Grumpy, Sam and Sammy: A Murder Mystery and Thriller

by Anthony Newman

  “Mary, that guy is a bad person who has a police record. We should be wary. I am not sure that we should get involved.”

  “Bill, if we don’t get involved, who will? This girl could be our little girl. I wish someone had stepped in and changed the course of her life. Bill, I have made up my mind. I want to help Sam! Get my gun out of the gun safe. I’m glad you made me get my concealed carry license when you got yours. I hate guns, but I won’t let that bastard hurt this little girl any more than he already has.”

  “Mary, I want you to be happy. Are you sure? I will do it, but this won’t be easy.”

  Mary replied, “You know that God never gives you a burden larger than he thinks you can handle. Remember to get my pistol out of the gun safe. I will carry it until this is over.”

  “I will do this because it is the right thing to do and you also will make my life miserable if I don’t. Don’t let the girl see the gun. Keep it concealed.”

  Mary laughed and replied, “Bill, do you really think I am mean?”

  “You’re not mean; you just know how to get your way when you want to.”

  “Bill, when was the last time that I made your life miserable?”

  Bill kissed her, laughed, did not answer and went to get his chores done for the morning. Every once in a while, Grumpy knew when to keep his mouth shut.

  ***

  Mary called the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services and made an appointment with Greg Hope for one o’clock. Grumpy came back from the barn and Mary started rushing him to get cleaned up and ready to go to the meeting.

  Grumpy said, “I was hoping that you might cool off on this idea.”

  Grumpy was joking, but Mary still punched him in the belly hard enough to hurt a bit.

  Grumpy said, “So, was that proof that you aren’t mean?”

  Mary came back to him kissed him and said, “I will make it up to you many times over if you are nicer about adopting Sam.”

  This put a big smile on Grumpy’s face, but quickly disappeared when he took the words into his mind.

  Grumpy was choking as he replied, “Adopting? I thought this was foster parenting."

  Mary replied, “You know what I mean.”

  “Mary, I’m not sure that I really do know what you mean, but I do know that if Mama ain’t happy, Bill won’t be happy.”

  Mary replied, “Bill, now you are getting much smarter.”

  ***

  They arrived fifteen minutes early for the meeting and Mary was a nervous wreck. She spent most of the trip trying to get Grumpy to be able to support her when he answered questions about truly wanting to take care of Sam. Grumpy intentionally answered all of the questions wrong just to tease his wife. Mary knew what he was doing and did not appreciate the humor. She was happy that Grumpy settled down and was serious when they arrived at the CHFS office.

  Greg Hope said, “Thanks for coming to see me. I knew that you two would eventually drop in to check on Sam. What do you know about the Cabinet for Health and Family Services?”

  Mary replied, “Greg, we don’t know much about this at all. We do want you to tell us how Sam is progressing, but we also want to find out more about foster parenting and see if we are candidates to watch over Sam until you decide on a permanent home for her.”

  Greg said, “I can start with Sam is doing very well since nothing was broken and she is recovering from bruising and some pulled tendons. She will be fine physically. I am not worried about her health, but am concerned about her mental state. This poor girl was mentally and physically abused by her mom and perhaps by some of her boyfriends. Her mom actually comes from a good family up in Louisville who want nothing to do with her or Sam. The father is in jail and his family is confident that Sam isn’t his child.”

  Greg went on to explain how the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services works and his role in the organization.

  Mary looked at Grumpy, then Greg and asked, “Was she sexually abused? That poor baby has been through hell, but I pray that she wasn’t molested.”

  “We don’t know. We had a doctor check her out and he did not find anything conclusive. I had a psychologist interview her and she thinks the poor girl has been molested. Add in her Mom’s boyfriend trying to kidnap her and we have a lot pointing to child abuse at the least.”

  Mary said, “What do we need to do to keep her until you decide her fate? You probably already know, but we lost our son and daughter. Our daughter took her own life.”

