have you talked to gGrandma about this?” James asked. “No way, are you crazy? If I don’t have a lot of the facts nailed down first, I think it would be way too stressful for her.” “Good idea. We don’t want to rock the apple cart any more than it’s going to be when you talk to her about it. And we don’t want her to go off on any tangents if she doesn’t need to. Calm is the word!” “True,” Lucy responded. “So that’s all I know so far. How’s it going otherwise?” “Not bad, same old, same old.,” Dottie said. “Me too,” James responded. “Seems like life is kind of boring compared to what you’re involved in right now.” “I feel like I’m in some kind of time warp though. Some of the time seems to be going fast and other times it seems like it’s dragging. I’ll call you guys again when I get any more juicy details, okay?” “Sounds good,” James and Dottie said. “Bye.” “Bye.” After talking it over with Betty, Lucy thought the next step would be for her to talk to her Ggrandma. “Are you sure you want to confront your grandma about this?” “ The more I think about it, it probably would be a good time. At least I can sound somewhat intelligent about this, knowing more about this now. What’s the worst that could happen? I guess it’s a chance I have to take.” “Well, Lucy, as you already know, your grandma and her siblings can be some hard headed people to deal with. I can even say that about my old mother too!” “I know. But this may be my only real chance to hear from them maybe what really happened. Get their perspective on it. I might be able to pick something up from the looks on their faces, their expressions, when I bring the subject up.” “When were you thinking about going?” “Not sure, why?” “I’m off tomorrow, so I can go with you if you’d like. That way I can visit mMom at the same time.” “That would be good. How about ten or so?” “Fine with me. If it’s possible, I can actually sleep in a little!” “Me too!” Chapter Eight

The next morning, Lucy and Betty headed over to the assisted living facility. Lucy felt somewhat guilty not spending more time with her, but she also felt her grandma would understand. “Lucy, Betty,” Esther, sitting in a chair in the community room, said as she saw them come down the hall. “Grandma,” Lucy said, as she bent down to hug and kiss her. “I’m glad to see you.” Soon all of the siblings of Esther were coming up to them too. “Hi mMom, Uncle Franklin, Aunt Katherine, Aunt Esther,” Betty said, coming up right behind Lucy. “Come, sit down,” Esther said. “So what’s with the middle- of- the- day surprise visit?” “I don’t know, gGrandma,” Lucy said, with a nervous look on her face. “Can’t we just pop in and visit?” “Oh, I know that look on your face, young lady,” Esther said. “I may be old, but I’m still your grandma, and if I don’t say so myself, still a good judge of character.” “Oh, I know you are, gGrandma,” Lucy said, sitting down next to her. “Well then, girl, just spit it out!” “I just wanted to come and chat with you a little bit about mMom. Get to know some more information about her and dDad.” “Your mother and dad? Is that all? Well, why didn’t you say that when you first came into town?” “I thought I could gather some information on my own, which I did so far, but I needed to know from you, all of you, what really happened,” Lucy said, looking around at the whole group. “So that’s why you’re in town,” Esther said. “I thought something was up.” “You suspected it all along?” “Lucy, I may be old, but I’m not that hard of hearing. Not yet anyway. I’ve heard some of the staff talking.” “Can’t keep anything from you, can I?” “So what do you want to know about your mother?” “I would like to know everything you can remember, everything you’re willing to share with me, all the things that happened around the time surrounding the car accident. Not just the fluff we kids have been given all these years.” “Fluff?” “ Yes, fluff. The real story behind what happened. The real reason mMom had that accident.” “Oh my,” Esther said, shaking her head. “I had hoped I would die before I’d have to sit and explain it to you.” “Grandma!” “It was a complicated nightmare, that’s what it was,” Franklin chimed in. “ Oh, hush, Franklin,” Katherine said, poking him. “Let Esther tell it. After all, Rosalinda was her daughter.” “Yes, I know,” Franklin said, getting more riled up about it. “I know it’s been a long time since the subject has come up, but it stirs my insides up every time I hear about it or even think about the whole situation.” “Franklin’s right,” Esther said, taking a deep breath. “It was a very, very difficult time. For me, your dad, you kids, everyone. I can remember it like it was yesterday. I’ll never forget it. That morning started out like most others for your mother. She woke up early to get your dad off to work, made him a big breakfast. Then she tidied up around the house, made a few phone calls, that sort of thing. I happened to be staying at the farm for a few days, so I offered to watch you three kids while your mom went into town to do some errands. She also said she would be stopping at the church to see your dad before coming back. Everything else was pretty uneventful. Only she didn’t come back.” “So what’s your take on their farmhand, Leroy Kraemer?” “Leroy Kraemer? That’s a name I haven’t thought of in years. Near as I remember, he was okay, I guess,” Esther replied. “You guess?” “The more I remember, he was always nice, very respectful, but just a little bit odd. He never said much about his past, where he came from, that sort of thing.” “Do you remember how my parents met him?” “I think he must have just appeared in town one day. Lots of people used to draift back then. He must have stopped by the church, probably to see to see if there were any jobs around the area. Your dad was a real soft touch that way. Your mother and dad probably talked about it and asked this Leroy fellow if he would be willing to be a farmhand for them. He fit in real good there too. Treated your mom and you kids very nicely. It’s a shame how it all had to end.” “Okay, let’s get to the accident.” “ Oh, Lucy, you’re a smart girl. I think you’ve got it in your head already how this happened, don’t you?” “Sort of. Just when I think I’m making progress, bam! I read things that don’t make sense, and I think I’ve taken some steps back. One thing too, is that why didn’t you tell us kids what really happened, especially when we were older?” “Lucy, we really wanted to, all of us did. After a while it didn’t seem to matter. At some point, you just have to ask yourself, why bother? You were all happy with your lives the way they were. You see, about ten years before all that happened, your Ggrandpa Harold died in a farming accident. He was only forty-six46. And then your mother. It was just too much grief, what with the accident, the investigation.” “And people were dropping out of sight left and right too,” Katherine said. “Dropping out of sight?” Lucy asked. “Who are you talking about?” “She means your dad and that Leroy fellow,” Franklin said. “Does anyone remember where they went?” Betty asked. “Your dad disappeared not too long after all this happened,” Esther said. “Leroy just left town a few years later, after I sold him the farm. You see, your dad swore up and down that he caused your mother’s accident somehow. I had one of my partners in the law firm I worked in at the time come down here and help us out.” “But no one could get through to dDad?” “ That’s right,” Esther said. “He was cleared of everything, but there were so many issues to deal with that came up. All the talk around town, all the innuendoes. Your dad just couldn’t take it any longer. He completely shut down, even having occasional blackouts now and then.” “So does anyone really know what happened to him? I wonder if he’s even still living?” “I don’t know,” Esther said. “After he left the sway he did, I had no choice but to take over. There was so much to do. I was trying to hold down my position at the firm, working from home as much as I could, keeping up the actual maintenance on the farm, and all the court appearances around getting custody of you kids. Leroy was a big help at the farm, but I couldn’t really forget about it either. And not that I ever forgot about your dad, but I’m sorry, it’s just that you three kids were my first priority. Your dad left me a letter, saying he needed some time to think things through, which I totally understood. He said he would be back in about three to four weeks. Days blended into weeks and weeks blended into months. His immediate family didn’t even know where he was. Sad, just plain sad.” “Don’t be sorry, gGrandma, for what you thought you needed to do at the time,” Lucy said, sensing her grandma and uncle and aunts were getting tired. “We three kids had a fabulous upbringing. You know, before we go, I’ve got just one more thing to ask you, if you don’t mind.” “Of course not, dear,” Esther said. “What is it?” “ Do you really think deep down in your heart, that dDad could have possibly done something to cause mMom’s accident?” “I know for a fact he didn’t.” “How can you be sure?” “Lucy, of all the people I’ve known in my lifetime, and I’m old you know, so that’s a lot of people, I truly believe in my heart of hearts your dad did not cause that accident. He was head over heels in love with her.” Just about that time, one of the staff members came over to remind them that it was time for lunch. “We better get going so you can eat your lunch and then take a rest,” Lucy said, getting up from where they were sitting. “All right, dear,” Esther said. “Promise you’ll come by again soon, will you?” “Yes, gGrandma, I promise.” Walking out of the building, Lucy asked Betty if it was a good idea that they came and talked to them about what happened. “Betty, do you think it was a productive visit?” “Why do you ask?” “ It just seems like they’re holding back something. I don’t know. Maybe I’m just reading too much into this, do you think?” “I don’t know. Maybe. Well, at least you’ve found out more than what you had before.” “So how about on the way home, we stop at the newspaper office? See if we can come up with any articles about the accident?” “Great, let’s get snooping!” Chapter Nine

Lucy and Betty stopped at the newspaper office to check into looking at old newspaper articles about the accident. Although they weren’t able to help, they did direct them to the county historical society that would have just what they were looking for. Once at the historical society, Lucy and Betty made their way to the reference desk. “Good afternoon. May I help you?” Aan older woman behind the desk asked. “Yes, we’re looking for your archived newspapers.” “That would be on the second floor, in our Historical Data section. You can take the marble staircase behind me here, or there’s an elevator down the hall to the left.” “Thanks, we appreciate it.” “You’re welcome,. hHave a nice day.” Lucy and Betty decided to walk up the marble steps, taking in the beauty of the carved brass railings and the ornately designed wood on the walls. The old, wooden doors creaked when they entered the room. “Good morning, can I help you?” Tthe clerk asked. “Yes, we’re looking for old copies of the Pearl River newspaper.” “How far back?” “We’d like to start probably with 1962 and 1963.” “Sure, follow me. Can you narrow it down a little bit?” “Hmm, let’s see. How about starting with beginning of October, 1962.” “ Okay, that helps,” the clerk said, leading them to the microfilm drawers. Let’s see, October, here we go. You can just use the machines over here. I’ll show you how to load them.” “Thanks.” In one way, it was kind of interesting what the old newspapers were like. Not knowing if the accident would be considered big enough for front-page news, Lucy and Betty started going more slowly when they neared the date of the actual accident. Suddenly, Lucy’s eyes caught a glimpse of a headline. It read: ‘“Local Woman Killed In Car Crash— – Husband Brought In For Questioning.’” Lucy and Betty just stared at the screen. It was really true. Lucy read the article out loud. “‘Local Pearl River resident, Rosalinda Harris, was found slumped over the in the front seat of her 1960 Sedan, Thursday, approximately one-quarter mile from her family farm. Leroy Kraemer, a local farmhand currently employed by the Harris family, on his way to town to pick up farm supplies, swerved to avoid the oncoming car, went into the opposite ditch, and then heard the crash of Mrs. Harris’s car. He was the first one to arrive at the scene of the mangled mess. Mrs. Harris was dead at the scene. Mrs. Harris, wife of Reverend Peter Harris of the Pearl River Evangelical Free Church, was last seen leaving the church at about 10:00ten a.m. that morning. When learning of his wife’s unfortunate and untimely demise, Reverend Harris broke down. Since the Reverend was the last one to see his wife alive, the local Sheriff’s Department brought him for questioning, taking his statement, and after confirming his alibi with the church secretary, Clarissa Wellington, he was released. At the time of the deadline for this article, no charges were pending, however, the case remains open upon further investigation.’” “ Not too much detail in the article, is there?” Betty asked, as Lucy printed out the article. “ No, except how it allegedly happened. One of these issues should have my mom’s obituary,” Lucy said, scrolling through the same issue. “Here it is,” Betty said pointing it out. “ Okay, let’s see what this has to say,” Lucy said, skimming through it. “Harris, Rosalinda [Downing], age 25, died Thursday, October 18, as a result of an automobile accident. Preceded in death by father, Harold. Mrs. Harris is survived by her husband, the Reverend Peter Harris, children Lucy, James, and Dorothy, mother Esther (Minneapolis), and mother and father- in-law Sonja and Richard Harris (San Diego, California), many nieces and nephews. Mrs. Harris was a devoted wife, as well as a lioving and caring mother. She enjoyed many activities at the church, including the Caring Hands sewing group, as well as singing in the choir. She will be deeply missed by family and friends. Funeral services will be held at the Pearl River Evangelical Free Church tomorrow, October 22, at 11:00 a.m. Visitation held one hour before the service, with a luncheon at the church, immediately following the burial at the cemetery.’” After printing that out, they kept scrolling down to see if there were more. Betty noticed, while scrolling down, that there were dates missing. Needing to take a break anyway, sheLucy walked up to the help desk to ask about the missing dates. “Oh, I’m sorry, I thought you knew. Back then they only published the newspaper once a week.” “That would explain it. We thought our eyes were playing tricks on us!” Lucy went back to the machine next to where Betty was, and sat down to scroll through some more. She told Betty about what the skipping of dates meant. While scrolling through, Lucy found another article dated October 28. Another front- page one. “Front page, huh?” Betty said, leaning over her machine to see what Lucy had found. “That’s two so far, this accident was a popular source of news, wasn’t it?” “Um hmm. So what does it say?” “The headline reads ‘Funeral Services Held Ffor Local Woman, Rosalinda Harris.’” Lucy skimmed the article before reading it out loud. “Okay, it says, ‘With nearly all the population of Pearl River in attendance, funeral services were held Monday, October 22, at the Pearl River Evangelical Free Church for Mrs. Rosalinda Harris, who died tragically in a single car motor vehicle accident last Thursday. Reports indicate that there were so many people in attendance that the service was moved outdoors. In other related news, Mrs. Esther Downing, Rosalinda’s mother, has taken an indefinite leave of absence from her position as one of the partners of the Blegin, Downing & Evans law firm in Minneapolis. Her plans at this point are to help care for her three grandchildren, Lucy, age 4, James, age 2, and Dorothy, age 6 months, while her son-in-law, Reverend Peter Harris, takes a sabbatical for some much needed rest and regrouping after the devastating loss of his wife.’” Meanwhile, while Lucy was printing off that article regarding the funeral, Betty found another article on her machine. “Lucy, I think we have another one here.” “Really? What’s the date?” “November. November 14.” “What does it say?” Betty skimmed a portion of the article, and before she began to read it out loud, a few of the words popped out at her. “Poison?” “What? Poison?” “ Yeah, it says, ‘Toxicology Reports In— – Local Woman’s Cause of Death Confirmed.’” “Toxicology report? Why would they run one of those?” “I don’t know. It goes on to say, ‘Toxicology reports were released last Wednesday, a few weeks after local resident Rosalinda Harris’s fatal motor vehicle accident. Mr. Peabody, Pearl River’s local medical examiner, was quoted as saying that ‘“toxicology reports were run to rule out any illness that Mrs. Harris might have had that would have caused her to lose control of the car.’” The report noted that there were “‘significant”’ traces of arsenic that was in Mrs. Harris’s bloodstream at the time of her death. Peabody also stated that this type of poisoning at this level could cause one to be ill enough to induce many symptoms such as cramping, which could have led Mrs. Harris to lose control of the car.’ Wow! Who in their right mind would want to poison your mother? And to say that the ‘cramping’ might have been the cause of the accident?” “Oh, great,” Lucy sighed. “Now I’ve got a double mystery to figure out. Not only why did this happen, but who?” “That,” Betty said., “Aand maybe actually going to locate people who might remember what really happened.” “I think I need to make another trip to visit gGrandma, sooner than I planned.” “You’re thinking the same way I am.” “Maybe we should go this afternoon. Let’s look some more though before going over there. We might be able to come up with more questions for them, depending on what we find,” Lucy responded as she continued to scroll down to different dates in the newspaper. Taking out one roll and replacing with the next, she didn’t have to go far into it before finding another headline article. “Find another one?” “Yes, and I think this is a good one,” Lucy said, reading the headline. “It says ‘Witness Questioned Iin Local Woman’s Death.’” “That does sound like a good one. Keep reading.” “Okay,. ‘Leroy Kraemer, a local farmhand, who most recently worked for the Reverend Peter Harris and his family, was questioned at length this past Friday for his possible role in the automobile accident which claimed the life of Reverend Harris’s wife, Rosalinda Harris, on Thursday, October 18. Not much is known about Mr. Kraemer. Rumor has it that he arrived in Pearl River last year looking for work. Friends and neighbors of the Harris family state that while employed with the Harris family, Mr. Kraemer kept a low profile and tended to stay close to the farm, helping out where needed. He also worked as needed at the church where the Reverend Harris was employed. “‘At the time of the automobile accident, it was reported that both vehicles involved swerved to avoid hitting something in the road. Mr. Kraemer stated that his car went into an open ditch area while Mrs. Harris’s car veered off in the opposite direction, crashing head on into a tree. “‘When questioned right after the accident, Mr. Kraemer appeared rather nervous and fidgety. When asked more recently about the accident, he appeared to give more wishy-washy answers. It was also noted that upon inspection of the roadway area where the accident occurred, there appeared to be nothing that would have caused either vehicle to swerve. Although not an official suspect, and not officially charged, Mr. Kraemer remains a strong person of interest. “‘As more details about this tragic accident and loss to the community come in, we will keep you, the reader, informed.’” “Very interesting article,” Betty said. “It mentioned that farmhand again. For as little as we know about him, his name does seem to pop up all over.” “ After all, this was the biggest news to hit this small town for its time,” Lucy said, finishing scrolling through the roll of film before removing it. “Let’s keep looking, at least through this last roll we have,” Betty said, loading it into the machine. “That way we’ll be finished with 1962.” “ Okay,” Lucy said, starting through the roll. “Well, here you go. December 30. Surprise, surprise, another front -page article. It says, ‘Investigation Closed Iin Local Woman’s Death. Pearl River sSheriff, George Montgomery, reports that on December 21, 1962, the investigation into the death of Pearl River’s resident Rosalinda Harris, was officially closed, pending any further evidence or leads. He stated that “‘the investigation into Mrs. Harris’s death has produced no new leads, and appears to be inconclusive.”’ He also stated that “‘the main suspects, Peter Harris, Rosalinda’s husband, as well as the one and only witness, Leroy Kraemer, the family’s farmhand, have been at this point cleared of any wrongdoing.’” The final report did say, however, that the official cause of death will still be ruled a homicide, due to the suspicious nature of the brake lines appearing to be severed as well as the chemical compound of arsenic in Mrs. Harris’s bloodstream at the time of the accident.’” “So that’s it, huh?” “I guess that’s all the furthestr we need to go in the newspapers, at least for right now,” Lucy responded, removing the microfilm roll. “Now at least we can go back to visit gGrandma and the gang and ask them some more questions.” “Maybe some of these articles will jog their memories.” Lucy and Betty grabbed a quick bite to eat before heading over to the assisted living facility. “Well, well, what brings you two sleuths back?” Esther said, smiling. “Oh, gGrandma. You should know. More questions! And maybe some theories on a few things no one has thought about recently. Betty and I found some interesting newspaper articles about the different events surrounding the accident.” “Sounds like you two will get to the bottom of this mystery yet,” Esther said, laughing. “I am totally committed to this project now. I’ve got to find out the truth about what happened. I know it won’t bring her back, but for the sake of all of us, I’ve got to find out these answers and put closure to it.” “Well, if anyone’s going to get to the bottom of this, I know you two will.” “I sure hope so.” Lucy and Betty chatted with Lucy’s grandma and Betty’s mother, reading them the articles they found. They told them to just let it sink in a little bit, to see if they could remember anything more. Esther and the rest of them said they would think about it and let Lucy and Betty know if they came up with any more information for them. Chapter Ten

Lucy woke up earlier than usual the next day. Not wanting to wake Betty, she made coffee and sat at the kitchen table, making a list of places to go that day and people to stop and see. After waking up to the smell of fresh coffee, Betty joined her. “Good morning, Betty. I’m sorry, did I wake you?” “Heavens, no! I needed to get up anyways for work, and while I was getting ready, I smelled the coffee! So you’re making a list, I see?” Betty said, pouring herself a cup of coffee. “Yeah, I confess I’m a list maker. It’s my way of getting organized, I guess. That way, I figured, hopefully I won’t forget anything I needed to do!” “Hey, whatever works. Where are you thinking about going to today?” “I’m not really sure. I think we’ve exhausted the newspaper research, at least for right now. I was thinking maybe the county recorder’s office? See if they might have information for any land records back then. Grandma did say she sold the farm to Leroy at one point. Who knows, I might find out more of a timeline on the ownership of the farm.” “Sounds a lot different than reading autopsy reports and newspaper articles, I’ll say that much,” Betty said, gathering her things for work. “I know, right? It kind of puts my brain into the other direction!” “Stop by later if you get a chance, and let me know what you find out.” “Sure, I will. Have a good morning.” “You as well. Bye.” “Bye.” After thinking more about it, Lucy decided to drive by the old farm site before going to the recorder’s office. Following the directions that Betty had once given her, Lucy still couldn’t find the house or any of the other buildings. There was a farmhouse close to the site, but she wanted to make sure without just going up to a house and asking complete strangers about their property. Turning back toward town, she thought maybe the recorder’s office could give her more detailed property information. “May I help you?” Tthe clerk asked when Lucy arrived. “Yes,” Lucy responded. “I’m hoping I have the right office. I’m looking for some old land records, plat maps, whatever I can find of the farms surrounding the town.” “You’ve come to the right place. How far back do you want to check?” “I don’t really have an exact year, just a range. Sometime between the late 50fifties, up until around, say, the mid-1960s.” “Not a problem. I can take you back where we store them.” “Great.” “Do you happen to have a legal description?” “No, unfortunately, I do not.” “That’s okay. We have everything now on line, so it’s really easy for us to look them up. What name or names would be listed for the property?” “Well, back then in the late fiftie50s, it would have been Peter and Rosalinda Harris. Not sure itf there was anyone else listed or not. Maybe just the two of them.” “Typically back then, it just listed under the husband’s name. But I’ll try a couple of different ways,” the clerk said, starting the search. “Here it is. That’s wasn’t too hard to find after all.” “Could I get a copy of the details of the property? I’m trying to locate the old farmstead. I drove by there this morning, but I couldn’t really find it. I’m not even sure if any of the buildings still exist or not.” “Well, let’s see what we can come up with here,” the clerk said, checking further in the file where the documents were. “Not much here, unfortunately. There does appear to be a map orf sorts. Do you want a copy of that?” Lucy took the copy of the old plat map and stopped by the local coffee shop to plan the next move. She noticed while reading the document that the property was in both her parents’ names. This might be a problem, she thought. Her mother was dead, and her father had disappeared. So what ever happened with the transfer of the property? Who legally owned it after that? Her grandma must have been able to take possession of it. But then she sold it to Leroy Kraemer. And what happened to it after he left town? Did it turn into abandoned property? And who owns it now? These were questions Lucy had to find out the answers to. The logical choice she thought on where to start would be to ask her grandma. Hopefully, she would remember some of the details when the farm was sold. Packing up her papers, Lucy stopped to see her grandma. “Hey, gGrandma,” Lucy said, walking in. “Hello, Lucy, what a surprise, what brings you back so soon?” “I’ve found some more things out that I have questions to.” “You don’t say,” Esther said, laughing. “I’m just kidding, child. What else do you want to know? Fire away.” “This morning, I took a drive out where the farm was. Betty gave me some directions, but I just couldn’t find it. So I went to the recorder’s office and looked at some documents, and they gave me a plat map of the area from back then. I’m here to see if you’d be interested in a little road trip, to help me figure out where maybe everything was on the farm. The house, the barn, and those types of things.” “A field trip, huh? That sounds like fun. I haven’t had a chance to go out much lately. When were you thinking about going?” “Anytime you’re up to it.” “Well, we could go this afternoon. I’ve had lunch and my meds. How does that sound?” “Okay, I’ve got the car out front, so we could go now.” Lucy let the front desk know while her grandma got ready to go. Once they left and got out of town a bit and drove by the church where Lucy’s father pastuored at, they pulled over to the side of the road, getting out of the car to look around the area and to check the map. “Let’s take a look at this map more closely,” Lucy said, pulling the map out, laying it on the hood of the car. “Okay, there’s the church over there. On the map, it looks like it would be on the northwest side, correct?” “Looks like it, yes,” Esther said, holding up the map in a brighter light. “So we need to keep going in the direction we’re going.” “Are you sure?” “Positive. I’ve haven’t been in this area for quite some time, but the area is coming back to me, yes. I believe the bridge over the river should be coming up a few more miles from here.” “That would be the Pearl River, correct?” “Correct.” Lucy and her grandma got back into the car and started driving further down the road. “Okay, here comes the bridge,” Lucy said, slowing down a bit. “There’s the river.” “All right,” Esther said. “After you cross it, pull over and let’s get back out.” “Okay.” When they came to the relatively short, narrow bridge and crossed over it, Lucy noticed her grandma looking off to the right side of the road, appearing very fidgety. “Stop over here, won’t you?” Esther said, pointing off to the right. “Are you okay, gGrandma?” “Yes, I just want you to get out and look around here.” “Okay.” Lucy pulled over to the side of the road, and Esther got out and looked around. Lucy helped her walk down the embankment over to a small grove of trees about 100 feet away. “This is it.,” Esther said, pointing to the trees. “What?” “Oh my,” Esther said, taking a deep breath. “This is where it happened.” “What happened?” “The accident.” “Are you sure?” “Honey, I was there, remember? Been there, done that, got the tT-shirt, so you young people say. Seriously, it’s something you would never forget if you experienced it. I close my eyes and I can still see it, smell it, and hear the sounds. Everything. It’s all still so real after all these years.” “ I can’t imagine remembering something so devastating as that, not after all these years.” “Oh, Lucy, it was terrible. I’ll never forget it as long as I live. So much of everything about that day, right down to the reactions of your dad. Even that farmlhand, Leroy,” Esther said, looking around at the area. Although Lucy really couldn’t grasp what her grandma was imagining, she tried herself to remember what happened during that time. “Okay,” Esther said, taking another deep breath, turning towards the car. “Let’s get out of here. I believe we have a farm to find.” “I’m ready if you are,” Lucy said, helping her grandma back into the car. Lucy set the odometer at zero and started to drive. According to the map, the farm buildings should have been approximately a mile east from twhere the bridge was. While driving, she caught a glimpse of something,; she wasn’t sure what though. It looked like cement blocks, like the remains of a building foundation. She slowed down, pulled over, and stopped the car at the side of the road. “Grandma, look through these binoculars and tell me if you see anything.” “Okay, I’ll try,” Esther said, picking up the binoculars and looking through them. “What am I looking for?” “See if you see anything unusual in the field over there,” Lucy said, pointing to the left of the car. “I do see something. It looks like cement blocks? Is that what you saw too?” “Yes, I did. HThere were how many buildings were at the farm, do you remember?” “ Well, let’s see. There was the house, of course. And the barn, the chicken coop, a utility shed, and an old silo.” “And when you sold the farm, were all the buildings still there?” “After I made the decision to move back to the city, I rented it out. But after that, when I did sell it, yes, all those buildings were still there.” “Do you remember who you sold it to?” “Sure. I first rented it out to that farmhand of your parents, Leroy, what’s his last name again?” “Kraemer.” “Yes, Kraemer. And then after a couple of years, when it came time to sell it, by that time, it was Leroy and his wife, Lydia. I believe that is her name. Yes, that’s it.” “I wonder what happened to all the buildings?.” “I don’t know. After I sold it, I didn’t really have a whole lot of contact with people here in town, nothing real significant. Not until I decided to retire and move back to Pearl River. Then I guess there wasn’t any reason I’d come out to this end of town. I still didn’t really know anyone in this area, so I never thought about it much.” “Okay, well, I guess I should maybe check more of the land records for possibly some information, maybe after you sold it. I can start with that and work through the records forward,” Lucy said, looking at her watch. “And I had better get you back;. dDidn’t you say you had a hair appointment this afternoon?” “Yes, I wouldn’t want to be late for that.” When they got back to town, and after dropping her grandma off, Lucy went to the county courthouse and checked the tax records. “Here it is,” the clerk said. “It looks like after Esther Downing owned it, a Leroy and Lydia Kraemer were the next owners.” “Yes, Esther is my grandma. She did mention that she sold it to the Kraemers. What happened to the property after the Kraemers owned it?” “Hmm, it looks like no onething for a while. It says here the property was abandoned, and then later, it reverted back to the county.” “What year?” “Around 1980. Looks like it was sold in early 1968 from Ms. Downing to the Kraemers. They had it from 1968 to about 1977. After thaten it looks as though their names drop off our records. The records indicate unpaid taxes for the next five years, and then it reverted back to the county in 1982. Then it was purchased in 1983 by a Eugene and Mary Jo Fleming, the current owners.” “So prior to my grandma owning it, how is it listed for the owners?” “It looks like Peter and Rosalinda Harris owned it.” “That’s my parents. Hmm, so both names are listed there.” “Yes, they are. There’s a record in here for a Power of Attorney coming from Esther Downing to the county to change the records for the land to be put in her name.” “Ah, so that’s how she did it. Makes sense. You see my mother died in 1962 and shortly thereafter my father left, so I guess someone had to take new ownership of the property. My grandma said that she rented it for a while and sold it to the Kraemers.” “It was sometime in 1977 or 1978, it looks like they must have just abandoned it. Or at least stopped paying property taxes on it. There are some documents that were recorded in here about a Notice of Mortgage Foreclosure Sale, a couple of affidavits. One was an Affidavit of Service on Occupant, and one was an Affidavit of Vacancy. Then there is a Sheriff’s Certificate and Affidavit. These are all dated around the time the property reverted back to the county.” “Why would someone just abandon a farm like that? Unless maybe they were possibly were having financial difficulties?” “I don’t know. I haven’t been in the area all that long to remember it. I wonder if they would have had something like that in the newspaper?. Small town gossip, you know, could have led to an article about it.” “ Don’t remind me!” Lucy said, packing up her papers. “Thanks for your help,. I appreciate it.” “Oh, anytime.” Lucy decided he needed to go back to the historical society to look up possible new articles. “Back again,.” chuckled tThe clerk chuckled. “Yeah, I keep running into new developments, and I need to substantiate them by seeing if there’s are matching articles to go along with it.” “Well, I trust you remember where to find everything?” “Oh yeah, thanks!” Lucy started looking in the newspapers around the time the property was abandoned. She thought maybe if she searched backwards in time, it might lead to perhaps some clues as to what might have happened. After searching for a few months’ worth of papers, she found at least one article she was possibly looking for. ‘“Former Local Pastor’s Farm Abandoned Aand Sold Bby County.’” She continued reading,. “‘A farm on the north edge of town, bordering the Pearl River, that was once owned by former Ppastor Peter Harris and his wife, Rosalinda, was sold today after being abandoned for close to five years. Sole owner, Leroy Kraemer, shortly after he apparently left town and abandoned the property in early 1978, was acting ‘very odd and mysterious,’ reported people who knew of him. In 1982, after the back taxes had not yet been paid on the property, the land and buildings reverted back to the county. At a recent sSheriff’s foreclosure sale earlier this month, the property was sold to the highest bidders. The new owners are Eugene and Mary Jo Fleming, who are due to move in within the next few weeks.’” Sole owner of the property? Wait a minute;. I thought this Leroy fellow was married? So what happened to his wife? Divorce? Death? Okay, more digging. Let’s keep going backwards, Lucy thought to herself, as she started scrolling backwards in the microfilm, hoping to find an explanation about the suddenly single Mr. Kraemer. Going back faurther, Lucy finally found out a possible explanation. “‘Local Woman Dies Iin Car Crash.” Oh no, she thought, here we go again? This time, it was a familiar name she had already read about. “‘Lydia Kraemer, wife of Leroy Kraemer, was killed instantly, Tuesday, when her car skidded off the road on the southeast side of the Pearl River bBridge, where it hit a tree head on. Kraemer, age 43 at the time of her death, had moved to the area shortly before her marriage to Leroy in late 1963. This is the second tragedy that has besieged the Pearl River farming community in the last several years. In October 1962, former local Ppastor Peter Harris’s wife, Rosalinda, lost her life in a similar accident coincidentally near the spot where Mrs. Kraemer lost her life. Preliminary investigations on the accident are pending, however, with the emphasis focusing on mechanical problems with the car that might have led Mrs. Kraemer to lose control of the car.”’ “Did you find something interesting?” Tthe clerk askeaid, walking by. “Yes, I did. This is getting stranger and stranger by the moment. Seems like each time I read an article, they’re all connecting together in some way. It seems like they’re all stemming from this Leroy Kraemer.” “You know, I think I remember my parents talking about him when I was growing up.” “Oh yeah? What did they say about him?” “Not too much. Kind of odd. Not bad or anything, just odd.” “Well, all I know is that his name keeps popping up here and there throughout a longt of things I’ve seen lately. No rhyme or reason to it.” “And then there’s the part about your mom’s and Leroy’s wife’s separate car accidents.” “I know. Do you think there’s some kind of connection there? Nah, there can’t be, can it?” “There has to be something connecting the two incidents. I just don’t know. I’ll have to think about it more. It just seems too coincidental, that’s all.” “I think my brain is getting overloaded. I believe I really need to stop and call it a day!” Lucy said, laughing, packing up all her documents. “I’ll come back tomorrow when I’ve unscrambled my brain cells!” “Sounds good. I’ll probably see you then. Bye,. hHave a good rest of the day.” “Okay, see ya.” Lucy made it home before Betty, so she started dinner. She decided that she needed a night off of looking at papers. Maybe there would be some mindless shows on television that night so she could just vege out and start fresh the next day. “What a surprise,” Betty said, walking in the door. Lucy was in the kitchen cooking, not in her usual spot at the table surrounded by mounds of papers. “You’re not in your usual spot?” “Let me tell you,” Lucy said, stirring a pot of noodles. “I think I’m up to my eyeballs in papers. You wouldn’t believe what I’ve found out today.” “So where did you end up going?” “Well, I started out by checking out old tax records. Then I went back to the historical society to check on, you guessed, yours and my favorite, more old newspaper articles!” “Oh no, pretty soon they’re just gonna give you a key to the front door!” Betty said, laughing. “Tell me about it. At least this time, I really did find some new, interesting information. First, you know that my parents owned the farm, right?” “Right.” “ Well, apparently, when mMom died and dDad just took off, gGrandma Esther took over the farm.” “I knew she lived there for a while, yes.” “No, really took over, like it was legally hers. I mean in actual papers, deeds. Things like that. Not long after that, after we moved to the city, she rented it out.” “To who?” “You’d never guess it in a million years. It was Leroy, Leroy Kraemer.” “Hmm, small world.” “Small indeed. And it gets better. Leroy at some point in all of this got married. A few years after they rented it out they actually purchased it from gGrandma.” “Sounds reasonable. What’s so strange about all this?” “Apparently, Leroy’s wife, Lydia, died years later, and then Leroy just disappeared.” “Disappeared?” “Poof, gone!” “So how did his wife die?” “Get this. A car accident.” “You’re kidding, right?” “No, I’m not. Car accident. Here we go again.” “Do you think he might have collected some money from her death and just disappeared for that reason?” “That doesn’t add up though. If he did get any money out of it, say from a life insurance policy, why wouldn’t he pay off the farm? Why did he just abandon it?” “Mental breakdown of some sorts?” “Don’t know. All I know is that the property eventually reverted back to the county, and the county then sold it to the Flemings, who still own it now.” “Oh, I know Mary Jo and Eugene. So that’s where the farm is located.” “Well, yes and no. It’s the same land, but I don’t think it’s the same house.” “What?” “Apparently, there the actual house and other buildings were located somewhere else on the property.” The original ones were taken down.” “All of them?” “All of them.” “How did you find that out?” “When my grandma and I were out and about today, we took a little field trip of sorts. When we drove by what I thought was the property, we noticed what looked like cement blocks, maybe a foundation from some sort of a building a ways away from where there is a house.” “Holy mackerel. Not only is this getting more complicated on paper, now you’ve got real buildings to deal with!” “Hey, you have a day off tomorrow, don’t you? Got any plans?” “Yes, I’m off. I don’t have anywhere I need to be, why, what do you have in mind?” “We should see if the Flemings are around. Maybe we can drop in on them and chat about their farm?” “Okay, let’s plan on that then. I’ll give them a call to see if they’re going to be around.” “Okay.” Chapter Eleven

