I’m Lieutenant Deviled Yeggs. I work homicide in the big city of Tracy. Working for me are my old partners: Detective Sgt. Jim Wednesday and Detective Poached Yeggs, my nephew who is slowly becoming a good detective. But then again, I have all the detectives in the big city of Tracy reporting to me. Even so, I HELP them when they need help, but I WORK homicide.
Last week, Pink was doing her walkaround, and Kanok joined her. When they got to the bakery, a pair of teenagers in the corner overheard my brother, Scrambled Yeggs, talking about their son, the mayor, and the Crystal Mountain came into the conversation. The boy, Colin Lewis, approached Pink Lady to ask if she was the person to go to when someone is in trouble. And that is when I entered the room. Colin and his pregnant little sister, Crystal, had run away when Detective Polly Handel told them to not move. But there was reason for them to run. Their parents had been murdered, their uncle was murdered, and they might be next.
This was largely Polly’s first case that she solved.
We had a large group of people in Pink’s office. Mildred Aufdringlich was there from Child Protective Services. She was with Colin and Crystal Lewis. Menzie tried to be near Mildred any chance she could, and this time she brought Lauren and Sammie along. I had Jim Wednesday, Poached Yeggs, and Polly Handel. D.A. Jennings was there. And Pink was behind her desk. She had Tammie Thompson, Rota, Zuzka, Jochebed, Georges, and Clay Bell. Then for some odd reason, she had Jethro, Mashie Niblick’s almost nephew, and Baldy Baxter. And Jethro and Baldy had Josie and Mitzi.
Come to think of it, we’ve had larger crowds. Josie’s little boy Daniel was in the play area with Dinah, Jochebed’s little girl, and Grannie Fannie, and he lured Lauren and Sammie away.
After the introductions, I asked Jim Wednesday to give a sequence of events.
Jim nodded. “First, Lt. Yeggs, Polly and I went to the scene that was secured by Ruthie Toody and Rookie Francine. The alarm was called in by a neighbor who saw someone sneaking around Mr. Lewis’ yard. Then they saw him walking quickly away. Polly isn’t good with facial recognition like Dev is. So, she goes around the perimeter tape with her body cam. That’s better than Dev’s perfect recall. She can use facial recognition software. She happened to be standing near Francine when she overheard the teenagers over there asking about their uncle. She went over to tell them not to move. We would come out to get them a little later. They waited for Francine to get distracted by someone else, and the kids bolted. They hitched with a drug courier. They are jokingly called drug runners, but if one pharmacy has a surplus and another needs a drug desperately, they’ll have these couriers drive from one location to another. He was on his way to Standish pharmacy and these kids said they were going to the Crystal Mountain. He let them hitch a ride, but then, he realized that was against the rules for a drug courier. With his guilty conscience in high alert, he showed them the bakery and said that was where the crystal mountain starts. You can see a lot of glass roof from the pharmacy. They walked to the bakery while he went inside and then he called 911 to ask if there were two runaways, one being pregnant. The dispatcher called our precinct and Polly had just called to let them know that two teenagers were wandering that part of town. So, Dev went to the bakery.”
I shook my head. “That was a great report that focuses on the children, but Watson Lewis was murdered by multiple stab wounds. The M.E. said the third stab wound hit the artery. The knife had a non-serrated blade, extremely sharp, maybe a fish knife. Back door had been jimmied.”
Pink said, “You have a daughter-in-law named Jemima and your son calls his wife ‘Jemi’. Is there another word for jimmied?”
I shrugged, “He did not use a crowbar. Would you accept ‘pried’?”
Pink snickered, “Much better.”
I nodded, “Polly is new to homicide. She had a couple of relatives of the victim at the secure boundary. They were teenagers, but the scene was nasty. It might be traumatizing. Little did she know that Colin and Crystal had discovered their own parents also killed in a similar manner by the same knife. After we assessed the scene and took photographs, Polly went out to walk the perimeter and then start talking to neighbors, the woman who called in the suspicious behavior being the first. Dietrich Koch also made the rounds. Poached was back in the office and he raised the red flag that the parents of Colin and Crystal had been murdered. We raised the manhunt for the two teenagers, and we added two patrols circling the neighborhood. By this point, they had already gotten their ride to Standish Pharmacy. Jim requested that I authorize Polly to go to One Horse to personally talk to the detective there and to talk to friends of Colin and Crystal. She left the next morning. It took her all day and into the night. Polly, what did you find?”