  Greg replied, “We always perform an exhaustive background check on all applicants. I had your background checks started when I left the hospital. You two are great people that had two tragedies, but are excellent candidates to foster or adopt. We will give you training on how to deal with her issues and to help her begin the healing process.”

  Mary and Grumpy sought each other’s hand and sat there holding hands while Greg interviewed them.

  Greg asked, “Bill, why do you want to be a foster parent?

  “At first I didn’t want to and Mary was trying to get me to agree to fostering, then the more I spent time with her dog, Sammy, I saw him help me. In addition, I have heard more about Sam and think we can really make a difference in her life. You can call it guilt over Ann, but I think we will be better able to spot issues with behavior and able to make the appropriate change as required. I want to make a difference in her life and help her lead a normal life.”

  Greg asked both of them several more questions and then had them fill out several forms.

  Grumpy said, “I filled out a lot less paperwork to buy the house.”

  Mary said, “Sam isn’t a house or a puppy!”

  Greg was laughing at them and knew that they would be great for Sam. They would show her what a real family was like. Then he thought, “I hope she doesn’t scare them off the first day.” They finished filling out and signing the forms and Greg moved them to a room with a movie screen and a projector.

  Greg came back in to the room and said, “This is where we try to scare you off. I am going to show some movies that demonstrate the behavior of kids Sam’s age and how they can treat their foster parents. This does not mean Sam will be this bad, but forewarned is forearmed.”

  Greg started the film. The first scenario showed a teenage boy sitting in his room, withdrawn and not responding to the foster parents. The film covered several weeks and one could obviously see the mounting frustration on the couple. The next scenario had a beautiful young girl at the breakfast table that would not eat because she thought she was fat. The foster parents tried to get her to eat to no avail. The next film started with a young girl throwing a glass of milk at her foster mom. The mom ducked and kept talking to the young girl, but made no headway in getting her to behave.

  The film ended and Grumpy immediately said, “What percent are like these? Surely most just need caring people to give them guidance, love and God in their lives.”

  Greg said, “I can’t officially say anything about God, but I go to the same church you do. The truth is that about fifty percent of the kids that we see here are not much of an issue. The older they get the higher the percentage of behavioral issues increase. A kid raised in a drug-infested home by drunk or drugged out parents lends itself to kids raising themselves. They have to rely on their ability to survive in a bad situation and those skill sets don’t work well in the average home.”

  “You haven’t scared us off yet, however, you have opened our eyes to the potential for issues. We have the time, and more importantly, the patience to work with Sam. I think love and good parenting will always prevail.”

  Grumpy asked, “What can you do to help prepare us to handle ourselves if we encounter issues like those. I guess we also need to know of any specific issues that Sam has shown so far.”

  Greg said, “Sam is rebellious and has authority issues, but has good manners and was good in school until a few weeks before the wreck. She does not believe in God and has never been to church a day in her life.
We will assign a counselor to meet with all of you at least once a week until we feel all is going well. The average stay in a foster home in this area is about six months. Sam will be sixteen in four months, so she would time out in two years and four months. This means that you will no longer be responsible for her care at that time.”

  Grumpy said, “So, she is like a carton of milk, we just pitch her in the trash at eighteen?”

  Greg laughed and said, “No, and I know you are kidding me. I just have to make it clear what the ground rules are before potential foster parents actually take responsibility for a child.”

  Greg picked up the phone and asked someone to bring Sam into the conference room. In a couple of minutes, a woman brought Sam into the conference room. It had been a week since they had seen Sam. She was dressed in a blouse and jeans with tennis shoes and looked like she was ready to go to the mall. She had a smile on her face until she saw Grumpy.

  “That’s the pervert that tried to feel me up after the wreck. Keep him away from me.”

  Greg said, “Nice try, but sorry that was pretty weak. Do you have anything better?”

  Sam broke out into a grin then said, “Well, it was worth a try.”