The next day, Betty called the Flemings to see if they’d be home and if they were okay if she and Lucy stopped by for a visit. “Mary Jo?” “Oh, hi, Betty, how are you?” “Can’t complain. Say, I was wondering if you or Eugene would be home this morning. I’d like to bring my cousin Lucy by your place to chat.” “Sure, I’ll be around for sure later on this morning, come on over.” “Okay, we’ll be over, say, about eleven11:00 or so?” “Sure. I’ll put a coffee on. Bye.” “Bye.” Lucy and Betty thought as long as they had time before going to the Flemings, they could make another stop at the historical society and check out more newspapers. “So what are we looking for now?” Betty asked, loading one of the machines. “Well, the last article I found was about Leroy’s wife, Lydia, about how she died in that car accident. I’m hoping there are some follow-up articles. Maybe that or even when he abandoned the farm.” “Okay. We’ll focus on that then.” Scrolling through the one of the reels of microfilm at the machine next to Betty’s, Lucy finally came upon something possibly of interest. “See, I knew that there would be something here,” Lucy said, looking at the article. “It has to do with the farm.” “What does it say?” Betty said, looking up from the machine she was on. “Another front- page headliner. It says ‘Former Pastor’s Farm Buildings Burn, Arson Suspected.’” “Arson?” “That’s what the headline says. ‘What was thought to be only a minor fire in the fields outside of town last Tuesday morning when a passerby reported it to local authorities, turned out to be one of the biggest fires to date for Pearl River. When the trucks from five surrounding communities came to help fight the fire, all four buildings were totally engulfed in flames, as well as several acres surrounding them. The firste was first thought to have started due to dry conditions and late fall thunderstorms with frequent lightning strikes that happened over the night before. However, suspicious chemical residues were collected at the scene. These residues were analyzed and determined by the Pearl River Fire Marshall that this fire was the result of an arsonist. When the current owners, Eugene and Mary Jo Fleming, arrived in town later last week, they were questioned about the blaze, but were cleared of any wrongdoing. They did report, however, for several days prior to the fire, and before they left for vacation, there had been a suspicious red pickup truck traveling by the farm quiete frequently. “‘Fortunately for the Flemings, they had not yet moved any of their possessions or livestock into any of the buildings. The Sheriff’s Department here in Pearl River responded to the allegations of arson by stating that there was an ongoing search for any information regarding the blaze. They are requesting the public’s help in this matter. If you have any knowledge of this crime, please contact the Pearl River Sheriff’s Department.’” “ Okay, so that answers the questions about the building shapes that you and your grandma saw in the field of the farm that one day.” “Still doesn’t answer the question though of who might have done it and why was the farm abandoned in the first place.” “Let’s hope the Flemings can offer some explanation.” Before Lucy and Betty arrived at the farm, they slowed down as they went down the road. After going by part of the farm, before turning in the driveway, Lucy told Betty to pull over.” “What do you want to check out?” “I need to see if I can tell where those buildings were again.” “How are you going to tell?” “When gGrandma and I were talking about it, the layout of the farm where the buildings once were, she mentioned something about a crushed rock driveway. I think I found something. Down there,” she said, looking through the binoculars, pointing off to the left of where they had stopped the car. “You’ve got some keen eye there, girl. How can you tell?” “Look closely at the road. You see where the asphalt stops and the dirt and the gravel start?” Lucy asaiked, walking over to the spot. “I do, now that you mention it.” “Also, do you notice the ditches?” “Yeah.” “Where the driveway must have been is where this ditch stops on both sides.” “Great detective work, Lucy!” “Okay, so in relationship to the new house and other buildings, it’s about, what would you say, maybe a quarter of a mile or so?” “Maybe. The farm has quite a bit of acreage. But how do you know this is the main driveway? It’s so overgrown now.” “I don’t know for sure, but it’s highly suspicious. We could check on the land map I received from the recorder’s office. That might show something. I’ll dig it out when we get to the Flemings,” Lucy said, getting back into the car. “ They might be able to give us some insight too,” Betty said, getting into the car, driving toward the Flemings. Hearing the car pull into the driveway, Mary Jo Fleming came out to greet them, as Lucy and Betty got out of the car. “Hi, Betty. This must be Lucy?” “Yes, hello, nice to meet you.” “Come on in.” When Lucy stepped into the kitchen, she stopped dead in her tracks. “What’s wrong, Lucy?” Betty asked, coming in behind Lucy. “Oh, nothing,” Lucy said, looking around. “It’s just this room.” “One of those déjà vu feelings?” “Um hmm. Like I’ve been here before. But that’s crazy, this house is new.” “Please, come on in and take a seat at the table. Looks like you brought a lot of papers with you,” Mary Jo said, showing them to the kitchen table. “Yes, we have a lot of questions,” Lucy said, setting her papers on the table. “Well, I’ll do my best to help answer them. Where do you want to start?” “I hadn’t thought of it before, but I suppose I could start with this particular room. I mean, like I said, I’ve never been here, but it feels so familiar, you know?” “I think I might have an answer for that one.” “You do?” “Yep. Pictures.” “Pictures?” “Pictures. Whoever lived in the house previous to us had taken some pictures of each room, the house, and all of the outbuildings.” “How did you get ahold of them?” “It was after the fire. We came back from vacation, knowing we were going to move our things in then, and discovered the fire had taken place. When we first bought the farm, I really loved the way house looked, the feel of it. So, I contacted the real estate company who handled the sale, and had copies made of the pictures. That way, we could duplicate it as closely as possible.” “So did you ever find the owners of the boxes?” “ No, never did. I believe they’re still up in the attic. I have a tendency not to throw much away. Especially once it gets up in the attic!” “I’m right there with you,” Lucy replied, laughing. Mary Jo went to the attic, and sure enough, the boxes were still there, tucked in one of corners under the eaves. While Mary Jo, Betty, and Lucy were laying out pictures, panoramic style, Eugene, Mary Jo’s husband, came into the kitchen. “Hello.” “Honey, this is Lucy. Lucy Campbell. Her family used to own the farm here, way back. And you know Betty. She’s Lucy’s cousin.” “Hi, nice to meet you. So do you remember a lot about the farm here?” “Nice to meet you too. No, unfortunately, I don’t. My family moved from here when I was very young. I don’t remember a whole lot.” “Hey, remember those two boxes we found in the attic when we first bought the farm, before the fire?” “Yeah, I think so, why? Did we keep them?” “Oh please, Eugene, think about who you’re saying that too!” “Okay, okay, so what about them?” Eugene said, laughing. “Turns out, they belong to Lucy’s family. Whoo hoo! I finally found owners for them!” “Well, there you go, Lucy. Maybe some of that stuff in the boxes will spark a memory or two.” “I sure hope so. It’s hard to recreate something about your past when you were there but you can’t remember it!” “So what are all the pictures here for?” “We’re trying to recreate as best we can what the farm looked like, before the fire.” “I’m just trying to figure out too why someone would want to torch all the buildings. I know my grandma said that after we left she rented the farm out, and then sold it to Leroy and Lydia Kraemer. They lived there until I guess Lydia was killed in a car accident. Apparently, after that, Leroy abandoned the farm at some point and skipped town.” “So when did your family own it? You said your grandma rented it out and then sold it to the Kraemers?” Mary Jo asked. “Sorry, I know it gets confusing. Let me back up a little. You see my parents had it in the late fiftie50s, early sixtie60s. My mother died in a car accident in October of 1962. Apparently, my dad was so overwrought with guilt or sorrow or something, that he just left town. So my grandma had the farm switched to her name, we moved, and she ended up raising my siblings and me.” “I am so sorry to hear all that, Lucy. I guess I really didn’t know the whole story.” “You know, that is kind of strange, the more you think about it.,” Eugene said. “What?” “Lucy’s mom died in a car accident, and then so did Leroy’s wife. Have you checked into that angle, Lucy?” “ I’ve thought about it, but I suppose not enough to really dig into it. There are, of course, always more old newspapers to look at!” Lucy responded, laughing. “I told her they were going to give her the key to that room at the historical society!” Betty said, laughing. “I’m beginning to think I need one! You know though, Leroy did work for my parents and then helped my grandma out. Hmm, do you think there might be some weird connection?” “Don’t know. Maybe, maybe not.,” Mary Jo responded. “Say, besides looking just at these pictures, if you have time, do you want to take a live tour around the farm?” Eugene asked. “That sounds like a great idea,” both Lucy and Betty chimed in. “Okay, let’s hop in the truck and start out.” They first stop they made was near where the old farmhouse and outbuildings had been. So much of the land was overgrown, making it difficult at first to see much. Without the wind would blowing just the right way, they could barely make the foundation blocks out. From there, they travelled down a narrow dirt road that surrounded the perimeter of the land. Lucy brought some of her pictures to see if she could connect with anything remotely familiar. They were on the west side, near the Pearl River, when they came to a clump of large, mature, oak trees when Betty noticed something that resembled a shack of sorts. “What’s that building over there?” Betty asked, pointing towards the shack. “That’s where a man named Larry lives.” “What do you mean lives there?” Lucy asked. “This is still part of the property, isn’t it?” “Technically, yes. From what we’ve heard, Larry’s always lived there off and on. He’s what you would call a drifter.” “He did ask if he could camp out down here once in a while, so we said sure,” Mary Jo said. “Kinda felt sorry for him in a way. It’s a part of the land that we can’t do much with anyway.” “And he’s been here ever since?” “Yeah, like I said, off and on. We see him occasionally. He does odd jobs for people. Usually enough to just get by, I guess. Doesn’t bother anybody or cause any trouble.” “Do you know anything more about him?” Lucy asked, curious about this drifter. “Like what, any family or anything?” Mary Jo responded. “Yeah.” “ Not much,. jJust what other people have mentioned. Pretty much keeps to himself. People who have talked to him in the past have said that they thought he was married at one time. No kids though. His wife had died.” “From what, I wonder?.” “Don’t know.” “ Looking around here, there seems to be an awful lot of trees.,” Lucy said, looking around. “ There sure is. You can’t even really see Larry’s place from the main road.,” Betty mentioned. “I guess I’ve never noticed the trees in this part of the land up close like here before,” Eugene said. “I just saw them and determined that the land was good for farming.” “Do you mind if we stop here and take a closer look at them?” Lucy asked. “I’ve got some pictures here of some trees. Maybe I can try to match some of them up.” “Good idea,” Eugene said, coming to a stop in the road. “ I know they’ve been here around a long time. They were pretty big even when we moved in,” Mary Jo said. After getting out of the truck, Lucy dug pictures of the trees out of her bag and started looking more closely at the trees, comparing the pictures to the trees on the land now. “See something familiar?” Betty asked. “Look at these pictures compared to that small clump over there,” Lucy said, pointing to a small clump of trees across the main road. “Other than maybe the height, they look similar, yes.” “First of all, why would I have pictures of trees? And second of all, whaty do I have a picture of this one single tree?” Lucy asked, examining the picture more closely, holding it up trying to find a similarity between the two. “It does seem odd,” Betty said, following Lucy. “Did you find some sort of connection?” Mary Jo asked as she and Eugene walked over towards Lucy and Betty. “I think so, but I’m not sure. I’m going to go closer to see if the theory I have about them is right.,” Lucy said. “Anyone want to come along?” “Sure,” Betty said. “We’re in too.,” Mary Jo and Eugene said, following Lucy. As they crossed the main road, and came closer to the clump of trees, Lucy walked over to a particular tree, the one that matched almost identically to the one in the picture. “ I know,” Lucy said, walking up to the tree, touching it. “This is the one that my mother’s car hit when she had the accident.” “How can you be sure?” Betty asaiked. “As sure as I’m standing here.” “It doesn’t look too much different than the picture,” Mary Jo said, looking at Lucy’s picture. “I know. When I touched the trunk of the tree, I got this really weird feeling,” Lucy said, touching the trunk again. “If I close my eyes, it’s as if I can imagine what the accident must have been like.” “But remember, you weren’t there?,” Betty reminded her. “I know.” “Do you have anything else to go by? How about any kind of reports with maybe some sketches of the area?” Eugene asked. “ Yes, I do have them. I do recall that they did have some sketches of some sort in there,” Lucy said, walking away from the tree. “I’ll have to look them over more carefully. Okay, enough about trees,. lLet’s get going. I would like to find out more about this Larry fellow and his place.” Traveling a little fuarther down the dirt road, they came closer to the place where Betty first spotted the shack. Nestled near the edge of the woods, it actually looked like a nice quiet place to spend time in. Such an odd, yet peaceful place, Lucy thought to herself. Eugene pulled off to the side of the road and got out. He called out, but no one seemed to be around. Everyone else got out of the truck to look around too. On the south side of the building, Lucy noticed two good -sized gardens. One was a vegetable garden, appearing to have some tomato plants, cucumbers, carrots, and radishes. The other garden was all flowers;: roses, tulips, gardenias, petunias, and wild daisies. “It looks as if Larry has quite a green thumb,” Lucy said, noticing the different variety in each garden. “Apparently so,” Betty said, standing next to Lucy. “He doesn’t seem to be around here at all,” Eugene said, coming over to the gardens. “Should we keep going?” “Sure.,” Lucy responded. Just as they were about to leave, an old, beat -up -looking pickup truck came down the road and stopped near the shack. It was Larry. “Hello, Larry.,” Mary Jo said. “Ah, hello,” Larry said hesitantly. “Can I help you with something? Do you need me to fix something for you?” “No, that’s okay, not today. We were taking our friends here, Lucy and Betty, around the outside of the farm on a little tour. They were just admiring your gardens.” “Oh, why, thank you,” Larry said, rather embarrassed. “Don’t be modest, Mmister., ah, Mmister.,” Lucy said. “Mr. Thompson. But you can just call me Larry.” “All right, Larry. Don’t be modest about your gardening skills. I wish I had some of that talent!” “Larry, Lucy and her family used to live here on this farm a long time ago. You’ve been around here for some time;, do you remember the Harris family?” Mary Jo asked. Growing quite nervous, Larry mumbled something and started going towards inside the shack. “Sorry, the name doesn’t ring a bell with me,” Larry responded. “ That’s okay. Don’t worry about it. Lucy’s been in town trying to figure out the mysteries on how her mother died in a car accident. Nnot too far from here, over in the clump of trees across the main road.” “Sorry, I don’t know much else about it,” Larry said, trying not to make eye contact with everyone, especially Lucy, as he turned and entered the door to the shack. “That’s okay. I’m sure I’ll get to the bottom of this eventually,” Lucy responded. Mary Jo looked at her watch and reminded Eugene of an appointment they had, so they left to finish the tour around the property. “We have to go now, Larry. Maybe we’ll stop by some other time to chat, okay?” “Okay, bye,” Larry said, closing his door. “Bye.” By the time they got back to the Flemings house, it was mid-afternoon. “We really appreciate the time you and Eugene took this afternoon to show us around the place,” Lucy said. “Not a problem,” Mary Jo responded. “You two are welcome back anytime.” “And even if we’re not around, feel free to check things out if you want to,” Eugene said. “Thanks, we appreciate it.” “Now you have the two boxes from the attic?” Mary Jo asked. “ Yes, I do,” replied Lucy as she and Betty got into the car. “I’ll let you know what treasures we find!” “Sounds good,. bBye.” “Bye.” As Lucy and Betty drove back to town, Lucy couldn’t help feeling that there was something more than just what met their eyes back there. “That sure was nice of them to take us on that tour of the farm, wasn’t it?” Lucy asked. “It was indeed. And what a find with those two boxes from the attic. You’ve got some new things to look through rather than old papers!” “That’ll be a treat compared to trying to find any more newspaper articles, at least for now,” Lucy said. “There was only one really odd part of that whole outing though.” “What was that?” Betty asked. “It was when we met Larry.” “Larry? What about him? He seemed okay, didn’t he?” “Oh, he was friendly enough. I don’t know how to explain it. He just let out some odd vibes to me, that’s all.” “Odd vibes? How so?” Betty said, pulling up to the house. “Maybe it was just me, but from the moment he found out my family and I used to live there, didn’t you think it was strange that he tried to avoid eye contact with me?” “I didn’t really notice, I guess,” Betty said, opening the front door for Lucy, who was carrying the boxes in. “Oh, thanks,” Lucy responded, setting the boxes down on the dining room table. “Man, there sure is a lot of stuff in these boxes,” Betty said, as Lucy opened them. “Oh, look. More pictures!” Lucy said, stacking them up in one pile. “Maybe they’re a good thing to start with. They might spark some sort of memories.” “ True. Maybe I should just start separating and organizing things like the papers, pictures, stuff like that. Then after I look at all the pictures, then I can move on to the other things.” After taking some time to separate the different things that were in both boxes, Lucy made a discovery that she questioned. “You know what’s really strange about some of these things?” Lucy asaiked, picking through some of the items. “What?” “All of these things in the boxes, excluding the papers and pictures, seem to be things that a woman would keep,” Lucy said, picking each of them up. “Then there’s this half-empty bottle of perfume. And look, here are some old embroidered hankies.” “Why do you think it’s strange?” “Wouldn’t you think there would be, you know, some guy things in these? Like from my father, somewhere among everything?” “Hmm, maybe. I don’t know the answer to that one. Maybe it was the way someone packed them?” “I think maybe I should take some of this stuff to gGrandma tomorrow. She might know about them.” “Good idea,” Betty said, getting up from the table, heading toward the kitchen. “Now I think, however, it’s time for supper.” “Fine with me,” Lucy said, chuckling, getting up from the table, following Betty into the kitchen. “Like I’ve always said, this stuff has been sitting where it’s been for a long time. It can definitely wait a little while longer for us to find out who it really belonged to!” Chapter Twelve

