Kappy King and the Pickle Kaper

by Amy Lillard

  Edie bit her lip. “I don’t know.”

  “We have to have a plan.”

  More loud drumbeats. More precious seconds lost.

  And time was up.

  Baby Sister had finished their song. The crowd cheered and clapped. Edie grabbed her hand and dragged Kappy around to the back of the outdoor stage.

  Jeff and his friends were coming off the stage, all smiles and high-fives.

  “Dude, we nailed it.” The blond-haired drummer clacked his sticks together as if he was still playing.

  “If we don’t win this thing, you know it’s rigged.” That came from the brown-haired piano player.

  As Edie and Kappy drew closer to them, it became apparent that Jeff was the only one not celebrating what the rest of the band considered to be a great success.

  “What’s the matter, J?” One of the band members patted Jeff on the shoulder.

  He shook his head.

  “Still worried about telling your old man you’d rather be a rock star than a highbrow classical composer?”

  “Cut it out,” Jeff said. He scratched his wig. He wore a pinafore dress, no-heel black shoes with buckle straps across the instep, and ankle socks with ruffles.

  Kappy didn’t know much about music, but she had a feeling that Pete the auto-body repairman with his man’s man attitude would not approve of his son’s choice of gimmicks.

  “You are going to tell him, right? That we’re heading to Hollywood after graduation.”

  Jeff shook his head, but not hard enough for it to be considered an answer. “There’s just a lot going on right now.”

  “Uh-huh. This have anything to do with your sister?”

  Jeff’s expression grew dark. “Leave my sister out of this.”

  “Dude, I like your sister. And I would totally date her if she would forget about that Amish guy she’s been hanging around with.”

  “The Amish guy is history.”

  The closer Kappy and Edie drew to the boys, the harder it was to figure out a reason why they were inching closer like stalkers.

  “Hey. You guys were awesome!” Edie gushed, flouncing toward the group of boys as if they were her teenage idols come to life. “Can I have your autograph?”

  The boys all jerked to attention, each one swinging their gaze to take in all of Edie’s loud ensemble and brightly colored hair.

  “Uh, sure.”

  “Awesome,” Edie gushed. “I think I’m a little older than their average fan,” she said so only Kappy could hear.

  “You think?”

  “Stay here,” Edie said from the corner of her mouth. She moved closer to the band while Kappy held back.

  “Do you have a pen?” one member asked.

  As far as Kappy could tell, she didn’t have any paper, either.

  “As a matter of fact . . .” Edie held up a permanent black marker. “Anywhere,” she invited, holding her arms out at her sides. “Pick your place, boys.”

  The band members gathered around her, but their conversation about Jeff’s sister came to a close.

  “I’ve never signed anyone’s shirt before,” the brown-haired piano player said.

  “Me either,” said another band member. Kappy thought he was the drummer. “At least not while they were still wearing it.”

  “Groovy outfit,” one of the guys said.

  “Great hair,” another added.

  Kappy rolled her eyes. That was all Edie needed: encouragement for her crazy style.

  “Thanks.” She gave them a sweet smile.

  Edie stood patiently while they signed her shirt. Other than autographs, Kappy had no idea what her plan was. If she had a plan. And Kappy hoped she did.

  “You look familiar.” Jeff stopped signing her shirt, pulling away so he could look at Edie from a different angle.

  “I get that a lot.” Edie scoffed. “I guess I have an average face.”

  “And less-than-average clothes,” he muttered. He looked as if he was about to start signing her shirt again, but he stopped before he actually touched the pen to fabric. He looked around and spotted Kappy.

  Something flashed in his eyes. Something that told her he remembered who they were.

  “You came out to my house the other day.”

  “Whoa, dude. A stalker.”

  “Killer,” one of the others said.

  “I, uh . . . Oh, yeah. I remember now. I went out there to see about your father repairing my car for me,” Edie told him.