Polly replied, “We had the case file, at least what was on the county’s server already. Same MO as the murder here. Possibly the same knife. The murderer was very careful, but a little blood trail led into the woods, but they quickly lost the trail. Dry weather that day, no discernable footprints, but inside the house, boot prints in the blood. There was a generational feud with the neighbors, the Charles family. It had been going on for at least three or four generations. Argument as to where the property line was. The present Mr. Charles has been arrested for moving property markers and stealing crops of lavender, alfalfa, and a silage pile. I had to ask about the silage pile. It is fermented compost, mostly made of chopped corn stalks. It stinks, but the cows love it. Bluto Charles was not around for questioning, but the feud had never been violent in recent years. The worst was a number of fist fights. Almost every altercation, according to the sheriff’s records started with the Charles demanding some of the Lewis land. Members of three generations, including Bluto Charles have been convicted of theft and acts of violence.”
Polly turned the page in her notebook, “When the children got out of school, I talked to Bronson Charles, nickname of Bronco. He claims to be the father of Crystal’s child. He was fifteen when the child was conceived, but not now. Same with Crystal. He is doing community service for his part in the situation. Otherwise, the young man seemed okay and generally concerned for Crystal’s safety. I told him that Crystal was in a safehouse. She was safe. As it turned out, I should not have ‘assured’ him in that manner. I also talked to Stephanie. She is Crystal’s best friend. She wanted me to relay to Crystal to keep an eye out for Bluto and Bronco. She thought they were up to something. So, other than a little backstory on a feud, the sheriff had nothing to go on. He had interviewed Bluto and Bronco. Bronco was concerned for Crystal but gave no information. Bluto was combative throughout the interview, claiming that anything that is bad that happens to the Lewis family, he is the first to be suspected. But he had no alibi for the time of the murder. The footprints in the blood were a similar size, but since the boots slid a bit, the prints could be from a few sizes. I returned home the next morning.”
Jim nodded, “We had moved the Lewis children to a safehouse here in Tracy. Ruthie, Francine, Dietrich (a.k.a. Dieter), and Don Fife worked as teams, twelve hours on twelve hours off. When Polly returned and gave me her report, we made everyone aware of the Lewis-Charles feud. Poached ran facial recognition on Polly’s body cam. We found a possible match to Bluto Charles in the crowd near where Francine was. The photo from the body cam was degraded a little, not good enough for positive identification. But we included Bluto Charles in a photo display for the neighbor. She thought Charles looked like the guy, but he was in the shadows. She would not confirm that identification. A couple of other neighbors thought they saw him walk down the street that day. He was really careful with the initial murder, but that was a house on a country road. This was a house in the big city of Tracy.”
Poached said, “I went through the county newspaper morgue where One Horse is located. It seems that the Charles family won their property in a poker game. Since the Charles were notorious card sharks, everybody thought they had swindled the previous owners, but no one had any proof. Then, they immediately started encroaching onto the Lewis property. The Lewis family were solid citizens, church goers, but the Charles family were the outcasts. And they knew little about farming. With roughly the same quality of land, they got nothing for their efforts while the Lewis farm had a bountiful harvest. So, with the ancestors telling the next generation that the Lewis family had cheated them, they were primed for a fight from the beginning, but they had no legal grounds for any of their claims. No legal grounds gave them the feeling of being wronged, and they needed revenge to make it right. The newsman’s words, not me being dramatic.”
I snickered, “Yeah, right! But this leads to our last two points. Somehow, Bluto Charles got the information about the location of the safehouse. We have yet to determine that means of information. He could have recognized Polly from the initial investigation and followed her. Bluto is not talking, and he never told his son. I believe the son when he says he was just following orders, but that was not a legitimate defense at Nuremberg, and it will not be here. Polly, what happened?”