The next day, after Lucy and Betty had a chance to sort through everything in both boxes;, Lucy decided to take the pictures and other non-paper items to her grandma to look through. She thought maybe her grandma might be able to give her some insight as to who these things belonged to. “Hello, gGrandma,” Lucy said, walking into the community room, setting a box on the floor next to her grandma. “Hi, Lucy,” her grandma said, looking at the box. “Did you bring me a present?” “No, actually, I was hoping you could help me out with something,” Lucy said, opening the box. “I need some help identifying who some of these things belong to.” “Where did it come from?” “From the Flemings.” “Who?” “The Flemings. You know, the ones that bought the farm after the county took it over.” “Oh yes, sorry. I couldn’t remember them at first.” “ When Betty and I were over there yesterday, we were talking about the farm, and that’s when Mary Jo remembered about some boxes that were up in their attic. She said they were there since they moved in.” “Really?” “Yeah.” Lucy and her grandma started looking through the contents of the box, picking up each item, carefully examining them, trying to remember something about it. “You know, Lucy, to be honest with you, I don’t recognize any of these things,” Esther said, putting them back in the box. “I think all of this might have been your mother’s.” “Might be, I don’t know. There was a journal of my mom’s in there,” Lucy said, taking it out of the box. “Oh, how interesting. Can you read some of it to me?” “Are you sure we should?” “Lucy, think about it. What’s your mother going to do? Scold you for it and send you to your room?” “I guess you’re right. It’s been such a long time. Maybe there will be some clues to the mysteries in there.” Lucy sat down next to her grandma, picked up the journal, and started reading. “ Okay, this looks like it starts out on a Friday, FebruaryOctober 2, 1962. ‘It’s Groundhog’s Day today, but I don’t think the groundhog saw his shadow! Does that mean six more weeks of winter? I think so! Oh well, after all it is only February and we are here in Minnesota, so what else should I expect? Went to the doctor today. Everything was okay, a normal checkup. Gaining normal amount of weight for being as far along as I am. Our farmhand, Leroy, took me because Peter is out of town. Mother watched James and Lucy. Good thing too. Being pregnant is hard enough in the wintertime, lesst alone totting two little ones with you. Oh, how I wish Peter wasere here. But he’s off on yet another teaching/training seminar in Florida of all places! I know it’s an important part of his ministry, but it still doesn’t make it any easier. He said before he left that there might only be one or two more times he would have to be gone before the baby was born. Let’s hope so! It’s been really cold and snowy too. The drifts of snow appear to be higher here at the farm, higher against the buildings than usual. Oh no! The kids are screaming, I suppose I should separate them. I might not be able to solve the world’s problems by separating them, but at least for a few moments, it will be quieter in the house! “Talk” to you soon.’ I wonder what James and I were screaming about?,” Lucy said, laughing. “ Oh, probably fighting over some toy or something,” Esther said, laughing. “Read more, okay?” “Okay,” Lucy said, flipping through to another page. “Here we go. Looks like this one was from Monday, February 12, 1962. ‘Hurray! Peter came home today. And he actually took a day off of work. He watched the kids while I went grocery shopping. Sounds mundane and boring, but to me, oh the thought of it, actually being able to shop alone without any of the kids in tow is actually quite a treat. I do love them, but it’s just a great time to get away alone! Didn’t see much of Leroy today. He was kind of moody anyway. I see him a lot more like that when Peter’s here, just going about his business, rarely talks. Keeps to himself, but appears to be a lot different when Peter isn’t around. I know when Peter is gone, he likes Leroy around the farm to keep an eye on things. Maybe it makes him feel like we’re protected, especially living foar out of town. Personally, I think it’s a bunch of hooey, my needing protection and all, but Peter is in charge of the family (ha-ha). Well, the pot roast is nearly done, so I better get the table set before everyone else comes down for dinner. “Talk” to you soon.’ Hmm, that was an interesting one.,” Lucy said, putting the journal down. “What do you mean?” “I don’t know. Nothing in particular. Maybe if I read more I might be able to connect more things together.” “Well then, read on.” “Okay,” Lucy said, picking up the book and flippeding to another page. “‘March 11, 1962, Sunday. A pretty quiet day all around. Went to the doctor the other day (Friday) with Peter for my monthly checkup. Everything is on course. Good thing, it’s a getting a little snug behind the steering wheel! Mother has been coming out off and on as her schedule permits. This time she came out to the farm to spend the weekend with us. Mother had a lot of fun playing with the kids. Talked a little bit with Leroy this morning. Asked if he had any plans for Easter. He said he had a sister in Minneapolis he would like to visit. He asked if he could take the week off. I told him of course it would be okay. Leroy seemed a bit nervous though about being away from the farm that long. I assured him that everyone and everything would be fine. Not to worry. He is such an odd fellow at times, sometimes I can’t figure him out. I just can’t put my finger on it, nothing serious of course, just a gut feeling, that’s all. Oh well, better go. The kids are probably going to be waking up from their nap soon. “Talk” to you later.’ Not too much in there,” Lucy said, flipping through more pages. “Here’s another one. Looks like Easter.” “Easter was always a nice time at your dad’s church,” recalled Esther. “ I sort of remember it?. Probably the Easter egg hunt!” Lucy said, laughing. “Okay, ‘April 8, 1962, Easter Sunday. Weather cleared today, just in time for Easter! I guess spring has sprung. Lucy and James are getting spring fever just as much as I am. It’s good for them to get outdoors more and fill their lungs with clean fresh air. We had our annual Easter egg hunt early this morning too. After church, the kids played outside with Peter and my mother while I took advantage of the situation by taking a nice long nice nap! I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow, my due date! Hopefully, he will have good news. I swear if someone were to poke me with a pin, I’d pop! “Talk” to you later.’” “ I remember that Easter quite well,” Esther said. “Your sister turned out to be a big baby. But then again, all you kids were. Healthy too. Every one of you.” “I sort of remember it, bits and pieces.” “I know how that goes. You know, the older one gets!” Esther said, chiding Lucy. “Yeah, right!” Lucy responded, laughing. “Don’t remind me!” “At my age, you have to try and get them in when you can!” “Very true, gGrandma,” Lucy said, looking at the clock on the wall. “Don’t you have your hair appointment this afternoon?” “Yes, thanks for reminding me. It’s at 11:30. Can’t be late for that!” “Okay. I think I’m going to head home for a while. I’m going to take a rest. I didn’t sleep too well last night,” Lucy said, packing up the box. “Not feeling well?” “No, I think it’s just my seasonal allergies, that’s all.” “It’s pretty humid out there from what I’ve heard.” “Yeah, I’ll talk to you soon, gGrandma. Bye.” “Bye-bye.” Lucy went back to the house to rest but couldn’t sleep. She kept thinking about her mother’s journal and the contents she had read so far. She still felt somewhat guilty reading it, but she knew her grandma was right. After all, what was her mother going to do? Still, it was a little bit eerie. After resting a bit and realizing that sleep was out of the question, Lucy got up and poured herself a tall glass of iced tea. Spending most of the rest of the afternoon reading more of her mother’s journal, Lucy was still trying to put some sort of connection between them. Maybe she was thinking about it too much. After the Easter entry, Lucy went on to read several more. “‘Thursday, April 12, 1962. Our new baby finally came! Dorothy Jean has arrived! Although we didn’t know whether it would be a girl or a boy, I feelt deep down it was going to be a girl. Dorothy, or Dottie, as we’ll probably call her, came early this morning. I’ll be in for a few more days. Mother came last night to be with the others. Peter rearranged his schedule and spent some of his time writing his sermon from home. Although it’s nice and quiet here where I can focus on Dottie, it will be nice to get back home with all the family. ‘“Talk’” to you later.” “Wednesday, May 23, 1962. Did some gardening today. The weather is turning warmer with each passing day. The kids helped out a lot with the gardening. I have a spot for James and Lucy both to tend. Dottie sits in her infant seat or our laps or on a blanket, seeking out bugs and butterflies all the while looking cute! The bugs are coming out more too, especially the ants. Leroy said he noticed them in the kitchen on the windowsill area the other day. He also said there’s some new sort of spray that’s now out at the hardware store in town that he could pick up to help them disappear. I told him to go for it. Whatever works to get rid of those pesky bugs. I don’t mind them outside, but not in the house. Okay, well, it looks as though the kids could certainly use a bath. ‘“Talk’” to you later.” “Wednesday, June 27, 1962. Baby Dottie is growing so much. I think both Lucy and James have gone through a growth spurt as well. They’ve been really good with her. The summer days are long and hot. The garden is coming along very nicely. Leroy has been a big help in that area too. There hasn’t been too many invalid or hospital visits of late, so Peter has been able to spend more of his days at home. He writes most of his sermons at the church where it’s quiet, and then he comes home and is able to spend at least most afternoons with us. Leroy offered to make lunch for us today. At times, he can be real talkative, other days not so much. He’s been with us for almost a year now, but I feel I hardly know him. Today was one of those rare days that I could get the kids down for a nap all at the same time. Good thing too because I really wasn’t feeling too well after lunch. Maybe it was something I ate. Maybe it was the heat. At times I know the two just don’t mix. Felt a little better after resting and eating a light supper. ‘“Talk’” to you later.” “ Wednesday, July 4, 1962. Happy Fourth of July! Summer is in full swing with the sunshine and heat. We went to town early to get our spots set up for the annual parade and carnival. Peter and Leroy packed up the car while I packed a picnic lunch. We had chicken, potato salad, corn on the cob, and watermelon. I was hoping my stomach would be feeling a bit better because I’ve felt real queasy lately. It was a long day with the parade, carnival, picnic, and fireworks. We all had a good time, including the kids, who were being their rambunctious selves. After eating, I still wasn’t feeling that great, so I rested a little under a shade tree. Maybe I’ll have to go to the doctor about this. Peter said it’s been going on far too long not to have it checked out. I guess I’ll call and make an appointment tomorrow. ‘“Talk’” to you later.” “ Friday, August 17, 1962. Hot, hot hot! Everything and everyone is hot, sticky, and cranky! Other than that, the garden really is producing a lot of vegetables. I think there will be enough to can this fall. And a lot of the flowers in the front garden are in full bloom. Peter’s been home a lot more this week. He’s a few weeks ahead writing his sermons, probably up to rally day in September. About the only visitation he’s done was with poor old Millie Rugstad. I think she has just about everything wrong with her a person can have. Peter did say he would stop out to see her sometime this week. Leroy’s been more laid back than usual. The main thing he’s been working on around here has been the gardening and the landscaping around the house. At least he’s been able to keep those pesky ants away with that new spray he had been talking about. All I know is that it’s one pretty powerful spray. I thought it was just when I was expecting Dottie and had morning sickness, but I still get pretty nauseous whenever I’m around it. At least it’s more outside now, not inside like before. I think I’ll draw a cool bath now that all three kids finally fell asleep. It will be nice to get a chance to maybe get some extra sleep. Tomorrow’s the day we’re heading to the beach, so I want to be well rested to be able to keep up with the kids! ‘“Talk’” to you later.’” Lucy was flipping more pages to read when Betty walked in. “Hi, Lucy,” Betty said, walking into the house. “How was your day?” “It was good. Went and saw gGrandma and read some entries from the journal to her. Then I came back here and was just relaxing, reading more journal entries.” “That’s good. What did some of them have to say?” “Here, I’ll read some to you. ‘Sunday, August 19, 1962. Ah! What a day yesterday it was at the beach. Lake Pearl is always a nice spot to take the kids. Lots of things for them to do to keep them occupied;: digging in the sand, making sand castles, swimming. Brought a picnic lunch. Saw a lot of other people there with their kids too. Peter was able to come with us so it gave me a chance to soak up some sun and relax. About the only thing we had to worry about was the rash the kids picked up sometime during the day. I noticed when we got home, getting them ready for their baths before bedtime. Must have been from the sand or something. I had a little bit too, so I put some of the ointment we had left over from Dottie’s diaper rash, and it seemed to help. I called the doctor just in case, and they said it probably will go away in about a week or so, but if it didn’t, we should come in and have it checked out. “Talk” to you later. “ ‘ Saturday, September 1, 1962. Thank goodness the sun/sand rash is gone. Took a little while longer than expected to clear up. Dr. Simonson still doesn’t know what caused it, especially since it lasted as long as it did. I’m just grateful that it’s gone. Peter’s been away for a few days at a church conference, so I’ve been busier than usual. Rally day is coming up soon, and there’s lots of preparation in order to get all the work done at the church. Leroy’s been a big help getting the landscaping around the church in tip-top shape. He’s really got a green thumb when it comes to plants and flowers. It’s really taking shape. Weather’s been cooling off somewhat. The dog days of summer, I believe, are finally over. “Talk” to you later.’” “Hold on a moment,” Betty said, getting up and going toward the kitchen. “I want to hear more, but I need to get a drink. You want a refill on your iced tea?” “No, thanks.” “ You know,” Betty said, walking back into the dining room., “Iit does seem a little strange to think you’re reading your mom’s journal. Like she’s going to walk in any moment and catch you at it.” “That’s what I thought so too at first, but like gGrandma said, what is she going to do? Send me to my room?” Lucy said, chuckling, as she continued to read more entries. “‘Sunday, September 9, 1962. Rally day is finally here! It’s always fun this time of year when we all get back into the swing of things with Sunday School. We had a big picnic after the service. A lot of the congregation brought guests from nearby too. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect. Bright blue sky, not a cloud in sight. It’s hard to imagine that fall is right around the corner. The air will soon be cool and the leaves crisp and colorful, while they fall to the ground. It sure will be fun to watch the kids this year romp in the crisp, fall leaves. “Talk” to you later.’” “Rally days were always so much fun,” Betty said. “A nice way to start out the new Sunday School year.” “I know, right?” Lucy said, turning to one of the last entries. “Here’s another one. Near the end of this journal at least. ‘Friday, October 12, 1962. Took Dottie in for her six -month checkup today. She’s right on track for her age. She’s even cutting teeth. Poor baby! Mother said in her day, it wasn’t uncommon to rub a little bit of brandy or whiskey on the baby’s gums to numb the area. I guess it was one way for everyone in the house to get some sleep at night, including the baby! Can you believe they actually did that? I haven’t been feeling well again lately. Had that same kind of stomach ache come and go again like a few months ago. Maybe I’ll give it a few more days and then call the doctor. It’s something I really can’t describe, just a real icky feeling. Leroy was a bit on edge today, has been for the last few days. I still think he’s sort of odd. Oh well, I guess we all go through our odd times in life. Maybe he’s just in his! “Talk” to you later.’” “See, you always said he seemed odd to you,” Betty said. “And you don’t really even remember him.” “ I know,” Lucy said. “Okay, here’s the last entry I see for this particular journal. ‘Monday, October 15, 1962. Called the doctor today. I’m still not feeling well. Not enough to throw up, but just to make me feel like I really don’t want to do anything. He ran some blood tests and told me to take it easy for a few days. I called mMother, and she rearranged her schedule to be able to come out here for a few days and help out with the kids. I tried to rest and drank clear liquids and ate saltine crackers. The doctor said to come back at the end of the week if this didn’t help. He was sure the blood test results would be in by then. “Talk” to you later.’” “That was the last entry in the journal?” Betty asked. “Yeah, seems strange though,” Lucy said checking for any more. “It seems like she was pretty consistent with her writing and there are more blank pages left. I wondered why she just stopped?.” “Lucy, what was the date again of the last entry you just read? I think I know why.” Lucy flipped toward the back and looked at the date again. “Monday, October 15, 1962. What’s so strange about that?” Lucy thought a bit and then gasped. “The 18th. That was the date my mother had her accident, wasn’t it? I was so focused on the words, of what the writing was all about. I didn’t even focus in on the particular dates.” “Are you sure the 15th was the last entry? I mean, it seems like she wrote nearly every day.” “I’m almost positive, but I’ll look again.” Lucy flipped through the journal more carefully. This time she must have opened it up more and stretched the binding because she noticed that after the last entry she had just read, there were what appeared to be a few pages missing. They appeared to have been ripped out. “It looks like there were a few pages that were intentionally ripped out. You can see bits and pieces of words on the edges, but not much. Where do you suppose they could have gone?” Betty asked. “ I don’t know,” responded Lucy, examining the ripped portion of the journal more carefully. “It’s so uncharacteristic of what I think my mom was like. She seemed very methodical about writing in this journal. Nothing other than this seems out of place.” “Add it to the box of more mysteries to solve, right?” “ You got it,” Lucy said, placing it in a different box, the box she had been keeping things in that had to be checked into more. “So what else have you found of interest in these boxes?” “A whole lot of stuff, but nothing yet that I can connect anything to.” “Hmm, this looks interesting,” Betty said, picking up a matching lavender colored brush and hand mirror set. “Grandma said it must have been my mom’s. Kind of weird, don’t you think?” Lucy said, examining the brush, running her fingers through the soft bristles. “I mean, being my mom’s brush with actual wisps of heair still in it?” “Sure is. Ooh, this is pretty,” Betty said, examining an old perfume bottle. “What’s that?” “Looks like a bottle of perfume.” “The design of the bottle is really neat. I guess I missed that little gem hiding here in the box. What kind is it?” “Oh my,” Betty said, examining the bottle more closely. “What?” “It’s Chanchal No. 5.” “Okay?” “Lucy, I think I remember this. It’s the kind your mom always wore.” “Wow. It looks like it’s half full. Should we try to open it?” “Sure. Hopefully the cap won’t be stuck on too tight,” Betty said, as she tried to twist the cover off. “I might have to get a pair of pliers.” After some twisting back and forth with the pliers, Betty finally got the cap off. “Whew! There we go.” “ Umm, smells nice,” Lucy said, closing her eyes, taking in the smell. “This was definitely my mom’s. This is one smell I distinctly remember. Here, smell.” “It really does smell nice, doesn’t it?” Betty said, smelling it slowly. “Um hmm.” “I know another good smell too,” Betty said. “What’s that?” “How about dinner?” Betty asakeid, laughing, getting up from the table. “Good idea. Let’s go see what we can whip up tonight.” “I’m with you.” Chapter Thirteen

Over the next few days, Lucy checked out more leads, trying to connect the different pieces to this mystery. Early on Sunday afternoon, while driving out near the farm, she decided to make an impromptu stop at the Flemings. Mary Jo was outside working in the flower garden near the front of the house when Lucy pulled up. “Hi, Mary Jo,” Lucy called out, getting out of her car, walking toward her. “Hey, Lucy. What a surprise! What brings you out to these parts today?” “Nothing in particular, just out driving, trying to get a feel for the area. Say, those are great -looking flowers you have there. Are they new since we were here last?” “As a matter of fact, they are.” “They look so pretty, yet so familiar.” “What do you mean?” “I mean, I know what kind of flowers they are, of course, but when I pulled up, the whole garden looked, well, so much like I’ve seen before.” “Another one of those déjà vu moments, huh?” “Exactly. I’ve been having a lot of them lately!” Lucy said, laughing. “I don’t know. I’ve seen them recently somewhere. Didn’t Larry have them in his yard too? Maybe that’s where.” “ Yes, he does actually. In fact, that’s where they came from. He just stopped by yesterday to drop them off. I guess he told Eugene that his garden needed some thinning out and he thought we might like them.” “Well, wherever they came from, they sure do brighten up the garden.” “Thanks. Say, do you want to come inside and have something to drink? I could sure use a break from what I’ve been doing out here.” “Sure.” “Great. Gives me a chance too to get out some of that secret lemonade I have in the freezer,” Mary Jo said, as she and Lucy walked into the kitchen. “Secret recipe? For lemonade?” Lucy said, sitting down at the kitchen table. “Um hmm. I guess. Larry gave me a sample a while back, and then made this latest batch for us last month.” “So he won’t divulge the secret?” “Nope. In fact when you ask him too many questions about it, he gets all fidgety and mumbles something about that he would get in some sort of trouble for telling,” Mary Jo said, pouring a glass for each of them. “Thanks,” Lucy said, taking a few sips. “So how do you like it?” Mary Jo asked, sitting down at the table with her glass. “It’s great. But I have to tell you, this tastes just like the kind my grandma used to make when we were little. The flavor isn’t new. At least not to me.” “Where else do you think you could have had it?” “Don’t know. In any event, it’s good,” Lucy said, taking another sip. “Say, would you mind if I took some with me? I’d like to have both Betty and my grandma taste it. Maybe they can help figure out the flavor.” “Sure. I’ll get a jug for you to carry it in,” Mary Jo said, getting a plastic jug out of the cupboard. “ Thanks. I’ll let you know what the taste testers have to say about it!” Lucy said, laughing. “Please do. You’ve sparked my curiosity now too.” “Okay. Well, I had better get going and let you get back to your gardening!” “Yes, I suppose you’re right. Break time over. I did want to get it done before it rained.” “I’ll call you in a couple of days and let you know about the lemonade, okay?” “Okay, bye.” “Bye.” As Lucy drove off, she thought about the flavors in the lemonade in the jug sitting next to her. She knew she had drank it before. If it was a recipe that came from her family, maybe both her grandma and Betty might be able to help identify it. In any event, Lucy decided to stop and visit her grandma first. “Hi, gGrandma,” Lucy said, walking in, seeing her grandma in the front lobby. “What are you doing in the front lobby?” “Oh, I just come down here to get a change of scenery, that’s all. It’s nice to just come sit and watch the birds in the cage over there for a while.” “Oh, okay. Just wondering. Say, I brought you something I’d like you to try.” “What is it?” “It’s some lemonade I got early this afternoon from Mary Jo Fleming.” “Okay, is there something special about it?” “Well, she said it was some secret recipe that Larry gave her recently.” “Did you try it?” “Yeah, I did. But I didn’t think it was so secret. I know I’ve had it before. I could have sworn it was what you used to make for us kids when we were little.” “ Okay, let’s go upstairs and get some cups and try it. Maybe Franklin, Viola, and Katherine are around. They can taste it too so they can see if they can identify it.” Lucy and her grandma found Franklin in the community room upstairs, and Viola and Katherine were in another section watching television. Lucy found some cups so they could all share some of the secret lemonade with them. “Okay, Lucy,” Franklin said. “What’s so special about this lemonade?” “I don’t know, Uncle Franklin,. yYou tell me.” “Where did this come from?” “I got it from Mary Jo Fleming.” “Fleming, you say?” “ Yes, Mary Jo. ShHer and her husband, Eugene, bought the old family farm from gGrandma, don’t you remember?” “Oh yeah, yeah, I remember now.” Taking a few sips, Viola said it wasn’t so special. “I like it, Lucy, but this isn’t anything I haven’t had before. It takstes just like the way Esther used to make it.” “Really?” “Really. What did Mary Jo tell you about this?” “That it was a secret recipe. She got it awhile back from Larry, the guy who lives on the edge of their property.” “Ah, that guy. The old coot. Never did trust him,” Franklin said. “Me either,” piped in Katherine. “Why not?” Lucy asked. “He’s just odd, that’s all,” Franklin said. “At least that’s the impression I got every time you try and talk with him. Other people around town say the same thing.” “Well, at any rate, I told Mary Jo that I would have my favorite taste testers try it and get back to her. She was curious too when I said it tasted like gGrandma’s lemonade.” While they were finishing up the lemonade and discussion about how the recipe was not so secret after all, the activity director came in and said that the weekly bingo games were starting if anyone would be interested in playing. “Lucy, would you like to join us this afternoon for bingo?” “Sure, sounds like fun. It’s been years since I’ve played. Are all of you playing?” “Of course,” Franklin said. “We’ve been doing it weekly together for the longest time.” “And of course, we have to sit near each other,” Viola said. “Oh, Vi,” Esther said. “That’s just so we can keep an eye on each other so the other doesn’t cheat!” “Oooh, I don’t know,” Lucy said, laughing. “It sounds like a tough crowd. I guess I’ll just have to take my chances!” Lucy spent the majority of the afternoon playing bingo with her grandma, uncle, and aunts. Arriving home that evening, she gave Betty the last of the lemonade. “This is the way Aunt Esther used to make it, wasn’t it?” Betty asked. “That’s what everyone else who’s tasted it has said.” “Where did you samey it came from?” “Mary Jo. Apparently, she got it pre-made from Larry. I guess he said it was an old family recipe.” “But whose family?” “Exactly.” “So what’s on tap for you next?” Betty asked, getting some puots out for dinner. “Not sure. Tomorrow I’m thinking of checking on some real estate records at the county recorder’s office.” “Real estate records?” “Uh huh. Mostly the legal description and the abstract for the property.” “What are you looking for, do you know?” “ Mostly who owned the property, which we already know, and what the mortgages were like, if there was any liens or foreclosure. Those types of things. I’m trying to nail down more exact details on when all the switching of the land took place. It’s starting to get confusing!” “Tell me about it,.” Betty chuckled. The next day, Lucy traveled into town and stopped by the county recorder’s office. “May I help you?” The clerk asked when Lucy came to the counter. “Yes. I’m looking for information on a farm not too far out of town.” “Okay, do you have a legal description?” “No, I’m afraid I don’t. I do know who owned it at one time, and who owns it now.” “ All right. We’ll start with the current owners,” the clerk said, checking on the computer. “Sure. They’re the Flemings. Eugene and Mary Jo.” “ Oh yeah. I know them. Nice couple. Here it is. Government Lot 57, Section 15, Township 3 South, Range 5 East, thence up said creek.” “Do you suppose there’s an abstract on this too?” “There should be. Would you like me to pull it as well?” “Yes, please. That would be great. Thanks.” “Okay, I’ll be back in a few minutes.” While the clerk went back into the archive room to pull the abstract, Lucy got out her trusty notebook, already half full of information she found to date. “Here you go,” the clerk said, handing Lucy the abstract. “Thanks. Okay, let’s see if I can find it now,” Lucy said, flipping the pages like a fan, getting to the spot where the 1950s started. “Here we are, the 1950s. This is when my parents purchased the property.” “Does it say anything different than what you expected?” “Not really,” Lucy said, examining the entry. “It says that my parents purchased it in September of 1957 from Ole N. Nash and Gertrude Nash. It looks as if they paid $10,000 for it. The property is described as ‘Conveys all of Section 15, Township 3 South, Range 5 East, thence up said creek, containing eighty80 acres more or less, according to the United States Government Survey.’ Then it looks like my parents took out a mortgage from the bank. Let’s see, that one just says that some basic information, nothing too revealing. ‘Peter R. Harris and Rosalinda Harris, his wife, to Pearl River Bank, September 12, 1957.’ Looks like it was done all at once. Pretty typical though. Can you imagine that though? My parents were paying for an entire farm that was about the same amount as we needed for a down payment for our house!” “I know,” the clerk said. “Real estate prices are so crazy. I have a cousin in the business, and he sells mostly lake cabins. He said that even though the way the economy was heading with the general housing market, people aren’t shying away from those get-a-way places on the lakes. So not to change the subject or anything, but how do the Flemings come into play on all of this?” “Well, I’m just trying to follow some sort of order of ownership. Just to make sure I’m not missing anything. It seems like after my parents owned it, that’s when my grandma owned it. She took over after my mother’s death and my dad’s disappearance. Then it looks like she first rented it out and subsequently sold it to Leroy and Lydia Kraemer. They had it until Lydia was apparently killed in a car accident and then Leroy left town. Then apparently, the county took over, and then it finally lands in the hands of the Flemings.” “ It looks like just the usual type of documents were filed and recorded according to what the order of ownership was,” the clerk said, looking through the abstract with Lucy. “Whoa! What’s this? It looks like some sort of foreclosure documents.” “Foreclosure?” “Yeah, see here?” The clerk showed Lucy. “It looks like that’s after Leroy left town. It just looks like the Pearl River Bank assigned it to a T. C. Christian.” “Who would that be?” Lucy questioned. “Okay,” the clerk said, skimming over the entry. “It appears that this T. C. Christian is a lawyer, and the bank gave him authority to handle all of the transactions regarding the foreclosure. Then there’s just a bunch of documents that were filed and recorded. Let’s see, there’s the mortgage foreclosure, Affidavit of Service on Occupant, Affidavit of Vacancy.” “Hmm, I know that Mary Jo said it was in 1984. But unfortunately, she said that shortly before they moved in there was a huge fire. The original house and outbuildings were all destroyed. So maybe that’s where I need to look next. Maybe I should check into both Lydia’s death, and the abandonment of the farm.” “I would definitely say that would be a good place to start. At least you’ve got dates to sort of start with.” “Okay, yet another can in the case of worms I’m opening,” Lucy said, laughing. “Well, you stop by any time you need some more information,” the clerk said, laughing. “I will, thanks. Bye.” “Bye.” Chapter Fourteen

