“There’s no way Elsie would allow us men—any man—to become involved with the holiday events.”
“How narrow-minded of you, Andrew,” Eleanor said. “You should never challenge us.”
“Fine. Wilson and I will help you fill the plastic eggs.”
I shot him a look. “I’ll have to think about it. There’s a method for filling plastic eggs.”
“Why is it that women never believe a man capable of simple tasks?”
“Don’t you men have something better to do like playing poker?”
“Ah, now that’s something I wouldn’t mind setting up,” Mr. Wilson said as he pushed his rolling walker into the room. “A weekly poker game.”
“I think it’s a horrible idea,” Eleanor said.
Mr. Wilson is on the frail side. His emaciated body would make one think he’s knocking on death's door, but as yet the door hasn’t been opened. That didn’t stop Eleanor from marrying him. I think she married him for his tuna casserole.
“If Elsie catches wind of this, we’ll be ostracized. You know she invented card parties,” I said.
“She invented them, really?” Andrew asked.
“She thinks she has.” Mr. Wilson guffawed.
“Sure it’s all fun and games with you two, but I consider Elsie a good friend,” I said.
“Even if she’s a bossy pants,” Eleanor said.
“She’s certainly taking her job as the organizer seriously, but I don’t mind. Who needs that kind of pressure?”
“Not me,” Eleanor said.
“Are you and Eleanor planning to hang around the house all day?” Andrew asked.
“Why?”
“You two will go stir-crazy if you stay here all day,” Wilson said.
I narrowed my eyes. “You trying to get rid of us?”
“Nope, just an observation.”
“You’re probably right. I think I should head over to Sophia’s house. I haven’t seen her for some time now.”
“I’d love to see your granddaughter,” Eleanor said. “I’m ready if you are.”
“Do you and Mr. Wilson want to come with us?”
“No, we’ll stay here and do men stuff,” Andrew said.
“We have tools to polish.” Wilson winked. “There are cobwebs in the toolbox.”
“That might be because Andrew isn’t that handy with a hammer.” I smiled.
“There’s nothing broken, so why fix it?”
“Good one, Andrew,” Wilson said as he slapped Andrew on the back.
“Have a good day, boys,” I said on the way out the door with Eleanor.
“What do you think they’re up to?” Eleanor asked when we were on the road.
“I don’t know, which is strange since they never do anything out of the ordinary.”
“Are you calling your husband boring?” Eleanor asked.
“I’d never do that, but I have to admit Andrew and Wilson have a dull life. Maybe we should bring them along on our adventures.”
“Andrew would never allow you to investigate a crime.”
“You mean us. But for the record, Andrew doesn’t allow me to do anything. I-I mean, I’m my own person. And for the record, he’s never stopped me from investigating crimes with you.”
“Being a cheerleader on the sidelines is quite different from working alongside us for every blow by blow. He’s an attorney, and he can’t shut off his knowledge of the law and how we might be arrested at any moment.”
“I know. But my husband would never interfere with our investigations. Even Sheriff Peterson is more tolerant of us.”
I pulled into Sophia’s driveway, and Bill waved to us as he hopped into his state police cruiser and drove off.
“He’s certainly in a hurry,” Eleanor said.
“Let's not wonder or ask Sophia about it. I’d rather have a nice visit with her.”
“You don’t have to worry about me. I think I smell cookies.”
Eleanor was right. The aroma of chocolate-chip cookies wafted through an open window. I knocked and Sophia smiled and held the door open for us.
“Bill’s not here,” Sophia said.
“We’re here to see you and Andrea, not him.”
“Oh, that’s a switch.”
“Unless there’s someone going on that we should know about,” Eleanor said.
“Leave it, Eleanor. We’re here to visit. I’m sorry it’s been so long since I’ve dropped by.”
Andrea squealed as she walked around the coffee table. I gasped as she teetered for a moment before she caught herself. Her small tongue poked out of her mouth as Sophia knelt and held out her arms for her daughter to walk to her. Tears dotted in my eyes as Andrea took four excited steps before Sophia picked her up just as she lost her balance.
