Grumpy, Sam and Sammy: A Murder Mystery and Thriller

by Anthony Newman

  “No, but don’t jump my ass. I didn’t shoot him.”

  Grumpy got red in the face and was about to blow up when Sammy started licking his face and barking gently at him. This cooled Grumpy off and gave him time to remember that sermon about being nice to people, even bratty kids.

  “I’m sorry, but I get excited and a little mad when I think about my son giving his life to protect our country and then textbooks make the USA to be the bad guys. “

  “Can I see the car?”

  “Not now, we need to get cleaned up for supper. Mary will skin us if we are late. Let’s go eat.”

  They walked into the kitchen just as Mary finished setting the table.

  “Sam, this will be your job, starting tomorrow. We also need to discuss the house rules and your chore list tomorrow.”

  “I knew we’d get down to the slave labor sooner or later. Y’all just want the kid to do all of your work so you can watch TV and drink beer.”

  Sam had just finished talking when a look came over her face and she added, “Or maybe I get paid for the valuable work that I perform for this family?”

  “Something like that. We’ll work out the details later in the week. Mary and I both have jobs where you can learn to be a responsible young adult and earn some money.”

  Mary laughed and started bring the food to the table. Sam helped her.

  They sat down for supper and Mary cleared her throat a couple of times and put her hands together. Grumpy finally caught on.

  “Blessed Father we are thankful for everything that you do for us and the meal on our table. We are very thankful for Sam and Sammy joining our family and please look out for them and keep them safe.”

  Sam waited until Grumpy was finished and said, “Do you always give a speech before supper?”

  Mary had prepared one of Grumpy’s favorite meals. Pork chops, mashed potatoes, green beans and apple pie for desert. Sam ate as if she had never seen food before. Her manners were horrible and she talked with her mouth full. Mary and Grumpy exchanged glances and just smiled. Sammy lay by Sam and whimpered, but did not beg. Grumpy pitched a small piece of pork chop and Sammy caught it in mid-air. His tail was wagging a mile a minute and he lay back at Sam’s side.

  “Sam, we need to go shopping for some clothes for school and church in the morning after we get our chores finished. Feel free to go through the closets and drawers in your room and wear any clothes that you find. Those were Ann’s and she’d be glad that someone got some use out of them.”

  “Who’s Ann?"

  Mary filled her in on Ann and Johnny over supper. “Ann was our daughter. She was a couple of years older than Johnny was. She was sixteen when she passed away.”

  Mary didn’t mention the suicide and just gave Sam enough to help her know the family’s history.

  Sam saw the tears streaming down Mary’s face and excused herself to go out and play with Sammy.

  ***

  The sun was going down and it would be dark in about an hour. Jack had been fishing most of the day and had barely caught enough fish to feed himself. The days were passing slowly; however, he knew that he had to let some time pass to allow everyone to forget about him. They would soon feel safe and then he would strike.

  Jack also helped pass the time daydreaming about his life with Sam. He knew that he could make her love him. They could live in the cabin and live off the land. The last one he fell in love with was buried by the lake. She was an ungrateful girl who he fell in love with on a visit in Nashville. She did not love him back and she had to disappear. There were several other graves by the lake.

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  Chapter 11

  Mary had always been an early riser. She loved being up before the world started making ugly noises and Grumpy needed anything. She always made coffee and sat on the back deck for about half an hour before doing anything else. Since her children’s deaths, she started each morning with a prayer and her cup of coffee. Early on, her prayers were more of an attack on God for allowing her babies to die.

  “Mary, can I have some coffee?”

  The voice startled Mary. In over twenty years of her morning ritual, no one had ever disturbed her.

  “Good morning Samantha. Did you sleep well? Yes, you can have some coffee. How do you like it?”

  “I slept real good. I hate to bother you. I can fix my own coffee, if that’s okay with you.”

  “Yes child, fix your own cup and come out here and watch the sun come up over the trees. We’ll have breakfast with Bill when he gets up.”

  Sammy walked into the room and lay down at Mary’s feet and went back to sleep. Sam joined her and they talked for half an hour before Mary went to fix breakfast and wake up Grumpy for the day.

  “Why do other people call Bill by Grumpy, but you don’t?"

  “Child, only a few people that work with Bill or know him very well call him Grumpy. I married Bill Jones and will always call him Bill, even though he can be a bit grumpy at times.”

  “What made him grumpy?”

  “Sweetheart, he is not always grumpy and he is trying to be more cheery, but sometimes life knocks you down and you just have to get up, put a smile on your face and go about life. Bill and I have lost two children and have just started recovering from those blows. Bill is very conservative politically and was devastated when this current President was elected and then won another term. He thinks that the country is going to hell in a hand basket and it saddens him so much."

  “What about the President makes Bill so unhappy?”

  “Most of the politics are complicated, but I’ll give you a couple of examples. First, there is abortion. The President’s party thinks that it is okay to kill unborn babies.”

  “Killing anyone is wrong, isn’t it?”

