Chance Encounters - Ch. 19

From the rough draft of Chance Encounters by Pat Otterness.

?CHAPTER NINETEEN

?Jordan’s words stayed with me and repeated themselves in my mind: “Chat sometimes does the wrong thing for the right reasons.” Was that the way he saw me? ?A compliment or a criticism? I felt so vulnerable where Jordan was concerned. We were a couple, but somehow also not a couple. Chance’s comment, “opposites detract,” was on target for me. Jordan and I had so little in common. He was allergic to everything I loved about my life. I could never live up to the standards he imposed on himself. The attraction between us was an enigma. I pushed the thought aside and moved on with my day.

Someone was knocking hard on my door. Who on earth could that be? I looked through the window and saw an unfamiliar deputy looking like he had run all the way from the lake. He knocked again, urgently, and I went to see what the trouble was.

“Ma’am, is Inspector Hunt here?” the deputy asked. “I need to notify him right away.”

“I’ll get him,” I began, but Jordan was already behind me. He laid a gentle hand on my shoulder as he ushered the man inside.

“What’s happened, Perkins?” he asked abruptly.

“We’ve caught someone down at the lake, sir,” he said. “Poking around in the woods, looking for something. He tried to run when he saw us.” He looked expectantly at Jordan.

“When you say caught, do you mean he tried to get away?”

“Not exactly sir. I mean, he didn’t try very hard. It was more like he didn’t want to get involved.”?

“Okay. I’ll be down in a few minutes. Hold him until I’ve spoken with him.” Jordan looked at me as the deputy walked away. “This could be a break,” he said. “I wonder what he was looking for.” After a moment he continued. “I wonder if he found it.”

Jordan set off for the lake and I was not far behind. Curiosity was a powerful motivator. I knew I would not be welcomed, so I lagged just far enough back that Jordan wouldn’t see me and order me to return home.

As I passed Chance’s house, I saw a deputy fetching Wolf on a strong lead. Hmmm? They must need him for something. Wolf was pulling hard, trying to move ahead faster than the deputy could walk. He was as eager as I was to see what was happening at the lake.

They passed me in a flurry of shaggy hair and drool. I lagged a little farther behind, not wanting to distract Wolf from his quest. Something was up, and I wanted to be a part of it.

As I passed the final curve in the road, I saw Jordan speaking with a man I would swear I had seen before. Where, I wondered. His face was familiar, but nothing leapt to mind. Had I seen him in someone’s garden, or the grocery store? I didn’t go out much. The possibilities were limited.

I got as close as I could, staying out of Jordan’s range of sight. I wanted to hear what was being said.

Jordan spoke without even turning around. “Go away, Chat. I know you’re there. Go check on Wolf for me. I need to speak privately to this gentleman.”

Well, at least he didn’t send me home, I thought. I looked around for Wolf and found him headed for the woods as fast as he could go. Two deputies dragged along behind him, holding his leash. I headed in that direction.

Wolf suddenly dropped out of sight below the grass and disappeared. Closer inspection showed some kind of sinkhole, filled with running water. It was well hidden. Tall grass and brambles were thick around its edges. I came up beside the deputies and peered down into the hole.

“It must be what feeds the lake,” said one of the deputies. “Some kind of underground stream.” Wolf had his head underwater, pulling on something.

“Uh-oh!” I said. “I think you’d better pull him out of there. I think he’s trying to retrieve a body.”

The deputies looked at me, looked at Wolf, and jumped into action. “Come on out, boy!” one of them said. Like Wolf would listen. I gave a loud whistle and called Jordan’s name.

“Over here, Jordan. I think Wolf has found something.” I pointed towards the hole. Wolf was still trying to drag something out of the water.

Jordan hurried over, and I pointed to the hole where deputies were still trying to cajole Wolf out of the water.

“Leave it!” Jordan shouted to Wolf in a voice that would have made me pee my pants if it was directed at me. Wolf paused, startled and let go of his prize. Jordan reached down, grabbed him by the collar, and hauled him up in one ferocious swing. “Hold onto him!” he ordered his deputies. Move him away from here. Take him home and chain him up!”

Poor Wolf. He was just trying to help. I sympathized with the shaggy beast, being made to leave just when the party was beginning to be fun. I hoped I wouldn’t also be ordered to go home.

Jordan was down in the hole now, knee deep in water, groping around for what Wolf had dropped. “I need some help here,” he said.

I started to climb down, but he looked up at me, grimaced, and said, “Not you. Get Alan Cooke over here. I think we’ve found our body.”

