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mystery story sequel-end

PERSONAL NOTE:
Writing is so much fun, like road tripping or spinning records on the radio for listeners! Nearly a year ago, Monday 08/29/2016, a story idea sparked in my mind & I began writing. I wrote some each night that week & a murder mystery story flowed from my fingertips. After the original story was complete & published on my website (seen via THIS LINK HERE), the characters & town felt so real & alive I started writing again, 10/02/2016, & have continued since. However, all things must end & this near-&-dear-to-me story does so with this post. To say writing this last section was an “emotion roller coaster” is an understatement. I will miss these characters, but I realized a few weeks ago I shouldn’t … & didn’t want to … keep this tale ongoing. So, I found a way to end it, & I hope those who’ve followed along & may’ve been startled at the end of the prior entry will appreciate & understand how & why I chose to end it. While writing the story’s last section, a huge bunch of my own memories oddly bubbled to the surface, & I found myself reminiscing quite a bit. To keep the complete story alive, I might turn it into an online book….

Knowing he could take his good ole sweet time to get to Springfield IL, a drive of less than 3 hours from his current location at a rest stop along I-39 in central Illinois, the trucker had set his alarm for noon, planning to get some much needed & deserved sleep. That, however, didn’t happen. Just before 7:15 in the morning, he was startled awake by what he found out later was a brief activation of a siren. In the ensuing few minutes when he was still trying to gather his bearings & wits, the trucker realized he needed to use the bathroom. So, with his night sweat pants & t-shirt on, he slipped on a pair of old flip flops he kept with him for moments like this when he didn’t really want to take the time to put on his big shoe boots. The trucker then eased himself out of his cab’s bunk bed area & climbed out of the truck.

The trucker rubbed his eyes as the early morning brightness startled him even more awake. He walked into the rest stop building only half-noticing the state troopers & idle fire engine. After relieving himself, he paused a few moments at the map area, kinda sorta planning where he might stop in Springfield & considering places he might stop along the way … if he decided to stay up & continue on & not try to go back to sleep. Just after 7:30, he walked back out of the building & more fully noticed the emergency vehicles gathered in the lot. Not wanting to seem too interested in what was going on, he started back towards his rig, but when he turned to make that trek, a state trooper moved, or rather shifted, ever so slightly, allowing an early morning sunlight beam to bounce off the grill of a car, hitting the trucker direct in his eyes.

After rubbing his eyes & grimacing, the trucker glanced towards from where the beam had come … & his gaze landed on the front grill of a Mercury Grand Marquis. He looked closer & realized it was the car of the gentleman he’d briefly spoken to ~7 hours earlier & thought he’d met before. He then even more fully noticed the emergency vehicles, gathered around that very car. A quick query of the state trooper who’d slightly shifted revealed the man in the car had been found dead, most-likely of natural causes, the man’s nephew was on his way north & Sheriff Marty from the man’s Wyoming home town was en route.

Of all that, “Sheriff Marty” is what caught the trucker’s absolute attention. The trucker’s mind instantly flashed back to an overnight stop in a small Wyoming town. He’d gotten permission from the lady who ran the local motel to park in the motel lot overnight. When he awoke the next morning, the trucker found a lady’s body near the dumpster when he went to throw out some trash. The local Sheriff had arrived to question him &, after determining he had nothing to do with the apparent murder, had let him go on his way. However, before he’d left, the trucker had mentioned to the Sheriff a car he’d seen that prior evening on the other edge of town. The Sheriff had shown the trucker a picture of a man and a Mercury Grand Marquis … that man was the man the trucker had spoken to just after Game 7 of the World Series … the same man he’d thought he’d met & seen. He’d seen him & his car in the picture. The trucker remembered, however, he had told the Sheriff that the car in the photo was a newer version of the boxy car he’d actually seen.

