Shaking herself out of her musings, she walked to her garage. She was glad to have her car back after a long winter. Granny sighed in happiness as she stepped into her garage. Until….there was no car! Where was her car? Did she forget it somewhere? She’d had it yesterday, hadn’t she?”
Granny paced back and forth in the empty garage. No, it should be here! Her friends had taken her out through the underground streets the other day on her birthday. Her car should be here. Where was her car?
The tooting of a horn outside her garage got Granny’s attention. She pushed the button to open the garage door. There in front of her garage was Amelia––in Granny’s car!
Granny rushed over to the car and opened the driver’s side door of the car. “You stole my car! What next? And to think I was going to help you find your son. You’re a thief; Amelia! You stole my car just like you stole Robert Blackford from me!”
Amelia exited the car, pushing Granny back so Amelia had room to stand. Looking Granny straight in the eye, she said, “I did not steal your car, Granny. You left it in front of my house during the night.”
“I did no such thing! I was at the police station all night. I can prove it. I have an alibi. It’s called interrogation.”
“You were at the police station? Why? This is your car, right?” asked Amelia.
“You stole my car!” cried Granny.
“No……you left it in front of my house with the keys in it,” repeated Amelia. “You just forgot. I have heard from others that you’re a little forgetful. Did I hear some talk of the wrinkle farm?”
Granny skewered Amelia with a glowering look as she scooted past her and sat down in the driver’s seat. “If you want a ride, Amelia, get in. I’m going to be late.”
Amelia hurried around the side of the car and hopped into the passenger side. “Where are we going?”
“You’re going home since it’s right across the street from Racks. I’m going to Racks!”
“Tell you what, Granny, I’ll go with you and you can tell me why you might end up in an orange jumpsuit. Not really your color though,” Amelia observed.
Granny raised her eyebrows before answering, “Fine, but I’m meeting Woodly Spackle to discuss some plans. We can’t murder each other in public so it’s probably a good place for you to tell me why you stole the love of my life. Don’t talk until we get there, though. I have to concentrate on my driving.”
Granny backed out of the driveway, came to a complete stop, then stomped on the foot pedal and peeled off down the street, screeching her tires.
Amelia had a look of terror in her eyes as they came to the first intersection. She was barely able to squeak out a scream and then, closing her eyes and gripping the arm rest, she suggested, “Perhaps I should drive, Granny.”
“I said, don’t talk––I’m concentrating.” Granny rounded the curve, avoided the ice cream truck that was turning a corner a block down, tore around Fuchsia Town Square twice for fun, and took a short cut down a one-way street before turning into Rack’s parking lot, and bringing the car to a complete halt.
“Now you can talk,” Granny said.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“That’s a beautiful tree over there in the parking lot. You should have parked under it; it would have kept the car cool,” Amelia suggested, referring to the unique willow-like tree in the corner of the lot.
“Yep, gorgeous tree; it’s the best place to park your car late in the afternoon,” Granny advised with a smirk on her face, not telling her sister that the tree had unique properties. When darkness descended, the tree folded down on anything that was under it, and the car would be stuck until morning. “You should try it sometime; it’s said to be good luck if you park there late in the afternoon. It’s good karma. A canopy of warmth covers your vehicle and keeps you safe until morning.”
Granny got out of the car and headed for the door of Rack’s Restaurant, leaving Amelia to scramble out of the car to keep up with her sister.
Once inside, Granny headed for her favorite booth towards the back of the restaurant. It had a view of the street so Granny could keep her eagle eye trained on the happenings outside. Amelia scooted in next to Granny in the booth.
“You can’t sit across from me?” asked Granny.
“You said you were meeting someone. I thought it would be easier. You don’t want Franklin seeing you having supper with a strange man.” Amelia gave Granny an innocent smile.
“Hi, Granny, I’d heard there were two of you. Does she eat like you?” asked the waitress.
“Amelia, this is Gretchen. Tell her what you like to eat and she’ll remember it. And if you have to hide what you eat from your family, she’ll help you there too.” Granny was referring to the fact that when she was eating with her family, they always ordered her healthy food but she preferred fried chicken, fried onion rings, mashed potatoes and gravy, and a chocolate desert.
Amelia smiled at Gretchen, “I’d like fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, fried onion rings and––do you have pork rinds?”
“No, no pork rinds for her! Amelia! A porky gave his life for those pork rinds!” Granny protested.