Polly smiled, “As I said earlier, we switched the rookies on each shift. That way we had one male and one female officer depending on what might happen with our teenagers. Ruthie and Don Fife were sleeping in one bedroom, separate beds. The main bedroom had the two teenagers in separate beds. I was talking to Francine when Dieter thought he heard a noise in the teenager bedroom. He entered the room. I heard a scuffle, a few half words, and then a thud. I told Francine to cover me. When I entered the room, Dieter, that is Dietrich Koch, police officer first class, was slumped on the floor. Standing over him was Bluto Charles. Bronson “Bronco” Charles was coming in through the window with a knife in his hands. I took advantage of Bluto focusing on Dieter. I incapacitated him and was quickly putting cuffs on him. Bronco screamed that I had killed his father. I argued that he was just asleep and Bronco needed to put down the knife. Bronco attacked me with his knife, but he was no match for me. Yet, he did manage to injure my arm and side. Bullet-proof vests are not effective in a knife attack. He got the first stab at my side before Francine thought to turn on the lights. I was ready for the next attack. But after he cut the back of my hand, Francine saw her chance to use her taser. By this point, Ruthie and Don were entering the room. My wounds were superficial. Dieter was in ICU for a while, nothing broken, all internal organs intact. But he needed two blood transfusions. It might have been more blood loss if Francine had not been there, with her former EMT training.”
Jim nodded, “Polly made the necessary calls. Polly, Poached, and I did a tag team effort on the interviews. At first, Bluto was dumb enough to simply say nothing. When we finally convinced him that we were going to try his son, Bronson Charles, as an adult for murder in the first degree, he finally got the idea to talk. He planned the raid. He had watched Polly’s movements since Polly was at the original murder scene in Tracy. Polly was the only one coming and going. Polly brought the food and other supplies. Polly may need a refresher class on spotting and shaking a tail, but I think Bluto used some local informants to learn where safehouses were located.”
Crystal shouted, “You can’t be serious! You can’t try Bronco as an adult. He’s a sweet boy. He would not hurt a fly. His Dad was right. Bronco was more afraid of his father than he was afraid of the police.”
Polly sighed, “What Bluto said next was confirmed by Bronco. Bronco seduced you at the insistence of Bluto. If you got pregnant with his baby, then unfortunate accidents on the part of all family members except for you left your child as the heir of the Lewis estate. Bluto got revenge for his time in prison. And the Lewis family would be eliminated. And if some accident happened to Colin, the plan was as good as done. We left you guarded by Ruthie and Don until other officers could be added to the team. We did not know if Bluto had hired backup.”
Colin hugged his sister, “I told you, Crystal. Bronco was as rotten as his old man.”
Crystal said, “But he is so sweet and kind. Yes, I told him no when he did this to me, but I did not fight him off. I love him; he loves me.”
Polly asked, “But are you sure that he loves you? I interviewed him and I have the recording here. Mommie Pinkie, do you have access to the video projector?”
Pink nodded, and she took the flash drive from Polly and plugged it in. ”The children in the play area love watching cartoons and Bible stories on the wall. I will project to the opposite wall, since this might be more of an adult video.”
Polly smiled, “Just me talking to a sixteen-year-old man. No way will I call him a boy.”
The dialogue is in dialogue form:
Polly: You are doing community service for having sex with Crystal Lewis. Was this tryst of yours consensual?
Bronco: You better believe it! Crystal was eager for my body.
Polly: But her interview said that she told you no.
Bronco: Naw! She said it but she wanted it. She was easy.
Polly: So, you having sex was less passion and more her wanting it?
Bronco: Yeah, that and Dad wanted me to make her pregnant. If the rest of the family died, then her child gets the farm. That means the Charles family gets both farms. Slick, right?
Polly: So, you have no love for Crystal?
Bronco: Naw! Like I said, she was easy. I said those love words so she kept her legs spread. But she is just one of many. After the baby is born, I won’t even need her. For all the times that the Lewis family cheated us, this is sweet revenge.
Polly turned the video off. “There is more, but I wanted Crystal to hear that much.”
Crystal had buried her head into Colin’s chest. She sobbed, “I’m not easy. I’m not. I loved him. He said he loved me.”
Colin murmured, “I know, Sis, I know.”
Crystal asked, “But what do we do with the child inside me? We can’t let the Charles win because they killed our parents?”
Mildred said, “You do not have to give the child his name. Use your maiden name on the birth certificate. And then raise the child to be a law-abiding, god-fearing person.”
Polly said, “After your parents knew that Bronco was the father of your child, they changed their will. Everything goes to Colin and his issue. It is up to Colin what to give you. If Colin dies with no issue, the farm will be donated to a university as an experimental farm. It was not that they disowned you for having the baby that would be half Charles blood, they just did not want the Charles family getting half the farm in this manner.”
