Fatal Catch

by Roxe Anne

  It was a full moon out last night. Maybe some bats flew down and took Mama and Aunt May off to some far away cave. I sure wish we knew if Mama is with Aunt May and they are all right. Dracula might have them by now. Maybe they are even his brides like in the movies. I wouldn’t want anyone to have to put a stake through my Mama’s heart.

  • • •

  With Mama not being home, Katie decides she is our boss. She bosses Billie and me the first thing. Sometimes I think Katie thinks she is our mother.

  “You kids go make your beds. I’ll make us some breakfast. Do you want oatmeal or cream of wheat and toast?”

  I love cream of wheat, but you can’t ever get that stuff off your bowls if you let your dishes set for a while.

  “I want oatmeal, how about you, Billie?” I suggest to him, thinking about doing the dishes later, knowing he copies me.

  “I want oatmeal, too. Can we have some of Mama’s plum jelly on our toast?” Billie asks. “Where is Mama, Katie? Did she have to go to work early?”

  “I don’t know. I think she must still be fishing. She probably lost track of time if those fish are biting good.”

  “Yeah, I sure wish I was fishing with her. She’s probably caught Old Moe by now.” Billie slumps down into his kitchen chair pouting. “I thought I caught Old Moe, but he turned out to be some dead man!”

  We eat our breakfast in silence. Everyone is wondering where Mama really is. I sure hope she comes home soon. Frank looked crazy when he left our house last night.

  Katie worries about Mama all morning. After dishes, she waits by the phone. She tries calling Aunt May several times, but there is still no answer.

  She tries calling Grandma Irene, but Roy says she is out working in her garden and he will have her call later. Work is always more important to him than the family, except Caroline.

  Katie even tries calling the Dixon Inn, but their line is busy. She thinks about calling Uncle Riley, but if Mama is just fishing and he sends his deputies to look for her, Mama will ground her for life. Besides, if Frank and Mama are fighting they might just take us kids away from her and send us to the orphanage.

  “Maybe we should try calling Sammy. He might know where Frank is at least,” I say.

  “I don’t want that man to know Mama isn’t home. Have you forgotten about what he tried to do to us?”

  “No, I guess that was a bad idea!”

  “It sure was! I forgive you. I know you are only trying to help.”

  Billie’s stomach is growling. “Do you think Mama will be home for supper tonight, Katie?”

  Katie tries dialing Aunt May again, but with no luck. “We’ll just have to wait and see.”

  I have some money saved from babysitting. Do you guys want to take a walk along the river with Sandy and me? Then we can go to Candy’s General Store for ice cream.”

  Billie and I just look at each other. Neither of us want anything to do with walking along the river by the dock even if it is to see if Mama is fishing there. “Mama will probably be home soon. I’d rather wait for her, wouldn’t you, Billie?”

  “Yeah, I’d rather wait here. I don’t want to take a walk by the river today either.”

  “Okay, but if you guys change your mind and want to go for ice cream, let me know. I think I’ll try calling the restaurant again and see if they know where Mama might be.”

  Finally, Katie gets through to Dixon Inn. One of the waitresses answers the phone and tells Katie that Mama took a couple of days off for vacation. She never told any of us we were going on vacation. Usually, we spend our vacation at Castle Rock if she has time off from work. Mama told us she needs to work all she can to pay the bills.

  Katie washes the counter for the third time. “Mama better bring home a lot of fish for making us do all this worrying.”

  Mama doesn’t arrive home for lunch. She doesn’t even arrive home by supper. She has never stayed away for a whole night and day before. I don’t think she even took enough bait to fish this long. Of course, she can go into the river and catch some crawdads or minnows, but Mama usually prefers to use chicken liver to catch catfish. Sometimes she uses night crawlers, but not as much during the day.

  “I’m hungry. What are we going to have for supper, Katie?” Billie asks.

  “I don’t know, how about tomato soup and tuna sandwiches?”

  “Boy, if Mama was home we would be eating her fried catfish instead of tuna!”

  “Tuna will have to do for tonight. We can’t wait for Mama forever and we don’t have anything else thawed out!”