Things got serious after that. The medical examiner was sent for, and an ambulance. Working together, Jordan and Allan inched the body of Squirrel Donkins out from where his body was blocking the underground stream. Completely submerged, there had been no smell of decomposition. That was soon remedied as it hit the air. My stomach lurched. I felt a sudden need to beat a hasty retreat before my stomach could contaminate a crime scene.

?

It was almost evening before Hiram showed up on my doorstep. Skeeter was with him, red-eyed and pale. I gave the boy a long hug, knowing he needed support now more than ever. Any last hope of his father’s survival was gone, and I ached for his aloneness.

“So, it really was him!” I asked.

Skeeter nodded.

“I’m so sorry,” I said.

We all stood in silence for a moment. Then I asked the question that had been burning a hole in my brain all afternoon. “Who was that man, the one they detained?”

“I don’t know his name,” Hiram said. “He claimed he had been a boyhood friend of Squirrel Donkins.

“Was it Jeeter?” asked Skeeter, perking up. “Dad used to talk about a friend named Jeeter.”

“I don’t know. That could back up his story, if it is. What did he tell you about Jeeter?”

“They had lots of adventures and hiding places. Jeeter had some rough friends, though. Dad’s father didn’t like him playing with Jeeter.”

Harm listened to Skeeter’s memories of some of the stories and grew thoughtful. “You need to tell Jordan about this. He needs to hear all this.”

“Sure. I’ll see what else I can remember.”

Skeeter looked better after telling his stories. I was relieved. He had so many things to integrate into his new situation. Losing one’s last parent was huge. He was, after all, just a little boy. I was so glad he had Hiram to rely on.

“We’re going to give Wolf a bath,” said Skeeter. “He is sooo muddy!” He laughed.

“You’re going to be muddy, too, I promise you,” I chuckled. “Be prepared. He won’t go down without a fight. That’s why I decided not to bathe Demon after his dunking in the lake. Some battles aren’t worth the scars.”

Hiram and Skeeter left to try their luck with scrubbing the dog. ?I waited, hoping Jordan might come by. I was still trying to remember where I had seen the man they were questioning. I didn’t know anyone named Jeeter, but that could be a nickname. Or he could be someone completely different. Memory, when actively sought, is always elusive. I made a sandwich for supper and ate on the deck. From there I could see anyone approaching up the road. I had so many questions.

As we all know, a watched road never produces cars, so after I’d finished my meal, I went indoors. Sure enough, as soon as I stopped watching for him, Jordan arrived. He was almost as muddy as Wolf. ?I sent him to the shower without even drilling him for answers. Luckily, he kept extra clothes in his car for just such eventualities. When he emerged at last, he was a lot more laid back. And better smelling.

“His name is Jezekiah Jonas,” Jordan began.

Biblical, I thought. “I wonder if he could be Jeeter.” ?I told Jordan about Skeeter’s revelations. “I’m guessing” Jezekiah is not a name that would be easy for a kid to live with.

“He does claim to be a childhood friend of Squirrel Donkins. That matches up. I’m not sure about the rest of his story, though.”

“Did he say why he was out there? I mean, out looking around near the woods.” That seemed suspicious to me.

“He was looking fairly close to where Wolf found the sinkhole,” said Jordan. “I noticed that right away.”

“Did he say why?”

“He mumbled something about a place he and Squirrel used to play. He said he was trying to help us find his body.”

“Or maybe he was trying to find it so he could conceal it?” That was always a possibility. Because why else would he assume Squirrel’s body would be in their old play spot?

“He said they used to hide there from some older boys. But that was twenty years ago. Why would he assume Squirrel had sought out the old hiding place?”

According to Jordan, Squirrel’s body had been shoved into the hole where the stream went underground. It was wedged tight. That’s why Wolf was having such a hard time retrieving it. It was under both dirt and water, making it harder for a dog to find. Our Wolf had quite a nose.

“Did you arrest this Jezekiah guy?” I asked. “I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before, but I can’t say where. He looks familiar, but I can’t place him.”

“We didn’t arrest him, but he’s being held until his story can be checked out. He’s the best lead we’ve had so far.”

“I’ll nose around tomorrow and see what I can find out,” I said as Jordan prepared to go. He had hours of work left at the station before he could go home. I kissed him goodbye and watched him drive wearily away.

No need for me to make plans for the next day. I knew I would be waiting at the mailbox tomorrow when Ralph arrived.

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