Remembering all of this, the trucker felt the need to wait until Sheriff Marty & the nephew arrived, some 10 hours later. But, what set all of the mid-early morning’s events in motion was a flurry of frantic calls & texts between Vern’s nephew, Sheriff Marty, former Mayor Tom & current Mayor Wyatt, starting ~5a, some 2 hours earlier. When Vern’s nephew never received the text Vern had promised him, Vern’s nephew didn’t panic. He figured his uncle had made it to his stop in Bloomington & went right to bed. What Vern’s nephew hadn’t told Vern during their phone conversation after Game 7 was that he (the nephew) had asked a friend to drive him to Springfield IL with the idea of having Vern pick him up there so that, if Vern’s team won the World Series, the 2 could drive to Chicago for what would undoubtedly be a major parade & party. Vern’s nephew planned to reveal that info after his uncle texted him upon arriving in Bloomington IL.

So, when the clock clicked to 5a & the Nephew hadn’t heard from his uncle, he started to panic, thinking his uncle may’ve bypassed Bloomington & Springfield altogether & headed directly to Nashville TN. He called his uncle’s cell phone with no answer. He contacted Sheriff Marty & Tom to see if they’d heard from Vern. They hadn’t. While Marty called new Mayor Wyatt to see if any of his connections would help them locate Vern, Vern’s nephew contacted several hotels in the Bloomington IL area to no avail. Wyatt was more than wiling to reach out to his IL contacts, while Sheriff reached out to some he’d made because of Vern’s many road trips. The upshot: Illinois state troopers went to Vern’s last known location at the rest stop on I-39 to find Vern’s lifeless body sitting & leaning back in the driver’s seat of his 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis roughly around 6a, an hour after Vern’s nephew launched the search.

Upon learning this, Mayor Wyatt instinctively told Sheriff Marty he (Wyatt) would drive Marty to Illinois. Wyatt also arranged for IL state troopers to pick up Vern’s nephew in Springfield IL & rush him to the coroner’s office in Dixon IL to verify body identification. Knowing it would take them at least 10 hours, Wyatt instructed Vern’s nephew to wait in Dixon, where they’d meet him & pick him up to take him to get Vern’s car.

Meanwhile, by 7:15a, ~45 minutes after Sheriff Marty & Mayor Wyatt left their Wyoming home town & ~30 minutes after IL state troopers picked up Vern’s nephew, Vern’s body had been loaded into an ambulance, the driver of which instinctively hit the siren when starting to pull out of the rest area parking lot. Realizing the early morning hour, the driver quickly turned the siren off, but the trucker had already been awoken.

Some 10 hours later, Sheriff Marty, Mayor Wyatt & Vern’s nephew arrived at the rest stop & were greeted by the trucker. At 1st, Marty didn’t recognize the trucker, but when the trucker reminded him of their early morning encounter at the motel run by Mabel, the Sheriff froze. The trucker then relayed to the trio the events that led up to him talking to Vern after Game 7.

Days later, mid-week the following week & after delivering the current truck load to the central IL business, the trucker took some time off to make his way back to that small Wyoming town to pay his respects to Vern. He didn’t know why he felt compelled to do that, but he felt it was the right thing to do … a decision that led him to move to that same town & eventually marry Charlene. Vern’s nephew had driven Vern’s 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis back there, with Sheriff Marty along for the ride & Mayor Wyatt following in Sheriff’s squad car. The entire town was at Vern’s services & not a dry eye was seen.

The day after Vern’s services, Vern’s nephew signed over the deed to Vern’s home & the title to Vern’s 1975 Caprice Classic convertible to Evan, with the understanding that if Evan ever wanted-needed to sell either, he’d notify Vern’s nephew 1st. After spending 1 more night in Wyoming, complete with yet another “dinnerfest” at Charlene’s Diner, Vern’s nephew steered the 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis back towards his Nashville TN home.

Then, 2 days after the departure of Vern’s nephew, Sheriff Marty arrived at Old Lady Yannich’s home to pick her up for the lunch Marty had offered her when the pair spoke at Vern’s service. But, as Sheriff Marty got closer to the house, he quickly noticed Old Lady Yannich was not sitting in her usual perch in the big picture window overlooking the roundabout driveway that led up to the huge front door. Marty’s heart instantly sank. Though he tried to tell himself she was probably just getting ready for their lunch, he knew in his heart that wasn’t the case.