“I’m so glad we stopped by today,” I said. “How long has she been walking?”
“She’s just started taking steps without hanging on.”
“She’s making room for the next baby,” Eleanor said.
“You don’t get to wish another baby on me,” Sophia scolded. “Andrea is more than enough work. I’m a nurse, don’t forget.”
“I’m proud of you,” I said. “You have a wonderful marriage and lovely daughter. I don’t know if Andrea would be happy if she had to share you with a brother or sister.”
“I hope you plan on bringing Andrea to the Easter egg hunt this year,” Eleanor said. “Your grandmother and I are responsible for organizing the event.”
“That sounds interesting.” Sophia hid a smile behind her hand.
“I’ll have you know we have a handle on the situation,” I said. “We bought plastic eggs and plenty of candy.”
“How many eggs are we talking here?”
“At least twenty packages.”
Sophia’s eyes protruded slightly. “Last year children were bussed in from Standish and Oscoda. I believe there were about two hundred children hunting for eggs.”
“That’s fine, we have 240 plastic eggs,” Eleanor said.
“That’s not nearly enough,” Sophia admonished. “It would be upsetting if all the children weren’t able to find eggs.”
“We could limit them to one egg each,” Eleanor suggested.
“That won’t do. You’ll have to buy more plastic eggs and candy. And don’t forget about putting dollars in some eggs.”
“You’re making this way harder for us, Sophia,” I said. “We cleared Walmart out of plastic eggs, I believe.”
“Of course, since you’re concerned about the children, you could lend us a hand, Sophia,” Eleanor said.
“Not that we don’t care about the children, mind you,” I added. “It’s just that we have to touch base with Bernice. She’s arranging the petting zoo.”
“Oh, there will be more than just cats at the petting zoo?” Sophia asked.
I frowned. “That’s what we’re trying to prevent. I don’t think children should be petting her mangy cats.”
“Agnes,” Eleanor scoffed. “Don’t let Bernice hear you say that.”
Sophia put Andrea back at the coffee table. “Petting zoos should have rabbits, goats, a lamb, and a pony.”
Eleanor shook her head. “Absolutely not. If we have a pony, the children will expect pony rides.”
“It sounds like you have things to work out,” Sophia said, “so I’ll leave you to it.”
“Don’t be so hasty. We need someone to buy more supplies for the hunt.”
“Don’t look at me,” Sophia said. “My consulting services are finished.” She winked. “I’m sure my mother would love to help.”
“Martha certainly has more time on her hands than Sophia,” Eleanor agreed. “But I’m not so certain she’ll be willing to help us out.”
“Oh, she’ll do it,” I said. “She owes us after everything we’ve done for her. We’ve assisted her by making her signature jewelry.” I smiled.
Eleanor put a finger in the air. “I don’t think we’ve actually made any jewelry, but we�
�ve enlisted the aid of our friends and a scout troop.”
“I thought she had a distribution company handling her jewelry.” Sophia sighed. “Although I must admit she still makes jewelry for some reason.”
“That’s a bone for thought. We’ll broach the subject when we see her.”
Sophia bagged up chocolate-chip cookies and gave them to us for the road. Unfortunately, she didn’t have any pop, so we accepted two bottles of water. Most people eat cookies with milk, but I much prefer a Diet Coke.
Eleanor slipped behind the wheel before I could stop her, and I jumped into the passenger’s seat before she floored it.
“Slow down,” I implored. “This is my brand-new car.”
“I know what I’m doing,” Eleanor said. “Besides, you should have given me the chance to drive your car sooner. That’s what friends are for.”
“You’re right, but if I wreck another car, Andrew will ground me.”
“Ground as in he wouldn’t let you leave the house?”
“Or give me access to another vehicle.”
“I miss us driving my Cadillac. It’s durable and has taken quite the beating.”