D.A. Jennings spoke up. “I have other meetings to attend today. I want to announce that we have pulled off a small miracle. I talked to the D.A. east of here, in the district that One Horse is a part. He was worried that Bluto Charles would ask for a change in venue. He really wanted to see Bluto get the death penalty in his district, but a change in venue would negate that. And if the trial were in his district, there is no evidence that Bronson was involved. Trying Bronson for his involvement in the crime here would be confusing when his father was not being tried due to the previous crimes in One Horse. So, it is rarely done, but we will hold Bluto for three murders here in Tracy, the one here and the two in one horse. We will add to that his involvement in the enticement of a minor by encouraging Bronson in his activities. Since the district dropped the rape charge against Bronson in lieu of community service, Bronson will not be charged for that, but there is child enticement, attempted murder, aiding and abetting in his father’s attempt at murder, attack with a deadly weapon on a police officer in the course of her duties. I want consecutive prison terms rather than concurrent. If so, he will not get out for a long time. Bluto may get the death penalty since he had already served for other crimes. But, this meeting was educational. I loved the way Polly and Poached laid it out into a story form. You see their motives. You learn their end game. But I have to go. I wish you all a good day.”
With that, the D.A. left the room.
I laughed, “D.A. Jennings handed me a fax as he left the room. It seems that the missing boots from the Lewis farm murders have been found. The sheriff was walking along a nearby creek to see if Bluto had gone that direction after the murders. The Lewis’ dog went along, and the dog started digging in some rather soft earth along the bank of the creek. The boots have blood that matches the Lewis couple. There was a piece of an ear in one of the boots. It seems that Bluto Charles does not wear socks. There was leg hair with roots in the boots. They will have the boots tied to Bluto with blood and the ear from the crime scene. The boot size was questionable due to smeared prints. But there was enough evidence to match the tread pattern. I think the sheriff has put together an airtight case for those two murders.”
Pink asked, “But what about the murder here?”
I smiled, “He was a lot less careful. He was not prepared to be observed by neighbors. The eyewitnesses are not very reliable, but suggestive. But he was in a hurry. He left trace evidence all over the house. We have him on Polly’s body cam where Francine was providing crowd control. Another neighbor saw him running away a little later. He had seen Colin and Crystal, and he wanted to take them then, as we found out later. When he attacked Dietrich and Polly, he used the same knife as in the other murders. And then in his attempt to leave Bronson out of the murders, he confessed to all three murders. And he laughed after he made the confession. Regardless of what happens, he thinks that his grandchild will run the Lewis farm someday.
I asked, “Mildred, you are here as a courtesy. Colin has graduated high school. Crystal was not sixteen when her child was conceived, but she is sixteen now. Do you have any authority in what Colin and Crystal do now?”
Mildred smiled, “I am more mother than bureaucrat. I want these two young adults to have a stable home. I have talked to them both. Colin has worked with his Dad in carpentry. He knows how to do framing and the rough carpentry before you cover it with drywall. I am sure he can find work and improve on those skills. Crystal enjoys needlework. She crochets. Those are skills that are disappearing, and they are niche skills. Most people will buy something cheaper than they will pay the extra to have something artistic and requires great skill. But they both have been brought up in the church. But your question Lt. Yeggs is valid. There are others in our office that would be concerned about truancy for Crystal. But I have come to know and love Pink Lady. I think Crystal is about to be pinked. Does Gwen already have their sizes?”
Pink smiled, “Yes, she does. They are farmers, first and foremost. They have worked in the garden. If they do not have a fear of heights, they can pick vegetables to earn their keep. Crystal is due at the end of this calendar year. Basically, she will be classified as home schooled this semester. She has the pregnancy to consider, and she is a month behind in school. We can get her caught up as we did Menzie. I suggest that I take her to Flintheart, just for a few visits, or someone will take her since I do not have a driver’s license. That way, she can get to know the teachers. We will set up her Spring semester at Flintheart, and we will have her ready to take the final exams for this semester here at Lily the Pink. We have various people who will teach her the subjects that she will be taking in January at Flintheart. For Crystal’s sake, that is Vitamin Flintheart High School. Jochebed, what can you add?”
Jochebed smiled, “I am in charge of the nursery. We maintain someone in the nursery or on call that can provide a wet nurse service. If you go to school immediately in January, that may be hard on you personally and emotionally. But we will have someone who can be a wet nurse or feed your child with your milk in your absence. We have breast pumps. You should start exercising that now. I never attended school. But by the time I was eighteen years old, I had four sons and then they were all killed as I tried to hold onto them. How I was not killed is all the working of God. I say this to tell you that I know what it is like to have three children by the time I was your age. Ask me anything, just nothing that relates to indoor plumbing, I never saw that until Tyler Hill and I made it to the mission headquarters.”