  “Billie, why don’t you open the cans of tuna and Missy can show you how to make it while I make our soup.”

  Billie starts to open the cans of tuna when Katie suddenly starts yelling at him. “Billie, your hands are filthy! Go wash your hands before you touch anything else. You too, Missy. Now!”

  Billie heads to the bathroom crying. “You didn’t have to yell at me. I’m just a little kid. I sure wish Mama was home.”

  “Come here, Billie. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you. I’m just worried about Mama. Can I give you a hug? Do you forgive me?”

  “I guess so. Do I still get to make the tuna?”

  “Sure, but wash your hands first.”

  Just as Billie returns from the bathroom, the kitchen door opens. At first, we think it is Mama, but Sandy knows different. She growls and shows her teeth. It is old Frank, and he looks meaner than an old grizzly bear.

  “Have you kids seen or heard from your Mama? She wasn’t at work last night and she wasn’t at work this morning. If you know where she is, you best tell me now before I do something you will regret. I told you kids to keep your dog away from me!”

  “Billie, go tie Sandy to the clothesline and stay outside with her until I call you for supper.”

  “Okay, I’m going. Come on, Sandy, before you get into trouble with Frank!” Sandy follows Billie out into the back yard with her tail wagging the whole way. She won’t be wagging her tail for long when she finds out Billie is going to tie her up.

  “Now you better tell me where Dot is. I don’t want to hear any more lies from either of you!”

  Katie leans on the counter. Her tan face pales. “We don’t know where Mama is! She told us she was going fishing with Aunt May and that Aunt May wanted to talk to her about something private!”

  “Is that true, Missy?”

  “That’s all I know. I haven’t seen Mama since yesterday. I’m worried!”

  “Your Mama better be with your Aunt May or the next time I see her I will kill her and whoever she is with. Do you hear me? You better tell her I’m looking for her if you know where she’s at. I’m going to go to May’s and see if she’s there or if she knows where Dot is. If she’s not there, I’m coming back here and I’m going to kill all you brats and that mangy dog of yours!” Frank slams the screen door so hard he breaks the spring.

  “Do you think Frank will kill us and Mama, too?” I ask. I begin crying, frightened of what Frank might do. His ex-wife said she thought he already killed the man Billie and I fished out of the river!

  “I don’t know, Missy. Frank smells like a brewery. Maybe he’s just drunk and doesn’t know what he’s saying. If we’re lucky, maybe he’ll drink some more beer and pass out somewhere. We better not take any chances. We better eat our supper quick and hide somewhere just in case he does come back. Missy, tell Billie to leave Sandy tied up. We don’t want her to get in Frank’s way if he does return!”

  Walking to go get Billie, I tell Katie, “I sure wish Mama hadn’t gone fishing!”

  “I wish she hadn’t gone, too.” Katie replies.

  Chapter Twenty

  Katie tries calling Aunt May but the line is busy. Then she tries calling Grandma Irene again. There is no answer at her house.

  “Grandma’s usually home. Why do you think she doesn’t answer, Katie?” I ask.

  “You know Roy. He makes Grandma work from sunup to sundown. He never lets her rest. Not even on Su
nday!”

  “What about Aunt May?” Billie asks, not having heard any of the other conversations.

  “Aunt May’s phone is busy. Maybe they took their phone off the hook so they don’t have to talk to Frank,” Katie suggests, trying not to alarm him.

  “I’m really scared! Do you think Frank will come back and get us?”

  “I’m afraid too, Billie. I think Frank’s really dangerous!”

  “Why don’t we try calling Charlie? Maybe he will protect us,” Billie suggests to Katie.

  “You know, Billie that is a great idea. I should have thought of it myself. Thanks! I’ll call him now; let’s cross our fingers he’s home.”

  Katie dials Charlie’s number. She lets it ring several times, but still no one answers.

  Billie asks, “Now what are we going to do, Katie?”

  “We better hurry up and finish our supper before Frank comes back. Then we better clean up this mess. We don’t want to make Mama mad, too if she comes home soon.”