“Don’t remind me. I can recall more than one dangerous situation that car has taken the brunt of on our behalf.”
“I’ll admit my Cadillac has taken punishment in the past but, for the most part, because of our less-than-stellar driving skills.” Eleanor laughed.
I swallowed hard at the traffic on US 23, but Eleanor maneuvered it well and rolled to a stop at the campground where my daughter Martha lives in a Winnebago with her boyfriend Adam. He captained a cruise ship at one time. These days he operates a fishing charter boat.
I waved at Martha, who was seated at the picnic table and threading beads onto strings with the help of two middle-aged women I didn’t recognize. Both the women had tightly curled red hair reminiscent of characters in a seventies crime show. Clearly twins, they had equally impressive green eyes and a mole above their lips.
I cocked a brow. “I’m sorry I didn’t know you found a couple of suck—”
“Helpers,” Eleanor interjected.
I was going for suckers, but helpers would work too.
“I’m Martha’s mother, Agnes Barton, and this is my partner in crime, Eleanor Mason,” I said.
The women laughed. “Martha told us all about you two.”
I didn’t care for the sound of that.
“She hasn’t mentioned any new friends.”
“Unless they’re not Martha’s friends,” Eleanor said. “Martha here has a habit of finding unpaid laborers.”
“We don’t mind,” the taller of the two women said. “I’m Bobbie Sue Gibson, and this is my twin, Bonnie Sue Curry.”
“Twins, how wonderful.” Eleanor clapped her hands. “Are you new in town?”
“We’re just passing through,” Bobbie Sue said.
“Oh how nice. How long do you plan on staying?” I asked.
“Mother,” Martha cautioned me.
“I’m just curious.”
“We don’t mind,” Bonnie Sue said. “We’re used to questions whenever we visit a small town.”
“What brings you to Tawas?” Eleanor asked.
“We’ve been driving along US 23 and just had to make a stop here. Martha was kind enough to direct us to the campground.”
“I could hardly leave you at the gas station staring at the map all day,” Martha said.
I glanced around. “Where is your camper parked?”
“It’s parked across from Leotyne’s trailer,” Martha supplied.
“How utterly scary… I mean nice,” Eleanor said.
“We haven’t had the chance to meet her yet,” Bobbie Sue said. “Her curtains were drawn, which must mean she doesn’t want to be bothered or is sleeping.”
“Nobody really knows what Leotyne does in her trailer,” I said. We know she spends her time looking into her crystal ball and telling fortunes on occasion, but I certainly wasn’t going to supply that kind of information to strangers.
“So what brings you by?” Martha asked.
“Oh, I almost forgot. Sophia mentioned you could help us with the annual Easter egg hunt. We’re in charge of it this year, but nobody told us there would be over two hundred children attending.”
“So how is that my problem?” Martha asked without looking up.
“I never said it was, but Eleanor and I didn’t buy enough plastic eggs and possibly candy.”
“We thought you could pick up the additional items we need,” Eleanor said.
“Well, you thought wrong.” Martha set the necklace down she was working on. “I’m up to my eyeballs in making jewelry.”
“Pretty please,” Eleanor said. “We have to check on Bernice.”
“Bernice is responsible for the petting zoo.”
A smile split Martha’s face. “Really? It looks like I’m attending the Easter egg hunt after all. I suppose it wouldn’t kill me to pick up eggs and candy for you, but count me out of filling them.”
“Sounds great,” I said. “We’ll need twenty packages of the eggs and the same amount of candy.”
“Except no Almond Joy,” Eleanor put in. “Children don’t like that kind of candy.”
“Or that’s what Eleanor keeps telling me.” I laughed. “I think she might have slipped a few bags in the shopping cart.”
“But those are for us,” Eleanor added.
“How wonderful. How can we help?” Bobbie Sue asked.
“We’ll get back with you on that,” I said. “We might need help to fill the eggs.”
“Count us in.”