  Jeff’s eyes narrowed. “Your car looked fine to me.”

  “Well, you know,” Edie stuttered. “In case I ever need a body repairman. I’m new to the area.”

  Jeff swung his gaze to Kappy. “But you’re not.” His eyes widened as if he had finally put the last piece into the puzzle and was shocked by the picture he saw.

  “You . . . you . . .” He dropped the pen and backed away from Edie, shaking his head as he continued his retreat. He stopped, sucked in a deep breath, then ran.

  “Dude, what is up with you?”

  His band mates called after him, but he didn’t slow his steps.

  Kappy took off after him with Edie close behind. The band seemed to have delayed her and Kappy had the jump on her friend by at least twenty feet.

  “Jeff, stop!” Kappy called. “We just want to talk.”

  He didn’t reply. He didn’t even look back to see how close she was, he just ran.

  Edie pounded the ground behind her, but even with her longer strides, she wasn’t able to catch up.

  “Call nine-one-one,” Kappy called to anyone who was listening. “Call Jack Jones.”

  She wasn’t sure if anyone was doing as she asked as she flew by.

  The boy had legs like a deer, and Kappy was beginning to get winded. But she couldn’t quit. He had killed Sally June for whatever reason, and she owed it to the young girl to bring him to justice.

  Jeff glanced back to see how close she was to him, then he skidded to a stop.

  Jack Jones was standing directly in front of them, merely waiting for her to deliver Jeff to him.

  But Jeff wasn’t going down easy. He looked back at Kappy, then took off to the left, darting through the crowd. His long black wig streamed behind him like smoke from a tailpipe.

  As if they knew he was coming, the crowd parted and allowed Jeff to dash along. Behind her, Jack’s footfalls had joined Edie’s as they all three chased the boy through the music lovers gathered in the park. Jeff seemed to be getting away.

  Kappy only had one choice. She leapt toward him, barely catching the back of his dress in one hand. She wasn’t a big person, but the velocity plus the fact that he was running mixed with her weight and she tumbled on top of Jeff Baldwin, bringing him to the ground.

  He landed with an “Oof.”

  Kappy pushed herself up into a sitting position, though she was right on top of the teenager.

  “Get off me,” he yelled. But Kappy wasn’t budging. Despite her smaller size, she had the upper hand. Jeff could squirm all he wanted, but she wasn’t moving off him.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Jack practically roared as he came upon them.

  “That was the coolest thing ever!” Edie was breathless, a huge smile spreading across her face.

  “Is somebody going to get him?” Kappy asked.

  Jack and Edie were in motion once again. Edie helped Kappy to her feet while Jack hoisted Jeff to his. He snapped handcuffs on to the teen.

  “Am I under arrest?” the boy asked.

  “You bet your sweet boots you are.” Jack recited a bunch of rights and instructions to him.

  Everyone around them had stopped to watch, gap-mouthed, as Jack handed the teen over to a uniformed officer who had just arrived. Jeff Baldwin had tears on his cheeks. His chin trembled, and he sniffed.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, shaking his head. “I didn’t mean to hurt her.”

  “You don’t have to talk, son,” the uniformed officer said.

  “It was my
father,” he cried. “I did it so he would be proud of me.”

  After hearing Pete Baldwin sing his son’s praises as if he were the Eighth Wonder of the World, how could Jeff feel that his father wasn’t proud of him?

  “I just wanted him to accept my music. I wanted him to be so proud of me for keeping Jennifer away from that Amish boy that he wouldn’t care what kind of music we played or how we dressed.”

  “Son, really.” Another uniformed officer had come up.

  “You don’t need to say another word.”

  Jeff Baldwin was crying as they led him away.

  “That was impressive.” Kappy turned her attention to Jack.

  “What?”

  “How did you know to come here?” She had been calling out for someone to call him, but there was no way enough time had passed between her request and him showing up.

  “You’re not the only one around here who can solve crimes. In fact, some of us get paid to do just that.”