  We finish cleaning up the kitchen and then we take turns going to the bathroom. Katie tells us to pretend we are going on a primitive camping trip out in the woods without Mama, no bathrooms, no water, no tents. We will have to take a thermos of water and something already prepared in a can to eat.

  “You kids change your clothes and put something dark on. You can wear brown, dark blue or black. Just don’t wear anything with light colors. It will make it easier for Frank to find us in the dark.”

  “Why don’t we just call Uncle Riley, Katie?” I ask.

  “Remember what the police said the last time Mama and Frank fought!”

  Billie is frightened, but I don’t think he knows the real danger we are in. And he thinks hiding from old Frank is a new adventure.

  “Katie, can we pretend we are fishing and take some cans of sardines in mustard sauce with us to eat?”

  “I suppose, but I think it might be fun to pretend we are bird watching. We will have to all be real quiet and see how many different species we can spot.”

  “I’d rather pretend we are fishing! I don’t want to spot any old dumb birds, and you have to be quiet when you are fishing so you don’t scare the fish away.”

  “How about we take a jar of Mama’s pickles with us to eat along with your sardines? Missy, go give Sandy some food and water. Make sure she’s tied up real good to the clothesline so she doesn’t get loose. Hurry up before Frank gets back. We’ll meet you behind the bushes by the back porch.”

  There are a lot of thick bushes close to our house. Frank won’t be able to see us, but we will be able to keep an eye on the house in case Mama or Frank comes back.

  “I wish Sandy could be with us. Can’t we tie her to one of the bushes close?”

  “Now, Billie, that won’t work. Her barking will give us away. Frank will know exactly where we are!”

  “Katie, do you think Mama’s ever going to come home again?”

  “I hope so, Billie. I sure miss her. I’m even tired of giving you kids’ orders.” She laughs.

  “I hope we never have any more uncles. I hate having to sit behind these bushes because we are afraid of what old Frank might do to us if he finds us!”

  Katie sighs. “I don’t like sitting on this dirty ground either, but we have no choice. I don’t want any more whining. I’m doing the best I can!”

  We can hear birds singing. Flies are buzzing around us. We watch the ants crawling on the ground and hear crickets rubbing their legs together to sing. We are aware of every noise around us. All we can do is watch for Mama to return home or Frank to come back and kill us. The thought of Frank makes the hair on my arms stand straight up. Soon it will be dark. There are no snakes slithering around on the ground near us now, but how will we watch for them in the dark. The only snake that will probably be dangerous anyway will be old Frank.

  We just sit there waiting, watching, and hoping Mama returns home before Frank does. Maybe if we are lucky, he might find another woman to move in with.

  “Can we eat our sardines now? I want to pretend we are fishing and caught our supper. You can pretend that you cooked them, Katie.”

  “Okay, how would you like your fish cooked, with mustard sauce or fried in beer?”

  “I’d like mine in mustard sauce, please!”

  “If you don’t mind, I’ll just eat some pickles. Anyone else want a pickle?” Katie asks. “Maybe later, our fish is enough for now,” Billie and I say, licking the mustard sauce off of our fingers.

  “What are we supposed to do with our garbage?” we ask.

  “Just give it to me. I’ll throw it at the edge of the bushes to keep the bugs away from us. I’m sure the smell of those sardines will attract flies. It’s a good thing that Frank doesn’t have a nose like Sandy’s. He’d find you two just from the smell!”

  “Yeah, we smell almost as good as the river on a hot day, don’t we, Missy?”

  “I guess we do smell like rotten fish. We can’t even wash our hands off or brush our teeth.”

  It is uncomfortable sitting on the hard ground, with nothing to do but wait. Mama has never been gone this long. It is getting dark and a breeze has picked up. The ground is cooling off and getting damp. It sends shivers through my body.

  “I wish we thought to bring some pillows and blankets with us. Can we run in the house and get some blankets, Katie?”

  “No! Are you crazy? Frank could come back anytime. You’ll just have to sit here and wait for Mama to come home!”

  “Do we have any blankets hanging out on the clothesline?”