Pink laughed, “I see the confused look on your face, but Jochebed was rescued along with two orphaned children of a pastor in Africa. Tyler Hill and his wife Anna adopted the children. Tyler is our purchaser. Anna runs cider operations in Washington state. But back to Jochebed, she is also a midwife. If you desire, she will be with you at the Medical Center when the baby is born. The doctors already know that Jochebed is in charge when she shows up, but really she works as part of their team. Jochebed will check on you every few days from now until well after the baby is born. And if anything concerns her, Greta Grunge works for Jochebed, and Greta is a registered nurse. And once each week, Dr. Melanie Torme, Mel Torme to all who know her, makes a house call at Lily the Pink. From the time she gets finished at her office until vespers, she sees patients here, one day per week, usually Tuesday. So, unless imaging is required, you are set medically until the time of birth and afterward.”
Pink turned to Colin, “Colin, do you want to stay here with your sister, or do you wish to return as the owner of the Lewis Farm in One Horse?”
Colin fearfully looked at Crystal and then back at Pink, “I would feel very uncomfortable going back to One Horse alone. But someone needs to be there. The Charles family are not the only ones who would steal crops that just sit there to rot. Like Mrs. Aufdringlich said, I can do some rough carpentry. I am not immune to working hard. But I have never allowed myself to think about anything other than being a farmer.”
As he said that, the three Dalton children, Sophia Yeggs, Michael Rowe Casey, Clay Bell, and Gigi Yeggs entered the room in wet swimsuits and carrying towels.
Gigi ran to me. “Daddy, Daddy, I went on the water slide.” She was jumping up and down.
I asked, “How? Did you pass your swim test?”
Gigi giggled, “Sorta. The lifeguard saw that I could dog paddle good enough to get to the side of the pool, but they made me ride down on Soapy’s lap. It was great!”
Sophie added, “Yeah, I’ll show you the bruises later. … Or not.”
Pink asked, “Emmett? You are the star sax player in a jazz band. You are music director at the church where I attend. And you tend exotic African plants ten stories from the ground. What did you know when you came to Lily the Pink?”
Emmett shrugged, “I self-taught myself the saxophone. I knew a little music, but all I really knew how to do was farming.”
Pink smiled, “Great answer. Here are new residents. Colin Lewis will be in Mr. Kaiser’s maintenance crew. Crystal may tend some of the late crops, but you can tell that her pregnancy is showing. Menzie, you and Crystal will be in the same grade once she starts attending school. Our family units are getting full. Until something comes up, I am going to put you in the same quad as Jethro and Baldy. They occupy bedrooms on one side of a common area. Jethro helps with cyber security and is on full ride scholarship at T.R.U.S.T. Baldy is on our maintenance crew. Colin, Baldy focuses mostly on plumbing. He might be a good source for that kind of knowledge. Jethro and Baldy both have girlfriends, and one of those girlfriends is a single mother, Josie. She will be a good shoulder to cry on. She has a good head on her shoulders. So, Crystal, you will be safe there. I hear Jethro is the strong silent type that easily shifts into protection mode. He was once a farmer’s son, but he played with computers. Until things settle down, that might work best.”
Colin asked, “If I stay here, and I want to stay to help Crystal, what happens to our farm?”
Pink turned to Emmett, “Emmett, you are a senior at Flintheart, but do you know people at the university in the agricultural fields?”
Emmett smiled, “Yes, Mommie Pinkie, I know all the professors in Botany. And the Agriculture people have come by. I at least know them by name.”
Pink nodded, “I will call the Agriculture people next Monday. I will see if they have someone at one of their experimental farms that could move to the Lewis farm in One Horse in time for harvest. They might promote one of their workers at one farm to run your farm for you until maybe you have finished your schooling here.”
Colin said, “But I have finished high school.”
Pink huffed, “If you want to do things right, you might need more schooling. I will pay for your education as long as you are working for Lily the Pink at least 32 hours a week. I think you might try carpentry at the South Campus. Our bus to that location has the dean of faculty for that campus riding early in the morning and in the afternoon. She is Lt. Dev Yeggs’ wife, Naomi, and thus my sister-in-law. But you may find agriculture classes illuminating. They are at the main campus at the moment. Maybe a taste of both and then you can declare your major later. Until January, I have a feeling that you will be going between here and One Horse some of each week until harvest season is over. I will provide you with a driver and a vehicle. If you check out with our driver instructor, we may give you a car for that purpose. I hope you do not mind pink. The vehicles will be pink, and you will have pink coveralls when working here. And Mildred, did I miss anything?”
