Chance Encounters - Ch. 17

From the rough draft of Chance Encounters by Pat Otterness.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

?Jordan was waiting for me when I got back to the house. He and Hope were both more than a little miffed with my cavalier treatment of them. The gist of it was “Why didn’t you tell us what was going on?”

“It was Skeeter’s first day of school,” I said. I thought that said it all. ?Apparently, they disagreed.

I explained how Wolf had brought me Squirrel Donkins’ wallet. “It started late last night,” I said, telling them what had happened. Expecting praise, I mentioned that I had told Wolf he was a good boy.

“I see,” said Jordan coldly. “So, you praised him for fetching an item from a body?”

His tone told me I might have disobeyed some universal law I knew nothing about. “I thought you would be pleased,” I said.

“Maybe, if you had called and told me about it at the time, I might have been,” said Jordan. He looked stern.

“It was very late. I was tired,” I said in my defense.

“Where is it now?” he asked. “Give it to me.” He held out his hand.

“I don’t have it right now,” I said, cringing inwardly. I was not looking forward to this.

“Don’t have it? What do you mean, you don’t have it?”

I didn’t like his tone. “I told you about the bones, and you didn’t thank me,” I countered. “Do you think they’re human?”

“Don’t change the subject, Chat,” Jordan growled. “What have you done with the wallet. It’s evidence in a crime.”

“I gave it to someone who needed it,” I said. “You can have it after school.”

“After school?” Jordan raised his voice a little higher. “Is that what you said?”

“Don’t speak to me in that tone, Jordan,” I said. “I gave it to his next of kin. Just for the day. Just to help Skeeter make it through a scary experience. Go ahead, lock me up.” I held out my hands for the cuffs.

He glared at me, speechless for once.

“After school,” I repeated. “I promised him you would give it back to him when you were through with it. Don’t make me a liar.”

He turned on his heel and went through to the back porch where the pile of bones still awaited his attention.

Hope looked at me with a mixture of compassion and skepticism. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

“Did what?”

“Gave an item you knew was evidence to a child. You knew it was wrong. You knew Jordan would be furious.”

“There were photos of his parents inside,” I said. His dead parents.”

“Oh!” said Hope, abandoning her attack. Then, after a moment, she added, “You did the right thing.”

A knock at the door found Deputy Alan Cook standing outside. I beckoned for him to come in.

“Hi Chat! Hope. I hate to bother you. I have some information for Hunt. Is he around somewhere?” Alan glanced around the room.

“He’s out on the porch with the bones, I think. What’s up?” I was dying to know and knew I’d never hear it from Jordan.

Alan’s face turned a little pink. “Sorry,” he said. “I’ve been forbidden to divulge any information to you.” He turned towards the porch where Jordan was presumably waiting. “Not my call,” he said. “I really can’t.”

Once the door closed behind him, I went to it and put my ear to the door.

“The divers have gone down to the lake,” said Alan. They say the place is a huge, muddy mess. They think something has been digging under the water.”

Neatness has never been one of Wolf’s attributes, I thought.

“You think it was Wolf?”? Alan asked Jordan.

“Who else would bring human bones onto Chat’s porch?” said Jordan.

That doesn’t even bear thinking about, I thought, shivering. The Monster from the Black Lagoon? Grinning to myself, I’ll bet we’re the next to be eaten.

Alan continued. “We need you down there as soon as possible. The divers aren’t sure they’ll be able to see anything through that muddy water.” ?I could hear footsteps descending the porch steps, and I followed at a discreet distance. I wanted to hear, but not be seen.

I followed them down the road from a safe distance, unable to hear their conversation but eager to see what Wolf had done with the place. If those bones were human, there might be more going on than any of us had thought.

As I passed Chance’s house, I stopped to pet a very unhappy dog chained to a tree with heavy links that would hold back a bull. Idly, I wondered how long it would take him to free himself. He was the Houdini of dogs. It was only a matter of time until he figured out how to slip out of his chain collar. Men were so stupid.

I arrived at the lake in time to see divers emerge from the churned water with trophy in hand. It looked very like a human skull. I was too far away to hear what was said, but there was suddenly a new energy to the deputies milling about. I beat a hasty retreat, because they were heading my way. I hid behind some shrubbery as police cars sped past down the road, probably taking the bones for forensic investigation.

I returned home, my head filling with wild ideas. I missed Hiram. He was seeing the social service lady today. Rachel something. I wondered how that was working out. She seemed like an understanding person. I hoped I could trust her with Skeeter’s welfare. He was beginning to grow on me. Kids were so much work, and I’d already done my time. Emptied my nest. Moved on. But still …

Hope broke into my reverie. “Where have you been?”

“I walked down the road,” I said. “You’ll never guess what the divers found.”

“Did they find Skeeter’s dad?”

“Nope! They found a human skull,” I said. “I couldn’t get close enough to hear what they were saying. I seem to be persona non grata at the crime scene right now.”

“Gee! I wonder why!” said Hope, being snarky.

I ignored her. “That means someone else has died out here. How are we going to figure out who it is?”

“I’m planning to let the Sheriff do it. You need to stay out of it,” said Hope, flashing me a warning look.

How long have you known me? I smiled my most wicked smile and began to prepare my lunch. Who can I ask? Who would know about people who have disappeared? One name came immediately to mind. “Has the mail come yet?” I asked.