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A Murder Mystery

Ever had an idea pop into your mind based on a seemingly insignificant experience? That’s what happened to me this week. Monday, I was standing at the kitchen window in the early morning hours & suddenly I had an idea for the start of a new writing. I had no idea where to go from there, but I sat down at the computer & the words just gushed. I didn’t plan the plot, I just let the words flow from my fingertips. I got so enthralled with it, I wrote more every evening this week. Keep in mind what you see here is a rather raw, rough draft; I do not even have a title yet, tho I have an idea. It will take you some time to read, so sit back, grab something to drink &/or eat, enjoy, & let me know what you think!

 

The blood-curdling scream pierced the silence of the night sounds. Or so Vern thought.

“What on earth was that?!” Vern said out loud to nobody in particular, while leaning towards his kitchen window as if to see what he couldn’t possibly see. On somewhat of an instinct, he quickly retreated from the window & glanced at the clock on his kitchen wall. 2:22a.

‘Certainly, I was just hallucinating that scream,’ Vern thought to himself. ‘That’s such an unusual night sound around here. It was just Amy’s way of telling me I’ve been doing too much reminiscing while listening to the sounds of the night come in from my kitchen window.’

Vern turned away from the window, shut off the kitchen light & walked down the hallway to his bedroom. Still awake, he found himself folding clothes & putting them away. Then, just as he was about ready to hit the hay, he realized he hadn’t checked Email all day. So, he walked to his office-computer room, opened his laptop & signed in. Bunch of spam Emails, a notice from the town council & a picture his Nephew sent. Just then, he heard the rumble of the daily freight train.

‘That’s odd. I thought I’d already heard the train this morning,’ Vern thought to himself. He sighed & figured it was about time to go to bed since the train meant it was about 3a.

…

Pounding on Vern’s front door woke him some 6 hours later.

“Vern, it’s Kyle. Open up. We need to talk.”

“OK, OK,” Vern yelled from his bedroom. “I’m getting up, hold your horses.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, did we wake you?”

“Yeah, but it’s OK. I needed to get up anyway.”

Vern shuffled on some slacks & a T-shirt & opened the front door.

“Now, what can I do for you boys this morning?”

“Well, Vern, did you hear anything unusual last night?”

Vern turned his gaze from Kyle to his partner, then back to Kyle.

“No, I don’t think so,” Vern said. “Why?”

“Think again,” Kyle urged, ignoring Vern’s question. “I know you tend to stay up late. Please, take a moment to think.”

“OK, OK,” Vern said. “Here, you boys want to come on in?”

“No, thank you, Mr. Eagleson,” Kyle’s partner offered.

“Suit yourself,” Vern said. “But, call me Vern. Mr. Eagleson was my father!”

“It’s better this way,” Kyle said. “Sheriff might call us to come quick.”

Vern looked quizzically at Kyle, but since Kyle hadn’t answered his query a moment ago, he kept his next question to himself. Just then, he remembered the scream he thought he’d hallucinated.

“Well, ya know, I did hear a blood-curdling scream early this morning,” Vern offered. “But being this is the boonies, I figured it was just me. It was kinda faint.”

Kyle & his partner glanced at each other.

“About what time was that, Vern?”

“Well, just before 2:22 in the morning,” Vern stated matter-of-factly.

“You seem pretty sure of that, Mr. Eagle…er, Vern”, Kyle’s partner said, writing the information in a notebook.

“I am,” Vern replied, “because that is what time my kitchen wall clock said it was.”

“I see.”

“I was up, staring out my kitchen window, thinking of memories of past road trips & people. I heard the scream, faint as it was, & it sorta startled me. Now, are you boys going to tell me what this is all about?”

“Well, Vern,” Kyle started, “there was a murder last night.”

“MURDER!?” Vern blurted out.

“Yes, a murder.”

“In these parts? Well, what on earth? Who got killed?”

“I’m not at liberty to say right now,” Kyle said hesitantly.

“Oh?”

“Yes,” Kyle said. “Now, do you know about which direction that scream came from?”

“Well, no, not really,” Vern said. “Out here, noises can come from just about anywhere & sound like they’re from somewhere else.”

“I know,” nodded Kyle in agreement. “Did you hear anything else?”

“No, can’t say as I did,” Vern replied. “But, wait, why did you want to know where the sound came from? You obviously found the body….”