Marty steered his car to a stop in front of the big staircase, parked & made the slow walk up the front steps. He rang the doorbell, but no answer, not even the usual faint “hold your horses, I’m coming” that Old Lady Yannich was known to say when she wasn’t quite yet at the door but didn’t want her visitor(s) thinking she was ignoring them. Marty sighed & reached above the door for the key that Old Lady Yannich always kept there, just in case. Oh, the townspeople had warned her about leaving a key so readily available, but her argument was always: “Well, shucks, if burglars are that close to the front door, they’re going to burst in anyway!” … an argument for which nobody really had a rebuttal.

Marty unlocked the front door, stuck his head inside & called out to Old Lady Yannich. Hearing no reply, he let himself in, slowly closed the front door & walked across the creaky entry way to the huge staircase that led to the second floor. He walked up the steps which groaned at nearly every pressure of feet. When Marty reached the top of the staircase, he walked towards the master bedroom, the door of which was open just wide enough for Marty to peer in & see Old Lady Yannich lying on her bed. He hoped she was asleep.

Marty gingerly entered the bedroom & instinctively checked for a pulse. Nothing. Marty lowered his head, & as he did so, a letter envelope sitting on the nightstand next to the bed caught his eye. He reached for it & saw “for Marty” written in Old Lady Yannich’s cursive handwriting. He opened the envelope, took out a neatly-written letter & began reading.

“My dearest Marty,” the letter started, “I must apologize but I will not be able to accompany you to lunch today because by the time you read this letter, my soul most-likely will no longer be in my body.”

The Sheriff chuckled to himself & thought: ‘Still formal to her dying breath’! He continued reading.

“I was so looking forward to our lunch date, but since we last spoke, I’ve just felt it in my bones that it is my turn to go home, & I feel that calling this morning more than ever.”

Marty slightly teared up, but kept reading: “Before I go any farther, I need to address Sheriff Marty: this is NOT a suicide. You will notice no gun, no weapon, no extra drugs near me or in my system. I suspect the autopsy will declare my death caused by a ‘broken heart’, or some gibberish like that. But, I’m hoping you’ll be able to encourage them to put this instead: ‘died of a FULL heart’. Because, my dear friend Marty, that’s exactly how I feel. I’ve lived a good, no great, life, but it’s time for me to rest now. I know most of you townsfolk expected me to wither away after my Amy’s death so many years ago. But when she died, I realized I had some work to do, namely to make amends with Vern. I saw how much her death affected him, & I realized I had been wrong to expect her to marry my son. Vern was who she belonged with all along, & I needed to make it right with Vern. & I did just that. So now, with his death, I feel the Lord calling me home, too. & since I’ve felt that beckoning home a few days now, I’ve made some provisions that shall be set into motion with the completion of my official death certificate.”

Marty held back some tears as memories of Old Lady Yannich flashed through his mind. At that moment, he couldn’t wait to start sharing her last letter with others because he knew many people who really needed to read, or hear, her words. After a pause, he continued reading her last letter.

“It’s no secret I’m the last living relative in my family, which means my home, my estate, might go to a stranger. Well, you know me well enough to know I’m not going to let that happen. So, when my death certificate is finalized, the deed to my home will be transferred to Kyle & Ashley … free & clear. That’s right, they won’t owe a dime for the house because they deserve it. I’ve observed those 2 for years now & watched their love & family grow. They deserve a huge place where they can grow it even more if they like with plenty of inside & outside room to run & play. Furthermore, taxes on their new home will be paid for at least 5 years so they can build their life savings. In doing all of this, I realize this old house has a lot of features that I love that the young kids nowadays despise. To that end, I’ve also earmarked a fund for Kyle & Ashley to renovate the house as they choose. Will I like what they do? Probably not all of it, but it will be their home & I won’t see it anyway, so what do I care? The important thing is the house & land will be owned by people who will love & cherish it just as much as my family has over the many generations we’ve lived here.”