Mildred smiled, “What about the schedule here?”
Pink laughed, “Thank you. Since you are already approved as mission residents, they will reimburse me for your breakfast and your evening meal. The industrial kitchen is next door to the conference center. If you like to cook or bake, let Gwen Quinn know. She is always looking for more people in the rotation. We have vespers services every night. If you want to get a seat, you may have to show up early. Attendance is not mandatory, but it is usually attended by everyone that is not on shift at the time or sleeping. And Sunday morning early, in our den at the Big House, Stinker, umm, Jemima Yeggs, Lt. Dev Yeggs’ daughter-in-law, has a warm-up Sunday school class before you pile into buses to go to the church Sunday school class. Until you find another partner, you two can join as each other’s partner. Your roommates study as a foursome with their girlfriends, and I think they would not mind two more at the kitchen table. The class is mostly a couples class. I think Clay’s birth mother is the only single at the moment.”
Clay said, “Yeah, but she studies for the class with us. My official foster mom is Jochebed. So Mamma Jochebed, Daddy Georges, and my Mom are a couple, sort of, just for the class. And Sarah and I are a couple, but we study with my Mom and the Evidents, since we are the youngest in the class. Aunt Jemima doesn’t mind as long as we are reading the Bible. And that gives me more time with my birth mother.”
Mildred said, “Thank you, Clay. I can write that into a report, and I will call this the next periodic spot check.”
Clay moaned, “Awww, I like you coming by and visiting. We have interesting conversations.”
Mildred said, “Especially when Sarah is there with her tablet.”
Sarah’s tablet said, “I find you interesting also, Mrs. Aufdringlich. And the lip reader messes up your last name all the time, so Ralph E Newman programmed a menu with common hard words to say. The first two were Aufdringlich and ver Waarloosd.” Then Sarah put her hands over her mouth.
Mildred turned to the Lewis teens. “Sarah Dalton has selective mutism. She and Clay are both at Moon Maid Middle School – maintaining honor roll so far. So, Sarah speaks through a tablet. Once she knows you and you are in a small group, she might say a few words out loud, but her tablet is programmed with her voice. Sorry, Clay, that is usually what you say. They are the youngest ‘couple’ in Stinker’s class. And you can be the newest.”
Colin asked, “Do you have any Baptists?”
Emmett said, “We were Baptist, but we started going to First-Third Metho-Presby fulltime when I got the job there as the music director. But there is a bus that goes to the Baptist downtown. I think the Drivers go there when Darrell is not helping me with music. The buses go to a lot of churches. Tell Grannie Fannie what type of worship service, denomination if that matters, and the size of the church and she’ll give you the right bus or car. They go all over on Sunday morning. But come to First-Third and you will recognize a lot of people.”
Pink looked at me, “You gave us your police report. I gave you and Mildred enough to know that we will try to put their lives back together. I will introduce them to Rev. Joseph later. He has the vespers message tonight or I would have asked him to be here. I think he may be best at counseling them together and individually.
Gwen Quinn came in and handed Tammie paperwork. Gwen had pink coveralls and swimsuits. Everything was the right size, naturally. Tammie took the mountain of paperwork over to the Lewises for each to sign as employees and mission residents.
Crystal asked, “Can we ride the water slide?”
Arabella said, “Not while you are pregnant.”
Gigi said, “But that’s okay. You can come with me to the wading pool, or the hot tub, or the cool tub.”
Crystal asked, “What is a cool tub?”
Sophie replied, “It’s an acclimatation pool. When you ride the water slides, the water in the little pool is close to the water temperature in the main pool. That way a dip there first and it is not a shock when you get to the bottom of the slide.”
Gigi added, “Yeah! Yeah! And the preggers sit in the pool and talk.”
Sophie was shocked, “Preggers!? Gigi! Where did you get that term?”
Gigi replied, “They told me. They go from there to the wading pool so the baby inside their bellies can get to know their friends once they are born.”
Crystal asked, “Is Gigi your daughter?”
Sophie reddened, “You aren’t the first to ask, but no. She is my little sister, and we have another one who went with Mom to work today.”
I asked, “Lydia went to the university?”