“Yes, but we don’t think she was murdered where her body was left,” Kyle replied. “So, what time did you go to bed, then?”

“Well, let’s see. I heard the rumble of the train just as I was getting to bed, so right around 3 this morning.”

“OK, thank you,” Kyle’s partner said.

“Though,” Vern continued, his voice trailing off.

“Yes?” Kyle said.

“Well, it’s funny,” Vern noted. “When I heard the train at 3 in the morning, I felt this deja vuish feeling, as if I’d already heard the train earlier.”

“But, that’s impossible,” Kyle said. “Only 1 train runs like clockwork at that time of day.”

“I know,” Vern nodded.

“Wait, how soon after the scream was the sound like the train?” Kyle’s partner inquired.

“Well, shortly after it. I’d say within 10 minutes or so.”

“& about how far away was it, do you think?”

“Well, the low rumbling of the train I can hear from about a quarter mile away, so, probably about that same distance,” Vern said, already realizing what Kyle was about to say.

Kyle & his partner glanced at each other again.

“That probably was the killer’s vehicle you heard,” Kyle said.

Vern & Kyle seemed to come to the same conclusion at the same time. Kyle voiced it 1st: “&, if you heard it that close, there is a good chance the killer may’ve seen your kitchen light on at that time, given the wide open & flat land in this immediate area.”

Vern had already felt the goosebumps start to form on his neck & arms, but they seemingly grew bigger within that moment.

“Oh, my,” Vern said.

“Hang on,” Kyle said, clicking the call button on his vest.

“Yep,” came a voice from the walkie-talkie-like equipment.

“Yeah, Sheriff, this is Kyle. We need to figure out someone to stay with Mr. Eagleson until we catch the perp.”

“Oh, now, wait a minute,” Vern started to protest. “You don’t need to…”

“Yes, yes we do,” Kyle’s partner said, while Kyle turned away to finish his conversation. “We don’t know who this person is, if it is more than 1 person, what they know about this area, what they know about you.”

Starting to realize the gravity of the situation, Vern closed his eyes & took a deep breath. “OK.”

“Sheriff is sending another officer to pick up Troy, here, & then, since you know me, I’ll stay with you today,” Kyle said, stepping back towards the front door.

“OK,” nodded Vern, turning towards Kyle’s parter. “Troy, huh? Nice to meet you. How long you been here?”

“Nice to meet you, too, Mr. Eagles…, I mean, Vern. Today is my 1st day on the job, but I moved into a place about a mile away from here about a week ago now.”

“Ah, so, it was you who bought the old Braidwood homestead, eh?”

“Um, I guess…,” Troy replied.

Kyle smiled: “Yes, Vern, the old Braidwood place.”

“Well, in that case,” Vern said, “Howdy, neighbor & welcome!”

“Thank you,” Troy said. “I took this job because I was told nothing much ever happens here … & my 1st day, we have a murder.”

“Odd,” Vern observed.

The Sheriff’s car pulled up into Vern’s driveway.

“Hey Vern,” came the Sheriff’s voice. “Sorry for the trouble, but we want to make sure we protect our own, ya know.”

“Howdy, Marty,” Vern replied, shaking Troy’s hand before he turned to walk back to the car. “Yeah, I know. I’m sure Kyle will take good care of me, even if I don’t think I need it.”

“I know,” the Sheriff replied. “But, talking with Kyle, it sounds like it is for the best, given what you observed & heard.”

Vern nodded; Troy closed the passenger side front door of the Sheriff car.

“Welp, I’ll see you later, Vern.” Marty waved, Vern waved back & the Sheriff steered the car out of the driveway.

“Well,” Vern said, looking at Kyle. “Now do you want to come on in?”

…

“So, how you been, Vern?” Kyle asked, while Vern placed a hot cup of coffee in front of him at the kitchen table.

“Oh,” Vern pondered, sitting across from Kyle at the table, “I’ve been OK.”

Kyle nodded & took a sip of his coffee.

“My Nephew sent me a pic from his new place in Nashville Tennessee,” Vern continued.

“Yeah?” Kyle replied. “How is he enjoying that big city?”

“He loves it,” Vern said without hesitation.

“Far different than the empty spaces here in Wyoming,” Kyle offered matter of factly.

“Heh, you ain’t kidding,” Vern responded. “Though, after last night, I’m not so sure.”