  “Yes dear. We think that a baby is a baby, life begins at conception and that babies are not something to dispose of because they are not wanted. Too many couples out there can’t have kids and would gladly adopt these unwanted babies.

  “What are the other examples?”

  “The President and his followers want to take away our rights to keep and bear arms. They say that the USA will be safer if all guns are taken away from the people.”

  “If no one has guns then there wouldn’t be any shootings and no massacres at schools."

  “Sam, there are laws now that were enacted to keep criminals from having guns. No criminal yet has turned in a single gun. Only law-abiding people would turn their guns in to the government if an anti-gun law were imposed. Then the criminals would be able to rob and loot at will.”

  “I guess I didn’t really consider that. Why did he get elected then if he is making such poor decisions?”

  “Bill feels that the liberals buy votes with welfare and government assistance. Enough of that for now; we need to fix breakfast.”

  Grumpy walked down the stairs wearing a t-shirt and shorts and whistled as he walked. He was very happy because Mary had kept her promise about being nice to him. He thought that being nice to Sam and working to help her could be rewarding.

  “Hello ladies. What’s for breakfast for a growing boy?”

  Mary kissed him, patted him on the belly and said, “Now that you are retired, we need to make sure that the boy doesn’t grow too much.”

  Sam sat on a bar stool and watched Mary fix breakfast which consisted of ham, eggs, toast, orange juice and more coffee. She hummed the “Old Rugged Cross” while cooking.

  “Do y’all always eat so much food? I’ll be fat before I leave here.”

  “Sam, you are too skinny,” Mary laughed,

  “This is just a normal meal for an active family. Breakfast is the meal that gets your day started. We usually eat a medium sized lunch and a light supper to finish the day. We won’t fatten you up, but we will make sure that you don’t go hungry.”

  “What about Sammy? Will y’all feed and take care of him?"

  “No. You will feed, take care of and clean u
p after him. We will provide food and toys. Cleaning up his poop and putting his toys away at night will be two of your daily chores.”

  “So, you did want child labor. Well I’m not a slave and I’ll be damned if I’m going to do your work for you.”

  Grumpy started to jump Sam, when Mary stepped in and said, “Sammy is your dog. Do you love him?"

  “Yes.”

  “Well Sammy is no different than a baby. He has to be fed, cleaned up after and played with. If you have a child or a dog, you are responsible for their care. Do you understand what I am saying?”

  “Yes.”

  “Next time you disagree with something, please ask questions before you start smarting off, which is disrespectful.”

  “Okay.”

  “Thanks. You are a beautiful young lady who has to learn who to trust and who not to trust.”

  Sam was very quiet during breakfast while Mary and Grumpy discussed their plans for the day.

  “Sam and I are going to go shopping for some school clothes and a couple of things for me. Bill, do you need anything from town?"

  “I don’t want to go to school. I hate school. They all make fun of me.

  Grumpy ignored Sam and replied, “Check with the garage and see when they are delivering the truck that has my new engine.”

  “I’m not going to school!”

  “Sam, why do you hate school so much?”

  “I just do, and you can’t make me go to school.”

  ***

  Jack stole a car from long-term parking at the Louisville airport, changed the license plate and headed to Cincinnati. He was lonely and needed some companionship.

  “If I can’t have my little darling, I will find another to take care of me until I get her back,” Jack said to himself as he drove up Highway 75 North into Cincinnati. He drove around several high schools and followed kids to their hangouts. He instinctively went for the girls who had no friends and were lonely. Just after dark, he saw a girl leave the library and start walking towards a rundown part of town. He drove ahead of her, parked on a side street and waited behind some bushes just a few feet from his car.

  She had gone to the library to study and get her homework done before going home. She never went home before her mother got home because Larry wanted her to do bad things. He threatened to kill her mom if she told anyone. She was deep in thought when she felt the arm wrap around her and another cover her mouth and nose. She felt a rag and smelled a strong chemical. She passed out quickly.

  Jack dragged her to his car and placed her gently in the trunk, taped her hands, feet and mouth. He then drove carefully back to the cabin.

  ***

  Mary and Sam drove into Louisville and shopped at several department stores. Sam had worn her best clothes and still looked shabby compared to the other girls in the mall. She looked more like a boy than a fifteen-year-old girl. Of course, Sam wanted to go into Victoria Secret and the trendy teen shops, but Mary stuck to Kohl’s and Belk.

  “Here are the teen sized jeans; you are so tiny, let’s try a size four.”

  “I don’t like them, how about these?”

  That’s okay; now let’s pick out a blouse so we can get your size before we start picking clothes."

  Sam didn’t like any of the blouses on the racks and just wanted t-shirts.

  “Look Sam, I’ll buy you some t-shirts, but you need a few nice blouses and a couple of dresses for church.”

  “I ain’t wearing any dresses.”

  “Sam, you are going to want things that I don’t agree with and I will want you to do things that you don’t want to do. Instead of making this a contest, let’s compromise. Pick out three pieces of clothes that you want and I’ll pick out three that I want you to wear.”

  “Okay, I’ll go with that, but can we go to Victoria's Secret and pick one of them?”