The next morning, before heading out to the farm, Lucy decided to stop by the historical society to do some follow-up research on Lydia’s death and the abandonment of the farm. With any stroke of luck, she thought she might be able to find some sort of articles about these events. “Hey, Lucy. Welcome back. Long time no see,.” tThe clerk chuckled as Lucy walked in. “Back for more fun?” “ Yeah, I am. I’m changing directions on this stop here though. I’m looking for any information on that handyman, Leroy. And his wife, Lydia.” “What about them?” “Well, first of all, she died in a mysterious car accident. And then Leroy apparently left town after that and abandoned the farm. From there, before the current owners, the Flemings, moved in, there was a fire that destroyed all the original buildings. But it wasn’t just an ordinary fire;. iIt turned out to be arson.” “Wow, that’s a lot of different leads to follow. Do you know the approximate timeframe you’re dealing with here?” “I believe so. I searched the real estate records yesterday, so I think I’ve got it narrowed down pretty closely.” “Okay, well, you know the drill on where to look, so good luck. Let me know if you need any help.” “I will, thanks!” Lucy started with the month and year that her grandma gained guardianship of the kids, 1963. In the beginning of February, she found one article about the guardianship, and of course, just like most of the rest of the articles sher and Betty had found, it was on the front page. Must have been a slow news day, Lucy thought to herself. She stopped to read it. “‘Grandmother Gains Guardianship Oof Grandchildren. Following the tragic death of Rosalinda Harris, Pearl River resident and wife of Peter Harris, former Pearl River Evangelical Free Church pastor, Esther Downing, Rosalinda’s mother, has now gained legal guardianship over her grandchildren Lucy, James, and Dorothy. Mrs. Downing, an attorney from Minneapolis, who is herself a widow, petitioned the Pearl County Probate Court to obtain legal guardianship over the children after not only the tragic death of her daughter to an automobile accident last October, but also the mysterious disappearance of her son-in-law, Peter Harris. Mrs. Downing, when asked what her plans were next, now that she had not only the young children to take care of, but also the family farm, indicated that she would eventually either rent the farm out or sell it. Mrs. Downing stated that ‘although I do enjoy the country and this small, close-knit community, I have a well- established law practice in Minneapolis to go back to.’ We will keep you posted ofn any updates we receive on this.’” “Find something useful?” Tthe clerk asaiked, walking by while shelving books. “ Just one article so far. It does confirm the move from the farm,” Lucy said. “We moved in 1963, and then Leroy purchased it from my grandma in 1967. So I think the next step is to look for maybe an article on the actual sale of the property.” Lucy scrolled the microfilm from 1967 for any clues. Unlike the guardianship article, she figured real estate transactions usually don’t receive front- page news. Finally, in an article dated June of 1967, she read another article about the farm. This was, as she suspected, not on the front page. “‘Harris Farm Sold— – Purchased Bby Former Groundskeeper/Handyman Aand Wife. Leroy Kraemer, and his wife, Lydia, purchased the farm they were renting from Esther Downing. Mrs. Downing and Mr. Kraemer, entered into a rental agreement in the spring of 1963 after Mrs. Downing made the decision to return with the Harris children to Minneapolis to continue in her law practice.”’ Well, that’s a short article, Lucy thought to herself. But at least it gave her some more approximate dates and events to go by. Maybe the next thing she could find would be something about Lydia’s car accident and death. Concentrating on the hum of the microfilm machine while scrolling through the documents, Lucy didn’t even notice that Betty had come up behind her. “You’re really getting to be a wiz at this, aren’t you?” Betty asaiked, coming up behind her. “Oh, hi!” Lucy said, jumping a little. “I didn’t even hear you come up behind me!” “I thought, since I had some free time this morning before going to work, that I would stop in and see how you were coming along with your latest search.” “It hasn’t been all that productive of a search, just a couple of articles so far,” Lucy said, taking out the microfilm roll and replacing it with another. “I’m now focused on Leroy’s wife, Lydia.” “What are you looking for?” “Her car accident and death.” “Ah hah. Do you know about when it happened?” “Um hmm. Sometime in 1974. I think it was in the fall.” “I suppose then you could start with September and move forward from there.” Lucy started searching through the roll for September through October of 1974. “ Nothing here,” Lucy said, scrolling through first September and then into October. “Oh, wait, I think I saw something.” “Go back, I think I did too,” Betty said. “Here it is. The October 23rd edition. Let’s see here,. ‘Local Farmer’s Wife Dies aAfter Car Accident. Lydia Kraemer, wife of handyman/farmer Leroy Kraemer, passed away Sunday, October 20, at 9:45 a.m. from injuries sustained in a single car accident on Highway 2, just outside of Pearl River, on Saturday, October 19. Mrs. Kraemer was apparently heading east on Highway 2 during the rainstorm that swept through the county that evening. After encountering gusty winds that blew wet leaves and small branches onto the highway, Mrs. Kraemer’s car slid off the two-lane highway. Witnesses to the scene said that Mrs. Kraemer’s car flipped over once before coming to a crash landing upside down in the Pearl River. It was discovered later during the investigation of the vehicle that apparently the right front tire had split and come off the rim. Taken by ambulance to Pearl River Memorial Hospital, Mrs. Kraemer was brought immediately into the emergency surgery for what appeared to be a ruptured spleen. However, once inside to repair the spleen, doctors noted that there were other massive internal injuries that ultimately leading to her death. She is survived by her husband, Leroy, and many friends and other relatives. Services for Mrs. Kraemer are pending at the time this paper went to print.’ Wow, that was some accident, I guess,” Lucy said, while printing out the article. “Sure was,” Betty agreed. “So do you think that’s why Leroy abandoned the property the way he did? What dates do you have for that again?” “Let’s see,” Lucy said, looking through copies of the abstract entries. “It looks like the same year.” “Well, if the accident happened near the end of October, at least you don’t have too many more newspapers to look through.” Looking through the rest of the October film, Lucy found nothing more about neither the accident nor the farm being abandoned. “You know, I just thought about something though.” “What?” “I have a feeling I need to check on the obituary for Lydia.” “Why would you need to see that?” “I don’t know. Maybe names? Dates? Other relatives listed? So let’s see. The accident was reported in the newspaper in the October 23rd edition. Let’s try the next week then, it might be there.” Lucy scrolled through to the last edition of the newspaper on that roll. “Sure enough, here it is,” Lucy started to read. “October 30th edition. ‘Kraemer, Lydia [McKenzie], age 36, died Sunday, October 20, as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident on Saturday, October 19. Mrs. Kraemer is survived by her husband, Leroy Kraemer, parents Roger and Jean McKenzie (San Diego, California), sister and brother-in-law Joyce and Kenny Archer (San Jose, California), sister-in-law and brother-in-law Evelyn and Dean Kraemer (La Jolla, California), sister-in-law and brother-in-law Lorraine and Earl Watt (Fresno, California), Aunt Suzanne McKenzie (Fresno, California), many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. Mrs. Kraemer enjoyed gardening and helping with many farm activities that she shared with her husband Leroy. She was active at their local church, and she will be deeply missed by family and friends. Funeral services will be held at the Pearl River Evangelical Free Church on Monday, November 4, at 11:00 a.m. Visitation held one hour before the service, with a luncheon immediately at the church, following the burial at the cemetery.’” “That’s really strange, isn’t it?” Betty asaiked. “What do you mean?” Lucy responded, printing out the obituary. “I mean, the dates are similar to around the same month and date as your mom’s.” “Hmm, yeah, you’re right,” Lucy said, rereading part of it. “I wonder why the date for her funeral was not until the beginning of November?.” “Probably because she had so many relatives from out of town.” “Yeah, you’re right. Well, I’m not going to put too much more into this latest discovery. I promised Mary Jo I would stop by this afternoon, so I better get going.” “Mind if I come along?” “Ah, are you forgetting something?” “Oh yeah, work! I can’t forget that, can I?” Betty said, laughing. “Never mind then. I guess I’ll see you tonight when I get home!” “Okay, see you then. Bye.” “Bye.” Lucy made it to the Flemings as promised and found Mary Jo back out in the garden near the front of the house. “This must be one of your favorite spots,” Lucy said as she got out of her car. “Hi. Yes, I think you’re right,” Mary Jo said, lifting more plants from one of the boxes and placing them into the ground. “More plants and flowers I see.” “Yes, Larry brought some more over this morning.” “Looks like fun actually. Mind if I help you with some of those?” “Sure, by all means, dig in, literally!” After about a half an hour of transplanting plants and flowers, as Lucy shook one of the plants before putting it into the ground, something fell out. “Whoa, what’s that?” Mary Jo asked. “What’s what?” Lucy said, setting the plant down into the ground. “It’s a ring,” Mary Jo said, picking it up off the ground. “I don’t know.,” Lucy responded. “It’s not mine.” “ Mine neither,” Mary Jo said, brushing the dirt off of it. “I know I left mine in my jewelry box. I always do that before I work in the garden.” “I have no clue,” Lucy said, examining the ring more closely. “Could it have been from Larry?” “Don’t know, must be. That’s where the plants and flowers came from,” Mary Jo said, putting it in her pocket. “I guess I’ll ask him the next time he’s around. I’m sure if he realizes it’s missing, he might stop by here and asks.” “Let’s hope so. In any event, it sure is pretty.” “Yeah, it appeareds to be,” Mary Jo said, taking it back out of her pocket. “Say, do you have any ring cleaner or anything?” “You know, I believe I do. It’s time for a break anyway. Let’s go in and clean it and get a better look at it.” When Mary Jo and Lucy went inside, Mary Jo got some ring cleaner and a polishing cloth. “Here’s a cloth to use with the cleaner.” “Okay,” Lucy said, starting to clean the ring. Once polished, Lucy held it up to the sunlight that was coming in the kitchen window for a closer look. “That polished up really nice, didn’t it?” “Sure did. Do you have a magnifying glass? I want to take a closer look at something.” “Probably, why?” “I can’t tell, but I think there’s some writing or something on the inside, but I’m not sure.” Mary Jo found a magnifying glass in the kitchen junk drawer. They looked at the ring more closely, and both agreed that there wasere some sort of letters on the inside of the ring. “What do you think it says?” Lucy asked. “It’s kind of hard to make out, isn’t it? Looks like some initials? Or part of initials? Can’t really make it out.” “ Hmm, it looks like some kind of numbers. Maybe a date? Unless it was partially scratched off or something.” “Let me move it more under the light by the window,” Lucy said, moving closer to the kitchen window. “You know, I think you’re right. It looks like there’s the number 57 on there.” “ Yeah, I saw that. I don’t know if that means anything significant. Maybe a stock number for the ring?” “Could be. Oh well, maybe Larry might know when you ask him.” “Yeah. If you don’t mind, I think I’ll keep it here in my jewelry box until I see him again.” “ Oh, by all means. You probably will see him long before I will again,” Lucy said, handing the ring to Mary Jo, and then looking at her watch. “Well, I better get going. I’ve definitely overstayed my visit, and I promised Betty I’d pick something up for dinner.” “You overstayed your visit? Never! I’ve got no other plans this afternoon except to have more close encounters with some dirt and flowers!” Mary Jo said, walking out with Lucy. “If you find out any more about that ring, let me know, okay?” Lucy said, getting into her car. “Yes, I will definitely let you know.” “Okay, see you soon. Bye.,” Lucy said, pulling out of the driveway. “Bye.,” Mary Jo said, waving as Lucy drove off. When Lucy got back to the house, she told Betty what they found while gardening at the farm. “A ring in the roots of a plant?” “I know. Weird huh? I wouldn’t have believed it if I wasn’t there myself.” “Where do you think it came from?” “We don’t know. Mary Jo was going to ask Larry the next time she saw him. That’s where the plants came from.” “From his garden?” “Um hmm.” “What did it look like? Was it gold or silver?” “Gold, definitely. Kind of a muted shade, not real shiny. It was pretty though. It had some small grooves carved in it all the way around.” “Sounds nice. Was there anything written on the inside? Any engravings you could find out more about it with?” “We really couldn’t tell. We cleaned it with some polish and held it up to the sunlight, but the only thing we could somewhat make out was maybe some initials? They looked like they were scratched though. There was a number 57 ion it too.” “57?” “Yeah, we thought maybe it was a model number or stock number for the ring itself?.” “Could be. Did Mary Jo keep it with her?” “ Yeah, she did. I told her she’d probably see Larry before I ever would, so she was going to put it in her jewelry box until then. He doesn’t come around all that much.” “Good point. I do see him in town quite often actually.” “I know. I met him that one time we all took that tour of the farm. And I suppose all the times I’ve been in town I might have seen him, but didn’t really recognize him, know what I mean?” “True. He isn’t one for starting up conversations with a lot of people unless he really has to. But I know if you talk to him first, he isn’t rude or anything and ignores you. He’ll at least give you the time of day. Although, you know, the more I think about it, I have seen him talking to himself once in a while,. sSometimes it looks as though he’s carrying on a conversation with someone, but no one is there.” “Oh, I think we’re all guilty of that to some point from time to time. I guess it’s okay unless you start answering yourself! I actually have some clients like that.” “And that’s probably one reason why some of them are where they are, aren’t they?” “Exactly! So what does Larry do when he comes to town, do you know? I’m not trying to be nosy or anything. I guess I’m just curious.” “I don’t really know. I think probably the bank, the post office, the grocery store, and the library?” “Usual spots people would go. I wonder too where he goes in the winter? I mean, the time we saw where he lived on the farm, it sure didn’t look like it could sustain anyone when it gets really cold.” “I heard one time he travels to California during the winter.” “California?” “I guess he has some relatives there, mostly in the southern part. A sister? I don’t know if that’s true or not. Say, are you on to something with this line of questioning?” Betty said, laughing. “Say, did you remember to stop and pick something up for dinner?” “Oh, no! I totally spaced it out. I’m sorry.” “That’s okay. I forgot to take anything out too. So what do you want to do? Go out for dinner in town?” “Sure. I think it’s a nice night for a walk. I’m sure we can find something there.” “Okay. I know the Old Style Buffet is open late.” “That sounds good. At least you get a lot of variety there.” “All right then. I’ll change into my walking shoes and meet you outside.” “Okay, I’ll be waiting on the porch.” When they arrived at the restaurant, they were able to get a booth by the window. That way, they figured they could eat, talk, and do some people watching. Lucy thought she might be able to get a glimpse of Larry if he happened to be in town that evening. Sure enough, just before they were ready to finish their meal, Betty spotted Larry crossing the street towards them. “Lucy, there’s Larry.” “That’s him? Oh yeah,” Lucy said, squinting to get a better look at him. “I guess I do recognize him a little bit. He does look a little familiar.” “What do you mean?” “I don’t know. Nothing in particular. I guess I really don’t have a lot to go on. Just that one time I met him at the farm.” “Familiar? Oh no, not another déjà vu moment?” “I hope not!” Lucy said, chuckling. “I’ve had enough of those lately, haven’t I?” “Yeah, you sure have.” “I’m stuffed,” Lucy said, standing up to stretch. “Ready to go home?” “Absolutely! It’ll be good to walk home.” Chapter Fifteen

The next morning, Lucy woke to the sounds of a gentle, steady rain falling. That was okay with her. It gave her a chance to go through more things she had found in the boxes from the farm. After breakfast, Lucy poured herself another cup of coffee. Sorting through the items, she found a few more journals, bookmarks, letters, and embroidered hankies. The letters, Lucy discovered, weren’t even addressed to either of her parents. They were addressed to Lydia Kraemer. Lydia Kraemer? What would letters addressed to Leroy’s wife be doing in these boxes? Curiosity got the best of her, so she read a few of them. One was a card to Lydia from a Roger and Jean McKenzie of California. It said, “Happy Birthday Tto Our Daughter.” It was signed “Love, Mom and Dad.” There was a letter that Lucy picked up from a Joyce and Kenny Archer, also of California, which read “Dear Lydia, I saw the weather on the news this morning and saw you’re getting a lot of snow up there. I, however, am now writing to you from the warm, sunny, beaches of southern California. Sorry, you know I just have to tease you, sis. It’s just that since you’ve been gone, there’s not a whole lot of things to do. Oh well. You and Leroy should really come out here for a visit, especially since it’s winter where you’re at. It would be nice to have a visit from you (hint, hint!). Think about it, okay? Well, I better go for now. Kenny will be home from work soon, and I need to get going on supper. There’s a concert we’re going to tonight, so I want to make sure there’s enough time to get ready. Love, Joyce.” “Sounds strange, but maybe I can get ahold of this sister?. Maybe then I can find out more about Leroy and Lydia,” Lucy said, putting the letter off to the side. Just then, Betty came in the room. “Ah hah! Just like we were talking about last night.” “What?” “Talking to yourself out loud.” “Guilty.” “So what was your conversation about?” “Funny. No, I was just going through more of the things in the boxes from the farm. I did find some letters here, but they’re not addressed to anyone in my family.” “Who are they addressed to?” “Mostly Lydia Kraemer.” “Why would they be in a box that supposedly belonged to your family?” Betty said, looking at some more of the things up close. “These hankies sure are pretty. I saw them the other day, but I didn’t notice them up close. Were they your mom’s?” “Either that or gGrandma’s.” “Here’s are some more pictures too,” Betty said, picking up a stack of them. “I kind of glanced over them a little bit. Being old ones, I don’t know a whole lot of people in them,” Lucy said, picking up a different stack. “Maybe gGrandma can help identify them.” “And of course, there isn’t any writing on the back.” “That would be too easy then!” “So what’s in this box over here? I thought there were only two?” Betty said, taking a peek inside. “Mary Jo found another one,” Lucy said, opening it up. “It looks like mostly papers.” “Oh great!” Betty said, chuckling. “Just what you need, more papers to go through!” “I know. I should just sit down and tackle it. I’ve really been avoiding it,” Lucy said with a slight sigh. “Kind of reminds me of some of the paper stacks on my desk back at the office!” “I could help you later on if you’d like. I don’t have really anything planned.” “ Okay, thanks. Maybe with both of us going through it, the piles won’t seem so daunting of a task.” After Lucy did a few loads of laundry and had lunch, she and Betty cleared a large area at the table to sort through the box of papers. “ I think the most logical way to go about this is dividing the stacks into different categories. Do you agree?” Lucy said. “Good idea. That way we can sub-sort if we have to.” After all the papers were sorted into the different categories, they sat back and looked at all the papers. “Can you believe all this?” Betty said, looking over all the stacks. “I didn’t realize there was so much.” “I know. I guess the only logical way to get through it would be to work on one stack at a time.” “Okay, let’s start over here,.” Betty closed her eyes and pointed to one of the stacks. “Let’s see, the first stack is real estate documents.” “ Oh, good! Maybe some of those will clear up any questions about the property. I suppose the best way is to put them in order and figure them out with the oldest dated document on top?” “Makes sense to me,” Betty said, putting the papers in date order. “Let’s see, the first one then would be a rental agreement.” “Hmm,” Lucy said, taking a closer look at the document. “Yeah, it just looks like it’s between Leroy and Lydia and my grandma when they rented out the farm.” “What’s that date again on it again?” “1963.” “Okay, here’s the next one.” “ It’s a deed between Leroy, Lydia, and my grandma dated 1967. That’s when they actually purchased the farm.” “Next one here looks different though.” “Okay, this is where we get I believe a little tangled.” “Tangled?” “ Yeah. See here? The date on this document is 1975. It looks like the start of the foreclosure process. I have a copy of this from the recorder’s office. It’s the one where the bank gave authority to that attorney to handle the proceedings of the foreclosure. IsAre there any more documents that might go along with it?” “ Yes, there are,” Betty said, working through the stack. “Here’s one. It looks like a mortgage foreclosure document.” “That’s the one. It’s from the sSheriff of Pearl County to the bank. It looks like this was dated in 1975 also. Looks like there is the complete set of documents attached,” Lucy said, closely examining all the papers attached. “Let’s see that mortgage foreclosure document again. That makes sense. Okay, then you have the Printer’s Affidavit, the Affidavit of Service on Occupant, Affidavit of Vacancy, Statement of Costs and Disbursements, the Sheriff’s Certificate, and the Sheriff’s Affidavit. It looks like some unopened mail is here too from both the Sheriff’s Department and the County.” “That seems like an awful lot to go through for just one piece of property.” “It does, doesn’t it? They have to make sure that everything is on the up and up. I mean, that would be really bad if they tried to foreclose on a farm and it wasn’t even abandoned. I can see if the people who lived there just couldn’t afford it any longer, but to abandon it? I wonder why Leroy did that?” “Just like your dad, maybe he was beside himself after his wife died the way she did from that car accident.” “Maybe it was like my dad’s case. He was having the same feelings and emotions like him. So much so, that he also had to get away?” “Sad, isn’t it?” “ Yeah. It almost seems like that farm is cursed in some sort of odd way. Not that I believe in that mind you, but you know it makes you wonder.” “I know what you mean.” “So what’s next?” “ That’s it for the real estate stack,” Betty said, picking up the next group of papers. “There’s an Order Appointing Guardian and Conservator (Minor) and one is a Petition for Appointment of Guardian and Conservator (Minor).” “Those are the papers when my grandma obtained custody of us kids.” “Oh, good, a stack of pictures.” “Pictures?” “Yeah,” Betty said, opening the envelope. “What are they of?” Betty flipped through them, then handed them off to Lucy to see if she could figure out who was in them. “I don’t recognize them at all,” Betty said, looking through the stack. “I don’t either,” Lucy said. “Maybe my grandma or some of the others will know.” “Hope so,” Betty said, taking the pictures and putting them off to the side. “Here are some odd things over there. Looks like parts of some newspapers.” “Newspapers?” “Yeah. I’m not used to seeing old newspapers in real form, only on microfilm,” Betty said, chuckling, handing the paper to Lucy.” “ I hear you,” Lucy responded. “I wonder what’s so special about these papers that someone would want to keep it.” “Beats me. They must have meant something to someone at some time. When are they from?” “This one’s from way back in 1960. But it’s not from around here.” “Where is it from?” “California. Someplace called Twentynine Palms. Have you ever heard of that place?” “ Surprisingly, yes,” BettyLucy said, picking up the paper carefully and looking at it. “My dad had relatives out there. His sister and brother-in-law were doctors in Palm Springs. It’s about an hour or so away from there.” “That’s right. I forgot all about them. Have you ever been out there?” “ Yeah, once, when we were teenagers. Grandma took us out there for some kind of work related trip so she thought why not take us kids along. I don’t remember too much about it, some things though. I do remember that it was hot! You’ve got the Mojave Desert out there too. We did see my uncle and aunt though. That was fun.” “Do they still live out there?” “No, they’re retired. I believe they live I Phoenix now.” Betty and Lucy decided to divide up the newspaper, each taking a part of it to try and see if they could find anything worthwhile. After looking through the paper and laughing about some of the advertisements in there, they switched parts. Toward the middle section of the paper, on the inside page, was an article that for some reason caught Lucy’s eye. It was about a body that was found in the Mojave Desert, not too far outside of Twentynine Palms. “Betty, did you notice this article?” “Vaguely. I must have skimmed over. It just didn’t catch my eye. What does it say?” “It’s just a little strange. Something you don’t really read about every day. I mean it isn’t all that often when you read about a body being found in the desert.” “You’ve got a point.” “Anyway, it says, ‘Remains Oof Man Found Iin Mojave Desert. The remains of a man were positively identified today as that of Charles Freeberg. Freeberg, a Llance Ccorporal, was stationed at the local Marine Corp.s base located outside of Twentynine Palms. Although the local medical examiner’s office in their findings is listing this as an official homicide, they will not confirm exactly how long the body was in the desert or if indeed the killing took place at the burial site or somewhere else. Freeberg’s body was found by an older gentleman, Jeffrey Cornell, who lives in the area. Cornell, a World War II veteran, travels the desert quite frequently to collect snakeskins for his local roadside tourist rest stop,. He said that on a recent trip through the desert, he noticed that the sun had been bouncing off of something shiny, went to check it out, and came across the body. Upon closer investigation, authorities discovered that it was the brass features on Freeberg’s uniform. Cornell is not at this time listed as an official person of interest in this case, authorities did confirm that his alibi is sufficient enough in detail so as not to suspect him in Freeberg’s murder. Further developments will be coming when released by the military.’” “That really is weird,” Betty said, looking at the paper. “Why do you suppose it’s in with this bunch of papers? What does it have to do with anything?” “Here’s another one,” Lucy said, pulling another edition out of the box. “It’s another one from California. Maybe there’s a follow-up to that other article.” Scanning through the pages, Lucy found another article relating to the desert murder. “Here it is,” Lucy said, reading. “‘Autopsy Report Confirms Man Iin Desert Died Oof Strangulation. The autopsy performed on Lance Corporal Charles Freeberg, whose body was found last month by a local resident in the Mojave Desert, has come up with a cause of strangulation as the main cause of death. Further reports indicate that Freeberg was not killed in the desert. He was murdered offsite, and his body moved to the desert for burial. Freeberg, along with other Marines, were last seen at a training session in La Jolla, just outside San Diego. An official AWOL report was issued for the Llance cCorporal when he failed to arrive back on base at Twentynine Palms after the training session. Witnesses did say, however, that before he and others left for the training session, Freeberg and Private First Class Leroy Kraemer had a heated exchange of words over duties that Kraemer had been ordered from Freeberg to do. Commanding officers had spoken to both Kraemer and Freeberg at the time, and while no disciplinary action was taken, officials were keeping an eye on the situation. More details to follow when reported to us from the military.’” “Kraemer? Do you think it was the same person who worked for your parents?” “ Maybe. I mean, it’s not that popular of a last name. But why would my parents or gGrandma for that matter have newspapers from California about this?” Lucy said, putting the paper with the others. “Maybe my aunt and uncle sent it to them?” “In any event, they’re worth keeping. At least for now.” “Yes, they are,” Lucy said, pulling out another envelope of pictures. “Oh, good, more pictures.” Lucy pulled the pictures out and looked at them one by one. “Unfortunately, I don’t recognize anyone in these pictures either,” Lucy said, looking at each one, handing them to Betty when she was finished. “How about you?” “No, nothing,” Betty said, putting them back into the envelope. “But then again, they look like they’re older, so we might not know anyone in them. Maybe your grandma would know.” “Maybe. I’ll bring them to her to see.” “And then write the information on the back of them?” Betty said, laughing. “I know. I’m guilty of that myself with my own pictures,” Lucy said, putting them off to the side with the others. “ Here we go again,” Betty said, pulling another newspaper out of the box. “Another newspaper. But look, it’s local!” “Local from where? Here in Pearl River?” “Yes, it’s from October, 1982.” “So I wonder why someone kept this one?.” “There’s a front- page article on the anniversary of your mom’s car accident.” “Interesting. What does it say?” “ It says, ‘20th Anniversary Oof Mystery Car Accident Iin Pearl River. The events surrounding the car accident that happened 20twenty years ago, in which local resident Rosalinda Harris was killed, continues to remain a mystery. Although her cause of death on October 18, 1962, was ruled a homicide, officials investigating this case have come up with no new leads. The two main suspects, Leroy Kraemer, who worked as a handyman for the Harris family, as well as Mrs. Harris’s husband, Peter, were both cleared of any involvement in this crime. However, soon after the funeral of Mrs. Harris, Peter Harris disappeared, leaving the children with Esther Downing, Mrs. Harris’s mother. When interviewed for this story, Sheriff Roger Tuckerman stated that someone severed the brake lines that caused Mrs. Harris to swerve off the road and crash into a tree. He/, she, or they then caused a direct blunt force blow to her head, which contributed to ultimate death. Although this case was officially closed in late 1962, we would like to keep this case open pending any further leads. If anyone has any new information regarding this case, you are asked to contact the Pearl River Sheriff’s Department.’” “Nothing much new that we didn’t know in that one, was there?” “I know,” Betty said. “But here’s another one. This one is dated from 2004. Looks like it has to do with the fire at the farm.” “Another anniversary one.” “ Um hmm,” Betty said. “It says, ‘20th Anniversary Oof Fire That Destroyed Empty Farm. What was once a vibrant family farm stood in ruins twenty20 years ago this month, the result of an arsonist. The four-alarm fire, which drew a large crowd of curious onlookers, was once owned by the Reverend Peter Harris and his wife, Rosalinda. The property was purchased in 1984 by Eugene and Mary Jo Fleming. Shortly after the purchase, and while the Flemings were on vacation, the property was destroyed by fire. Ironically, the Flemings were going to be doing extensive renovation of the property, restoring it to the early 1900s in which the farm was built. Authorities suspected the Flemings, but their alibi checked out. To date, no new leads have been found as to who would have caused this devastating fire. The Pearl River Sheriff’s Department is asking once again, if anyone has leads in this case, please contact them immediately.” “That goes along with what Mary Jo told me how it happened.” Lucy and Betty sorted more papers before coming upon a stack of what appeared to be personal letters. “Here’s some more of those letters addressed to Lydia,” Betty said, handing them to Lucy. “Lydia?” Lucy said, flipping through the envelopes. “More?” “Um hmm.” “Who are these from?” “Well, you know the only way you’re gonna find out is if you read them!” “All right,” Lucy said, taking one of the letters out of the envelope. “It reads, ‘Dear Sis. Just a quick note to let you know how much I appreciated the lovely bouquet of flowers that you had wired me for my birthday. It really made my day. Love, Joyce.’” “Here’s another one,” Betty said, taking it out of the envelope. “This one looks like it’s from a gal named Suzanne.” “Suzanne? What does it say?” “ My dearest Lydia, Your kind, and loving words of sympathy fell upon my lap the afternoon of yesterday. I am so very grateful to have a niece such as you, Lydia. Your timing is impeccable. During his lifetime, your Uncle Martin was so proud of you just as much as I am. Even when he was taken ill, before his untimely death, you always had a way of making him smile. However, that being said now, I am concerned about your marriage to Mr. Kraemer. Perhaps I do not know the man very well, but I do hope he is treating you well. He seems to be a bit over-attentive to you, but I suppose in the long run, that will make for a good marriage. I do hope both you and your husband can come out here to visit me this spring, perhaps before your planting season begins at the farm. I would very much enjoy seeing you again soon. Love, Aunt Suzanne.” “ Okay, so now we have the continuation of more family members for Lydia,” Lucy said, looking at the letter. “Hey, are you getting hungry?” Betty asked, peeking into the kitchen to see the clock on the wall. “Yeah, actually I am,” Lucy said, getting up from her chair, heading into the kitchen. “Maybe we should take a break and get some energy food!” “That sounds good. It might keep the momentum going in order for us to get through those boxes!” “Okay.” “I think I’m going to try and track down Lydia’s sister, Joyce.” “Do you think she’s still alive?” “Don’t know. We can check on the Internet on the Social Security Death Index site. That might tell us something. Then if she is still alive, maybe we can find a way to contact her.” “Sounds like a plan. Couldn’t hurt, now, could it?” Chapter Sixteen

