Read Online Town in a Wild Moose Chase by B. B. Haywood - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: B. B. Haywood
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haven’t seen you around much lately, Judicious. Has everything been going okay?”
“There’s a lot been going on,” he said, “so I thought you should know.”
“What?” Candy felt her sense of dread returning. “Does it have anything to do with Solomon?”
“Maybe. That’s the thing—I don’t know for sure. It’s just a feeling I have.”
Candy shivered. It always meant trouble when Judicious had a feeling. As a young man he had taken a mystical journey to Tibet, where he’d spent the better part of two decades sitting on a mountaintop, exploring the mysteries of the universe. Now he was back in Cape Willington, where he lived by himself in a small log cabin on a forested patch of land at the edge of town.
Several of her previous encounters with Judicious had come at opportune times, when she’d been deep in the middle of mysteries. His sudden appearance here, now, out in public, seemingly with a message for her, made her feel even more strongly that something was up. “Have you heard from Solomon? Is he okay?”
“I can’t say for sure.”
“Do you know where he is?”
Judicious looked back over his shoulder, to the west. “He’s somewhere in the woods.”
“Yes, but
where
?”
He pondered the question, his eyes distant, watching. “I don’t know for sure. I have a feeling he’ll contact you when he’s ready.”
Conversations with Judicious were always a little odd, but for the most part she’d become used to them. Still, she wished he were a little less cryptic and a little more forthcoming. “Judicious, is there anything specific you can tell me about Solomon? Is he injured? Is there something I can tell the police to help them find him?”
Judicious was silent for a long time as he watched the activities in the park. He seemed fascinated by everything around them. “The police won’t find Solomon unless he wantsthem to,” he said finally. “Right now, it seems he doesn’t want to be found. And that’s a significant point, isn’t it?”
Candy felt another chill go through her as she focused her gaze on him. “What are you saying?”
Judicious answered her question with a question. “Why does Solomon feel the need to hide?”
“I don’t know. Why?”
A trace of a smile crossed Judicious’s face. “Think about it. Why did he come running out of your woods?”
She saw what Judicious was getting at. The obvious answer quickly came to her. “Because he was afraid of something.”
“Yes, but what?”
“The body,” she said at once. But she sensed there was something more. Solomon had acted scared, as if something had spooked him. But what could it have been? What had happened in those woods?
Candy lowered her voice as she leaned a little closer to Judicious. “What do you think is going on?”
He shook his head. “As I said, I don’t know for sure. But I have a feeling the answers are all around us. You just have to find them. You’re a detective, Candy. You’ve proved that before. You’ll know where to look, if you think about it.” He pointed with his head over his shoulder, in the direction of Blueberry Acres.
Candy knew exactly what he meant. “The woods.”
His gaze shifted to her briefly, then back toward the crowd surrounding the ice sculptures. “There’s something else you should know. It’s not just me. The sisters feel the same way. They’ll tell you all about it. Listen carefully when you talk to them.”
“The sisters? Talk to who?” She felt her frustration rising. “Judicious, isn’t there anything else you can tell me? Something that would help me figure out what’s happening?”
At that, he gave her a melancholy smile. “I can’t walk the path for you. You have to discover the answers for yourself.But you’ll be fine. Trust your instincts. Yours are very strong, if you haven’t noticed.”
He did something with his left eye that might have been a wink; it went by so fast Candy couldn’t be certain. She heard a shout
“There’s a lot been going on,” he said, “so I thought you should know.”
“What?” Candy felt her sense of dread returning. “Does it have anything to do with Solomon?”
“Maybe. That’s the thing—I don’t know for sure. It’s just a feeling I have.”
Candy shivered. It always meant trouble when Judicious had a feeling. As a young man he had taken a mystical journey to Tibet, where he’d spent the better part of two decades sitting on a mountaintop, exploring the mysteries of the universe. Now he was back in Cape Willington, where he lived by himself in a small log cabin on a forested patch of land at the edge of town.
Several of her previous encounters with Judicious had come at opportune times, when she’d been deep in the middle of mysteries. His sudden appearance here, now, out in public, seemingly with a message for her, made her feel even more strongly that something was up. “Have you heard from Solomon? Is he okay?”
“I can’t say for sure.”
“Do you know where he is?”
Judicious looked back over his shoulder, to the west. “He’s somewhere in the woods.”
“Yes, but
where
?”
He pondered the question, his eyes distant, watching. “I don’t know for sure. I have a feeling he’ll contact you when he’s ready.”
Conversations with Judicious were always a little odd, but for the most part she’d become used to them. Still, she wished he were a little less cryptic and a little more forthcoming. “Judicious, is there anything specific you can tell me about Solomon? Is he injured? Is there something I can tell the police to help them find him?”
Judicious was silent for a long time as he watched the activities in the park. He seemed fascinated by everything around them. “The police won’t find Solomon unless he wantsthem to,” he said finally. “Right now, it seems he doesn’t want to be found. And that’s a significant point, isn’t it?”
Candy felt another chill go through her as she focused her gaze on him. “What are you saying?”
Judicious answered her question with a question. “Why does Solomon feel the need to hide?”
“I don’t know. Why?”
A trace of a smile crossed Judicious’s face. “Think about it. Why did he come running out of your woods?”
She saw what Judicious was getting at. The obvious answer quickly came to her. “Because he was afraid of something.”
“Yes, but what?”
“The body,” she said at once. But she sensed there was something more. Solomon had acted scared, as if something had spooked him. But what could it have been? What had happened in those woods?
Candy lowered her voice as she leaned a little closer to Judicious. “What do you think is going on?”
He shook his head. “As I said, I don’t know for sure. But I have a feeling the answers are all around us. You just have to find them. You’re a detective, Candy. You’ve proved that before. You’ll know where to look, if you think about it.” He pointed with his head over his shoulder, in the direction of Blueberry Acres.
Candy knew exactly what he meant. “The woods.”
His gaze shifted to her briefly, then back toward the crowd surrounding the ice sculptures. “There’s something else you should know. It’s not just me. The sisters feel the same way. They’ll tell you all about it. Listen carefully when you talk to them.”
“The sisters? Talk to who?” She felt her frustration rising. “Judicious, isn’t there anything else you can tell me? Something that would help me figure out what’s happening?”
At that, he gave her a melancholy smile. “I can’t walk the path for you. You have to discover the answers for yourself.But you’ll be fine. Trust your instincts. Yours are very strong, if you haven’t noticed.”
He did something with his left eye that might have been a wink; it went by so fast Candy couldn’t be certain. She heard a shout
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