  “I don’t think so, Missy. We do have some throw rugs on the line we could lay on. You keep Billie here and I’ll sneak over and get the rugs.”

  Katie crawls to the clothesline. We see Sandy wagging her tail at Katie. Sandy thinks she is going to let her loose to be with us. If Frank comes home now, he surely will suspect we are out in the back yard.

  It takes two trips for Katie to get all the rugs. We each have a couple of rugs to sit on and one to wrap around our shoulders. They aren’t as soft as blankets, but they will keep the chill off and make the hard ground a bit softer.

  “This is just like waiting for a fish to bite. Isn’t it, Missy?”

  “Sure is! You have to sit and wait quietly for both.”

  “How many fish have you caught now, Missy?”

  “I have only caught one small fish. My fish keep getting away!” I say, thinking about old Frank’s big lips and how I wish Mama hadn’t reeled him in. And I hope he doesn’t end up being Mama’s fatal catch!

  The moon is full and bright orange. This makes it easier to see each others’ face. If we aren’t careful, it will make it easier for Frank to see us, too. Bats are flying around at the top of our trees. Katie tells us to keep our hair covered up with the rugs so the bats don’t get tangled up in our hair. I am hoping those bats stay away from us and don’t turn into vampires and carry us away. I sure wish Katie hadn’t taken us to the outdoor theater to see that Dracula movie. I also wish Mama was here to give us all a big hug and kiss. I want her to protect us from old Frank. She just has to be alive!

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Katie tries keeping Billie quiet. We have been sitting out on these rugs for several hours, and he is bored. It is getting harder to quietly entertain him. His patience has run out as well as ours.

  “Katie, can I sneak into the house and get some of my army men to play with?”

  “No! Frank might come home and find you. Now sit still and be quiet. If you can’t do that, then lay on your rug and go to sleep.”

  A barn owl is checking our yard out for any small critters to eat. The neighbors’ dogs are busy letting Sandy know what is going on in the neighborhood.

  “Shh…listen. Do you hear something, Missy?” Katie whispers softly.

  We hear something or someone walking in our yard, and they are getting close to our hiding spot. Sandy is growling and showing her teeth. A twig snaps not far from us and then another and anot
her. It sounds like something is walking along the edge of the bushes stepping on the brush pile Mama just made trimming. We hear a loud crack. Whatever is breaking the sticks has to be large.

  “Missy, Billie, get ready to run if it is Frank.” Katie whispers loudly.

  Another twig snaps closer this time. Frank must be waiting for just the right moment to attack us; waiting like a lion stalking its prey.

  “I’m scared, Katie! Shouldn’t we run and hide?” Billie asks frightened.

  “Not yet. Not until I yell, run,” Katie tries whispering quieter this time but her voice just becomes louder.

  Sandy’s teeth look bright white in the dark. She has her rope stretched as tight as she can get it trying to get at whatever or whoever is approaching us.

  Another twig snaps. Katie grabs Billie and me, and holds on to us as tight as she can, almost choking us to death. Katie lets out an ear piercing scream. We see two eyes glaring at us in the dark. “Look, it’s not Frank! It’s just a little old raccoon finishing your mustard sauce in those sardine cans!” She fell back down on the ground and started roaring with laughter. Then she puts her head between her knees and begins crying.

  “Katie, it is just a little raccoon. You don’t need to cry. It will be okay!” Billie tells her, giving her a hug and patting her shoulder.

  “It’s not that, Billie. It could have been Frank and he could have killed you both. It would be my fault for not protecting you better.” Katie gives us both a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “You two sit quiet. I’m going to throw those cans of sardines far away from these bushes. We don’t need any more raccoons scaring us. Whatever you do, stay behind these bushes and don’t say a word.”

  It doesn’t take Katie long to throw those cans away. We don’t need any old raccoons giving our hiding place away. When she comes back, she gives us both another hug. That’s the most hugs Katie has ever given me.

  “Billie, we have to be real quiet now. If you want, you can go to sleep for a while. We’ll wake you up when Mama comes home.”

  “I think I will. I’m tired,” he says yawning.