After lunch, Lucy and Betty started doing some Internet research for Lydia Kraemer’s sister, Joyce. “We should probably start by looking at the Social Security Death Index site just to rule out if she really is still alive,” Lucy said, pulling up the website. “Does it have her last name on the envelope?” “Let’s see,” Betty said, looking at the envelope. “Yes, it looks like the name Archer.” “Archer?” Lucy asked. “How do you spell it, just like it sounds?” “Um hmm. A-r-c-h-e-r. Archer.” “Okay. Let’s plug her name in here and see what I come up with,” Lucy said, typing Joyce’s name into the system. “Anything?” “No, nothing here. That could be good news. Let’s try something else like the reverse address option. Maybe that’ll turn up something,” Lucy said, closing the one site and entering the address into the system on the other one. “Bingo, we’ve got ourselves a telephone number!” “Whoo hoo!” “Now all we have to do is dial the number,” Lucy said, a little hesitant. “At least this way, we’ll be able to find out if it’s really her and she’s still alive!” Lucy dialed the number. The phone on the other end rang four times, before a younger -sounding person answered. “Hello?” “Hello, is there a Joyce Archer there?” Lucy asked. “May I ask who’s calling?” “ Yes, my name is Lucy Campbell. Ms. Archer doesn’t know me, but I’m doing a background investigation on her sister, Lydia Kraemer.” “Okay, I’ll go get her. Just a minute. Grandma, it’s for you.” “Hello?” “Joyce Archer?” Lucy asked. “Yes, who is this? Someone asking about my sister, Lydia?” Joyce responded. “Ms. Archer,” Lucy started to say. “Please call me Joyce.” “Okay, Joyce,” Lucy continued. “My name is Lucy Campbell. You don’t know me, and I didn’t even know your sister, Lydia. However, I needed to know some information about her, well, mostly about her former husband, Leroy Kraemer.” “Well, first of all, you mean my late sister Lydia? She’s dead, you know.” “Oh, I’m aware of that, and I’m sorry for your loss. I know it’s been a long time since she passed.” “Thank you, I appreciate it. What else, who else did you want to know about?” “Her former husband, Leroy.” “Oh, that old coot, is he still alive? I hope not, although at least he shouldn’t be, that’s all I can say about him.” “What about him?” “Never did care for him. Never trusted him as far as I could throw him.” “Why do you say that?” “Let’s just say he was really, I don’t know, just plain sneaky. That’s all. Never could hold a decent paying job. Don’t know why Lydia took to him in the first place.” “Okay, well, um, I was just calling to get some more information about him, or them, around the time of Lydia’s death.” “I haven’t thought about that for a long time. Near as I can remember, I guess, Lydia was I think happy in the beginning. But toward the end, she too thought Leroy started acting sort of strange.” “What do you mean strange?” “ Not sure. Just sort of odd. Even though a lot of her family didn’t care for him, me included, I guess he was real good to her from what she said, but just that he would do odd things. Nothing anything I don’t suspect to put hurt her in any way, just odd. She would write letters to me mentioning different things. Like holding complete conversations with himself for one. Not just mumbling conversations but full-blown statements. Then sometimes he would just go off for several hours at a time, not telling her or anybody else where he’d been. When Lydia would ask where he had been he would just say around.” “Okay, that does sound kind of strange, I agree.” “May I ask why you want to know all these things?” “Well, Leroy at one time worked for my parents.” “Used to?” “Yeah, he was a hired hand/, handyman type of person around my parents’ farm. After my mom died in a car accident, my dad took off. My grandma raised us kids. I guess you really don’t want to hear all about that. Anyway, apparently from what the records indicate, is that Leroy and Lydia purchased the farm from my grandma.” “I remember that. Yes, I know that Lydia really loved that place. As strange as Leroy is or was, or whatever, I know that they did enjoy living there. Then it all ended with her car accident.” “Did you keep Iin contact with Leroy for any length of time after that?” “For a while. He seemed okay, but then he just disappeared.” “Did you ever hear anything more from him again after that?” “No, we didn’t. I heard from some of his family too, and they said they stopped hearing from him as well. Say, not to change the subject, but how did you get my name?” “From letters that were in some boxes from the farm.” “The farm they lived on?” “Yes. Apparently, the people who own it now, found them shortly after they purchased the farm. For whatever reason, they kept them. They were tucked in a corner of their attic.” “I wonder what possessed them to keep them.” “ I’m not sure. Maybe out-of-sight, out-of-mind? I’m glad they did though, because mixed in were some things that belonged to my mom and gGrandma. If they didn’t take them with them before they went on vacation before moving in, they might have all been destroyed. There was a fire that destroyed everything.” “A fire at the farm?” “Yes, there was. The local newspaper called it a four -alarm fire that eventually was determined it happened due to arson. Every building was torched. Nothing left but ashes on the ground, and a small amount of foundation blocks.” “Did they ever find out who did it?” “No, it’s never been solved.” “I guess that was too bad for the new owners.” “I know. But they did have photos that were taken by both the county and them before it happened. They were going to remodel the house.” “It sounds like the arsonist gave them a head start on it!” “Yeah, you can say that again.” “You know, Lucy, I just don’t know any more I can tell you about Lydia or Leroy for that matter. It’s been so long.” “That’s okay. Say, you know, I have some pictures here I can’t identify. Do you have a computer available?” “Yes, I do.” “Would you mind if I scan them in and see if you can identify anybody in them? My cousin Betty and I can’t recognize any one of them.” “Sure, send them my way. I’ll take a look at them for you.” “Thanks, we appreciate it. Call back whenever you get a chance to look over them.” “I will. Nice talking with you, Lucy. Good luck in your search for the answers you’re looking for.” “Thanks. Nice talking to you, Joyce. Talk to you later. Bye.” “Bye.” Lucy and Betty spendt the next fifteen15 minutes or so scanning in the pictures that really didn’t make any sense to them. They were hoping that Joyce, Lydia’s sister, would be able to identify some of the people. It wasn’t more than a few hours that went by when the phone rang. “Hello?” Betty answered. “Hi, this is Joyce Archer from California calling. Is this Lucy?” “No, I’m Betty, Lucy’s cousin.” “Oh, hi, Betty. I’ve got some news about the pictures. Is Lucy there?” “She sure is. I’ll go get her. If it’s all right, I’m going to put you on speaker phone, is that okay?” “Sure.” “Okay, hold on,” Betty said, going into the kitchen to see if Lucy was there. Betty put the call on speakerphone so all three could hear one another. “Can everyone hear okay?” Lucy said, getting the pictures out to go through them with Joyce. “I’m good here,” Joyce responded. “Hey, Lucy, thanks for numbering these pictures the way you did. Very organized.” “I guess I’m used to it with work and all.” “What kind of work do you do?” “I’m a lawyer.” “A lawyer, you say? That must be exciting. I’m sure all this investigating is right down your alley then? Well, I hope giving you some answers to the pictures might help.” Joyce, Lucy, and Betty spendt the next several minutes going through the pictures one by one. Joyce was able to identify almost all of them as being part of her and Lydia’s side of the family. There was, however, about a dozen or so she couldn’t figure out. “For some of these, I just can’t place who these people are. They look sort of familiar. I don’t know. Maybe they’re from Leroy’s side of the family? Both Leroy and Lydia are in them, but I don’t know who the other people are. Then the last three looks like Leroy is in them, but not Lydia.” “I do know, however, the last three you’re referring to,” Lucy said, taking a closer look at them. “I guess I didn’t notice them that close before. These are some pictures of my parents and Leroy. The one with the kids in would be myself and my siblings. It must have been taken not too long before my mom’s death. My sister Dottie was just about six months old when mMom died.” “That answers that one then. But the mystery remains as to who those other people are with Leroy and Lydia in the other ones.” “Do you know if any of Leroy’s siblings might be still be around?” “I’m not sure. I haven’t had any contact with any of them for decades. I can see what I can do from my end.” “That sounds good. It seems like at this point I’m grasping at straws. But I know in the end it will be worth it, I’m sure.” “ Well, just hang on, Lucy, I’m sure the answers will come sooner than you expect. Well, I better get going. It sounds like the dogs want some attention!” Joyce responded, trying to calm the dogs down while finishing up the conversation with Lucy and Betty. “I hear you on that one,” Lucy said, laughing. “We’ll talk to you later. Bye.” “Bye.” “Well, she seemed nice.” “Yes, she did.” “Although I got the impression that she really never did care for Leroy, that’s for sure.” “ I know. Let’s look through this box one more time. I know that Lydia’s obituary mentioned some of Leroy’s relatives, but that doesn’t mean they’re still around. Maybe we’ll hit the jackpot and find a winner in all of the papers in here!” Lucy and Betty were going through some more of the papers, looking for any signs or evidence about Leroy’s relatives, when the telephone rang. “Hello?” Betty answered. “Betty? This is Joyce again.” “Hi, Joyce. We didn’t expect to hear back so soon from you. Did you find something?” “Yes, I did.” “Great. Hold on. I’m going to put you on speakerphone again and get Lucy.” “All right.” “Okay. Speakerphone on. Can everyone hear each other again?” “Coming in loud and clear,” Joyce responded. “Me too,” Lucy said. “Hi, Joyce.” “Hi, Lucy.” “So what information did you find?” “After we hung up, I got to thinking about those people in the pictures, the ones we couldn’t identify. So I went to the attic, and sure enough., I found some letters from Lydia. I think I might have found some other names, maybe something to go by. There are a few letters in which Lydia does mention going to some family reunions and such where there were a lot of people. How about if I read you some of them and you can decipher what you may, okay?” “Okay. We’re ready with pen and paper.” “All right. The first one starts out ‘Dear Joyce, How kind of you to send the recipe for your homemade rhubarb pie. I can’t wanit to make one. We’ve just got massive amounts of rhubarb in our garden this year. It would be such a shame to just cut it back and throw it out. I know that I could freeze some of it and that would be okay too. But I think a nice pie sounds better, doesn’t it? In did hear from someone this past spring thatwho saw the rhubarb say that when her kids were little, her mother would take some rhubarb, wash it up, and cut it into smaller sticks. She would then keep it around, and whenever they would get a bug bite, she would pull it out and rub it on the bite. Something in the juice would help when the bite started to itch. I guess she used to keep a plastic bag full of it in the summer for just such a thing. Especially when they went fishing, or at the lake swimming. Might be worth a try. Anyway, sorry I digressed about the rhubarb! I know Leroy is looking forward to it, some of his siblings and cousins being out where you are in California and all. He hasn’t seen them for quite some time. I don’t know if I ever did mention to you that he has a brother and also a sister that live really not too far from where you’re at. I think it’s just about two to three hours away or so. Maybe fuarther, I’m not sure. I think his sister lives in the Fresno area, and I think, if I’m not mistaken, he has a brother and family that live in La Jolla. Well, I better go if I’m going to use up some of that rhubarb for that pie for the reunion. I’ll let you know how they turn out. Love, Sis.’” “I know at the farm now Mary Jo has a lot of rhubarb,” Betty said. “We should tell her about the magic medicinal purposes of it!” “I do have another letter if you’d like to hear it,” Joyce said. “Of course,” Lucy responded. “‘Dear Joyce, What a great time we all had at the family reunion. It was finally nice to meet so many of Leroy’s relatives. I had already met his sister, Lorraine, and her husband Earl and Leroy’s brother Dean, and his wife, Evelyn. Of course all their kids were there too, and they’rve really grown. I did meet some new cousins of his too. And I know you’re anxious to hear about how the pies turned out. Well, let me tell you, everyone said that they were simply to die for! Can you believe it? At least I fit in with the family. Leroy says they can sometimes be picky who they like just because of the food they bring to these functions. Can you believe it? Whew! I’m glad I passed the test and made a good impression! Love, Sis.’ That’s about the only ones I could find with any sort of names and places where they lived. I hope that helps.” “ It does help,. tThanks, Joyce!” Lucy said. “When I was recently reading Lydia’s obituary, I know some of those names were in there. I guess perhaps our next step would be to check to see if either they’re still alive or, if they are, where they’re currently living.” “That’s a good idea. It has been a long time,” Joyce responded. “ Do you mind if I do a quick check on the Internet while we still have you on the phone?” “Sure,” Joyce responded. “I’d be curious to see if they were still around.” “ Okay, let’s start with plugging in the name of Leroy’s sister. What was her name again? Lorraine Watt?” Betty asked, while typing her name. “No, nothing here on the Social Security Death Index site for her.” Betty tried each name, one by one, but to no avail. “Okay, well, that checks that source off our list. Hopefully, it’s as accurate as it claims to be. I can check for their addresses and phone numbers now.” Betty checked all the names and cities where Lydia’s obituary mentioned they lived, while Lucy carried on a conversation with Joyce. “Bingo,” Betty said. “I’ve got a match for them.” “ All right. Way to go,” Joyce said. “Do they still live in the same area that Lydia’s obituary mentions?” “Um hmm. They sure do,” Betty responded. “Okay. I’ll let you go so you can now get on with the next phase of your hunt. Please let me know what you find out, okay?” “We sure will, Joyce,” Lucy responded. “Thanks so much for all your help so far.” “My pleasure. You two take care now, and I’ll talk with you soon.” “Thanks, bye.” “Bye.” “Now that we have telephone numbers and positive locations for these people, should we really call them?” Lucy said, rather hesitantly. “Are you doubting something?” “Well, I mean, is it worth bothering these people over this? They really weren’t related to Lydia. They were Leroy’s direct relatives, not hers.” “True. But they might have some insight about both Lydia and Leroy, don’t you think? And don’t forget, we’ve these pictures you need to have identified.” “Yeah, you’ve got a point,” Lucy said, picking up the photos and looking at them again. “I hate to just have pictures here for no reason, especially if you don’t know who’s in them.” “Who should we look up first?” “Let’s try Leroy’s sister, Lorraine.” “Okay, here goes.” Lucy dialed the number and an older woman answered. “Hello?” “Hello, is this Lorraine Watt?” “Who’s calling?” “ Ma’am, my name is Lucy Campbell. You don’t know me, but we have a mutual acquaintance, so to speak.” “Yes, I’m Mrs. Watt. And you said our connection is who?” “Let me explain.” Lucy then went on to tell the story of her connection with Leroy and the information she and Betty knew about his former wife, Lydia. “You know, I really shouldn’t say this about my own brother, but he was always a little bit odd.” “All the time or just here and there?” “ Oh, I don’t know. Maybe as a teenager. Then again, you know teenage boys, how squirrelly they can be!” “Oh yes, ma’am. I know that one,” Lucy said, laughing. “I have a few of my own!” “I guess itI really probably didn’t take notice of it much until he came back home from the service.” “Really? What branch was he in?” “The Marine Corps.” “When was he in?” “Hmm, let me see. I believe it was during the late fiftie50s.” “Okay. That must have been right before he came to Minnesota and started working for my parents on the farm.” “I remember that time. So you’re connected with that family, now I get it.” “Um hmm. Although I really don’t remember him. Little bits and pieces perhaps. I was only four years old when my mother died and then my grandma raised us kids after that. Where was your brother based when he was in the service, if I may ask?” “He was in California, Twentyn Nine Palms, I believe,. wWhy?” “That confirms a newspaper article we found with his name in it.” “Oh yes. Was that the one about that fellow, what was his rank? Corporal or something like that? The one who was murdered?” “Yes, I believe so. Let’s see,” Lucy said, skimming through the article again. “Yes, he was a Llance cCorporal. Leroy’s name was mentioned as the military checkinged him out as a suspect because of him arguing with the Llance cCorporal over some duties to be done.” “That sounds like something my brother would be involved in. He was always a non- conformist. I don’t know how he ever survived his four-year stint in the Marines, of all places!” “You said he acted different when he got out. How so?” “ I don’t know, more skittish I guess. Never really trusted anyone. Kept having conversations with himself. He was finally diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. IHe seemed to be in somewhat control though when he met and married Lydia. It was sometime after Lydia’s car accident and then her funeral when things went progressively downhill for him. He probably was under so much stress. After he abandoned the farm, we really never heard from him again. He’s never contacted us ever since that time.” “Do you have reason to believe he’s still alive?” “ I wouldn’t have a clue. There forwere years we would get calls off and on from different people looking for him. Mostly military related. We would get all sorts of letters for him too. I guess he used us as his permanent address. We just returned all the mail and never saw any of it again. Don’t know where it went to.” “Hmm, I don’t know what else to say,” Lucy said, looking at her watch. “Maybe I can do some checking here at our end to see what happened to him, since he did live here for a while at least. In the meantime, I do have some photos to get to you. We’re hoping maybe someone on your side of the family might recognize the people in the pictures. We’ve exhausted possibilities at this end. Do you have a computer I could scan and send them to you?” “ Yes, I do. You can send them to me, and I’ll take a look. My e-mail address is LWatt2000@ at yahoo.com.” “Great. Take your time and look them over and then call us back or we’ll call you if we find something out about Leroy, okay? Either way, we’ll get back in touch with you.” “I look forward to it. It’s been a real pleasure talking to both of you two gals, even if it was about my crazy brother!” Lorraine said, laughing. “I’ll talk to you both later. Bye.” “Bye,” Lucy and Betty said. “Well, that was somewhat productive. At least we found out why maybe he was acting so oddly while working at your parents’ farm.” “Maybe,” Lucy said, scanning in the photos for Lorraine. “Hopefully, we can get some more insight as to who these mystery people are.” “It would be nice to get them back to their rightful owners.” “Sure would.” “I think I’m going to head off to bed. I’ll leave you and the scanner to yourself!” “ Oh, thanks!” Lucy said, laughing. I’m just going to stay up for a little while after scanning, and catch up on my e-mails.” “Okay, see you in the morning.” “Good night.” Chapter Seventeen

The next morning, Lucy woke up just as the sun was peeking through the curtains. Oh no, she thought to herself. I can’t even sleep past sunrise. Getting up, she noticed that there was bacon, eggs, and pancake smells already coming from the kitchen. “What are you doing up so early, Betty?” Lucy asked, shuffling into the kitchen. “Who knows!” Betty said, mixing the pancake batter. “Don’t ask me! Every once in a while, my body just wakes up early, that’s all. Can’t explain it, it just does!” “I guess it’s okay since the sun’s out. It would be different I suppose if it were a gloomy kind of a day, all dark or storming.,” Lucy said, pouring a tall cup of freshly made coffee. “So what’s on the agenda for you today?” Betty said, flipping pancakes. I have some work -related e-mails I really should get to,” Lucy said, sitting down at the table. “Lots of commitment issues coming through lately. Mostly the ones dealing in what’s called Jarvis hearings.” “Jarvis? What’s that?” “ It’s basically to get a person to either receive the neuroleptic medications that they need or to have ECT given to them,” Lucy said, dishing up some food. “Neuroleptic medications? ECT?” “ Sorry, I’m so used to those terms. Neuroleptic medications are the psychiatric medications they may need, and ECT is just a fancy acronym for shock treatments. Sometimes people just don’t want to have what’s needed for them in order to get better or maintain stability in their mental conditions they have.” “I guess you don’t realize the people you may meet on the street that have some sort of underlying medical condition like that.” “More than you really want to know about,” Lucy said, finishing her breakfast. “Hey, thanks for making breakfast this morning.” “You’re welcome. I needed to be up early because I have to work today. I almost forgot I switched my work schedule around.” “Don’t worry about cleaning up,. I’ll take care of it.” “ Thanks, Lucy. I appreciate it,” Betty said, grabbing her purse. “See you later downtown maybe?” “Yeah, I may or may not be breaking away today. All depends on those pesky e-mails!” “Okay, well, in any event, see you tonight then!” Betty said, leaving the house. “Have a good day at work.” “Thanks, bye.” “Bye.” After Betty left for work, Lucy cleaned up the kitchen, made more coffee, and turned on the radio. While going through her work e-mails, Lucy discovered that fortunately she could pass off some of them, delegating someone else to answer in her absence. Others were ones that she could answer questions on or give her opinions to. Then there were the ones of more personal nature, mainly asking how she was doing with her investigation work in Pearl River. Those e- mails were easy to answer. Just when she was about finished checking and answering most of her e-mails, the telephone rang. “Hello?” “Hey, honey, what’s up?” “Not too much this morning, just catching up with some work e-mails. How about you? How are the kids? The dogs?” “Pretty quiet around here. Kids and dogs are their usual selves. Nothing too unusual.” “That’s good. I sure do miss all of you. But I can honestly say I think I’m making some good progress here. Some days more than others.” “Great! Say, why I’m calling is I wanted to know if you would like some extra company this weekend?.” “I thought you would be on your way out of town by now.” “No, actually the trip was postponed.” “Well, I guess that’s good and bad. I know you were looking forward to it. But sure, ofby all means, come on down. It’ll be fun. When were you thinking of leaving?” “Maybe sometime late this afternoon, early evening?” “Okay, I know I’ll be here. Say, would you mind stopping by my office and picking up a few files for me?” “Yeah, not a problem.” “Great. I’ll e-mail Tracy and ask her to pull the files for you. That way all you have to do is make a quick stop, not hanging around there.” “Sounds like a plan. I’ll see you when I get there then.” “All right. See you later, honey. Have a safe trip out here.” “I will. Bye.” “Bye.” Lucy put together a list of the files she wanted her assistant, Tracy, to get together for George to bring with him. After e-mailing the list to her, Lucy decided to take a leisurely walk into town. No real agenda. Just a break. While walking by the hardware store, she ran into, literally, Larry Thompson, the man who lived on the west side of the farm. “Oh, I’m sorry,” Lucy said. “Are you okay?” “Yeah, yeah, I’m okay,” Larry mumbled, turning away from Lucy’s face, not wanting to look directly at her. “Thanks.” Larry clutched his brown sack tightly to himself and scurried off. He really is odd, Lucy thought to herself. She continued to walk, keeping one eye on where she was going, and one eye on Larry, who darted across the street towards the post office. She decided to check out the dime store, seeing if Jenna Mae was working. “Hey, Jenna Mae,” Lucy said, walking into the store. “How’s it going?” “ Well, hi there, Lucy,” Jenna Mae responded. “It’s going well. Can’t complain. So how’s the investigation going?” “Good, good. I can’t complain either. Just taking a break from working on it, that’s all. I thought I would take a walk into town here to see some other civilization!” “Nice idea. Are you looking for anything in particular?” “No, not really. Just passing some time. My husband, George, is coming into town later on this afternoon.” “That’s nice he’s able to visit.” “Yeah, he was supposed to be going out of town, but apparently, his trip was postponed, so he decided to come here.” “Aw, isn’t that sweet!” “It’ll be good to see him. I’ve been here for a while and time has been going so fast. I can’t believe it.” “So any updates on yourthe search you’re doing?” “Um, somewhat. It’s been really here and there. Just when I think I’ve got some really good leads, those leads go off on another path. I just think I’m missing something. I don’t know. I keep thinking someone around here knows more than they’re letting on. Oh well, maybe having the weekend off, so to speak, will help. Well, I better get going,” Lucy said, looking at her watch. “I think I might stop in a few more shops before heading back.” “You know, they just opened up a new needlework shop down the street,” Jenna Mae said, pointing in the direction of the shop. “You could always use up some of your time there.” “That does sound tempting. Maybe I might have to do that,” Lucy said, going towards the door. “Seeing it’s right on the way. Thanks, bye.” “See you again soon I hope. Bye.” Lucy finished her conversation with Jenna Mae and decided as long as she was down that way it would be a good time to stop at that needlework shop Jenna Mae told her about. She also had a strange feeling she should be keeping more of any eye for Larry. About an hour later, while Lucy was leaving the needlework shop, she again almost literally, ran into Larry. Hmm, she thought to herself. Two encounters with this mystery man in one day. What was the likelihood of that? “Oh, hi, Larry,” Lucy said stopping a bit. “Funny running into you again. Sorry.” “That’s okay, I guess,” Larry said, rather sheepishly. For a moment, Lucy actually made eye contact with Larry. After having a flashback moment, she quickly turned her attention back to Larry. “Say, Larry, are you doing anything in particular right now?” Lucy asked. “No, no, ma’am,” he said, rather hesitantly. “Would you like to grab a cup of coffee or something?” “I, I, I, can’t right now,” Larry said, very nervously. “Must get back.” “Must get back?” Lucy asked, sounding confused herself at his response. “Must get back,” Larry kept repeating. “Larry, are you okay?” Lucy asked, setting her packages down as she guided Larry over to a nearly bench. Larry sat on the bench, cradling his head in his hands, rocking back and forth, almost going into a fetal position. Lucy quickly grabbed her cell phone out of her bag and dialed 911. “9-1-1- operator, how may I help you?” “Yes, hello. I need some help for a friend please.” “What seems to be the trouble?” “ Well, I was just having a conversation with him, and he just started mumbling and repeating things to himself, over and over again.” “Ma’am, where are you located?” “I’m on the corner of, let’s see,” Lucy said, looking at the side street sign. “Main and Oak Street, downtown Pearl River.” “Got it. I’ve sent a dispatch to the sheriff and have sent for an ambulance.” “Thanks.” “Yes, ma’am, you’re welcome.” Just as soon as Lucy hung up, the sheriff pulled up. A few minutes later the ambulance arrived. By then a small crowd was starting to emerge onto the scene. “Do you know his name, ma’am?” “Yes, it’s Thompson, Larry Thompson.” “Do you know where he lives?” “ Yes, Hhe lives on the western edge of the property owned by Eugene and Mary Jo Fleming.” “Okay. That’s all the information we need right now. Thank you.” “All right. By the way, are you taking him to the hospital just down the street?” “Ah, yes, ma’am. They evaluate him and take over from there. Oh, do you know if he has any family, anyone he lives with?” “No, he lives alone. I don’t know off hand of any other family members who live in the immediate area.” “Okay, well, if you find out anything more about any relatives, can you please let the hospital know?” “Yes, I will do that.” “Thanks again, ma’am,” the paramedic said, getting into the ambulance. As the ambulance pulled away, Lucy turned to retrieve her packages from the bench where she had helped Larry. She noticed a few other packages sitting on the bench next to hers. Hmm, she thought to herself. They must belong to Larry. Not wanting to leave them there, she gathered them up and brought them with her back to the house. When she arrived, Betty was already home. “Hey, did you hit the jackpot shopping or what?” Betty said, noticing all of the bags Lucy brought in. “I did find a few things at the needlework shop that recently opened. But did you miss all the excitement!” “Really, what happened?” “ I was coming out of the needlework shop, and I almost literally ran into Larry Thompson.” “What happened? Did he say anything to you?” “ Actually, that was the second time I ran into him this morning,” Lucy said, sorting through the bags. “I asked if he was okay, and he said he was.” “What caused all the excitement then?” “I just casually asked him if he would like to grab a cup of coffee or something. He was acting really nervous, real fidgety. He then started stuttereding ‘I, I, I, can’t.’ And then he said he must get back, over and over and over again.” “That’s weird. Is he okay?” “Don’t know. I helped him to a bench to have him sit down, and all he did was cradle his head in his hands, rocked back and forth, almost into a fetal position. And he kept saying that he must get back several times. I got out my phone and called 911. He needed to be checked out.” “So did an ambulance come and take him?” “Yeah, the Sheriff’s Department came as well. I told them and the paramedics what had happened. I think maybe he kind of flipped.” “Flipped?” “I don’t know. I wonder though what he meant when he kept saying that he must get back?. Get back to what? Like there’s something at his place that needs to be taken care of?” “Maybe we should call Eugene and Mary Jo to let them know what happened. They can maybe check out Larry’s place just to be sure. You wouldn’t want something to happen if it truly was an emergency.” “ You know, he’s got those gardens there. Maybe he left some sprinklers on or something? That wouldn’t be good if they got too much water.” “You’re right.” Lucy put the rest of her things away, and gave Mary Jo a call. “Voice mail. Hey, Mary Jo and Eugene, this is Lucy Campbell calling. Say, I’ll make this short, but would you mind stopping over by Larry’s place and check things out? I ran into him in town a little while ago, and he ended up having kinda, I don’t know any other word for it other than a little meltdown of sorts. Mumbling something about how he must get back. Not sure what that all meant, so call me, okay? I have a few of his packages too here with me that got left behind. Bye.” While waiting for Mary Jo or Eugene to call back, Lucy’s husband, George, arrived at the house. “ Hey, George, welcome! Come on in. What a surprise. We weren’t expecting you probably until later this evening. Lucy’s in the kitchen.” “Thanks, Betty,” George said, coming into the house, setting his suitcase down. “Hi, dear,” Lucy said, greeting George, giving him a big bear-type hug and kiss. “I’m so glad you’re here.” “So am I. I’m really glad it worked out that my mini trip was postponed.” “Ah, come on, tell me the truth now. You’d miss those exciting psychology lectures and speeches you would have to give, huh?” Lucy said, laughing. “ And to think I was really prepared for this one. I wouldn’t have even had to write anything last minute on the plane!” George laughed back. “I guess I can always save what I’ve written for the next time.” “I’m sure you’ll be able to. I don’t think the subject matter will change all that much!” “No, in fact, there’s one coming up next month, I believe.” “Where is that one at?” “ It’s actually at a military base in southern California,” George said, sitting down, taking a glass of iced tea Betty brought for him. “Oh, thanks, you read my mind!” “No, actually, Lucy made it up not too long before you came. She said you liked this flavor.” “Well, thanks, I appreciate it.” “Anyway, George, tell me more about the next chance you said to use all your fine- tuned written speeches. At a military base in southern California?” “Ha-ha,” George said, laughing, taking a sip of his tea. “I don’t know if you’ve heard of this base before. It’s a Marine Corp.s base called, Twentyn Nine Palms.” Betty and Lucy looked at each other and broke out laughing. “What’s so funny?” “Do I have a lot of explaining to you, George!” Lucy said, still laughing. Before Lucy could explain any more, the telephone rang. “Hello? Oh, hi, Mary Jo. Yeah, Lucy’s here. Hang on.” “Hi, Mary Jo. I take it you got my message?” “I sure did, Lucy. So what else is going on? We went over right away to his place, but nothing seemed to be out of order. At least what we could see.” “ Whew, that’s a relief. He was so distraught. He just kept mumbling over and over again that he must get back. I don’t know where back was, but I guessed it was home. I thought maybe the gardens he has had the sprinklers on them or something. I could just imagine if they were saturated too much and water started flowing into his house.” “No, the sprinklers weren’t even in sight. It looked real quiet there. Like nothing had been touched. He does appear to be a very neat, particular person. I don’t know what to say either about what happened to him. We’ve never known him to act this way. I mean we know he keeps to himself most of the time, doesn’t disturb anyone. Weird.” “Tell me about it. All I did was ask the poor guy if he was okay after I bumped into him and if he wanted to grab a cup of coffee or something. And that’s when he got real nervous and then started mumbling. I helped him to a bench, and he started mumbling again, cradling his head in his hands, rocking back and forth.” “I hope he’s okay.” “The paramedic asked me if I knew if he had any family members in the immediate area. I told him I didn’t think so, and he said if I came up with anyone, that I should contact the hospital.” “I think really the only family he has is out in California.” “ That’s what I thought too. Maybe the hospital might be able to give us some information about his condition.” “I don’t know. With all that privacy stuff going on now, they might not even say he’s a patient there. We could always stop by tomorrow morning to drop his packages off to him.” “It’s worth a try. Okay, well, I better go. My husband, George, surprised us and decided to come for the weekend, so I suppose we better feed him since he did come all this way!” “ Sounds good, we’ll be home tomorrow, so please stop by. I’m looking forward to meeting your better half.” “Okay, we’ll make a point of it. You guys have a pleasant evening.” “You too, bye.” “Bye.” “ So now do you want to explain how you two know about Twentyn Nine Palms?” George asked. After grabbing some iced tea for themselves, Lucy and Betty explained the whole story to George. “Wow! That’s quite a story.” “We know. That’s what we thought too.” “ Not to change the topic much, but what should we have for dinner?” Betty asked, looking at the clock on the wall. “I don’t know. What is everyone else hungry for?” “Oh, here we go again?” Lucy said, sighing. “What do you mean?” “Nights like this, especially on weekends, we go round for round trying to decide on dinner. Then we usually end up having leftovers!” “How about if we solve part of that and say let’s go into town?” “There you go!” Lucy said, jumping up out of her chair. “Decision was made. We can even go to Old Style Buffet.” “Old Style Buffet?” “You’re kind of place, George. It has all different types of food to choose from!” “Okay, I’m game. As long as they have ice cream as one of the choices for dessert.” “That they do have.” “So should we walk or drive?” “I’ve been driving a lot today. I would feel good to walk.” “Then it’s settled.” Along the way, Betty met up with some co-workers, and they chatted for a few minutes before heading to the restaurant. “ You gals were right about this place,” George said, as they walked out of the restaurant. “I’m so stuffed, I don’t think I could eat breakfast tomorrow morning.” “That would be a first!” Lucy said, laughing. “Hey!” “Oh, I’m sorry, dear,” Lucy said, patting George’s stomach. After they arrived back at the house, they watched the local news before heading off to bed. They next day, Lucy and Betty wanted to do some checking out of Larry’s place, trying to see, with the help of Mary Jo and Eugene, if he had any relatives they could at least let know what happened, and that he was in the hospital. Chapter Eighteen