Kyle placed his coffee cup back on the table & looked Vern in the eye: “I keep telling you, you should really consider taking your Nephew up on his offer.”

“& leave all this!?” Vern protested.

“You yourself have said it’s already far different than it used to be around here,” Kyle said. “Might do you some good to get out of here, for a while, at least.”

“Pshaw,” Vern waved his hand at Kyle. “Your ‘get out of here’ is far different than my ‘get out of here’. Mine is traveling the road 24/7/365. Yours is just a change of scenery.”

“Yeah, I know,” Kyle chuckled, picked up his coffee up & took another sip.

“Wait,” Vern hesitated with his next words, “are you wanting a change of scenery?”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe?” Vern just about blurted out. “Everything OK with Ashley & the kids?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course,” Kyle replied. “I just often wonder what it is like elsewhere, ya know?”

“Oh, I know,” Vern said, with tons of memories flashing across his mind. “Always a wandering soul.”

Kyle nodded & took another sip of coffee.

“So, what’s the deal with last night’s murder & why the stony silence about it?”

“I don’t know,” Kyle said without hesitating. “Sheriff wants things kept under wraps, in hopes we can catch whoever did it, because when the media gets a hold of this things will get rather hellish around here.”

Vern gave Kyle a glance, which Kyle read accurately.

“I wish I could tell you more, Vern,” Kyle offered, “but I can’t. This is such a strange situation. Nothing like this happens around here.”

“Exactly,” Vern said. “I’m sure Marty has our best interests in mind, though. No doubt about that. He always has.”

“Yep,” agreed Kyle.

“But, who is this new guy … Troy, right?”

“Yes, Troy. I’m not really sure. With Mike’s departure, Sheriff wanted another guy, & Troy seemed to appear out of the blue.”

“Almost as odd as the murder last night,” Vern interrupted.

“Yeah….”

“You don’t think Troy would have had anything to do with it, do you?”

“The murder? Nah, I don’t think so,” Kyle said, taking another sip of coffee, finishing the cup.

“Want more?”

“No, thank you, Vern. That’s all the coffee I need right now.”

“But, since we don’t know much about Troy….”

“I know where you’re going with that, Vern, but I don’t think it’s possible. I mean, I don’t have an itinerary of where he was or what he was doing in last night’s overnight hours, but I can’t imagine Sheriff would’ve had him help if he thought or knew there was a possibility he was involved.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Vern nodded.

“Course, I suppose you never know,” Kyle added. “But, we won’t go there. ANYWAY, let’s talk about more about your night last night.”

“Not sure there is any much more to tell than what I told y’all earlier,” Vern said.

“Maybe not, but after you heard the scream, did you happen to look out your kitchen window?”

“Well, yes, but only for a split second or 2. I sorta instinctively retreated back from the window.”

“Might’ve been good you did that, Vern, but in that moment you looked out the window, do you remember seeing anything out of the ordinary?”

Vern shook his head.

“Or, maybe, something that may not have seemed out of the ordinary, but perhaps was?”

Vern rubbed his chin while he thought a moment.

“I don’t think so…” Vern started. “But, I don’t know.”

“That’s OK,” Kyle said. “Take your time. Maybe you saw a car’s headlights or tailights?”

Vern shook his head again. “Nah, I don’t remember seeing anything like that. Tho, that flickering light down the road always kinda seems to dominate the sight out the window. I suppose it’s possible I saw a car, but wasn’t paying attention to it because of that flickering light.”

“Possible,” Kyle offered. “What were you doing when you thought you heard the train right after the scream?”

“I was walking back toward my bedroom by then. I’d turned off the kitchen light a few moments before. Think it’s possible the killer saw my kitchen light go out & took off down the road?”

Kyle nodded, “Most likely.”

Vern shuddered, feeling the goosebumps return to his skin.

…

Now in the living room, Vern was seated in his chair, flipping through TV channels, while Kyle sat on the couch, reviewing & re-reviewing notes. The ringing of the landline house phone startled both of them.

“You expecting a call?”

“No,” Vern started, “though I do seem to get those crank IRS & sales calls, even though I’m on that so-called do not call list. What a crock THAT is. Hardly anyone calls the house phone anymore.”

“Mind if I answer it, then?”

“Suit yourself.”

Kyle reached over the side of the couch to the phone sitting on the stand between the couch & Vern’s chair. He somewhat cautiously picked up the phone.