Sophie nodded, “Yeah, she doesn’t teach classes today and the coaches don’t cuss as much when Lydia is there.”
We, from the police force, took that as our cue to leave.
We would be seeing the Lewis teens more. The court case would be some time away, and they both needed to testify.
Credits
This is the second week that I have had two teenagers, Colin and Crystal Lewis, from One Horse. One Horse must be a small town. I have read about it in many stories about the West. “It was a small town, a ‘one horse town.’” When your town is so small that you have to share the only means of transportation, that is a small town. No local lawman. The sheriff had to run the investigation of the murder of Colin and Crystal’s parents.
Obviously, since they are concerned about the charge of statutory rape, the state in which Tracy is a part does not have a Romeo and Juliet exemption. Those exemptions in about half the states in the USA provide exemption from a charge of rape if the children are both younger than the age of consent and very close in age. If there was a Romeo and Juliet law in this state, the tryst between Bronco and Crystal would not be a crime for either partner. The evidence revealed in this story points toward rape.
The teens hitched a ride with a drug courier. A friend of mine once had a job as a drug courier. He called his job all kinds of suggestive names just in fun. But if someone goes to a pharmacy and they are out of the prescription medicine that you need, some pharmacists will call around or could be part of a larger system. Then the courier picks up the medicine from the pharmacy that has excess and delivers it to the pharmacy that has the need. This saves the customer driving all over the city looking for someone that has that medicine. Due to what illness or condition, this may be difficult for the customer to do. Not all pharmacies do that. On one occasion, a few years ago, I was told by the pharmacist which nearby pharmacy had the prescription medicine that my wife needed. The pharmacist had made a few calls for us, and it was less than one mile away.
The antagonists in this story are Bluto and Bronson Charles. I thought of Charles Bronson, a tough guy actor in my youth. I flipped that to Bronson Charles, then the name of Bronco seemed to be a fitting nickname. His father was named Bluto after the original name of the bad guy, bully, from the Popeye cartoons. The production company changed the name to Brutus when they started a new series, thinking that Paramount had a trademark on Bluto. They did not, but they kept the name Brutus from that point on.
I gave the idea of a motion blur with footprints in the blood. I was visualizing what it might look like and being a half size off in either direction, maybe a full size, might be a possibility for “reasonable doubt.”
Bullet proof vests work in that the bullet flattens upon impact and the force is spread over a wide area by the mesh of the vest. But a knife with a sharp point and no serrations, would not only slip through the mesh but cut the threads allowing for further unravelling. Yes, there is the fabric of the vest to cut through, but the vest is not effective in preventing serious injury from a knife attack. This does not mean that you cannot get bruised, maybe a cracked rib, or other injury from a bullet impacting the vest – but it will save your life if the bullet hits the vest fully.
The Nuremberg trials at the end of World War II tried the Nazi high command and many middle and lower-level officers. From top to bottom, their defense included “I was just taking orders.” If this was valid, Adolph Hitler was already dead. But that was not allowed as a defense tactic.
I wrote this story, in part, to speak about generational falsehoods or grudges. I remember the terrorism perpetrated by the IRA (Irish Republican Army), allegedly. The people of Northern Ireland in my youth had never known peace. You aligned either Catholic or Protestant and joined the fight. The Palestinians and Israel have the same thing, except the Palestinians are taught that the only honorable way to die is to die while killing Jews. The Irish settled their disputes, but I doubt if the Palestinians and Israel ever will. It is that mindset that the children are taught from birth. There are similarities in the Russia/Ukraine war. One side wants to take the productive land from the other side, economic motives rather than a true land dispute. Then, once there are shots fired in both directions, the aggressors want even more.
In the case of this story, the Charles family probably cheated at cards to get the deed for their ranch. They were not good farmers and none of them bothered learning how to farm more efficiently. They just saw the green things growing in the Lewis farm and they spread the lie to their sons and grandsons that the Lewis family stole the productive land. This became a snowball that grew from one generation to the next until Bluto Charles felt that murder was the only option remaining.
Experimental Farms, or Experiment Stations, are found all over the country. They set up experiments to see what conditions are best to grow various crops. Usually paid for by government grants or sponsorships with farming supplies. The farm is then run by graduate level or higher personnel to ensure accurate data is collected.
And Gigi calling the one pool, the cool tub, is her way of talking about the pool to acclimate people who will suddenly splash into the pool. You see this type of pool in diving competitions.
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