Sunlight broke through the curtains just a little bit after George woke up. Usually having an alarm set, he wasn’t really used to sleeping in without either the alarm clock blaring in his ears or the dogs licking their faces to wake either him or Lucy up. George rolled over and noticed Lucy wasn’t there. He got up, and followed the smell of coffee. Ah, at least this is familiar, he thought to himself. “Morning, George,” Lucy and Betty said, as George came into the kitchen. “ Morning,” George mumbled, scratching his head. “How long have you two been awake?” “Not long. Just enough to get the coffee started,” Betty responded. “Would you like some, dear?” Lucy asked. “ Sure,” George said, sitting down at the table. “So what’s in store for today? More sleuthing around?” “Oh, I really wouldn’t call it that, dear,” Lucy said. “I know Mary Jo wants us to stop out atby the farm. I’d like to stop in town first though and check on Larry if we could.” “Is he still in the hospital?” “ As far as I know,” Lucy said. “That’s where they were going to take him. At least that’s what one of the paramedics told me.” “Do you think he’s on a 72 -hour hold?” George asked. “Might be.” “72 -hour hold?” Betty asked. “Yeah, it’s when the hospital puts a mental health hold on someone to evaluate them. That way, they don’t just discharge someone too quickly if they suspect some issues with their mental health.” “Ah,” Betty said., “Yyou know, I’m learning more about this the longer I hang around you.” “It’s good to learn new things every day, right?” Lucy said, laughing. “I guess so! Say, George, do you want a refill before heading out?” “ Sure do,” George replied, putting more cream and sugar in his cup. “I think I’m starting to become more awake now.” “Good deal, honey, because there’s lots for you to see today.” “Betty, has she been non-stop like this since she’s been here?” “Not every day,” Betty said, chuckling. “There’s been some slow days too.” “You could stay here and rest if you think the trip’s too much for you, honey?,” Lucy said, sarcastically. “Funny. Very funny indeed. Bring it on!” George responded, laughing. Before heading out to the farm, their first stop was at the Pearl River Memorial Hospital, where Larry was taken the day before. They stopped at the front desk in the lobby to see if Larry was still a patient there. “Can I help you find something?” “Yes, we’re looking for a patient’s room, please.” “What is the patient’s last name?” “Thompson. Larry Thompson.” “He’s on the fourth floor.” “Which room is he in?” “The fourth floor is our locked psychiatric floor. When you get off the elevator, there will be a bell for you to ring. The nursing staff can buzz you in at that point.” “Okay, thanks. Have a nice day.” “You too.” “Okay, so do you still want to go up there?” Betty asked, after finding out Larry was on the locked, psychiatric floor. “Sure, why not?” Lucy asked. “There’s just something about him. I can’t explain it. I need to know if he’s okay. Besides, I deal with people like that a lot in my practice. It doesn’t bother me.” “Yeah, in my line of work too,” said George. “I see all sides of it, both in and out of the hospital setting. You know, Lucy, they may not let us in. You really don’t know him all that well.” “I know, but it’s worth a try,” Lucy said, as they stepped into the elevator. Once on the fourth floor, elevator doors closing behind them, the locked doors with the telephones on the outside walls were in front of them. Lucy picked up the telephone, and it rang immediately to the nurse’s station that they could see looking in part of the inside doors. They explained who they were to the staff person that answered and were buzzed in. Once inside, they stopped at the desk to talk with the charge nurse before sitting and talking with Larry. “How do you know Larry again?” Asked the charge nurse, somewhat suspicious of the three standing before her. Lucy explained that Larry lived on the farm that once was owned by her family. He’s been living on the edge of the property since the current owners, the Flemings, lived there. She had gotten to know Larry since being in town, and that they were very concerned about him. Lucy went on to explain to the charge nurse that she didn’t believe he had any immediate family members in the area. Most of them were out state, likely in California. “ Hold on, let me check with one of the doctors,” the charge nurse said, calling the doctor on call. After a few minutes, she came back. “The doctor said that since Larry has no known immediate family in the area, it would be okay for us to talk to you about Larry.” “So how is he doing,?” Betty asked. “You know, it’s still a hit and a miss with him. He hasn’t been here all long, so he’s still under general observation.” “Did they place him on a 72 -hour hold?” George asked. “Yes, as a matter of fact, they did,” the charge nurse replied. “As a precaution for his own safety. He was in such a discombobulated stated when he arrived.” “For as many times as we’ve seen him, he’s never acted quite like this.” Lucy said. “Is he currently on any meds?” “Not many, just some sedatives. We want to try getting a fair evaluation of him before starting to prescribe any psych medications. And since we don’t know what he’s been on in the past, if anything, we want to make sure. And of course, it hasn’t been easy getting any straight answers from him. He really does keep to himself, very low key.” “We’re on our way out to the Flemings now. Maybe we can find out more about Larry’s family. If we find out anything, we’ll definitely let you know.” “That would be wonderful. All he keeps saying is must get back over and over again. I don’t know where or what that means. He also rocks back and forth, sometimes holding his head in his hands, sometimes going into a fetal position.” “See, that’s what he was doing on the street yesterday when I ended up calling 911.” “Well, we’ll try to get him the help he needs as best we can.” “Would he be available to maybe see us right now?” Lucy asked. “I wonder if he will remember me?.” “He’s sitting in the day room, watching an old movie. I suppose you can give it a try.” “I think I will. Long as we’re here. Thanks again for allowing us to talk with you about him.” “ My pleasure. Let me know when you’re finished, and I’ll have someone walk you out.” “Okay, thanks.” While George and Betty waited in the main seating area, Lucy went into the day room to see if Larry was still there. She caught a glimpse of him, sitting in a semi-fetal position, watching an old black -and -white movie. “Larry?” Lucy asked, bending down to his level. Larry turned around and looked at Lucy. Lucy got chills running down her spine. One of those déjà vu moments when they made eye contact. He quickly turned his attention back to the movie for a few moments and then looked at Lucy again. “How are you doing today?” Lucy asked. Larry just looked at her, lost, turning away rather quickly and then starteding to rocking again, mumbling to himself. There he goes again, Lucy thought to herself. “Larry, I have your packages you left on the street yesterday. I’m going to give them to Mary Jo Fleming, okay?” Larry’s eyes shifted for a minute toward Lucy’s, not saying anything to her, but then he shifted his focus back on the movie. “Okay, so don’t worry about your packages, Larry. Mary Jo will take really good care of them for you. I’ll come by again another day to see you okay? Bye, bye,” Lucy said, leaving the day room, stopping by the nurses’ station. “That was really different,” Lucy said, after the staff person left her, George, and Betty out. “I really have to check things out now.” “Do you think he ever really connected with who you were and why you were there?” “I don’t know. There’s just something about him,” Lucy said, as they made their way out to the farm. “It’s just one of those gut feelings, you know?” “That’s the non-fancy psychological term for it, yes!” George said. Taking the turn around the bend over the bridge of the Pearl River, George commented on how the land looked all around him. “This is really some nice -looking farm land,” George said. “I can see why your folks wanted to live out here.” “So could I,” Lucy said, gazing out onto the fields. “I just wish I could remember more about that time.” “You were too young, that’s all,” Betty said. “I know. I guess I just have to enjoy it now when I can, while I’m here, even for this short time,” Lucy said. “George, you see that group of buildings coming up on the left?” “Um hmm.” “That’s the farm.” “Okay.” George pulled the car in and parked off to the side. Maxwell, the Fleming’s’ dog, came around the corner, giving his deep bark as a welcome, all the while wagging his tail. “Maxwell, get over here!” Mary Jo shouted as she came out of the house. Lucy and Betty got out of the car, but George was a bit hesitant at first. “ Don’t worry about, Maxwell. He’s the type that would licke you to death before anything else,” Lucy said, laughing. “Okay, if you say so,” George said, getting out of the car. “Hi, Lucy, Betty.,” Mary Jo said, approaching the car. “Hi, Mary Jo. This is my husband, George.” “Hi, George, glad you could make it down here,” Mary Jo said. “Lucy and Betty have told me so much about you.” “All good, I hope?.” “Of course,” Mary Jo said, laughing. “Come on in. I’ll put some coffee on.” “I brought the things that Larry purchased while he was downtown the other day,” Lucy said, taking the packages out of her bag. “ Oh good. I’ll have Eugene probably swing by and drop them off at Larry’s place, unless you wanted to do it yourselves?” “Doesn’t matter to us, I guess,” Lucy said, turning to Betty and George. “I suppose we could do it. That way, George can see where he lives too.” “How about now?” George said. “No time like the present.” “Sure,” Lucy said. “How about it, Betty?” “Why not? Nothing much else is on our agenda.” “Mind if I come along?” Mary Jo asaiked, clearing away the empty coffee cups. “Not at all,” George said. “The more, the merrier.” “Okay, I’ll get my keys, and we’ll take off, okay?” “You can ride with us if you’d like.” “That’s okay. I’ll drive. That way I can take Maxwell with me. He could use some new place to burn off some of that excess energy he always seems to have!” “All right. We’ll follow you.” While George, Lucy, and Betty followed Mary Jo to Larry’s place, Lucy told George more about what type of place Larry lived in. When they arrived, Mary Jo left Maxwell out of her car. He immediately circled around the perimeters of the small area a few times before coming to a halt near the two gardens. Mary Jo, afraid he was going to start digging some of the vegetables, kept a close eye on him while the rest of the group went toward the door of the house. “I think I’ll put the packages just probably right by the door, don’t you think?” Lucy said, walking toward the door. “Hmm, I don’t know,” George said, looking at the sky. “It might rain. And since we don’t have any idea when he’s getting out, maybe set the bags in on the kitchen table.” “Sure, I don’t see why not,” Mary Jo said, coming up to them. “I know he never locks his door, so it should be open.” “Okay.” Once inside, Lucy set the packages on the table. Looking around, Lucy marveled at how one person could live in such a way as Larry did. Everything appeared to be neat, crisp, and orderly. For a three-room building, Larry seemed to have it all so put together. Peering into the bedroom, she noticed that even the bed was made up in such a perfect way. The frames that were on the wall were all pretty much the same too, with some being pictures, others appearing to be documents of some sort. Not being able to help but notice, she looked more closely at some of the pictures Larry had put on top of what appeared to be a dresser. She did a double take at two of them in particular, sitting side-by-side. They appeared very familiar to her, like she had seen them before. Lucy called Betty in to take a look. “Betty, come in here, will you?” “What’s up?” Betty asaiked, coming into the bedroom. “Look at these two pictures. Do they look familiar to you at all?” Betty looked at the two pictures, picking them both up and putting them to the light to get a better view. “They do look a little familiar,” Betty said, putting the pictures back in the same spot as where she picked them up from. “Kinda creepy, if you ask me.” “Maybe we’ve been looking at pictures too long, trying to identify people in them?” “Are you two all right?” George asked, stepping into the room. “Yeah, sure,” Lucy said, still trying to check things out, looking for anything remotely familiar. “I don’t know. This place is starting to give me the willies, that’s all.” “What do you mean?” “I don’t know, there just seems to be a real strong vibe for me going through here, that’s all,” Lucy said. “Like I’m supposed to be here.” “Do do do do do do do do,” George said, laughing, waiving his fingers at her. “Oh, whatever!” Lucy said, laughing back, stepping out of the house, into the yard. “Everything okay?” Mary Jo asked. “Yeah, I guess,” Lucy said. “Lucy said she felt some pretty strong vibes when she was in there,” George said, doing his finger waiving toward Lucy again, as they were walking to the car. “George!” “Was it one of those déjà vu moments?” Betty asked. “No, I don’t know. It was just weird, that’s all,” Lucy said, turning to look at the house again. “There’s just something about that house, that’s all. I can’t describe it.” Walking by the car, George noticed some envelopes on the ground. Thinking that maybe Lucy dropped them out of a bag, he brought them over to her. “No, not mine,” Lucy said, glancing at them. “Whose name is on them?” Lucy looked confused when she examined the envelopes more closely. “What’s wrong?” “I don’t understand,” Lucy said, flipping through them one more time. “What do you mean? Whose names are on them?” George asked. “Leroy. Leroy Kraemer.” “Who?” “The only Leroy Kraemer I know of, at least by name, is the farmhand that used to work for my parents when we lived here. And the one that my grandma sold the farm to.” “Why would mail for him be coming here?” Betty asked, overhearing the conversation, walking up to them. “Okay, I told you guys this place is creepy,” Lucy said, looking at the envelopes again. “Do you think… . . . ?” Mary Jo began to say. “Nah, it couldn’t be.” “As creepy as this place seems to be to me, we need to go back into that house again and take a look around, that’s what we need to do.” “Can we do that?” Betty asked. “Wouldn’t that really be trespassing?” “You’re right,” Lucy said. “Unless, wait. I know. Mary Jo is co-owner of this property. Mary Jo, do we have permission to enter this house?” “You certainly do. By all means, go in.” “There. We have permission. Let’s go.” Walking back into the house and into the bedroom, Lucy began to get a somewhat queasy feeling coming over her. “Oh my gosh. Come look at these pictures again,” Lucy said, gasping, picking one up that was on the dresser. “I don’t believe it.” “What is it?” Betty asked, coming over to look at the picture. “Do you recognize something, honey?” George asked, also walking into the bedroom where Lucy and Betty were. “I think I do.” “Let’s take them outside where the light is better,” Mary Jo said, joining the group. Taking both pictures outside, plus some others they found in the house, they put them on the front hood of the car to compare them one at a time. “So what are we looking for?” Mary Jo asked. “Look at the similarities in these people,” Lucy said, pointing them out between the two of them. “And take a close look at the buildings in the background. If I’m not mistaken, I believe that the buildings in the background are the original ones at the farm.” “Do you really think so?” Betty asked. “Yeah, I do,” Lucy said. “And look at those people. That’s my mother, and in this one there’s us kids.” “So the other man in the picture over here is your dad?” George asked. “Must be.” “Then who is this person in the picture over here then?” Mary Jo asked. “The buildings in the background do look the same.” “Leroy?” “Has to be,” Betty said. He looks a little familiar, and he doesn’t look like any of the relatives. At least not to me.” “Mary Jo, do you know of any pictures that might be current of Larry?” Lucy asked, still examining the pictures. “Not that I know of, sorry.,” Mary Jo said, looking around. “Maybe there might be like some sort of picture IDi.d. or driver’s license around here?” “Good thought,” Lucy said, putting the picture down. Everyone went back into the house and split up, looking for any type of updated picture they could use to compare it with the pictures they found. “Bingo. I might have found something. It’s a driver’s license. And the name on it says Leroy Kraemer,” George said, handing it to Lucy. “ Really?” Lucy said, taking the license from George. “I’m going to go outside and compare it to the pictures.” While outside, Lucy put the license next to the other pictures to see if there were any similarities. “Let me take a look too,” George said, comparing the license to the other pictures. “I think you’re hunch is right, Lucy. I really think they are one iand the same.” “What are the addresses for both the envelopes and the license?” “For the envelopes,” George said. “It’s a pP.oO. box in Pearl River. The envelopes have it listed as Route 17, 12687 Highway 2.” “That’s the address here at the farm,” Mary Jo said, looking somewhat surprised. “Why would he have our house address listed?” “Probably because you can’t have a pP.oO. box listed on a government issued IDi.d.,” George replied. “Hey, come over and look at this,” Betty said, standing in the doorway of the house. “You’ll never believe what I found in a drawer full of junk.” “What?” “It’s a driver’s license.” “Another one? Whose?” “Leroy Kraemer.” “Okay, but the one we have here says that too.” “This one is from California,” Betty said, handing it to George. “California?” Lucy asked. “How old is it?” “It’s a valid one,” George said, looking at the expiration date. “This is getting crazy,” Lucy said. “George, do you have your cell phone on you?” “Sure, honey, why?” “I’m going to call the hospital and ask them a few questions, that’s all.” Lucy stepped outside the house and called the nurse’s station at the hospital. Getting in touch with the social worker, Lucy thought, it might be a good way to get some thoughts about the things they’ve found. “I don’t know what to say,” Julia Rogers, the psychiatric social worker said. “Seems pretty bizarre, if you ask me.” “That’s what we’ve been thinking too. My mind’s been going full circle on this one, trying to figure it out.” “ So far, he’s been pretty compliaint with everything around here,” Julia said. “He’s been somewhat subdued, but that could be the meds. I guess I don’t know that much about his background, other than what you’ve all told us. He’s been keeping to himself mostly. Once in a while, staff has noticed that he’s just all of a sudden started rocking back and forth, almost in a fetal position, mumbling to himself.” “I know. We haven’t been able to make any connection with all of theat either.” “He’s been pretty good about taking his meds, at least up until this last round. He just flat out refused to take them.” “Hmm, whaty do you think he acted that way?” “I don’t know twhat triggered it. Just flat out refused. He wasn’t agitated or anything,. hHe just refused.” “How long will you let him go in that direction?” “Well, I’ll tell you one thing. If he isn’t med compliant, he’ll be here past the 72 -hour hold.” “On his way to a Jarvis hearing?” “You know about that type of hearing?” Juliea asked, surprised Lucy knew all about it. Lucy went on to tell Julia her background and how she has handled numerous cases such as this in the past. “Well, let’s hope it won’t lead to that. It’s always more stressful on the patients I think than anyone else. A lot of times, as I’m sure you’ve seen, they just don’t understand. You know, in light of what you’ve told me, I think I’m going to have another talk with Larry. Then I’ll talk to the team here and see what can be done for him here.” “Can you let me know what happens?” “Well, you know, I really can’t let you have access to medical treatment information on Larry.” “Oh yeah, those privacy laws!” “ I know a way around it, if it would work,” Lucy said. “I could go to court and become his temporary legal guardian.” “That would be one way, although do you really want to go through all that?” “I’ll check into it and let you know what happens.” “Okay, so we’ll be in touch.” “Okay, bye.” “Bye.” “All right,” Lucy said, stepping back into the house. “I spoke with the social worker. She said that Larry really hasn’t had a problem taking any medications since being there. That is until this last round. He flat out refused to take them. She also said that since she knows now some of the things I told her about what was going on, she was going to talke with Larry, and then the treatment team there will discuss what can be done for him. She couldn’t give me any more details other than that. Those pesky privacy laws.” “Is there a way to get around it?” Betty asked. “I told her that I’m going to check into what it would take for me to become Larry’s temporary legal guardian. I know I can petition the mental health court about it, but I don’t know the timeframe involved.” “That’s about all we can do, isn’t it?” Betty said. “At least for now. I just don’t know what else we could do in the meantime to prove that Larry and Leroy are one iand the same person. Do we?” “I don’t, but I bet I know who can possibly help us,” Lucy said. “Who do you have in mind?” George replied. Chapter Nineteen

“We can call Zack,” Lucy said. “He should be able to check it out for us somehow.” “Who?” George asked. “Zack Carson. He’s that old friend from high school I told you about. He works in the Sheriff’s Office here in town.” “ Oh yeah, yeah. I remember now,” George said. “He helped you find some records before, didn’t he?” “Um hmm. I think I’ll give him a call right now. See if he’s working today,” Lucy said, dialing his number. “Zack? This is Lucy.” “Hey, Lucy, what’s up? You still hanging around these parts?” “Yeah, I am, as a matter of fact. We’re actually at the farm. You know, Mary Jo and Eugene Fleming’s place.” “Sure, I know them. So what’s going on?” “Well, I didn’t know if you heard about Larry Thompson or not.” “He’s that guy who lives on the edge of the farm, isn’t he?” “The one and only.” “What about him? I heard he sort of wigged out the other day downtown, but I haven’t heard much else after that.” “Yeah. You heard right. I was the one who actually called 911 for him. Long story, tell you later. Anyway, he’s still on the psychiatric floor at Pearl Memorial. On a 72 -hour hold. He’s actually why we’re calling you. Myself, Betty, my husband George, and Mary Jo are here at Larry’s place.” “What’s happening there?” “ Well, it started off by us dropping off some packages that Larry left behind on the street when he had his meltdown the other day. After he went away in the ambulance, I noticed he had left his packages behind. I wanted to make sure he got them, so I brought them out here. It’s really snowballed from that point.” “How so?” “When we got here, I was just going to set them near the door to his house. George said that it looked like rain, and Mary Jo said that he always leaves his door unlocked, so we decided to put them on the table inside his house. However, in the meantime, I caught a glimpse of some pictures he had on the tables and some on the walls that looked really familiar for some reason. George came over in the process, holding in his hand some mail he thought I dropped near the edge of the car, probably while getting out. I told him that they weren’t mine, and I looked at the names that they were addressed to. Each one was addressed to Leroy Kraemer.” “Leroy Kraemer? You’re kidding me, right?” “I wish I was, but I’m not. We just don’t know what to make of it. Even the pictures. There’s some with my parents and us kids in them too.” “ Wow,” Zack responded. “I don’t know what to say. Do you want me to do some checking on our end for him?” “If you wouldn’t mind. That’s the reason why I was calling. Maybe you can check him out under both names? It’s worth a shot, I guess. It’s just that I feel like we’re invading someone’s privacy by being in here like this, snooping around, that’s all.” “Well, you know as long as you have Mary Jo’s or Eugene’s permission, you can be there. It’s technically their property. But just to be on the safe side, I’ll get working on an official search warrant for you.” “Thanks, Zack. I feel like we’ve opened up a can of worms here.” “Oh no, not just a can,” Zack said, laughing. “I think you’ve all opened a whole case of worms!” “ I know, I know. You can just give us a call whenever the search warrant is ready, okay?” “All right, I will. You take care. Bye.” “Bye, Zack,” Lucy said, hanging up the phone. “What did Zack say?” Betty asked. “He said he would get started on checking up on any kind of background search under both Larry’s orand Leroy’s name, whoever!” “ Well, where should we go from here?” Mary Jo asked. “Should we just leave everything the way it is and come back when Zack finds out more information for us to go on?” “Probably makes sense,” George said. “All I know is that I’m hungry!” “George, I really think you were born hungry,” Lucy said, laughing. “I think Mary Jo is right though. We should just leave well enough alone until we hear back from Zack.” “Okay. I vote we all go into town and get something to eat!” George said, leaving the house. “Maybe we can get in on the Saturday night steak special at the VFW,” Betty said. “Steak?” George’s eyes lit up as he walked back into the house. “Did I hear someone mention steak?” “ Yes, George, you heard right,” Lucy said, laughing. “Hey, Mary Jo, are you guys doing anything tonight for dinner?” “No, we’re not. Neither are the kids. Let me call Eugene to double check.” While Lucy, George, and Betty were getting into the car, Mary Jo came over to their car to let them know that they would be joining them for dinner. “ Looks like we’re kid -free tonight. What time are you thinking of, around seven or so?” “ Sure, seven sounds good to us,” Lucy said, with Betty and George in agreement. “Should we just meet you at the VFW?” “Perfect. See you all later,” Mary Jo said, climbing into the truck with Maxwell. “Bye.” The rest of the weekend was pretty much uneventful. On Sunday morning, Lucy, Betty, and George went together to Pearl River Evangelical Free Church. Lucy hadn’t spent much time there since being back in town, only stopping there once to check on her father’s old files. Not that she was opposed to going to church, this particular church held a lot of long- ago- lost memories for her that she still wasn’t able to remember. Sunday evening, as George was packing up to go back to the city, he thought more about Lucy’s stay, and what he called the journey of self-discovery she was on. “Lucy,” George said, while packing., “Ccan you come in here for a moment?” “Sure, dear,. wWhat’s up?” Lucy asked, coming into the bedroom where George was. “You know, my work load is somewhat light for the next few weeks,” George said. “If you want, I could have Miranda switch some things around for me so I could stay longer.” “That would be great!” Lucy said. “But what about the kids and dogs?” “I’ve thought about that already. My idea is to go home tonight, work on some things at the office to clear my schedule, take advantage of that favor Trevor next door owes us when we watched his dogs a while back, that way the can stay home and he can check on them, and then drive the kids to Cordison for their language camp. Did you forget?” “Is it that time of the summer already?” “Sure is. They’ll be gone for about a month or so. So how about it?” “We could always use another set of eyes and ears during all of this. Hey, Betty,” Lucy said, calling out to Betty who was in the kitchen. “Yes?” “How would you like another temporary roommate? George has offered to rearrange his schedule and come with us on our adventures.” “So wthat’s what we’re calling it now?” Betty said, laughing. “Of course he can stay. The more, the merrier!” “Okay, so I better get a move on then before it gets too late,” George said, finishing packing. “ Promise me you’ll give me a call when you get home tonight, okay?” Lucy said, stopping to give George a kiss before he walked out the door. “I will. I promise.” “Bye, honey,” Lucy said, waving as George drove off. George called later that night to let Lucy know that he arrived home safely and that the way he figured, he would be back by the end of the week. Monday morning brought storm clouds on the horizon. Lucy thought, since the weather was going to be like it was that morning, she would hang out and start looking at the files that George brought from her office. Before she started, Lucy called the Pearl County Courthouse and asked how long the timeframe would be to obtain emergency temporary guardianship on someone. When she found out that a signing judge would actually be at the courthouse later that morning, she changed her mind about going anywhere and made an appointment to see the judge and get start the process started for obtaining the emergency temporary guardianship of Larry. After filling out the necessary paperwork and meeting with the signing judge at the courthouse, who approved the filing, Lucy came back and started going through the files that came from her office. “ Hmm, quite a mixture of files Tracy put together for me,” Lucy said, somewhat to herself, yet loud enough for Betty to hear. “Maybe I’ll start with these thin files first.” “We all know where talking to oneself will lead us, don’t we?” Betty said, coming into the dining room, chuckling. “Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ll end up going to one of those pajama parties that Larry’s at, won’t I? Say, that reminds me, I should check on him while I’m thinking about it.” “I wonder what she found out?.” “ Since I do have that order now saying I’m his legal guardian, even on a temporary basis, there shouldn’t be any problem with me finding out,” Lucy said, dialing the number for the hospital. “Julia? This is Lucy, Lucy Campbell. I stopped by the other day to check on Larry Thompson?.” “Sure, hi, Lucy.” “A couple of things. First, I did follow through what we chatted about regarding the guardianship issue for Larry. I was able to get an order from the court regarding my obtaining emergency legal guardianship. There happened to be a signing judge at the court this morning, so I filled out all the papers and made an appointment to see him. I explained the situation, and he didn’t have a problem with issuing the order.” “That’s really fast, and I’m glad you were able to take care of it.” “Actually too, the other reason I was calling about, is that I wanted to check and see how Larry’s doing today?.” “He’s about the same as yesterday. Except for his medications. Now not only is he flat out refusing to take them, but now he says he doesn’t need them. I’m actually meeting with his treatment team later this afternoon. I’ll give you a heads up if we think a Jarvis is in the near future.” “Thanks, I appreciate it. Feel free to give me a call anytime.” “I will.” Lucy spent the next few hours sorting through files, taking notes to go along with each file. There were even a few pro bono cases to go through. The sky had cleared, and it turned out to be a cool afternoon, so Lucy decided to take a break late in the afternoon and go back into town, stopping by theo see if she could see Larry. She met and spoke briefly with Julia. While Julia was in the treatment team meeting, Lucy decided to see if Larry would talk to her. She found him in the patient day lounge, watching television. The room was unusually noisy that afternoon, with the patients either playing cards or watching television. “Larry,” Lucy called out. Larry briefly looked up as if he heard something, but didn’t respond, turning instead his attention back toward the television. Lucy had thought of an experiment she would try on him. “Leroy? Leroy Kraemer?” Lucy said, this time in a deeper, stronger voice. Larry looked up immediately and turned in the direction of Lucy. “Yes?” Hhe responded, turning around, trying to find out who was calling for him. “Oh my gosh,” Lucy said, with a surprised look on her face, gaspeding, putting her hand to her mouth, still looking at Larry. Larry, not hearing any more, simply shrugged his shoulders, turning his attention back once again to the television. “ No wonder he never responded before when I said his name,” Lucy said, still in amazement. Not sure what to make of what just happened, Lucy went to the nurse’s station to see if she could locate Julia. “Is Julia Rogers available?” “ I believe she’s still in a treatment team meeting. Is there something I can help you with?” “ No, that’s okay. I just have a few observations from my short visit with Larry Thompson.” “Do you want me to go get her?” “No, by all means, it can wait. Larry’s not going anywhere anytime soon.” “If you care to wait, they should be out shortly,” the nurse said, looking at her watch. “Sure, I’ll just wait over here in the family lounge.” “I’ll let her know you’re waiting to see her.” “Wonderful, thanks.” Lucy waited just a short time before Julia stopped in to see her. “Hey, Lucy. The nurse at the desk said you have some observations about Larry?.” “Yeah, I do. Maybe it’s a fluke. I don’t know.” Lucy went on to tell Julia the experiment she tried on Larry to get his attention, how she called out the name Larry, but he didn’t respond. When she called out the name of Leroy Kraemer, however, he responded. “I don’t know what to say. It’s not that I don’t believe you, but I’ve got to try this one out for myself.” “Like I said, maybe it was just a fluke.” Julia walked into the day room and tried the experiment for herself. Lucy, not wanting Larry to see her, stood outside the door, just out of sight. “ Larry,” Julia called out. “Larry?” No response. Okay, Julia thought. I’ll try Lucy’s way of getting him to respond. “Leroy. Leroy Kraemer.” Larry sat up and looked towards Julia. She turned around and menotioned for Lucy to come into the room. Lucy walked in, and Larry just stared at her with a very flat-lined look on his face. “Leroy. I have a visitor for you. Do you remember Lucy? Lucy Campbell.” Leroy mumbled something and shrugged his shoulders as if he wasn’t quite sure who Lucy was. “I met you at Mary Jo and Eugene Fleming’s farm. Where you have your house, where you live.” Leroy kept looking at Lucy, but seemed unable to speak. At that point, he turned toward the television, curled up in a fetal position, and started rocking and mumbling to himself, repeating over and over again “mMust get back.” “ Maybe my husband, George, can visit with him,” Lucy said, as she and Julia were leaving the room. “He’s a psychiatrist. He might be able to make some general observations. I mean, don’t get me wrong or anything. I know you have very qualified doctors here working with the patients, but maybe another opinion?” “The more observations on him, the better. Especially since you know more about his home environment and behavior out in the community. Anything that could help this poor guy out. There’s only so much we can do here. He clearly needs to be on medication, but unless he’s willing to take them, it looks like we’re headed for a Jarvis.” “Really? It’s too bad we just can’t connect with him in some way to convince him that taking his medications are good for him,” Lucy said. “I wonder, I think I have something in mind I’d like to try if you don’t mind.” “Ah, another experiment in the works? By all means, go ahead!” “Hmm, maybe. You know, if Larry, or Leroy I mean, whatever. If he refuses to take his medications by using the name of Larry, I wonder if he would be willing to take them using the name of Leroy?.” “He just might. We could try it. Let me check with the doctor before he leaves. Let’s get his opinion on it too. I’ll be right back.” Julia went out and checked with the doctor. As strange as it sounded, they thought it couldn’t hurt to give it a try. She came back and told Lucy it was a go. “Okay, are you ready to try this with us?” “Are you sure I should be in sight? I don’t want to upset him in any way by having an extra person in the room.” “I think it’ll be okay,” Julia said. “He didn’t seem too agitated when you were there before. We just won’t really say anything about you being there, that’s all.” “All right. Let’s go for it,” Lucy said, following Julia and the charge nurse into the day room. With meds in hand, Julia, the charge nurse, and Lucy walked into the day room and approached Leroy. “Leroy,” Julia said. Leroy turned around and looked at the group standing near him. “It’s time to take your mid-day medications.” “Okay,” Leroy said, holding his hand out for the med cup. Giving him the cup and a container of apple juice, the group was totally in awe of Leroy’s compliance in taking his medications. “There you go,” Leroy said, handing the container forom the juice and the paper cup that held the medications, back to the charge nurse. “Thank you for taking them, Leroy.” “You’re welcome. I had to take them, you know.” “Why is that?” “Earl told me to.” “Who is Earl?” “Earl’s my friend. He told me I needed to take them to help me get better.” “Well, thank Earl for us, okay?” “You can thank him yourself, he’s sitting right over there,” Leroy said, pointing to the empty chair across the room. “Oh, sorry, Earl. I didn’t notice him at first,” the charge nurse said, looking toward the empty chair. “Thank you for telling Leroy to take his medications. We appreciate it very much.” “He says you’re welcome,” Leroy said. “Can I watch some more television now?” “You certainly may, Leroy,” Julia said. “We’ll leave you alone.” “Leroy, can I come visit you again sometime?” Lucy asked. “Sure, I suppose, if you want,” Leroy said, shrugging his shoulders. “I promise I’ll come back and see you real soon then.” “Okay, bye-bye,” Leroy said, turning back to the television. “Bye, Leroy,” Lucy said, walking out of the day room. Julia told Lucy that she would definitely keep her in the loop as to what was happening with Leroy after this latest giant step of progress that had been made. Lucy couldn’t wait until she got a hold of George about what was happening with Leroy. She wasn’t able to get in touch with George directly, but she was able to catch his secretary, Miranda, before she left for the day. “Hi, Miranda. Is George there? I thought I could catch him before you all left for the day.” “No, I’m sorry, Mrs. Campbell. George left a little bit ago. He’s been in the office most of the day though.” “That’s okay. I’ll try him on his cell phone. Thanks anyway. You have a good night, okay?” “Yeah, you too. Bye.” “Bye.” Lucy dialed George’s cell phone. “Hello?” “Hey, George. I finally got a hold of you,” Lucy said, walking down the street toward downtown. “Yeah, I’ve been really busy. Back-to-back clients all day. I was going to call you when I got home.” “That’s okay,” Lucy said, sitting down on a park bench. “Have I got news for you. Do you have a few moments?” Chapter Twenty