“Hello? … Hello? Is anyone there?”

Vern cocked his head & watched Kyle’s reactions. Kyle slowly hung up the phone.

“Nobody there.”

“Eh, probably just as well,” Vern said, without much thought.

“Well, I don’t like it. May just be nothing, but I’m going to send a text to Sheriff anyway so he is aware.”

“Fine,” Vern said. “I’m really not sure what to make of all this.”

“Me, either,” Kyle started to say, interrupted by a beep of his cell phone. He glanced at it, then looked up at Vern.

“Sheriff is on his way back here. He didn’t say why.”

…

“Now, Vern,” the Sheriff began as he & Kyle & Vern all met at the front door of Vern’s home, “don’t get defensive, I just have some additional questions I have to ask you.”

“OK….”

“What’s going on, Sheriff?” Kyle asked.

“I’ll explain as we go along….”

“Do you want to come on inside the house?” Vern offered.

“No, but I may need you to step outside for some show’n’tell in a bit. But, 1st, that call you received a bit ago, I had it traced & it came from a burner cell phone. Not exactly the M-O of IRS & other scam callers. Might’ve been high schoolers pranking you, but given the situation, I’d rather keep playing it cautious with Kyle spending more time with you.”

“OK….”

“Now, when was the last time you drove your car?”

“Which one?”

“Your daily driver, the one that looks like our police cruisers.” The Sheriff looked back & pointed at the 2 police cars in Vern’s roundabout front driveway.

“Ah … well, let’s see, a couple days or so ago, when I drove to Cheyenne & back,” Vern stated.

“& you haven’t driven it since?”

“No.”

“Not last night?”

“No. What’s this about, Marty?”

“Well, Vern, we talked with Old Lady Yannich & she told us she saw your car, or rather, a car like yours, out around 2:30 in the morning.”

“It wasn’t me.”

“Nobody else has access to your car, right?”

“Correct.”

“& you would’ve heard if someone had taken it, correct?”

“I wouldn’t say that, exactly,” Vern hesitated.

“Why not? It’s in the 1-stall garage attached to the house, right?”

“Well, no.”

“Huh? I thought that’s where you kept it.”

“No,” Vern hesitated again. “Not since my Nephew moved to Tennessee & took his classic car with him about a year ago. It’s silly, I know, but after he left, I put the Mercury Grand Marquis out in the out garage with the convertible. Figured the 2 cars could keep themselves company.”

“Knowing you, Vern, that isn’t so silly,” the Sheriff chuckled.

“Anyway,” Vern continued, “if someone would be real quiet about it, I might not hear them if the air conditioning is on or the exhaust fan is in the utility room window.”

The sheriff nodded, “I see.”

“Wait, you put a fan in the utility room window?” Kyle asked curiously.

“Sure do,” Vern said, turning to look at Kyle. “With the exhaust fan in the window in that room, it pulls the air in through the other windows, air fragranced by nature, as opposed to a mixture of mechanicals & laundry!”

Kyle nodded & half-smiled. “Makes sense.”

“OK, well,” the Sheriff interrupted, “do you mind opening your detached garage so we can check on your Mercury, Vern?”

“Nope, not at all. I have the keys right here in my pocket.”

“The car keys?” Kyle asked.

“Certainly not! Those are where they belong … in the car’s ignition. The keys in my pocket are to the garage side door. Here, come on.”

Vern opened the house front door & stepped out, leading Kyle & Sheriff to the 2-car detached garage.

“So, what’s in the 1-stall with the house?” the Sheriff asked, while the trio rounded the corner of the house & walked past the 1-car attached garage.

“The riding tractor my Nephew bought me,” Vern stated.

“I see,” said the Sheriff.

Sensing a bit of disbelief, Vern continued: “I put it in there, Marty, because, after mowing the lawn, I can drive right into the garage & walk right into the cooler house without walking the few yards from the out garage back to the house in the summer heat.”

“Genius, Vern!”

“I thought so!”

By now, the trio had reached the detached garage.

“Here, why don’t you let me open it,” Kyle offered. “Just in case…”

“Sure, suit yourself,” Vern said & handed the keys to Kyle. “The button to open the garage door is just inside on the wall left of the door.”

Kyle opened the door & hit the button to open the garage door.

“It’s in here,” the Sheriff said from the front of the garage. Kyle & Vern walked around.

“I figured it would be,” Vern said.

