Read Online Bats and Bones (The Frannie Shoemaker Campground Mysteries) by Karen Musser Nortman - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Karen Musser Nortman
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the car.”
“Yes, but
for someone to follow, catch up to her, and get her to stop—it just
doesn’t fit time-wise. Did Stub and his buddies see anything? They were up
late.”
“The
sheriff says they claim not. They say they went to bed about 1:00.”
Frannie
remembered something. “Mickey said he saw at least some of them out by their
fire around 1:30.”
“You’re
right. But they did say around 1:00. People usually don’t know what time they
did something exactly. I think most likely she surprised someone doing
something they weren’t supposed to—something with consequences worth
killing for. I imagine the remoteness of a place like a state park attracts
quite a few unsavory transactions.”
“But the
parks all close at 10:30.”
“Technically
they do, and the gates are closed at the entrances but that wouldn’t prevent
anyone from walking in.”
“Well,
then, if she did happen on a drug sale or something like that, it could have
been the guy on the phone or it could
have been a local just using a drop site.”
“You’re
right,” he conceded. They seemed to be going in figurative circles as they
plodded straight ahead on the road.
At the
entrance to the campground, they found the sheriff and Agent Sanchez in the
patrol car, AC running, talking and checking notes. Larry tapped on the agent’s
window.
The window
glided down silently and the agent smiled slightly as he recognized Larry.
“Yes, Mr.
Shoemaker?”
“Frannie
overheard a phone conversation a little bit ago that you should know about.”
Frannie
described the call and the voice again for the agent.
“And you
didn’t recognize the voice or see anyone?”
“No. It was
definitely a man and he tried to keep his voice as low as possible.”
The agent
finished his notes and smiled up at her. “Thank you. This could be very
important. It may not have anything to do with Mrs. Schlumm’s death but it
definitely sounds like something’s up.” The smile disappeared. “I caution you
again to be careful, Mrs. Shoemaker, and let us handle this.”
***********************
Happy
Camper Tip #6
Raccoons
can open anything humans can devise. They once got in our cooler and stole a
whipped topping container that actually had fishing worms in it. I imagine they
were pretty disappointed when they opened it. Another time, they took all the
juice boxes out of a cooler, emptied them and left them scattered on the
ground. On still another occasion, they polished off a dozen ears of sweet corn
soaking in a bucket, leaving only the husks. They also don't pick up after
themselves. Eventually you learn to put everything edible in a vehicle or
camper.
Chapter Seven
Mid-Saturday Afternoon
When they
got back to the campsite, Mickey and Rob were walking around making half-hearted
motions toward starting a fire. Some wood was piled by the fire ring and Mickey
had gotten out a fire starter.
“You were
leaving us with all the fire starting responsibility, weren’t you? Don’t you
want any supper?” Mickey asked.
“Right.
Like you’ve never started any fires?” Larry said.
“I didn’t
say I couldn’t . But I had to get out
of my chair… .”
“There’s
the problem—your lazy butt.”
The ‘I can
top you’ insults between the brothers-in-law had been going on for forty years.
Frannie and Jane Ann didn’t expect it to end anytime soon. Still arguing, the
men got a fire started and Mickey pulled a garbage bag out of a storage
compartment containing an ingenious grill system. In less than five minutes a
single pole rose next to the fire ring with a crosspiece holding a chain from
which a round grill was suspended. The grill could be adjusted up or down and
swung away from the fire to turn meat or leave the ring free for a larger
campfire.
Rob sat
forward in his lawn chair watching Mickey’s every move. When the grill was
complete, Rob sat back. “Wow. That is excellent. We used one of those tripods
and it was nothing
“Yes, but
for someone to follow, catch up to her, and get her to stop—it just
doesn’t fit time-wise. Did Stub and his buddies see anything? They were up
late.”
“The
sheriff says they claim not. They say they went to bed about 1:00.”
Frannie
remembered something. “Mickey said he saw at least some of them out by their
fire around 1:30.”
“You’re
right. But they did say around 1:00. People usually don’t know what time they
did something exactly. I think most likely she surprised someone doing
something they weren’t supposed to—something with consequences worth
killing for. I imagine the remoteness of a place like a state park attracts
quite a few unsavory transactions.”
“But the
parks all close at 10:30.”
“Technically
they do, and the gates are closed at the entrances but that wouldn’t prevent
anyone from walking in.”
“Well,
then, if she did happen on a drug sale or something like that, it could have
been the guy on the phone or it could
have been a local just using a drop site.”
“You’re
right,” he conceded. They seemed to be going in figurative circles as they
plodded straight ahead on the road.
At the
entrance to the campground, they found the sheriff and Agent Sanchez in the
patrol car, AC running, talking and checking notes. Larry tapped on the agent’s
window.
The window
glided down silently and the agent smiled slightly as he recognized Larry.
“Yes, Mr.
Shoemaker?”
“Frannie
overheard a phone conversation a little bit ago that you should know about.”
Frannie
described the call and the voice again for the agent.
“And you
didn’t recognize the voice or see anyone?”
“No. It was
definitely a man and he tried to keep his voice as low as possible.”
The agent
finished his notes and smiled up at her. “Thank you. This could be very
important. It may not have anything to do with Mrs. Schlumm’s death but it
definitely sounds like something’s up.” The smile disappeared. “I caution you
again to be careful, Mrs. Shoemaker, and let us handle this.”
***********************
Happy
Camper Tip #6
Raccoons
can open anything humans can devise. They once got in our cooler and stole a
whipped topping container that actually had fishing worms in it. I imagine they
were pretty disappointed when they opened it. Another time, they took all the
juice boxes out of a cooler, emptied them and left them scattered on the
ground. On still another occasion, they polished off a dozen ears of sweet corn
soaking in a bucket, leaving only the husks. They also don't pick up after
themselves. Eventually you learn to put everything edible in a vehicle or
camper.
Chapter Seven
Mid-Saturday Afternoon
When they
got back to the campsite, Mickey and Rob were walking around making half-hearted
motions toward starting a fire. Some wood was piled by the fire ring and Mickey
had gotten out a fire starter.
“You were
leaving us with all the fire starting responsibility, weren’t you? Don’t you
want any supper?” Mickey asked.
“Right.
Like you’ve never started any fires?” Larry said.
“I didn’t
say I couldn’t . But I had to get out
of my chair… .”
“There’s
the problem—your lazy butt.”
The ‘I can
top you’ insults between the brothers-in-law had been going on for forty years.
Frannie and Jane Ann didn’t expect it to end anytime soon. Still arguing, the
men got a fire started and Mickey pulled a garbage bag out of a storage
compartment containing an ingenious grill system. In less than five minutes a
single pole rose next to the fire ring with a crosspiece holding a chain from
which a round grill was suspended. The grill could be adjusted up or down and
swung away from the fire to turn meat or leave the ring free for a larger
campfire.
Rob sat
forward in his lawn chair watching Mickey’s every move. When the grill was
complete, Rob sat back. “Wow. That is excellent. We used one of those tripods
and it was nothing
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