“Sure. Wwhat’s going on?” George asked, his curiosity piqueeking. “We made a breakthrough today with Larry, I mean Leroy, you know who I mean,” Lucy said, still sitting on a park bench, enjoying the warm afternoon sun. “What kind of breakthrough?” Lucy went on to tell George about how they tried using different names on him in order to see if he would take his medications. “ The social worker first called him by Larry, and he didn’t respond. But when she called him by Leroy, he answered, and he took his medication without question.” “Humph, well, I’ll be. Do you think it will continue like that?” “I don’t know. I don’t think the staff knows either. At least for the time being, we can skip going through the Jarvis petition.” “They were going for that? Because of his non-med compliance issues?” “Um hmm.” “Makes sense. It’s a good thing he’s at least being more med compliant.” “Yeah, it’s always better that way. I don’t know though how they’re going to handle his new found friend Earl.” “Earl?” “Oh yeah, I didn’t tell you. Earl is Leroy’s friend. The only trouble is, is that no one else sees or hears Earl.” “Ah ha. So is this Earl good or bad?” “He must be good for right now. He seemed to be advising Leroy on the importance of taking the medications. I’m no doctor, but I would think it would make sense to do a medication overhaul on him. It would be good just to get him possibly out of there. I really don’t think he truly belongs there.” “You may be right. But then you ha’ve that that other issue.” “Other issue?” “Yeah, the whole Larry-/Leroy duael identity thing going on.” “Oh yeah, how could I forget that one. Seems to me there must be a reason why he keeps telling everyone that he must get back.” “I think that’s part of what you should try to figure out if you’re able to.” “Good idea, George,” Lucy said, stopping at the corner near downtown, waiting to cross the street. “So what’s on your agenda tonight?” “Hmm, not sure. I thought I would stop by the new needlework shop here in downtown. See if they had anything new in stock. I think I need a mindless project to work on. If I see something that jumps out at me, I might consider it. It’s mostly looking around, something to clear the cobwebs of the day out. Betty’s gone for a couple of days to some librarian’s convention or something like that, so I’ll be all alone. That’ll be okay because I’ve got lots to check out.” “Maybe you can catch up on some sleep too. Talking about mindless, I think I’m just going to head one home and vege out in front of the television.” “Say hi to the kids for me, won’t you? Tell them I love them.” “Okay, dear. I will.” “All right. Talk to you later.” “Bye.” “Bye.” Lucy didn’t find muchst at the needlework store, so she stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few things before heading back to the house. Maybe, she thought, she could vege out too, just like George said he was going to do. After eating dinner, Lucy sat down in front of the television to relax. She hadn’t watched a whole lot of television for quite a while. Before she knew it, she woke up, the room dark, the television playing the late- night infomercials. She looked at her watch and discovered it was pretty close to two thirty2:30 in the morning. Two- thirty in the morning!, she thought.! What’s up with that? The next morning, Lucy called Mary Jo to see if she could go with her to Leroy’s place to do some more checking into that duael identity information they found out on Leroy. “Sure, I’d love to go back with you. Somethimeng this morning?” “Um hmm.” “Okay, I’ll be home. See you when you get here.” “Okay, bye.” “Bye.” “Maybe we should start two piles on the table here,” Mary Jo said, looking around. “If they say one name or the other, then we can split them up and compare later.” “Good idea.” Mary Jo and Lucy started going through things, sorting by whichever name appeared on the item, placing them on their respective sides of the table. There were Ddriver’s licenses, Social Security cards, mail, and pictures, to name a few items that they found were in duplicate. Finally, after all that was sorted, there was just one more place to look for things. There was a medium- sized see- through tub that looked like mostly papers. “Oh, here we go,” Mary Jo said, looking through the thick stack of papers, newspapers, envelopes, and what looked like old recipe cards. “This looks like this is your area of expertise.” “Wow, we might have hit the jackpot on this one,” Lucy said, bending over to take a peek at all the papers. “There’s so much here. I suppose I could take it with me and sort it out at the house.” “Sure, why not? I don’t think Leroy’s getting out anytime soon.” “ True. I could realistically get this done in one afternoon. It’s really just basically sorting to begin with.” “Then when you find matches, you could always put them with these other things here.” “ Maybe we’ll solve the mystery yet about why and what he needs to get back to something so desperately.” “Hope so.” Lucy loaded the tub of papers into the trunk of her car. With Leroy not getting out of the hospital any time soon, Lucy felt she had time to go through and sort all his papers out. How odd, she thought, driving back to the house, that for a guy who was so particular on how his living quarters and the land surrounding it looked, that he would have all this junk squirreled away, a bunch of odds and ends just pushed and shoved into a plastic tub in no particular order. Liftving the tub out of the trunk when she arrived, Betty came out and held the screen door open for her. “Oh, hi, Betty. You’re home already? That time went by fast!” “Yeah, it sure did. I didn’t have to attend the afternoon session. I’ve been a librarian for so long that I could have taught that one. So I was able to skip out on it. I see you’ve been keeping yourself out of trouble. What in the world is all this stuff?” Betty asked, following Lucy into the house. “It came from Leroy’s place,” Lucy replied, placing the tub near the dining room table. “Mary Jo and I sorted most of everything else except for this tub.” “Is it all papers?” “ I believe so. At least I think it is. We didn’t take any of it out and examine it too closely.” “And who says you now have nothing to do now that George went back to the city for a few days?” “ Yeah, right!” Lucy said, laughing. “I’m not even sure how I’m going to sort it. Probably either by Larry or Leroy. That will help to find matches.” “‘Keeps you off the streets, at least!” “You can say that again!” Lucy said, flipping through the top layer of papers. “I’m not even sure what I’m looking for, if anything. I suppose, I don’t know, maybe pulling more of the important type papers out and setting them aside. I guess I’ll decide with each piece of paper I see.” “Are you going to start sorting tonight?” “Maybe. Just a little bit. That way, my eyes won’t get too cross-eyed reading through all of it.” “Just don’t read too much,” Betty said, laughing. “You’ll end up dreaming about it. At least that’s what I would probably do.” “Exactly!” After dinner, Lucy spent most of the evening sorting papers from the tub. There were so many different types of paper, including newspapers, legal documents, military papers, and the ever popular group, the miscellaneous group. The next morning, after breakfast, Lucy started in again. This time she was looking at the documents with more than just a casual glance. She was about midway through when she came across what felt like was a long, rectangle shaped box. Lucy pulled it out, being careful not to break it. Curiosity got the best of her, and she opened it. Inside she was surprised to find a brush, with a matching mirror, neatly wrapped in tissue paper. Even though the pieces appeared to look new, the glass on the mirror had smudge marks on it, and even stranger yet, the brush had what appeared to be thick, blondish brown hair tangled in the bristles. Lucy put the brush and mirror back in the box and set it aside, just looking at it. I wonder if it was Lydia’s set at one time.? Must be, she thought to herself. Who else’s could it be? Looking further in the tub, under the rest of the papers, Lucy found more non-paper items. Wrapped in clear plastic were women’s embroidered hankies. She carefully unwrapped the hankies, one by one, examining them more closely. Betty came home from work and noticed Lucy examining them. “Were these from Leroy’s tub?” Betty asked, looking at the hankies. “Um hmm. Pretty, aren’t they?” Lucy said, handing some to Betty. “They sure are. Someone took a lot of time in doing all this fancy needlework.” Lucy stopped when she came to the last one in the stack, and just stared at it. “What’s wrong?” Betty asked. “It looks like you’ve seen a ghost or something!” “This hankie,” Lucy said, handing it to Betty. “What about it?” Betty said, taking it from Lucy and examining it more closely. “Look at the initials in the interlocking hearts.” “RH— – PH? Okay, so what does that mean?” “Those are my parents’ initials.” “They could be from somewhere else you know.” “I know. But given the fact that this is most likely the same guy that used to work on this very farm, my parents’ farm,. iIt’s all beginning to add up. You know all those déjà vu moments I’ve been having? I’ve never really had those before, until coming here. Also, why was it that when I first met him with the Flemings that day, when he found out who I was, he wouldn’t even look at me directly, never making eye contact with me.” “This is getting kinda creepy, Lucy.” “I think we’ve got ourselves a match,” Lucy said, pulling the brush and mirror set out for Betty to look at. “And look here. Here’s a brush and mirror set. I think it was my mother’s.” “You know, you may be right,” Betty said, examining it more closely. “Here, wait a minute. I’m going to get that box from the Flemings, the one that had some of what we thought were your mom’s things in them.” Betty went into the walk-in closet and retrieved one of the boxes from the Flemings that had a brush and mirror set in it. “Let me see that for a moment,” Betty said, examining the set that Lucy found among Leroy’s things. “What are you looking for?” “I’m not exactly sure,” Betty said, comparing the two brushes side by side. “ What about them, other than the fact that the design and color are the same? And there’s hair in both of them?” “No, noet that. I don’t know. Maybe it’s the color of the hair?” “Hmm, the color looks the same in both.” “Do you have some pictures of Leroy and those other people with him that we couldn’t identify?” “Yeah, they’re over here in this other box., Wwhy?” Lucy and Betty looked more closely at the pictures again to see if they could recognize anyone else in them other than Leroy. Most of them were of Lucy’s family with Leroy, but there were a couple with another woman in them that they couldn’t identify. “I wonder if these frames come apart.? Maybe they might have some names or dates or something written on the back,” Lucy said, looking to see if the frames coame apart in any way. “Here we go., I’ve got one open,” Betty said, carefully opening the back side of one of the frames. “Bingo! We’ve got names. They’re faded though, but we have names. Hand me the magnifying glass, will you?” “So what do you think they say?” Lucy asked, handing Betty the magnifying glass. “It says, as best as I can make out, Leroy and Lydia, October, October something. Can’t make out the year.” Taking a closer look at the other side, she made a discovery. “Ah hah! Just as I suspected.” “What?” “Look at Lydia’s hair color.” “What about it?” “ It’s not the same color as in the brushes. The color of Lydia’s hair, at least in this picture, is like a blondish, almost white blond color.” “Good observation!” “You know, when I saw the brush you took out of Leroy’s box, I knew I had seen it somewhere,” Betty said, putting the two brushes side by side again. “Look at the color of hair in each of them. Identical. I don’t think these two brushes belonged to Lydia. I don’t think they’re even your grandma’s. I think they belonged to your mother. She had this hair color.” “Are you sure?” “As sure as I’m standing here.” “Okay, so where do we go from here?” “Let’s keep digging. Maybe we’ll find some more identical things here.” Lucy and Betty kept digging through everything else in the tub. Getting towards the end of their sorting, they started looking at the different stacks more closely. Lucy also pulled out a faded, folded newspaper. “Do you remember that newspaper we found in the box from the Flemings?” Lucy said, unfolding the newspaper. “Vaguely, why?” “Where did you put it, back in the box?” “Yeah, I did,” Betty said, pulling the paper out of the box, giving it to Lucy to compare with the newspaper she found in Leroy’s box. “Why, do you think they’re identical?” “Um hmm. Same date, same out of town location.” Betty gave Lucy the newspaper, and Lucy came up with a positive match. “ Okay, so as of right now, we have the brush and comb sets that match, and the newspapers.” “Right. “We’re on a roll now. There’s bound to be more here that match.” Lucy and Betty kept comparing things until they came upon what appeared to be were handwritten pages with the left side frayed and partially ripped. “What do we have here?” Lucy said, pulling them out of the box. “It looks like some sort of journal entries.” “Do you remember that one particular journal of my mom’s we found that had what looked like pages missing and ripped out? Let’s dig it out and see if this matches too,” Lucy said, digging out the journal that had the missing pages in it. “Let’s just see if these match.” Lucy, flipping through the journal, came to the place where the pages were missing. “Let’s see the handwriting on those pages,” Lucy said. “Putting them up against the other pages in the journal, they were a perfect match. “What do some of those entries say?” Betty asked. “ There appears to be two days here. The first one says, ‘Dear dDiary, tToday is Tuesday, October 16, 1962, and it was a somewhat warm day today. The day started out like a lot of days, except that Leroy stopped by. I mean he stops by almost daily, but today was different. He was acting really odd. He stopped in while I was cleaning up from breakfast and asked me the strangest question. He asked if Peter and I were doing okay. Like there was something wrong between us or something. I just looked at him. He must have picked up on my confused look. He had an odd, creepy kind of smile on his face. Personally, it gave me the willies. Peter came in at that moment, and Leroy just mumbled something and made a beeline for the door. Other than that, the rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Took the kids into town to do some grocery shopping. They were really good in the store, so I decided to take them to the ice cream shop for a little treat. Oh well, I suppose I better get my beauty sleep. Talk to you later.” “Gives me the willies just having you read it to me. There really is something creepy about Leroy, you think? But there’s got to be more of what happened, so keep reading.” “Dear dDiary, tToday is Wednesday, October 17, 1962. Leroy joined us for lunch today. Didn’t say much. Interacted with the kids though. Once in a while, I caught him just staring at me. When our eyes met, he would quickly go back to playing with the kids.” Lucy stopped reading out loud, reading a few lines or so ahead silently to herself, in an attempt to skip some of the mundane parts. “Ewww,” squealed Lucy, reading a few of the sentences to herself. “What in heaven’s name is wrong? Is there more?” “Yeah, big time,” Lucy said, continuing to read out loud. “When Leroy was about to leave, he excused himself and said he had to take care of some business in town at the post office. I was standing by the counter, putting dishes away, and he asked me if I needed anything in town while he was there. I just smiled and said no thanks. Before I knew it, he grabbed me, twirled me around, pressed his body against mine, and gave me a kiss on the lips, telling me that I could do so much better with him than with Peter. I pushed him away and shrieked. Thank heavens the children didn’t see what happened, they were in the living room playing. I was so shook up, I didn’t realize he had even left. After I calmed down, I called Peter. He left work immediately and came home. He said he stopped by Leroy’s place to confront him, but he wasn’t around. Peter said he would seek him out tomorrow and get to the bottom of what happened. After that, the rest of the day was kind of in a whirlwind. I kept busy playing with the kids, something to take my mind off of what happened. I know I shouldn’t feel this way, but I really do feel more uncomfortable around Leroy than ever before. I know that the Bible says that we’re supposed to love our enemies, but it’s really hard. Is that possible for me to do in this case? I only pray that I can accept Leroy for who he is. Talk to you later.” “ Whoa, that’s quite a mighty powerful journal entry,” Betty said, sitting back in her chair. “If I didn’t read it myself right from the actual journal page, I wouldn’t have believed it! And look at the date— – October 17th. That’s the day before my mom’s car accident. I think this is the missing link.” “Do you really think Leroy had something to do with your mom’s death?” “I’m beginning to think so, yes.” Chapter Twenty-One