“& that Caprice is looking fine as ever, Vern,” the Sheriff said.

“Well, thank you, Marty. I don’t drive it as much as I used to. I’ve thought about selling it, but I can’t stand the thought of some kid putting 55 inch rims on it.”

“I can’t either,” the Sheriff said, chuckling. “I remember when you bought that car, Amy swore you’d wash the paint away.”

Vern chuckled. “Yeah, yeah, she did.”

“I know I should know this, but what year is it, again?” Kyle asked.

“1975. The last year the Caprice was available as a convertible. I drove that car as much as I could when I bought it. Amy called it my mistress, but she loved it just as much as I did.”

After a slight pause, the sheriff turned to Vern & asked: “Would you mind pulling the Mercury out of the garage, Vern, so I can look at it closer?”

“I guess not. What are you looking for?”

“Oh, I just want to check something is all.”

“OK.” Vern got into the Mercury, started it, & eased it out of the garage.

“This is still gleaming, too, Vern,” the Sheriff observed.

“I try to keep it clean,” Vern replied. “It’s my daily driver, so I’m not always successful. For instance, I got back home too late the other night to wash it after the drive to Cheyenne, but I cleaned it up real good the day after.”

“Ah,” the sheriff nodded, walking around the car. “I think Old Lady Yannich has her cars confused.”

“Why do you say that?” Vern asked.

“Well, for starters, your car doesn’t have hubcaps, it has the other style rims. She said the car she saw was missing a hubcap.”

Vern chuckled. “Well, if my car did have hubcaps, it sure as heck wouldn’t be missing one!”

“Yeah, I know,” the sheriff agreed.

“If I remember right, this is a 2005 … right?” Kyle asked, looking at Vern & then glancing back at the car.

“Yep,” Vern replied. “Glad I got it when I did. A year later, Mercury made the front end ugly on these, in my opinion anyway, with the slight restyle for 2006. Worked out fine since I wanted a 2005 to go with my 1975!”

Just then, the Sheriff’s cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his shirt pocket, then said: “Excuse me, I need to take this.”

Kyle & Vern nodded, while Sheriff started the conversation: “Yes, Mr. Mayor.”

“No, we haven’t yet. … I see. … Yes, we’re working hard to solve the case. … No, I don’t think you should do that. … Well, if you do go to the media, I will need to tell Vern what is going on. He’s been very cooperative & I don’t want him finding out from anyone other than me. … I see. … Well, sir, you do what you gotta do, & I’ll do what I gotta do. … OK. … Yes, sir, I appreciate the heads up.”

The sheriff folded his phone & jammed it back into his pocket.

“The major is going to the media, eh?” Kyle asked.

“Yep, he is,” the sheriff replied, turning to Vern. “& so, Vern, let me tell you who was murdered last night. The mayor’s daughter.”

“What! Tracy? Really!?”

“Yep, Tracy.”

“But, she was what, only 21?”

“22,” Kyle corrected. “She turned 22 just 2 weeks ago.”

Vern just shook his head, then, offered: “Ya know, I just saw her a few days ago.”

“Oh?” the sheriff perked up. “When?”

“Well, the day I went to Cheyenne. After I got back to this area, I stopped at the gas station in town to get gas so I wouldn’t have to drive back to town the next morning. I’d gotten gas, then went inside to talk to Ricky & pay for the gas. Then, when I came out of the station, she was walking around my car, admiring it. As I walked up to the car, she turned to me & said her new boyfriend had one just like it. Then, she clarified that his was more of the boxy type. I just kinda shrugged, since I knew she wasn’t that much into cars.”

“Wait, new boyfriend?” the sheriff asked.

“That’s what she said,” Vern replied. “I don’t know anything more than that. I didn’t ask, nor did she offer any other details. We talked a bit more, pleasantries & the like, ya know, then I got in the car & left. I don’t know if she walked into the station or left, too. Ricky might be able to tell you that.”

“Yep, I’ll stop there on the way back to the police station,” the sheriff said. “Meantime, that car she described to you might be the one Old Lady Yannich saw.”

“Most likely,” Kyle interjected. “But, do we know of any in this area like that?”

“I can’t think of any off hand,” the sheriff said. “I sure wish the Mayor would’ve let us know earlier that she was … missing.”

“Missing?” Vern asked, stunned.