  “What could a fifteen year old girl want in that store?”

  “Panties, duh! You might find something that would put a smile on Bill’s face.”

  Mary forced a smile and said, “We will go in there and look, but no promise.”

  “Okay.”

  That’s how the whole morning went. One negotiation after another, until Mary had enough of the constant push back on everything she tried to do for the ungrateful kid.

  They were finished shopping by noon and Mary took Sam to KY Roadhouse for lunch. Mary ordered a club sandwich and a house salad. Sam ordered hot wings, fries and a coke. Mary watched as Sam ate and thought that Sammy had better manners when he dug into his dog food.

  “Samantha, are you always this hungry? You are eating like someone is going to take your food away from you.”

  Sam had a mouth full and said, “I’m hungry and mom never fixed much supper. This is almost as good as your cooking.”

  “Samantha, I want to make you a deal, but first tell me what you wanted at Victoria's Secret."

  Sam leaned across the table and whispered, “Please call me Sam. I want a nice bra.”

  Mary was embarrassed because Sam was flat chested and Mary had not even bought any bras for her.

  “Darling, I’m sorry, I haven’t bought clothes for a girl in a long time, of course you need some bras. What size do you wear?"

  “I don’t know, I never had one but I know mom only bought hers from Victoria's Secret.”

  “Samantha, I’ll take you back to buy you that bra if you’ll let me give you some training in manners and how a young lady should behave in public.”

  “Two bras and it’s a deal.”

  “Okay, two bras and no lip while I work with you on manners.”

  They finished their meal, went to Victoria's Secret and bought Sam two bras. Then Mary brought a bra plus matching panties for all of the bras. Mary took her back to Belk’s and bought her several more of each.

  Later that night Mary modeled her new clothes for Grumpy. Grumpy liked this new Mary. He was trying to figure out what was going on, but he was sure that being nice to Mary had its rewards.

  ***

  Mary woke Sam up for school at 5:30 a.m. to get her dressed for the first day back in class. Since Sam was an early riser, it was easier than Mary remembered with Ann. They had developed a ritual of getting up and drinking their coffee as the sun came up over the forest behind their house.

  “Do you know how to apply makeup?"

  Sam dropped her head and said, “Mom wouldn’t let me wear makeup or dress up in good clothes.”

  “Well, let’s go upstairs and get you fixed up and I’ll show you how to apply it yourself after school.”

  “I hate school. The rich kids always made fun of me and I just didn’t fit. I really don’t want to go. Can’t you home school me?”

  “No darling, you need to go to school. You will be dressed nice and no one will pick on you because of your clothes. I think that you will be with us for several years and I want you prepared for college.”

  They had Sam ready just when Grumpy came down the stairs for breakfast.

  “Sam, is that you? I thought we had a movie star visiting our home. You look great and so grown up. The boys will be chasing you around the school.”

  “I don’t like boys. They are so mean and nasty.”

  Grumpy laughed and joined the girls for breakfast. He noticed that Sam waited until her mouth was empty to talk and she was noticeably more polite.

  “I’ll drop you off at school on my way to the auto parts store this morning. I’ll drop you off each morning or you can ride the bus. Just let me know what you want."

  “I’d like you to take me to school until Jack gets put in jail.”

  “That’s a good point. I want you to be safe and will take you to school and pick you up afterwards. Only Mary and I will ever pick you up from school. If someone else tries, tell your teacher immediately.”

  Grumpy walked towards his new truck when Sam called him back.

  “Can we take the old Ford F1? I really like old trucks and would like to go to school in it instead o
f the new truck.”

  “That’s fine with me. I thought that you might not want to be seen in an old truck with an old man.”

  She replied, “I like old trucks.”

  The drive to school was uneventful and Sam asked many questions about the truck. This was the first time Grumpy and Sam had any meaningful conversation. The time flew and they arrived at school while Grumpy was explaining the difference between a flat head V8 and an overhead valve V8.

  Sam got out of the truck and walked towards the front door. Many of the kids stared at her because they thought she was a new student.

  “Sam, is that you? I didn’t recognize you. You look like a total babe now.”

  “Kathy, I missed you. How are you doing?"

  “I’m fine. We all heard about the wreck and your mom going to jail. Who are you staying with?”

  “I’m with a foster family, Mary and Bill Jones. They are nice, but they are trying to morph me into something perfect, a little beauty queen or something.”

  “Isn’t Bill Jones the man who saved your life and rescued your dog? The story was on Channel 5 for a week.”

  “Yes, but I was okay and doing well by myself. I didn’t need rescuing.”

  They went on into school.

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  Chapter 12

  Bill did not have to be prodded to say grace before supper and Mary was impressed.

  “Thank you Lord for this food as it nourishes our bodies and our many blessings. Bless our troops overseas, keep them safe and bring them home to their loved ones. Amen.”

  “Bill, you are getting better and I am proud of you. This is a great example for Sam."

  Sammy barked and jumped on Mary’s leg. She gave him a small piece of chicken and he went back to Sam’s feet.