  Edie propped her hands on her hips. “That doesn’t sound very grateful. We just helped you solve the biggest crime around here in . . . well, a month or two at least, and all you can do is criticize?”

  “First of all . . .” Jack took a step toward her. Only Edie’s own above-average height kept him from towering over her. “No one helped me do anything.”

  “I gave you my phone so you could read the texts.”

  “You should have done that weeks ago. When you first got them.”

  Kappy rolled her eyes as they continued to argue. Wasn’t the important thing that Sally June’s killer had been caught? She grabbed Edie’s arm. The gesture must have taken her by surprise for she stumbled backward and allowed Kappy to pull her along, even as she continued to fuss with Jack.

  Finally, she stopped and walked of her own accord. But her arguing didn’t cease. “I mean, really! Who does he think he is? We have just as much right to protect our community.”

  Did they? Kappy had no idea.

  “He can’t come over here and criticize us. We did what we had to do, and if it weren’t for us, he wouldn’t have Jeff Baldwin in custody.”

  She supposed that was somewhat true. Maybe mostly true. But she had no words to calm Edie’s anger. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s go home.”

  * * *

  “You really should let him get a goat.”

  “And a pig?” Edie asked. She rolled her eyes. It had been hours since they left the Battle of the Bands contest at the park, and Edie’s frustration with Jack hadn’t diminished. Kappy needed to head home and feed Elmer, but she wanted to make sure Edie was in a happy place before she left. “Not a chance.”

  Maybe happy was too strong of a word. Perhaps she should shoot for less homicidal.

  They were sitting on the porch as the sun began its drop in the sky. Jimmy had gone to feed the puppies and the rest of the critters he adored so much.

  “Are you going to help him?” Edie grumped.

  “He doesn’t need my help, and you know it.”

  “Needing help or not . . .”

  “You should be proud, not grumpy. We helped the police catch a killer.”

  “Oh, sure we did. We chased him, you tackled him, and they took all the credit.”

  “The important thing is Sally June’s killer is off the streets.” There was one thing Kappy knew for certain and that was a lot of Amish people would feel a bit safer as they traveled the roads in the upcoming weeks.

  “I guess. But that look on Jack’s face! Who is he to tell us that we had no right to be there?”

  Kappy turned over a couple of answers in her head, but none seemed appropriate. They were all true, but she wasn’t sure that Edie needed reminding that Jack was the real deal while they were playing at solving crimes.

  But before she had the chance to come up with an answer that wouldn’t be like pouring gasoline on the fire of Edie’s temper, the man himself pulled up.

  “What’s he doing here?”

  “I wouldn’t know,” Kappy said. She was not falling into that trap again.

  They remained there on the porch as Jack got out of his car and came to the edge of the yard.

  “I just wanted you to know that we still have Jeffrey Baldwin in custody. He’s a couple of weeks from turning eighteen, but the DA is asking to try him as an adult.”

  A shiver ran through Kappy. A young boy who had so much going for him. It was tragic. But it could easily be argued that Sally June Esh had as much if not more going for her, depending on your perspective.

  “For murder?” Edie’s eyes widened.

  “Involuntary manslaughter. He claims that he didn’t mean to kill her or even hurt her. Well, Jonah. You know what I mean. He thought it was Jonah until he was already engaged in the accident. By then it was too late to turn back. He wanted to scare Jonah into leaving his sister alone. But when he pulled up alongside the buggy, he was shocked to find Sally June there. The turn of events rattled him so much that he forced her off the road. Once he realized how serious it was, he panicked and ran.

  “I figure the judge will go easy on him. He’s just a kid seeking the approval of others.” Jack shook his head. “Too sad, any way you look at it.” He stared off into the distance, then turned back to the two of them. “Anyway, I thought you would want to know.”

  Kappy nodded.

  But Edie shook her head. “Then who was sending me all those text messages?”