3
“That was nice of the twins,” Eleanor began, “volunteering to help us stuff eggs.”
“Let’s hold that thought. We don’t even know them enough to count on their help. I expected Andrew and your Mr. Wilson could help us.”
“If only you didn’t make it sound like we didn’t need their help,” Eleanor said.
“I don’t know where that came from.”
“Especially when the men normally run the fish fry at the hall.”
My brow shot up. “Not our men.”
“Good point.”
We drove to Bernice’s house, where she was sitting and taking in the pleasant afternoon. It was quite nice since the sun had come out.
“Aren’t you supposed to be finding animals for the children at the egg hunt?” Eleanor asked as we climbed the steps to the porch.
Bernice’s frown deepened. Bernice was quite the frowner and wore men’s pants and button-up work shirts most days.
“Would you believe nobody would give me the time of day? I think residents in town believed I planned to feed bunnies to my cats with the way they slammed the door in my face.”
“Older rabbits would be better,” I said. “Bunnies tend to die easily if mishandled.”
“That’s what I was going for.”
“How about baby goats, a lamb, or a pony?” Eleanor offered. “I hardly think anyone would believe your cats would eat any animal that big.”
Bernice pulled out a corncob pipe and lit it. “People overestimate the appetite of my cats. I feed my cats. It’s not like they have to scrounge for food.”
“People are strange sometimes,” I said. “So have you tried to find any other animals yet?”
“No, but I haven’t caught up with Harvey Farmer yet.”
“Is Harvey’s last name really Farmer, or do people only call him that because he’s a farmer?” Eleanor laughed at her own joke.
“Apparently it’s both his last name and occupation,” I said as I wiggled my eyebrows.
“He wasn’t home when I dropped by there,” Bernice said.
“We’d be happy to come with you,” I offered.
“I don’t think I’ll get anywhere with him,” Bernice went on to say.
“Eleanor and I will go over there for you, but don’t tell Elsie we did. She’s taking her duties as the event coordinator seriously
.”
“No worries there.”
“And you’ll have to handle the petting zoo at the Easter egg hunt,” Eleanor added.
“Agreed.”
Eleanor and I left. “I should have expected this would happen,” I said.
“Why didn’t you ask Bernice to help us fill plastic eggs since we’re doing her job?”
“Because I don’t think the children would like cat hair in their eggs.”
“Good point.”
Harvey Farmer’s place was a few miles out of town. I wrinkled my nose at the smell of manure once we hit what I call the farming district. There are a few pig farms in the area, and there’s nothing worse to smell than that.
I pulled up to the red brick farmhouse, and we knocked on the door. Receiving no response, we walked to the rear of the property where Harvey was backing his tractor into his pole barn. On the left side of his property there was a barn and fencing that contained goats, sheep, and calves.
I waved as Harvey exited the pole barn.
“What brings you ladies here?” he asked.
“We’re here on business,” I said.
Harvey readjusted his hat. “What sort of business is that?”
“Eleanor and I are organizing the annual Easter egg hunt, and we’ll need animals for a petting zoo for the children.”
“Bernice is handling it, but nobody will supply the animals for the event,” Eleanor said.
“I don’t know how I can help. I don’t have any rabbits here.”
“No, but I suspect you know someone who does.”
“Constance Shaklee does, but she’s selective of who she allows to borrow her bunnies. She enters her rabbits in competitions.”
“And I can understand that, but we’re looking more for rabbits than bunnies. We’re not giving away any animals at the event,” Eleanor said.
“We all know what can happen when parents give their children a bunny for Easter. That’s why having a place to only pet animals is so important. You can understand that, I imagine, since you operate a petting farm here during peak months,” I said.
Harvey scratched his stubbly chin. “You’re right, it’s important. And I have to charge for the privilege because feeding farm animals isn’t cheap.”
“Would it be possible for you to bring goats and a lamb for the petting aspect of the event?”
Easter Eggs and Shotgun Shells Page 2