“Yeah,” Kyle replied, while the sheriff just shook his head. “Apparently, she hadn’t been home in a few days. The mayor said he didn’t report it because he figured she had a right to do what she wanted & thought she had told him where she was & he had just forgot. He got concerned when texts & calls went unanswered.”

“I thought she hadn’t answered on purpose,” the sheriff added, “but we didn’t find her phone with her body.”

“Hmm,” Vern said.

“Such a tragedy,” the sheriff observed.

“Yeah,” Vern said, pausing before continuing: “Ya know, we do know a boxy car like my Mercury.”

“We do?” the sheriff asked.

“Yep,” Vern replied. “McMillan’s old car that his grandson has.”

“Oh, right,” the sheriff said. “But, dang, that car hasn’t been run in at least 10 years or so, right?”

Vern nodded. “Yeah … or so we think.”

Kyle had a confused look on his face, so Vern continued, filling him in: “When Devon McMillan retired from the sheriff in the early 1990s, he off-handedly commented that the thing he’d miss the most was driving the big ole cruisers. Well, we townsfolk took it as a hint & bought him a 1991 Ford Crown Victoria & had it painted black & white, similar to his last cruiser. He absolutely loved it. When he died, his wife was just going to sell it, but his grandson said he’d take it & fix it up. He drove it for a while, but then suddenly he just parked it, saying he was going to restore it for his grandmother. She died just last year, right before my Nephew moved to Nashville.”

“Think I have another stop to make,” the sheriff said.

“Yeah, I think so,” Vern said, then continued after a plaintive pause: “Funny thing, tho, while Devon loved the car we gave him, he told me he wished we would’ve bought him a 1975 LTD. He absolutely loved that Ford. In fact, the town bought that 1975 cruiser a week after I got my 1975 Caprice convertible.”

Kyle smiled.

“Well, Vern,” the sheriff began, “you can move your Mercury back into the garage. I think you should take Kyle here for a ride in your 1975 Caprice convertible & go to Charlene’s Diner for lunch. I’ll make sure the tab is paid.”

“Cool, sounds good to me, Marty, thanks,” Vern said, turning his eyes to Kyle. “Whatdya think of Marty’s idea?”

“Sure, why not?” Kyle responded.

“Good,” the sheriff said. “Meanwhile, I will stop to see Ricky & go check on McMillan’s car … & see if the Mayor has contacted the media yet. Could be a long, yet interesting, afternoon.”

…

“So, what do you think of the car?” Vern asked, while putting it in park after parking it in a spot right out front of Charlene’s Diner.

“I like it,” Kyle said. “Granted, it’s not my cup of tea, but it rides nice & I can sure appreciate you being its only owner all these years.”

Vern nodded, & the pair exited the car to walk into the diner.

“Well, thank you,” Vern said. “It sure has been a wonderful car for me.”

Vern pushed upon the diner door & was greeted with a yelp from Charlene: “Well, my stars, look who is here!”

“As if you didn’t know we were coming, Charlene,” Kyle grinned.

“Well, now, let me have some fun. It’s so good to see you, again! How’s that wife & those kids of yours?” Charlene asked Kyle as she gave him a hug.

“They’re fine,” Kyle said. “They left a couple days ago for my parent’s place. I was supposed to go today, but well, I’m sure you know the rest on that.”

“Yes, yes I do,” Charlene said. “They just now announced it on the radio. Such a shame.”

Charlene turned her attention to Vern. “& now, Vern, why, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you in here. I’m so glad to see you again. How’s that Nephew of yours? You ever going to take him up on his offer? He’s been out of this area for what, a year now?”

“Yep, Charlene, it’s been a year now,” Vern responded, exchanging a hug with Charlene. “I don’t know if I’ll take him up on his offer or not.”

“Well, honey, I think you should,” Charlene said as sweet as could be. “You know we love you around here, but you should be with family!”

“But, I am,” Vern half-protested.

Charlene grinned: “Well, isn’t that sweet? Of course, you are!”

“Now, you 2 pick a table or a booth, & I’ll make sure you get whatever you want,” Charlene continued. “Sheriff’s already called ahead of ya & told me to put it on his tab, so I’ll see to that.”

Kyle & Vern opted for a booth near the front door, mostly so Vern could keep an eye on his Caprice. While they sat down, Vern directed a comment to Kyle: “Well, now I know why your mind is wandering so much. Why didn’t you tell me they’d left town?”