The next day, Lucy started making phone calls, trying to match more details relating to Leroy. The first call she made was to Julia Rogers, the psychiatric social worker. “Good morning, is Julia Rogers available?” “I believe so. May I let her know who’s calling?” “Lucy Campbell.” “Okay, please hold.” “Thanks.” “Hi, Lucy, what’s up?” Julia answered. “Hey, Julia, I have to talk to you about Leroy. First of all, how’s he doing?” “About the same. The doctors have been working on getting him on the meds he needs and balancing them all out. The only time he gets more out of whack, so to speak, is usually late at night or when someone really makes him agitated. Then he goes back to that rocking action and mumbling to himself.” “Well, that’s good that the doctors are getting a handle on it. He’s where he should be I guess. Now if he would just let us know why he keeps saying he must get back.” “I know. The only thing he’s mentioned when someone asks what he has to get back to was something about tubs and papers. But that was just mumbling. Nothing beyond that. Doesn’t make any sense to us, not yet at least. How about you?” “Hmm, I think it does, yeah. That’s partially whaty I’m calling about. Betty and I found several disturbing things when we were at Leroy’s place.” “Can we help you with any of it?” “I’m thinking on the off chance that he might have had other admissions. I don’t know for sure. It might be worth checking into.” “Here in Minnesota.” “Um hmm. That and in California.” “California?” “Yeah, that’s where his family is from. We also found some links to him in the service way back in his past as well.” “Really? What branch?” “Marine Corps.” “Interesting. You’ll have to bring me more up to speed sometime about that. It would be interesting to see if he would open up to any of that about his past.” “Not quite sure, maybe.” “I can see if I can find out more. What part of California was it?” “San Diego region, I believe. At least that’s where his extended family is from.” “Okay, I’ll start there. I’ll let you know if I come up with anything new.” “Thanks, Julia, I appreciate it.” “No, thank you, Lucy. It always helps to know a patient’s background, no matter how trivial you may thinkg the information is. Glad we can assist you with this mystery. Bye.” “Bye.” The next call Lucy made was to her friend Zack Carson, to get some advice on what to make of the old hairbrushes they found. “Hey, Lucy. Good to hear from you again. Any news about Leroy?” “Well, actually there is, Zack. I need to pick your brain on something.” “Pick away.” “Betty and I were going through the boxes from the Flemings and those we pulled from Leroy’s place. We came across two brush and mirror sets. Each of them were identical. And the weird thing is that both of them had old hair in each of them.” “Hair?” “Hair.” “Whose brushes are they, do you know?” “Nope. All we can figure out, and it’s only a hunch, is that they weren’t from Lydia, Leroy’s wife. We looked at old photos, and the hair color doesn’t match up. Betty is convinced that they were my mom’s.” “Okay, so how do you want my help?” “My question to you is can they do DNA testing on something that old?” “Sure. We can send it off to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to have both tested.” “Would they do something as minor as this? I mean, we really don’t know if there’s been a crime committed here.” “They’ve got the technology to do it. I think I can pull some strings with some of my buddies up there.” “That would be great. Can I bring them over to you this afternoon?” “Sure, I’ll send them up, and we’ll see what they come up with.” “Perfect. See you this afternoon.” Lucy couldn’t help think about the two brushes she had sitting in front of her. Putting them in separate plastic bags, she wondered what the BCA will come up with. Right before she left, Zack called and told her that she should also get some sort of hair sample of hers too for a comparison. “ Are you serious?” Lucy asaiked, chuckling. “I’m at the age where I’m losing hair naturally, letss alone pulling some out intentionally!” “I know the feeling. When I talked with the guys at the BCA, they’re the ones who told me about it. Don’t look at me, it was their idea.” “All right,” Lucy said, laughing. “Anything in the name of science, I guess. See you later.” Instead of pulling some hair from her head, Lucy was able to get a good chunk of it from her hairbrush. Bringing all the samples in separate bags, she asked Zack about how long it would take to get an analysis report on what they found. “It might take a few days, I’m not sure.” “Okay, just checking. Not that I don’t have anything else to check on now, do I?” Several days passed before the results were in regarding both the hair in the three brushes. Finally, Lucy received a call from Zack. “Hey, Lucy. Good news. The results are in about the hairbrushes.” “Really? Don’t keep me in suspense, Zack. What’s the verdict? Do we have a match?” “The two brushes you found do match. They are identical. And the DNA on all three brushes are connected. The final report is that the brushes you submitted for analysis are that of your mother’s.” “Okay, well, where do we go from here?” “The BCA is opening up a file on this. I told them all about what was going on, and they are more than just curious. They too are getting real suspicious of Leroy as well. They’re keeping all the samples up there in their offices and opening up a formal investigation. I think, but don’t quote me on this, I think they may have to dig up you mother’s grave.” “Ewww, I don’t know about that!” Lucy said, as cold shivers wentgo down her spine. “Would they really have to do that to get more DNA evidence?” “Um hmm. Most likely. You don’t hear about it too often, but it does happen.” “Well, maybe it won’t get to that point. Let me know when you find out will you?” “I will.” “I think it’s time to visit Leroy. I wonder if he’ll say something else that might tip us off.” “Maybe the more you talk with him, it would help.” “Yeah, I don’t know. Anything to avoid that digging up the body thing. Ewww.” “I hear ya.” “Yah, bye.” “Bye.” The more Lucy thought about it, she decided that going to see Leroy would be a good thing. When she arrived at the hospital, Julia met her at the front desk, letting her know that Leroy was not in a very happy mood. “Hmm, I wonder, did someone upset him?” “Not that we’re aware of,” Julia said, shaking her head and staring at Leroy in the day room. “He’s just been acting really strange today. I don’t know, sort of edgy. And of course, as before, he’s back to not being compliant with his meds.” “Oh no, here we go again,” Lucy said, glancing over Leroy’s way. “I know. If he doesn’t comply, you know what happens next.” “Jarvis.” “Exactly. For some strange reason, however, when he does talk to us, he’s been very lucid. Very clear in his thought process.” “Okay, well, good. Maybe he’ll come around then and start taking his meds. How about his friend Earl? Could Leroy still be talking to him? Mmaybe Earl could convince him to take his meds again like before.?” “Hmm, I don’t know. He hasn’t mentioned Earl for a while.” “Do you think I could try talking with him?” “Hey, anything is worth a try with him today. Good luck!” “All right. Here goes.” Lucy walked in to the day room where Leroy was sitting. She approached him cautiously, yet confident that he might be agreeable to talk with her. “Leroy?” “Who wants to know?” Leroy said, sarcastically. “It’s me. Lucy. Lucy Campbell. May I sit down here?” Lucy said, pointing to a chair near him. “ Free country, I guess,.” Leroy said, shrugging his shoulders, fidgeting, turning his attention back to the television. “So what are you here for?” “I came to see you.” Leroy didn’t respond to Lucy’s question,. He just sat in the chair, becoming very fidgety. “Leroy, can I ask you some questions?” “Like what?” Leroy responded, not looking at Lucy when he answered. “From things that happened a long time ago.” “I suppose,” Leroy said, not really wanting to look at Lucy, but glancinged at her every few seconds. “You look like your mother.” “Excuse me?” Lucy said, taken aback at Leroy’s comment. “You look like your mother.” “Do you remember her?” “ Of course, why wouldn’t I? I, I, . . .…” Leroy said, his voice trailing off, turning quickly back toward the television. “You what, Leroy?” Lucy asked, anxious to hear what he was about to say. “I loved her,” Leroy quickly blurted out. “What?” Lucy said, part of her not wanting to believe what he just said. “What are you saying? I’m sorry, did I hear you say you loved her?” “Yes, I did!” Leroy snapped, looking at Lucy with a scowl. “What are ya, deaf?” “You’re talking about my mother, Rosalinda?” “Yes, who else would I be talking about?” Leroy answered, getting somewhat annoyed by Lucy’s digging. “Well, I don’t know what to say. Do you remember Lydia?” “Why wouldn’t I remember Lydia too?” Leroy said, getting more agitated. “She was my wife, don’t you know?” “Oh, I know,” Lucy said, still in disbelief. “Earl wants to know if there are any more questions you want to ask me.?” “Um, yes. I do want to ask you some more. Is it okay?” Leroy bent over to his one side, put his hand up to his mouth, appearing to be whispering to someone who was next to him. “Earl said it’s okay. But make it quick, we’ve got some shows we want to watch.” “Okay. Um, well, let’s see,” Lucy said, trying to compose herself after the last set of questions and answers. “I know. I wanted to know about some things we found at your place. It was okay that we were looking at your things, isn’t it?” “Why were you there?” Lucy, not wanting to let on about why they were really there, possibly making him more upset, told Leroy they were just checking up on things, to make sure everything was okay. “We just wanted to make sure your place was secured and locked up, that’s all.” “ I suppose. I don’t want just anyone looking at my stuff you know. Gotta keep my things private.” “Leroy, is that why you kept saying you must get back when you first arrived here?” Not seeming to remember saying those words, Leroy looked somewhat confused. Lucy, noticing his confused look, tried to explain it to him. “ When you first came in here, even before, when you had your, let’s just say your episode downtown, you kept mumbling to yourself something about that you must get back. Do you remember?” Leroy just shook his head no, still with a confused look on his face. Lucy thought about it for a moment and then tried a different approach. “ Leroy, what’s special about your place on the edge of the Fleming’s farm, do you know?” Leroy looked away for a moment, shifted in his chair, somewhat uncomfortable, as he was trying to get the words out. “I, I, I want to be close.” “Close to what?” “To the people I, I, I love.” “What people, Leroy? Who are you talking about?” “To the people I love,” Leroy repeated. Lucy, sensing that Leroy was probably not going to have many more answers to her questions, decided to ask him some questions about his military career. Maybe, she thought, going that far back, he might have a better time remembering. “Leroy, before I go, can I ask you about the time you spent in the military?” “What about it?” “I heard you were in the Marine Corps., is that true?” “Yes.” “Where were you based?” “California.” “How did you like it there? Did you get along with people?” “Hmm, sometimes, sometimes not.” “What did you do?” “I cooked.” “Did you like it?” “It was okay. There was this little know- it- all punk though, don’t remember his name. No, no, I didn’t like him. He was a lance corporal, I think, something like that. Didn’t like the way he was ordering me around when I was trying to do my job. Heck, he didn’t know his ladle from his . . .…” Leroy said, pointing to his backside. “That’s okay, I get the picture, Leroy. Go on. What ever happened to him?” “I couldn’t take it any longer. When we got back to the base, I took care of him. I made sure he wasn’t gonna give me or anyone else orders anymore.” “How did you take care of him?” “Let’s just say the buzzards had a nice dinner that day.” At that point, the nurse came in to attempt to give Leroy his medications. “Leroy?” tThe nurse said, walking up to Leroy. “Time to get in the medication line.” “Okay. Well, I gotta go now. Earl and I have drugs to take, you know,” Leroy said, turning to Lucy, walking out of the room. Lucy, surprised both at what Leroy unknowingly just confessed to her and the fact he wanted to take his meds, got up and started following him. “Okay, bye,” Lucy said, standing alone in the day room. Julia was in a meeting, so Lucy left word for her to call her. Lucy couldn’t wait to tell George, Betty, and Zack about the conversation she had had with Leroy. Dialing George’s number, she only got his voice mail. “Pick up, George,” Lucy said impatiently, as George’s line was ringing. “Pick up. Sure, the one time I really need to talk to him.” When it went to voice mail, Lucy left a message. “George, it’s me. Call me as soon as you get this message. I have some really, really, interesting news about Leroy. Too long of a conversation for this message, so call me! Bye.” The next call she made was to Zack Carson, whose voice mail she also got. “You’ve got to be kidding! Another voice mail. Hey, Zack, this is Lucy. Call me ASAP, okay? Bye.” As long as she was in the area, she thought, if Zack wasn’t answering by telephone, that she might as well stop in to see if he was there. “Hi, Lucy,” Zack said, as she was walking into the Sheriff’s Ooffice. “I was just about to call you back.” “I’m getting everyone’s voice mail today,” Lucy said, laughing. “I just had to tell you about what happened during a conversation between myself and Leroy just a little bit ago.” “You were actually able to sit and talk to him for a while?” “Um hmm. And you wouldn’t believe what he told me.” “Can’t wait to hear about it. Say, in the meantime, would you like some coffee?” Zack said, getting himself a cup. “Sure, don’t mind if I do.” Lucy then proceeded to tell Zack the conversation she had with Leroy. “You’re kidding on most of this, aren’t you?” Zack said, in disbelief. “Zack, I kid you not. I couldn’t believe it either,” Lucy said, sipping her coffee. “It was like it wasn’t real, as if I wasn’t hearing it. I was really taken aback.” “I bet you were. How did you get out of telling him why you were snooping around his place?” “What could I say? I didn’t want to lie about it. I did tell him, however, that we were just there making sure everything was okay, that the door and windows were all secure. That sort of thing.” “Good thinking.” “Say, not to change the subject, but have you heard any more from the BCA?” “ No, not yet. It may, like I said before, lead to digging up your mother’s grave and pulling some DNA out of her corpse.” “Ewww, you keep bringing that up. It sounds so sci-fi, doesn’t it? I mean, I know they can do that, but you usually hear about it on a body you’re not really associated with.” “You just have to give written permission for them to do it. You don’t even have to be there if you don’t want to bme.” “Yeah, I know. Maybe I should be there? No? I don’t know. When would they do it?” “There’s no rush on it. It’s totally up to you and your family.” “Okay, let me think about it a little bit, and I’ll get back to you. I’ll call George, and then James and Dottie. Maybe they can all be there. Well, I better get going,” Lucy said, getting up from the table. “Thanks for the coffee. I’ll call you after I talk with everyone else, okay?” “Okay, have a good day, Lucy. I’ll look forward to hearing from you.” Digging up a grave? Lucy was not sure about this one. Not one bit. But then again, she thought to herself, why should it bother her? It wasn’t like she really remembered her mother, or had any real emotional or bonded ties with her. Bits and pieces of Lucy’s memory came and went since her arrival in Pearl River, but nothing more than passing, fleeting moments. But still, she thought. It was her mother, after all. As she was walking back to the house, Lucy also thought a lot about her father. What ever happened to him? And if he knew about this, what would he say? Lucy really didn’t have any answers for these types of questions. I guess dealing with one parent at a time was all that one could work with right now. After she arrived at the house, and explained everything to Betty, Lucy finally got ahold of George. “So what’s the really, really, interesting news you have on Leroy?” Lucy proceeded to tell George what Leroy had told her while she visited him earlier in the day, and what Zack was suggesting the BCA would be doing next. “You’re still coming at the end of this week, aren’t you?” “Planning on it. Should be probably be tomorrow I’m able to drive down.” “Good. I really could use all the moral support I can get right now. I think this whole thing, all this work, all twhat we’ve done so far, is about to come down to a crashing halt. I really believe we’re close to finding out what happened to my mother.” “You’re gut telling you this? Or is it your heart?” “Both, I guess.” “Of course, Lucy, you know I’m there for you. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” “Okay. That takes some pressure off decisions I need to make.” “No problem, honey. Should I call James and Dottie for you?” “If you wouldn’t mind. My brain is a little numb with all this new information coming at me like it has. That way, when it thaws out, I can concentrate on more of the details here.” “All right, I will. See you tomorrow.” George arrived the next day to help Lucy with what needed to be done next. By the time James and Dottie arrived a few days later, Zack called with results from the BCA investigation of the hairbrushes they sent in for analyses. “Lucy, I’ve got news for you. It’s both good and bad.” “Oh, I knew it. We’re talking about digging up a grave, aren’t we?” “Yeah, I’m afraid we are. Everything matched as far as the brushes being those of your mom’s, and your hair analysis matched, but they said there really isn’t any way to pin anything on Leroy for this. Just because there were brushes at his place really doesn’t prove anything.” “All right,” Lucy said with a sigh. “Well, they did say they could send a team of investigators out here.” “How soon?” “They could do it as soon as tomorrow afternoon, if you’d like.” “Okay, well, everyone’s in town here, George, James, and Dottie. I’ll let them know then. What time are we looking at?” “Around 2:00 p.m.” “And where will we meet?” “At the cemetery. That way, they can get what they need and leave.” “All right then. I guess we’ll see you tomorrow then.” “I’ll be there, Lucy. Try to have a relaxing evening, okay?” “I’ll try, Zack. Bye.” “Bye.” For the next several hours, while George was showing James and DottieLucy more of the town and then driving out into the surrounding area, showing them where the farm was, Lucy spent her time back at the house, going over more files that her assistant had sent out to her. Something, anything to keep her mind off of what was going to take place the next day. Two o’clock the next day came very quickly. Barely eating any breakfast and lunch, Lucy was ready to get not only this part over with, but also the whole thing. She was tired, wanted to go home, and move on with her life. When they arrived at the cemetery, the investigation team from the BCA were already there. “I wonder what they’re checking out,?” Lucy saisked, getting out of the car. “I don’t know, but they keep walking around, back and forth, looking at the ground and the tombstone,” Betty said, following Lucy from the car to the site. Right behind Lucy and Betty, George arrived with everyone else. “ It sure is different being here, especially under these circumstances,” James said, looking around. “ I know,” Lucy agreed. “In a strange way though, this whole area really feels like home.” Zack pulled up shortly with a man Lucy didn’t recognize. “Lucy, George,” Zack said, getting out of the car, approaching the group gathered. “I’d like you to meet Mr. Hendrickson. He’s the lead investigator on this case. He’ll be overseeing what’s happening here today.” “ Nice to meet you, Mr. Hendrickson. This is the rest of the family. My husband, George. My sister, Dottie; my brother, James; and my cousin Betty.” “Nice to meet all of you today. I’m sorry it had to be under these circumstances.” “We know. But you have a job to do, and we’re here to see what hopefully will lead to the end results of that.” “As you can see, I’ve already had my crew doing some preliminary work there. They’ve started digging and should almost be at the casket. You can watch the events that happen, if you’d like.” “I’m not so sure about this,” Lucy said, laughing nervously. “Oh, come on, sis, are you still hung up on what the dead body looks like thing?” James said, poking Lucy in the shoulder. “ Okay, Mr. Funny Bones, no pun intended. You can go look and report back to us, okay?” “Yeah, James. You can tell us how Mmom looks,” Dottie said, somewhat sarcastic. “Funny gals. Well, I’m going even if you two chickens aren’t.” “ Mr. Hendrickson, we’re ready to open the casket,” the investigators called out, brushing away most of the dirt away from the top of the casket. “Mrs. Campbell, will you be joining us?” “Hmm, I don’t know. George, what do you think?” “It’s totally up to you, dear. I don’t know what to think. I’ve never been in this situation before either.” “All right. I guess I could stand there closer,” Lucy said, thinking to herself that she could always quickly close her eyes. Lucy and her family walked up near the site where the casket was to get a closer look. With the casket hard to open, the investigators began prying it on either end and then in the middle. What they didn’t expect was what they found when the cover became open. Chapter Twenty-Two

“ Empty!” Lucy shrieked as she covered her mouth with her hands, feeling suddenly very queasy. “What the… . . .” There was silence as everyone surrounded the open, empty casket. Sure enough, the body of Rosalinda Harris was nowhere to be found. They only thing in there was a large sized envelope, wrapped in thin plastic. The investigators immediately started to check the casket, including the lining, inside and out for any evidence of remnants from the body. They removed the envelope and opened its contents. Lucy and her family, still in a state of shock, could not believe what was happening. After several moments of reading the note that was inside the envelope, Mr. Hendrickson told the family what they were waiting to hear. “It says, ‘Iif you’re reading this note, you now know that Rosalinda’s body is obviously not where it should be. I moved the body because I couldn’t take her being in such a cold, dark place. I moved it where I could take care of her, watch over her, and protect her. Do not worry, she is safe. Please forgive me.’” “Is that it?” Lucy asked, looking at the note in the investigator’s gloved hand. “That’s it, at least for right now,” Mr. Hendrickson said. “We’ll take it back to the lab and have it tested.” “Oh, I think I know who’s behind this one,” Lucy said, very confidently. “ Oh, I know where this is leading too,” George said, looking at Betty, with Betty noddshaking her head in agreement. “Who?” Dottie and James both asked. “Mr. Hendrickson,” Lucy said, turning to him. “I truly believe that the first and only suspect is going to be a man named Leroy Kraemer.” “Do you know this man?” “Oh yes, we do.” “Do you know his whereabouts?” “Right now, he is currently under a civil commitment in the psychiatric ward of Pearl River Memorial Hospital.” “ All right then. We’ll first have to test what we found here and let you know,” Mr. Hendrickson said, finishing up some tasks there. “ Thanks, we do appreciate it,” Lucy told him, glancing over at the empty casket, wondering if her instincts were right. Over dinner that evening, Lucy and her family had quite a discussion going on about the day’s events. “If you ask me,” Dottie said, stopping to chew some of her steak. “I think the whole thing is downright creepy.” “Thank you,” Lucy said, agreeing with her sister. “See, I told Zack it’s so sci-fi, you know? I mean, just the thought of opening a casket like that. Gave me the willies.” “Especially when it’s someone you know.” “And then, of all things, to find it being empty!” During the night, after everyone had finally gone to bed, Lucy couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t because of George snoring., Sshe just found herself tossing and turning, trying tohe empty her brain as to what happened that day. Lucy finally decided, after forcing herself to stay in bed until 6:00 a.m., to just get up. Maybe eating some breakfast would help. About an hour later, with the smell of coffee making its way throughout the house, everyone else woke up and joined her. After breakfast, reading the local paper, the phone rang at about eight fifteen8:15. Lucy, sitting the closest, answered it. “Mrs. Campbell?” “Yes, this is Lucy Campbell. May I help you?” “Good morning. I’m sorry to be calling you so early. This is Mr. Hendrickson, from the BCA. Do you have a moment?” “Oh, we’re all awake, Mr. Hendrickson.” “I have the results from the letter we found yesterday in the casket.” “And?” “We tested the paper for fingerprints, and ran the results through our national database. We have a positive match.” “ You’re initial suspicion was correct. They are the prints of Leroy Kraemer.” “How were you able to match it when you ran it through the database?” “His name came up from an incident a long time ago in California actually.” “The one where the lance corporal was murdered?” “Why yes, how did you know about that?” “We found newspaper articles regarding it when we were searching some of Leroy’s things. I spoke to him after that, and the way he described the incident, we were able to put two and two together. I guess he unknowingly admitted to doing it.” “Now a bigger question remains, however. We have who did this, but we still need to find out where the body is.” “I might just have to have another chat with Leroy. See if I can have him open up and give us some solid clues.” “We’ll take any leads we can get.” “If I hear any more from Leroy, I’ll let you know.” “I appreciate that, Mrs. Campbell. Have a nice day.” “You too.” When everybody was ready to go out and about for the day, Lucy made the suggestion to drive out to the farm. When they arrived, Mary Jo was working again in the garden. “Hey, Mary Jo,” Lucy called out, getting out of the car. “Hi, Lucy,” Mary Jo said, stepping out of the middle of the garden. “I see you brought the whole gang here with you.” “Yeah, I just wanted them to see up close where we lived when we were little. George gave them a tour of the surrounding area, but just from the road.” “So what’s been happening with you? I’ve heard talk around town that the BCA was here and they found that your mom’s casket was empty. Is that right?” “Yes, it was. The only thing in there was a note wrapped in thin plastic. They took it back to the lab and did an analysis on it. Turns out, the prints on the note were from Leroy.” “You’re kidding, right?” “That’s who it turned out to be. Apparently, they had a file on record that stemmed back to that incident when he was in the service a long time ago in California.” “Oh, Lucy, I’m so sorry. What are they going to do now?” “Not a whole lot they can do until they come up with a body. I’m going to stop and see Leroy this afternoon. Maybe I can get some more information from him.” After taking an up close tour of the farm, George dropped Lucy off at the hospital before heading back to the house with everyone. “You need some company there, dear?” “No, I’ll be fine. I’ll just walk back when I’m done.” “Okay, see you soon.” Lucy’s visit was not very productive. She questioned Leroy about the discovery they made at the cemetery, but Leroy was not very cooperative. He became very upset, and started in with the rocking and mumbling again. He began to become emotionally drained, almost to the point of crying. “Leroy, what’s wrong?” Looking at Lucy, he looked so lost, she thought to herself. Looking like he was ready to say something, but not knowing how to say the words. “Can you forgive me?” Leroy said, at this point moving and sitting next to Lucy. “Forgive you for what, Leroy?” “I didn’t mean it. I really didn’t. I just wanted her close to me, that’s all.” “Close to you?” “ Yes, your mother. I didn’t want her to be so far away from me,.” Leroy said, now sobbing uncontrollably. “It’s okay, Leroy, it’s okay,” Lucy gently saidying to Leroy, putting her arm around his shoulder. “It’s going to be all right.” Lucy, while still with her arm still around Leroy, comforting him, motioned to one of the nurses. “Can you get Julia Rogers?” “Sure.” Julia came into the day room to help Lucy comfort Leroy. After composing himself a little better, Leroy looked at Lucy again. “I’m sorry for the way I acted. Can you forgive me?” “Leroy, whatever you did, yes, I will forgive give you. You just have to tell me what you meant by what you said.” “Oh, I can’t.” “Why not?” “I’ll get in trouble. Big trouble,” Leroy said, looking very worried. “Leroy, whatever it is, you can tell us.” “Are you sure?” “Yes, Leroy,” Julia said. “We’re here to help you. Honest.” “Okay, I’ll tell you. But I don’t want to get into any trouble now.” “All right.” “ The reason, Lucy, you found the casket empty was because I moved your mother’s body. To somewhere close by where I could take care of her, watch over her, making sure she was okay.” “But where did you move the body? Leroy, please, I’m begging you, please tell us.” “I will, but not today.” Lucy and Julia just looked at each other, confused. “Will you tell us tomorrow?” Julia asked. “Yes, promise. Come back again, and I will tell you.” So many things were going through Lucy’s head as she walked back to the house. When she arrived, she told her family what had happened with Leroy. Not a whole lot she could do until the next day, when Leroy promised to tell them where Lucy’s mother’s body was. Lucy looked at the clock next to the bed. Four-thirty? Ugh! Why? She rolled back over, trying to get at least another hour or two of sleep before starting out the day. The alarm was set for six thirty6:30. Even that time seemed too early. Dozing back into a light sleep, she started having dreams about different things that had happened. About mid-morning, the phone rang. It was Mary Jo, wanting to ask Lucy a few questions. “Lucy?” Mary Jo here. “I have something to ask you.” “Sure, what is it?” “ Well, you know a while back that one day we were gardening and found that ring tangled in the roots?” “Yeah, what about it?” “I was taking my rings off this morning, like I said I always do. I went to put them in my jewelry box, and when I saw that ring we found, a thought came to me. It said 57, right?” “Right.” “When did your parents get married?” “Let me think,” Lucy said, doing some calculations in her head. “Oh my gosh. They were married in 1957.” “Remember too that hankie you mentioned you and Betty found in Larry’s place? The one with the initials embroidered on it?” “PH and RH, embroidered in interlocking hearts.” “Do you think they could be connected in some way?” “I don’t know. Maybe. But what would the ring be doing mixed in with the dirt and roots? Unless, oh no. Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Tell me it isn’t so.” “I don’t know. The way things are going, I’m not sure.” “I think I’m going to give Mr. Hendrickson a call, see what he has to say about all of this.” “You may be on to something. Call me back and let me know what he said, okay?” “Yeah, of course. You’re the one that made this connection.” “You know, Lucy, it’s worth a try. Anytime we get leads, especially on a seemingly cold case such as this, we’ll try it. How about if we meet you at the farm? We can be out there, say around three3:00 this afternoon. Is that okay?” “Absolutely,” Lucy said, giving Mr. Hendrickson the directions. “We’ll see you later then.” Mary Jo, Lucy, and the rest of her family met Mr. Hendrickson and his investigators at the western edge of the farm, where Leroy’s house was. Examining the ring that Mary Jo and Lucy found in the dirt and roots while gardening, he asked Lucy a few questions. “This ring is very interesting. Where did you say you found it again?” “While Mary Jo and I were gardening at her house. She said she received the plants and flowers from Leroy.” “Flowers, you say?” “Um hmm.” “ Okay,” Mr. Hendrickson said, looking around Leroy’s gardens. “I believe then the most logical place to start would be over there in the flower garden. We can start digging there.” The digging crew got to work. They started on the outside perimeter of the flowers first, working their way toward the middle. They were about halfway into the digging process when they started picking away at what appeared to be some sort of plastic. “Mr. Hendrickson, I think we found something,” one of the investigators said, as they kept digging. Mr. Hendrickson, Mary Jo, Lucy, and her family approached the diggers and the area of the garden where they started hitting some of the plastic. With each shovel full of dirt being thrown off to the side, Lucy’s stomach became increasingly queasy. “What’s wrong, Lucy?” George asked. “You look a little green around the gills.” “I’m just really nervous, that’s all,” Lucy said, taking slow, shallow breaths. “I just have one of those feelings in my gut that this is it.” “Me too,” James replied. “For once, I agree with you. It’s unnerving.” “You think?” Dottie said. Once the crew removed all the dirt, they placed their shovels down and took a few steps back. Carefully, they then began lifting what appeared to be a body out of the shallow grave. “Gently set it over in this area here,” Mr. Hendrickson said, pointing to a shady spot under a nearby tree. Lucy, as queasy as she was, deeply wanted to go closer. Not wanting to look close at first, she stood just far enough away in order to get a glance of the body, wrapped mummy-style. However, the more she looked, and the closer she got, Lucy oddly felt at peace. It was as if a pile of bricks had been taken off her shoulders. This must be it, she thought. “Mr. Hendrickson, how will you be able to tell if this is my mother or not? Is it too old to extract any DNA from the body?” “On the contrary. It looks as if the body was wrapped by someone who must have done a lot of research on how to preserve a body. We’ll take it back with us to the forensic lab and run tests. But I have to warn you, however, it could take several months. It’s a very technical process, testing each area we extract DNA from, independently from each other.” “Thanks for all you’ve done so far, Mr. Hendrickson. We all appreciate it.” “ My pleasure, Mrs. Campbell. Now if you will excuse me,” Mr. Hendrickson said, turning and going over to the investigators. “I just wish I could remember more about her, and the accident, the funeral,” Lucy said, turning and talking to James and Dottie. “Lucy, we were all so young,” Dottie said. “We all wish we could remember more. You at least have a few fleeting memories. James and I don’t even have that.” “You’re right. Let’s hope for the best on this one,” Lucy said, walking away towards the car. “I think we just need to let them do their jobs, and we’ll have to be satisfied in waiting for the results. After all, she isn’t going anywhere!” “I think it’s probably time we get something to eat,” George said. “Really George?” “Well, you know all this emotional strain makes one hungry.” “He does have a point,” James said. “Oh, not you too!” Lucy said, laughing. “Okay, let’s go to our favorite, the Old Style Buffet. How does that sound?” “Fine by me!” George responded. “They always seem to have what I like.” “ George, if I recall, that’s never been a problem with you!” Dottie said, laughing, getting into the car. “Hey!” George said, laughing at himself too. During dinner, the family discussed all that had taken place, and the fact that it was nearly over. “I guess I’m really at a loss as to what to do next,” Lucy said, while eating dinner. “I mean, Mr. Hendrickson did say that it could take several months for the investigation results to come in.” “Guess we all go home and wait,” George said. “Everyone can’t stay around here for the next several months. It’s just not practical.” “I think I’m leaving in the morning then,” Dottie said. “How about you, James?” “Absolutely,” James said. “I’m swamped at work as it is, and frankly, there’s no valid reason to stay around here until the results come through.” “As much as I hate to admit it, I agree with all of you,” Lucy said, finishing dinner. “I might stay another day or two to wrap things up, so to speak. There’s a number of people I would like to see before I leave, including Leroy. I can’t just leave him hanging there.” “Good point,” George said. “I think I’ll stick around here for a couple of days with you too, Lucy. Then we can just follow each other on the way home.” “Oh, thanks, George, but that really isn’t necessary. You can go home earlier. That way the dogs will be able to stay home instead of our neighbor watching them.” “Are you sure?” “Absolutely. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. I’ll have plenty to do between now and when I leave.” “All right, if you insist.” With everyone leaving the next day, Lucy told Betty that she was actually looking forward to having some down time before heading back to reality. “I think I’m going to stop downtown and start making my way around to talk with all the people who’ve helped us during this time. Then I’ll swing by and see Leroy, and give Julia my contact information at home and at the office.” “Good plan. I unfortunately, have to work, so I won’t be able to go with you to all those fun places!” “I think it’ll be really strange leaving here. It was beginning to feel really comfortable, a very nice place to live.” “Well, maybe someday you’ll consider moving here?” “Hmm, perhaps.” Over the course of the next few days, Lucy said goodbye to George, Dottie, and James. Her pPackeding up her files from work, along with all the clothing she had brought, filled up most of the backseat of her car. She stopped at the area places where she had made new friends, stopped in to see Zack, her old friend, and had extensive time visiting her grandma, great aunts, and uncle. One of the last stops was to check on Leroy, and to talk with Julia, giving her information on how to get ahold of her both at home and at the office. “Well, Betty, I think that’s everything,” Lucy said, packing the last item into her car. “I sure will miss you, dear,” Betty said, giving her a hug. “I’ll miss you too. I will definitely be back sometime soon, that’s for sure.” “I hope so. You know I’ll always have a spare bedroom for you when you do come.” “Well, thanks again for everything,” Lucy said, getting into the car. “Call when you get home, okay?” “Okay, I will. Bye,” Lucy said, driving off. Before leaving town, Lucy took the back route and went past the church and the farm, wanting to see it one more time before leaving the area. There were a lot of emotions going through Lucy’s mind while on the drive home. Why did this happen at this time in her life? Here she was, she thought, a wife, a mother, a successful lawyer. Up to this point, she was perfectly content with her life, having accepted her mother’s death and her father’s disappearance as just a part of her past. Would her life have turned out differently had her mother not died and her father not have disappeared? Would she have met George, had children, even became a lawyer? Those were just some of the thoughts that went through Lucy’s head on the way home. She realized that everything happened for a reason, and it was something she would have to figure it out for herself. In the meantime, only time would tell what results the BCA would come up with on their investigation surrounding her mother. Days turned in to weeks, and weeks turned into months before Lucy heard the news about her mother. She and George went back to work, the kids went and came back from language camp, and the dogs, well, they did what dogs usually do each day. The kids went back to school in early September, and before you knew it, it was nearing Halloween. Lucy had kept up with Julia Rogers, checking in to see how Leroy was doing, now that he was under a six- month civil commitment. One day, however, Lucy had stopped home to pick something up that she forgot. While stopping at home, she checked the voice mails. One was from Mr. Hendrickson from the BCA, regarding the investigation of her mother’s death. “So what’s the verdict, Mr. Hendrickson?” Lucy asked, taking a deep breath. “In the case of the body that was found in Leroy Kraemer’s garden, I’m sorry to say that it was your mother, Rosalinda.” “Finally, an inch of closure.” “But wait, there’s more.” “More?” “After you all had left the scene, I went on a hunch, pure speculation, that there was something else there. So I took the team back out, and sure enough,. tThere was one more body buried in close proximity of where your mother’s body was.” “No way,.” Lucy said, taken aback. “Another body?” “ We also went back to the cemetery and did some more research, which led to us opening another grave.” “Okay, I thought digging up one casket was bad enough, but another one?” “Any thought as to whom that other body belongs to?” “Yes, we made a positive identification. It was a Lydia Kraemer.” “Oh my stars! Lydia?” Lucy responded. “Now it makes sense.” “What’s that?” “When Leroy went through his meltdown several months ago, he kept saying over and over again that he must get back. Obviously now we know why.” “Do you happen to know the whereabouts of Mr. Kraemer now that you’ve left Pearl River?” “Yes, he’s actually under a six- month civil commitment, and he’s on the psychiatric floor of the Pearl River Memorial Hospital. You can get a hold of Julia Rogers. She’s the psychiatric social worker.” “ Okay then, I guess my job is done, so to speak, at least for right now,” Mr. Hendrickson said. “I’ll be in touch with the local Sheriff’s Department in Pearl River for follow up. They’ll be taking the case over from here.” “Let us know if we can help out with anything else, okay?” “I will. Thank you for your time.” “No, thank you to you and your staff ftor helping solve this mystery.” Lucy quickly got a hold of George, and they put in a conference call to Dottie and James. “Who would have known it would turn out like this,” Lucy said, getting ready to go back to the office. “I know,” James said. “So what happens now?” “Do we have to go back to Pearl River and do anything else, or are they going to just rebury her in the original grave site?” “That’s a good question. I’ll have to get ahold of Zack to see what the procedure is. I’ll let everyone know what the outcome is.” “Thanks, we appreciate it,” James and Dottie said. While back at her office, Lucy started sorting more files, correspondence, and e-mails that had been coming in during her absence. After going through a lot of the files, Lucy needed to take a break. Standing up, stretching, she glanced down and saw one more file that caught her eye. She started reading it and for some reason couldn’t put it down. She read the name of Peter Harris at the top of the stack of documents that went along with it. As she was going through it, she read the background and history of the patient. Were her eyes fooling her? Was what she was reading correct? Much of the background of this patient was familiar. Lucy sat down, laying the file on top of the others in the stack. As she re-read the cover letter to make sure she read the patient’s name correctly,. aAll she could do was collapse in her chair, closing her eyes in disbelief. She called her assistant, Tracy, in to have her too look at the file too. Lucy and Tracy had talked about each of their families. “Tracy, look at this file please,” Lucy said, handing the file over to her. “Humor me and just glance over the name of the patient, and skim through the background, will you?” “Ah, sure,” Tracy said, doing what Lucy had asked her to do. “No, no way. Lucy, are you sure?” “I don’t know, Tracy,” Lucy said, sitting there in disbelief. “Could it be?”

TheHE EndND