Marty paused briefly before continuing to read the next section of the letter: “Now, as for my car, my precious 1977 Chrysler, I want Evan to be offered it first. My car belongs with Vern’s, now Evan’s, 1975 Caprice because, yes, I did buy the Chrysler to spite Vern’s purchase after he bought the Caprice nearly a year after I bought that 1974 Ford LTD coupe. Just be sure Evan is given the story of the car so he can make an informed decision. If he does not want my New Yorker, that is perfectly OK. I know you, Marty, might want it — though I know you’d rather prefer a Buick Century. &, if you don’t want it, Tom might. As long as it lands in the ownership of someone who will love it almost as much as I have.”

Once again, Marty paused before continuing to the next & last paragraph: “I think that’s it, Marty. Emphasis on ‘think’, of course. You know I’ve been forgetful lately, & I would suspect that when you drove up to the house today you thought I might’ve forgotten our lunch date since you didn’t see me in my grand window seat. Anyway, even if I’ve forgotten some things, it is time to close this letter before I die with pen literally in hand. Last but not least, I don’t want a service, just a special dinner at Charlene’s. You know I always loved her cooking.”

Marty teared up more when he read the signature: “Please share my love with everyone. You all have made my life truly special. Yours forever in Christ, the late Old Lady Yannich”

EPILOGUE

The next week, when everything settled down following Old Lady Yannich’s death, Mayor Wyatt summoned Sheriff Marty, former mayor Tom & officer Phil to his office to discuss the final report regarding Ricky’s death & possible involvement from Troy. Except, it wasn’t a discussion. Wyatt told the gathered men the report advised Ricky’s cause of death to be suicide by explosion but it had been officially classified as “undetermined” so as to keep Ricky’s memory unhindered by a suicide label & to not unnecessarily scare anyone. Having listened to Vern talk about Ricky, as well as input from Marty, Tom & Phil, Wyatt truly believed Troy had planted the device that exploded at the old gas station, killing Ricky.

After Tom & Phil left Mayor Wyatt’s office, Wyatt informed Sheriff Marty his (Wyatt’s) former team had found Mrs. Wilma Schuster & she was on her way to town to talk. While they waited, Wyatt explained to Marty that Wilma had been in Cheyenne looking for her brother-in-law, David, not knowing he was already dead. Her Buick had broken down on I-25 about half-way between Cheyenne & Casper. A good samaritan had stopped to help her, but after not being able to get the Buick started again, that same person agreed to drive her to the hotel in Casper where she’d had reservations. By the time she was able to get a tow truck to take her back to where she’d left her car, her 1976 Buick Century had already been towed. Not wanting to call the cops to draw attention to herself, she paid the tow truck driver to take her back to the hotel where she then arranged for a rental car & had stayed in Casper while trying to locate David.

About a month after Mayor Wyatt & Sheriff Marty 1st met Mrs. Wilma Schuster, the gas station at the new DTR Memorial Oasis was complete. Tyler settled into his new role & officially named the station somewhat redundantly as Ricky’s Service Center at the DTR Memorial Oasis, though the townsfolk shortened it considerably, always referring to it as Ricky’s. Whenever he was asked why he didn’t include Tyler in the name, Tyler always replied simply: “Because it just didn’t feel right.”

At nearly the same time as the gas station opening, & with renovations nearly complete, Kyle & Ashley officially named their new land & home & part preserve: OLY Sanctuary Acres. Eventually, the couple filled the house with more children, establishing a new lineage in the home that had seen many generations of Old Lady Yannich’s family.

A few months removed from the gas station opening & re-naming of Old Lady Yannich’s place, the motel & diner at the DTR Memorial Oasis were nearly complete. At the dedication, Mabel, who’d overcome her initial hesitation about the project & now was fully ready to take on her new roles to the best of her ability thanks to her new business partner, Wilma Schuster, offered overnight stays to everyone in town & declared the motel & semi-truck parking area to be known as Mabel’s Motel & Schuster Memorial Truck Parking at the DTR Memorial Oasis. Charlene then stood at the podium & made this stunning, yet not all that surprising, announcement: she would keep running her downtown diner while Tyler ran the new restaurant at the DTR Memorial Oasis. That new restaurant would be forever known as Vern & Amy’s.