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Authors: Anne Marie Rodgers
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they got there, and moments after they had scrambled in, the heavens opened and a deluge poured from the skies.
Not unexpected in March, Alice thought, but surely unwelcome at this moment. The tracks were going to be too damaged to view after a downpour like this. When she said as much to Ronald, he glumly agreed. “Not much point in heading back there with a camera now,” he said. “I’ll just drop you off at the inn and go home.”
“Thanks,” Alice said. “And perhaps on the way back to town you’ll see the boys. I can’t believe they didn’t wait for a ride. They must be soaked.”
“They’re young,” Ronald said philosophically. “They’ll think it’s a great adventure.”
Chapter Six
A n hour after Alice arrived home, the telephone rang. Jane, who was in the living room, walked to the reception desk and picked up the handset. “Grace Chapel Inn, Jane speaking. May I help you?”
“Hello, Jane. This is Carlene. Is Alice around?”
“She’s here somewhere,” Jane said. “Let me find her for you.” She glanced into the parlor and the dining room, but she did not find Alice until she stepped into the kitchen.
“Telephone for you. It’s Carlene.”
Alice looked surprised. “What does she want?”
Jane shrugged. “She didn’t say.”
Alice went to the kitchen phone. “Hello, Carlene. This is Alice.”
Jane moved to the counter where she began forming the dough that had finished rising into croissants for tomorrow’s breakfast menu. Although she did not intend to eavesdrop, it was difficult to ignore Alice’s end of the conversation.
“Yes… just Ronald and me… the boys found the tracks first… No, no, I don’t believe they were human. They were really large, well over a foot long, but also they were very broad. Ronald said he didn’t think they were bear tracks, either… No, I didn’t look closely at the toes… We intended to, but it began to rain. You might take a walk back there to see, but I imagine that hard rain we had washed them out or, at the very least, damaged them badly.”
By now, Jane had given up any pretense of not listening. After Alice concluded her conversation, Jane said, “What on earth was that about?”
Alice rolled her eyes and shook her head. “You’ll never believe it.”
“How about you tell us all about it over dinner. Would you please call Louise while I serve this potpie?”
Alice did as requested, and in a few minutes, the three sisters were sitting at the kitchen table. Alice opened the meal with a prayer for Wendell’s safe return in addition to the usual blessing of the food. When she finished, there was a heavy moment of sorrowful silence.
Then she picked up her fork. “You two will never, in a hundred million years, guess what I saw today.”
“I could make a lot of guesses in a hundred million years,” Jane said, gamely trying to lighten the mood.
“In the interest of time, I move we dispense with guessing,” Louise said dryly. “Let’s hear it, Alice.”
As Alice launched into her story, Louise and Jane listened with growing incredulity.
“So why did Carlene call?” Jane asked when Alice finished. “Is she going to write an article about it?”
Alice chuckled. “Apparently, after Ronald dropped me off, he went back to the Coffee Shop. Everyone who had heard the boys the first time wanted to hear what he had to say.”
“And he said…?” Jane leaned forward.
“The same thing I said. He had no idea what to make of the tracks.”
“Could they have been a hoax?” Louise asked.
“I suppose anything’s possible,” Alice said, “but except for the boys’, there were no human prints of any kind around. And unless the boys are terrific actors, they had nothing to do with making the prints. As for what the tracks are, I’m afraid to even guess. I keep thinking about those ridiculous Bigfoot stories, but they don’t seem quite so ridiculous anymore.”
“Bigfoot,” Jane said thoughtfully. “Isn’t
Not unexpected in March, Alice thought, but surely unwelcome at this moment. The tracks were going to be too damaged to view after a downpour like this. When she said as much to Ronald, he glumly agreed. “Not much point in heading back there with a camera now,” he said. “I’ll just drop you off at the inn and go home.”
“Thanks,” Alice said. “And perhaps on the way back to town you’ll see the boys. I can’t believe they didn’t wait for a ride. They must be soaked.”
“They’re young,” Ronald said philosophically. “They’ll think it’s a great adventure.”
Chapter Six
A n hour after Alice arrived home, the telephone rang. Jane, who was in the living room, walked to the reception desk and picked up the handset. “Grace Chapel Inn, Jane speaking. May I help you?”
“Hello, Jane. This is Carlene. Is Alice around?”
“She’s here somewhere,” Jane said. “Let me find her for you.” She glanced into the parlor and the dining room, but she did not find Alice until she stepped into the kitchen.
“Telephone for you. It’s Carlene.”
Alice looked surprised. “What does she want?”
Jane shrugged. “She didn’t say.”
Alice went to the kitchen phone. “Hello, Carlene. This is Alice.”
Jane moved to the counter where she began forming the dough that had finished rising into croissants for tomorrow’s breakfast menu. Although she did not intend to eavesdrop, it was difficult to ignore Alice’s end of the conversation.
“Yes… just Ronald and me… the boys found the tracks first… No, no, I don’t believe they were human. They were really large, well over a foot long, but also they were very broad. Ronald said he didn’t think they were bear tracks, either… No, I didn’t look closely at the toes… We intended to, but it began to rain. You might take a walk back there to see, but I imagine that hard rain we had washed them out or, at the very least, damaged them badly.”
By now, Jane had given up any pretense of not listening. After Alice concluded her conversation, Jane said, “What on earth was that about?”
Alice rolled her eyes and shook her head. “You’ll never believe it.”
“How about you tell us all about it over dinner. Would you please call Louise while I serve this potpie?”
Alice did as requested, and in a few minutes, the three sisters were sitting at the kitchen table. Alice opened the meal with a prayer for Wendell’s safe return in addition to the usual blessing of the food. When she finished, there was a heavy moment of sorrowful silence.
Then she picked up her fork. “You two will never, in a hundred million years, guess what I saw today.”
“I could make a lot of guesses in a hundred million years,” Jane said, gamely trying to lighten the mood.
“In the interest of time, I move we dispense with guessing,” Louise said dryly. “Let’s hear it, Alice.”
As Alice launched into her story, Louise and Jane listened with growing incredulity.
“So why did Carlene call?” Jane asked when Alice finished. “Is she going to write an article about it?”
Alice chuckled. “Apparently, after Ronald dropped me off, he went back to the Coffee Shop. Everyone who had heard the boys the first time wanted to hear what he had to say.”
“And he said…?” Jane leaned forward.
“The same thing I said. He had no idea what to make of the tracks.”
“Could they have been a hoax?” Louise asked.
“I suppose anything’s possible,” Alice said, “but except for the boys’, there were no human prints of any kind around. And unless the boys are terrific actors, they had nothing to do with making the prints. As for what the tracks are, I’m afraid to even guess. I keep thinking about those ridiculous Bigfoot stories, but they don’t seem quite so ridiculous anymore.”
“Bigfoot,” Jane said thoughtfully. “Isn’t
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