  She turned and looked at Grumpy and said, “Mr. Jones, thank you for saving me from a horrible death in a burning truck.”

  She said the words in a scripted and mechanical voice. Greg looked over at her with a frown on his face and he sat down and made some notes in a logbook.

  Sam said, “I said it just like the nice lady taught me. Now, you are mad at me and I did exactly what I was told to do."

  Greg stood up and said, “Sam these people are Mary and Bill Jones. Mary and Bill, this is Samantha Ann Smith. Sam, they will be your foster parents until we find a permanent home for you.”

  Sam said, “No way! Don’t I have a say in this? Look at them; they beat kids. I’m not going with them.”

  She looked at Mary and said, “Look bitch, I’ll make your life a living hell if you take me home.”

  Greg said, “Sam, calm down! I am not going to kid you about this. Yes, you can throw a fit and not go with the Jones, but do you see anyone else standing in line to care for you? They have a small farm where you and Sammy can run and play. You will be able to go to the same high school and keep all of your friends.”

  Sam said, “Where is my dog? I want Sammy. How is he doing? What have you done with him?”

  Mary said, “Sweetheart, we have Sammy. He is doing very well and we enjoy him a lot. He has gained a few pounds and he runs and plays with Bill.”

  “Give me my dog and I’ll go back home and take care of him and myself.”

  Greg replied, “Sam, you are not going back home. Your mom and dad are both in jail and you don’t have any relatives that can take care of you. You are going to live with foster parents until you can be adopted. We have covered this at least twice, so don’t act as if you just heard it for the first time. The Jones have offered to be your foster parents and are very good people”

  “Where is Mom’s boyfriend, Jack?”

  Greg replied, “We don’t know. He got out on bail and has not been seen since the incident in the hospital.”

  Sam asked, “What incident at the hospital?”

  Greg replied, “I forgot that you weren’t told about that. Bill, will you tell her about the issue?"

  “Yes, I will.”

  Sam looked at Bill and Mary and said, “That’s the guy that was molesting me at the wreck. How could you stay with a man like that?”

  Mary replied, “Have you thought about taking acting classes? That was very unbelievable and how dare you say things about the man who risked his life to save yours. Now get your things together and let’s go home and let you see Sammy. He really misses you.”

  Sam looked at Greg and said, “What happens if I don’t go with them?”

  "Then you will go to the home for juvenile delinquents and Sammy will stay with Mary and Bill.”

  Sam smiled and said, “Let’s go see my dog."

  ***

  Jack Collins drove about fifty miles to his family’s cabin. It was on a small lake on about one hundred acres of mostly wooded land. His dad inherited it from his grandfather on his mom’s side. He kept it to hunt deer, fish and mostly to get away from his wife’s family. Jack never liked the outdoors, but he did like coming up here just to be with his dad. The cabin had two bedrooms, a large family room and nice kitchen.

  Jack arrived at the cabin about a week after leaving the hospital. He had crashed at a couple of friends’ houses and one hotel while he planned what to do next. He parked the car in the shed beside his dad’s old truck. He had driven around to make sure that he was not being followed. He took some pills and crashed on the couch. He fell asleep dreaming about Sam and him getting married and living happily ever after.

  ***

  "Sam, please put your seatbelt on.”

  Sam rolled her eyes, looked at Grumpy and stared out the window.

  “My mom never made me use a seatbelt. She always thought that she would burn up in a car if she couldn’t get it unbuckled after a wreck.”

  “Sam, please buckle your seatbelt. I’m not starting the car until you do. It will just take that much longer until you get to see Sammy.”

  Sam rolled her eyes again, but this time she buckled her seatbelt.

  Mary also had to ask her several times to get simple questions answered during the drive home. Otherwise, the trip was uneventful.