  “Jonah Esh,” Jack said. “Though by way of Willie Lapp.”

  “What?” Edie exclaimed.

  “Willie came forward last night. Apparently, he was out the morning of the accident, meeting with the person who was to help him leave. He saw the wreck and hid out in the Eshes’ barn. I guess he didn’t want anyone to find him since he was a witness.”

  “He probably thought he would be next,” Edie mused.

  Jack nodded. “He was giving Jonah all the details, not knowing Jonah was turning around and texting you.”

  Kappy thought back to each one. They had read into it what they wanted to see, when Jonah had been pleading for direction.

  “I still don’t know how he got my cell number,” Edie said. Jack gave a small shrug. “It’s not so hard if you really want it.”

  “I suppose,” Edie murmured.

  “He was trying to help,” Jack explained, “not muddy the waters.”

  Edie let out a low whistle. “Just wait till the bishop finds out he has a cell phone.”

  “Oh.” Jack patted at his pockets as if he couldn’t remember what was in each one. Then he produced Edie’s cell phone from the one at his hip. “I guess you’ll be wanting this back.”

  “I can have it now?”

  He nodded and handed it to her. Amazing, but that little handheld device did wonders for her attitude. “We have Jonah’s phone with all the original texts to your number.”

  “Thank you,” she murmured. For once Edie was near speechless.

  “I guess I’ll be going.” Jack gave them each a small wave and started for his car.

  “Wait,” Edie called.

  Jack turned around. “Yeah?”

  “Would you like to stay for supper?”

  He hesitated.

  “We’re having fried chicken and gravy,” she added. “And maybe strawberries, if I can get Jimmy to try them this time.”

  That last bit made Jack smile. “I’d like that,” he said. “I’d like that very much.”

  Epilogue

  “Kappy! Kappy! Kappy!”

  Kappy was in her side yard tending the last of her vegetable garden when Jimmy came running up her drive.

  “Back here,” she called. She stood and dusted off the skirt of her apron that had taken the brunt of her kneeling position in the dirt. Elmer set to howling his little heart out, but the minute he realized that Jimmy was not alone, he tucked tail and ran for shelter behind Kappy. He stuck his head out and growled, but remained under her protection the entire time.

  “Look! Look! Look!”
The smile on Jimmy’s face was as big as all of Pennsylvania and half of Ohio. In one hand he held two leashes. There was a baby goat at the end of each one. “Edie got me goats! And she said in a week or two that we could go talk to Nancy and Daniel Esh about a couple of pigs.”

  That was big news, huge, but Kappy didn’t want to ask what it meant for them. Was Edie staying in Blue Sky?

  “Well?”

  Kappy turned as Edie sauntered up, looking quite satisfied with herself. “Does this mean . . . ?”

  Edie gave one of her half-shrugs. “I guess I can stay around a while.”

  “This doesn’t have anything to do with having supper with Jack Jones the other night, does it?”

  Edie scoffed and blew a raspberry. “Of course not. I just . . . well, maybe a little. We’re just friends,” she clarified. “And you, too. The entire time I was out of Blue Sky I never had one friend as good as the two of you are to me and Jimmy. I would be dumb to walk away from that.”

  Kappy had a feeling there was a lot more to it than that, but she wasn’t calling her friend out on what had influenced her decision. It didn’t have to be said out loud to be true. Edie liked it in Blue Sky. She might not have felt like she fit in all those years ago, but she was Englisch now, and the community was changing, growing. Why, before long they might even be as big and progressive as the Amish there in Lancaster County.

  Or not.

  She smiled a little to herself.

  “I’m glad you’re staying,” she said. “If only for a little while.”

  “Me too.”

  “Are you glad I got goats?” Jimmy asked.

  “Very glad.” She smiled at Jimmy.

  “And I’m glad everything has settled down.”

  But with the annual pie-baking contest and the county festival coming up in a couple of weeks, Kappy knew anything could happen in Blue Sky.