“Eh, I don’t know,” Kyle replied. “Didn’t seem to matter at the time.”

“Well, it explains a lot,” Vern said while the 2 opened menus. “Suddenly, your wandering mind doesn’t seem so troublesome. Course, it’s probably good they left town when they did, so they aren’t here for this mess.”

Kyle nodded: “Yeah, that thought crossed my mind this morning after Tracy’s body was found.”

“Do they know yet?”

“Yeah, Sheriff told me I could tell Ashley why I wouldn’t be joining them right away. He figured it wouldn’t hurt since she isn’t in town.”

“How’d she take the news? I know she & Tracy were good friends, at least for a while.”

“Yep, they were, Vern,” Kyle acknowledged. “I’m not really sure. Ash didn’t say much, other than it was sad.”

“Well, she probably was just in shock & didn’t really know what to say,” Vern offered.

“Probably.”

Charlene sauntered up to the table: “OK, you darlings know what you want for lunch yet!?”

…

“Y’all want a fill-up?” Charlene stood at the edge of the table with a coffee pot in hand, ready to pour, while Vern & Kyle were finishing up their lunch.

“No, not for me, thanks,” Vern said, while Kyle shook his head.

“It’s a damn shame about Tracy,” Charlene said, whirling back around after starting to walk away. “I still can’t believe it. Who would do something like that … & in this town?”

“I don’t know,” Kyle said.

“Was she really found in an alley behind the gas station?”

“I cannot confirm or deny that,” Kyle replied. “But, I can say we don’t believe she was killed where she was found.”

“Oh?” Charlene half-asked. “I already kind of figured that, since you’re here with Vern. Figured he must’ve seen or heard something out by his place.”

“I did,” Vern replied. “Marty wanted to take precautions in case the killer saw me or my kitchen light on & was … concerned … about a witness.”

“Well, don’t you think having the cops camped out at your place will tip them off there might be something to that?”

Vern didn’t know what to say, so Kyle chimed in: “Yeah, Sheriff thought about that, but decided it was better to have someone with Vern instead of leaving him all alone, especially where he lives.”

“I see,” Charlene said, then turned to Vern, sorta smiling: “Might be a sign you should take your Nephew up on his offer.”

Vern chuckled. “That thought crossed my mind, Charlene, but I like it here. The old place is finally mine, well, it has been for a number of years now. Plus, I wouldn’t be able to take the Caprice with me, & I wouldn’t know where to store it.”

“I hear ya, Vern,” Charlene said. “Still, at least give it some more thought, especially if the killer isn’t captured in the next few days.”

Charlene excused herself & walked away, just as the Sheriff came through the door.

“Vern, I need to ask you a few more questions,” the Sheriff barked, then turned to look at Kyle. “You ride with me, & we’ll follow Vern back to his place.”

…

Back at Vern’s home, Vern eased the Caprice convertible back into the garage, while Kyle & the Sheriff stood watch.

“OK,” Vern said, closing the garage door, “what’s wrong now, Marty?”

“I just come from talking with Ricky & that McMillan boy.”

“And…?”

“Seems we got ourselves a problem. That Ford Crown Vic, well, it wasn’t there, & McMillan’s grandson has no idea when it was taken or where it is.”

“I’m guessing there is more to this?”

“Yes,” the Sheriff continued. “Ricky said it was at the gas station last night, before Tracy was murdered. When it left the station, it was headed towards your place.”

“What time was that?”

“About 8p, according to Ricky.”

“Well, gosh, that’s some 6 hours before I heard the scream,” said Vern flabbergasted. “But, how? That car hasn’t run in some 10 years.”

“I asked McMillan’s grandson about that,” the Sheriff noted. “He says he had just got it running a week or so ago.”

“Oh,” said Vern, “that changes things a bit, don’t it?”

“Uh huh.”

“So, what are you expecting from Vern, Sheriff?” Kyle queried.

“Well, I’m hoping he can try to remember what all he did the night of Tracy’s murder to see if it is possible he saw anything earlier in the evening & didn’t realize its significance at the time.”

“My … I don’t know, Marty. I can certainly try.”

…

“OK,” started the Sheriff. By now, the trio had seated themselves in 3 of the 4 kitchen table chairs, with Kyle & Vern opposite each other (like they were earlier in the day) & the Sheriff between them, to Vern’s left & Kyle’s right. “First things first; I hereby deputize you!”