  Sammy came running to the fence to greet them when they pulled into the driveway. When Sam got out of the car, Sammy tried several times to jump over the fence and barked like a wild dog. Sam ran over to him and lifted him over the fence. She fell down and Sammy was all over her, licking her face and running all over her. She was laughing and telling Sammy how much she loved him.

  Sammy ran to the back yard, brought back a stick and tried to teach Sam how to throw the stick, so he could fetch it and bring it back to her. She did not understand what he wanted. Grumpy saw Sammy and knew exactly what to do. He took the stick from Sammy and pitched it about twenty feet. Sammy ran to the stick and brought it back to Sam who just stared back at Sammy.

  “He wants you to throw the stick so he can bring it back to you.”

  “I don’t need you to tell me what my dog wants.”

  She picked the stick up and threw it as far as she could. Sammy ran to the stick, brought it to Grumpy and dropped it at his feet. Grumpy threw the stick and this time Sammy took it to Sam.

  “Sam, I think Sammy wants us to all play together and get along instead of fighting. We both love this dog and want what is best for him, so why don’t we just try to be nice.”

  Sam picked Sammy up, went to the back of the yard, sat down with him in her lap and appeared to be having a conversation with him.

  ✼ ✼ ✼

  ✼

  Chapter 10

  “Sam, you can play with Sammy for a while, but then we need to get you settled into your room. Would you like some lemonade?”

  “No mam.”

  Grumpy took her bag up to her room and Mary placed her clothes into the drawers.

  “Honey, the poor girl barely has any clothes at all. We need to take her shopping and get her some nice jeans, blouses and a couple of dresses.”

  Grumpy looked out the window to the backyard and saw Sam bent over picking Sammy up.

  He looked over at Mary and said, “Get her some decent underwear when you go shopping.”

  “Thong?”

  “No, Lord no! Holes! The poor girl has holes in her drawers. I think she’s too big a Tom Boy to wear a thong yet.”

  Grumpy shook his head and went down stairs and out to his shop while Mary got Sam settled into her new room. The room had been Ann’s and still had her pictures and decorations on the walls. Ann’s clothes hung in the closets and filled the dresser. Grumpy wondered what Mary would do, since she wouldn’t even talk about getting rid of them. This skinny girl was twent
y pounds lighter then Ann. Ann was at a normal weight; Sam was skin and bones. Of course, Mary’s great cooking would fatten the poor child up a bit, but she could never fill out Ann’s clothes.

  Grumpy had parked the F1 a few feet from the other truck, which did not run. He was stripping the parts off the body to get it ready to be lifted off the chassis to begin restoration. Grumpy wanted this truck to be perfect so he was taking his time and would take a couple of years to finish. Then he would take it to car shows and show it off to the crowd of admirers.

  “Damn it to hell,” Grumpy cursed when he pinched his thumb with the headlight bucket.

  “Do you cuss all of the time and what does your God think about you cussing?”

  Grumpy turned to see Sam standing behind him with Sammy in her arms. Sammy broke loose, ran to Grumpy and begged to be picked up. Grumpy picked Sammy up, rubbed his ears and said, “Good boy.”

  “No, I don’t cuss all of the time. I pinched my finger and no, God does not like cussing.”

  “What are you doing out here?”

  “I’m working on my truck. It’s my hobby and I really enjoy working with my hands. My plan is to drive this one and make a hot rod out of that one.”

  “What’s under the tarp? Do you have another truck under it?

  “No, that’s my son’s old car.”

  “Y’all have a boy, where is he and why haven’t I seen him around here?”

  “Sam, do you know about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan?”

  “Yes, we read about how the USA invaded those poor countries and killed thousands of their poor people for their oil. I also remember some of the news reports several years ago.”

  Grumpy was still holding Sammy and rubbing his ears while he thought about his reply.

  “Our son, Johnny, was killed in Afghanistan by one of those damned terrorist SOBs. Your textbooks probably don’t mention 9-11 or those countries being controlled by Islamic radicals and terrorists, do they?”