“Huh?” Vern knew what that meant, but didn’t know why.

“Look, Vern, I trust you. We go way back, & I don’t for a minute think you had anything to do with Tracy’s murder. That said, I need people I can trust, & that includes you. In order to try to jog your memory about last night, I want to give you some details we know that the press does not. I can do that with you as a temporary deputy.”

Vern nodded: “I see. Do you trust Troy?”

The Sheriff hesitated, opening the door for Vern to continue: “Oh my, you don’t.”

“I didn’t say that,” the Sheriff voiced a mild protest. “I just find it odd that so much of this stuff seemed to have happened in the last week, after he came to town.”

“So … where is he now?”

“Sheriff sent him to help another county with some cold cases,” Kyle interjected.

“Heh, how’d you pull that off?” Vern asked, looking at the Sheriff.

“Easy. I told him I needed people on my team my townspeople will trust to talk to in this investigation, at least for as long as I am running it. Won’t be long before the State cops swoop in, I’m sure. But, regardless, I told him the townsfolk will be more apt to help cops they know, not someone fresh in from California.”

“Did he buy it?”

“I think so,” said the Sheriff.

“Alrighty, then. So, what do you know that the press doesn’t?”

“Well, for starters,” replied the Sheriff, “her body was not found at the gas station. It was found at the motel off the state road on the other side of town. A trucker who had gotten permission from Mabel to park in the motel lot overnight found the body near the dumpster when he went to drop off some trash before leaving town around 5a. I interviewed him myself extensively, determined he had nothing to do with it, & let him go on his way. But, in that interview, he told me he saw a car like McMillan’s on the edge of town on the other side, out by your place here.”

“Which means, if her life ended with the scream I heard, she had to be transported right through town for her body to be dumped,” Vern reasoned. “So why didn’t anyone notice the car?”

“Well, about that,” the Sheriff said, “what I didn’t tell you earlier is that it isn’t black & white anymore….”

“Huh?” Vern looked confused.

“Well … when I asked the trucker to describe the car he saw over here, he said it was maroon in color. So, when Ricky told me he’d seen a similar boxy car at the gas station last night when I asked him if he saw Tracy a few nights ago when you were at the gas station, I asked him to describe the color. He noted it was a deep, sorta shiny sorta not … maroon. When I then stopped to see McMillan’s grandson & we discovered the car was gone, I asked him if it was still the original black & white. He said it wasn’t, that he’d just painted it, get this, General Lee orange.”

“No way!” Kyle chuckled, while Vern folded his arms & put his head, face down, into them.

“I know, Vern, I had much the same reaction,” said the Sheriff.

“Wait, General Lee orange wouldn’t be confused for maroon, would it?” Kyle asked sincerely.

“Nah, I wouldn’t think so,” the Sheriff said. “So, we may be looking at someone good at repainting cars. Can’t say I’m surprised the thief & potential killer repainted it. Interestingly, the trucker, Ricky & McMillan’s grandson, just like Old Lady Yannich, noted it was missing a hubcap.”

The Sheriff noticed Vern hadn’t moved: “You OK, Vern?”

“No,” Vern replied, slowly raising his head before taking a deep breath & sighing: “I saw that car the morning I left for Cheyenne.”

“Oh?”

“Yep, & it was going at a high rate of speed,” Vern continued. “As I headed down the driveway in the Mercury, I saw a flash of orange color headed towards me from closer to town. By the time I got to where my driveway meets the road, the car was at my driveway. It sped past, heading farther out of town. I remember thinking it was strange to see it because I’d never seen it before. At the time, I figured it was just some punk kid from out of town out being reckless.”

“Did you get a close look at who was driving?” the Sheriff asked.

“Nope, he was going too fast.”

“Wait,” Kyle started, “McMillan’s grandson said he didn’t know when it was taken, right?”

“Yes,” replied the Sheriff.

“I’m guessing Vern here saw the car in the process of being stolen.”

“That’d be my guess,” the Sheriff agreed.

“Then, a few days later, last night, it turned up at the gas station with a different color,” continued Kyle. “So, probably should look into paint or body shops south of town….”

“My thoughts exactly,” the Sheriff further agreed. “Tho, who knows, the perp might do his own paint work….”

“Mind if I use your computer, Vern?”

“Nope, not at all. I’ll go get the laptop for you….”