“I’ll have the fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy––no, scratch that!” Granny said, scratching her head as she used those words. “I’ll have the Caesar Salad and a bowl of vegetable soup.”
Gretchen gave Granny a shocked look. “Are your children here somewhere?” She turned and looked to see if she spotted them.
“No, but a chicken gave his life too for our fried chicken,” Granny reminded them both.
Confused, Gretchen nodded her head. “Okay…I’ll get your order, ladies.”
As Gretchen walked away, Woodly Spackle eased past her and slid into the booth across from Granny and Amelia.
With a frown, he stared at the two women. “Okay, which one of you is Granny?”
Granny and Amelia both grinned and said at the same time, “Me!” Laughing, they looked at one another.
Granny turned to Woodly and said, “We always did that to everyone when we were young, especially to our boyfriends. They never knew who they were taking out, and we never told them.”
Realizing what she’d just said, the stern look came back on Granny’s face. “Of course, that was a long time ago. Let’s get down to business, Woodly. I want you to build me a unique small house next to mine towards the woods. I want it attached by a cute hallway to my kitchen. I will draw up the plans myself and get them to you. When can you start?”
“Next year?” suggested Woodly.
“Woodly Spackle, I happen to know that you dated the mayor’s daughter. And she had the key to the mayor’s office. You two would steal in there at night and who knows what went on. I’m sure I could convince the mayor that I know what went on. And I happen to know that you’re still dating the mayor’s daughter, even though she’s Jack Puffleman’s wife, and––you’re still meeting at night in the mayor’s office.” Granny tapped her fingers on the table.
Woodly Spackle looked around to make sure that no one had heard what Granny had just said. When he was satisfied that his escapades with the mayor’s daughter were still a secret, he turned to Granny, “I can start next week. You get me the plans.”
Granny smiled. “Excellent.”
“Well, uh I have to be going. See you next week.” Woodly hurriedly left the booth and walked out of Rack’s, but not before looking around to make sure the mayor or his wife were not in the vicinity.
Amelia turned and gave Granny a raised eyebrow look, while nodding her head in agreement, she said, “Now that was creative.”
“It gets better. Can you keep a secret?” Granny asked in a hushed voice.
“You didn’t know I was dating Robert Blackford, did you?”
Granny skewered her twin with a piercing look. “It wouldn’t matter if I told the mayor that Woodly is seeing his daughter, because the mayor is seeing Woodly’s wife, even though she’s a decade younger than Horatio! It’s a wonder
they haven’t run into each other at night in the mayor’s office. It appears to be the spot to be hot.”
Gretchen arrived at that moment with their meal, setting the plates down in front of the two women. Amelia slid out of the booth, moving across from Granny, so they could look each other in the eye as they ate and talked about their past.
Amelia took a bite out of her mashed potatoes before she thoughtfully looked at her sister. “Robert thought I was you.”
“How could he think you were me? You were nothing like me. You looked like me and when we wanted to fool people, we acted like each other, but you were miss prim and proper and sweet. You were refined. That’s why you were engaged to Ferdinand.”
Amelia took a gulp of her coffee before answering. “Ferdinand was boring. I always admired your sassiness and your gift of adventure. You were momma’s wild child and I was her milk toast. I always wanted to be you. Robert was so romantic and so handsome. He was daring and fun, and so I pretended to be you that week you were sick with pneumonia. I must admit it was fun and when he begged me to run off with him––I thought, why not?”
“And he couldn’t tell the difference when he kissed you? That you weren’t me?” Granny asked in disbelief.
“At first, he thought I was having second thoughts about running off with him and that was why I was a little standoffish. You know, according to him, you did run hot and cold depending on what you were scheming at the time. So he didn’t think it too strange. And then…I knew. It turns out I can kiss as good as you!”
Granny stood up and slid out of the booth. She straightened up and stood as tall as she could for someone five feet tall. Pointing her finger at the window, she said, “See that house out the window, that’s yours. When I sit here, I can keep an eye on it and, believe you me, I’ll be keeping an eye on a traitor like you! I assume you can find your way home!”
Meeting Gretchen as she was making her way to the door, she instructed her, “Granny’s back there; she’ll pay the bill.”
Once outside, Granny took a whiff of the summer air and decided to see if Franklin wanted to go for a ride. Putting the top down on her convertible, she got into the driver’s seat, cranked up the radio and glanced at the window in the restaurant where she and Amelia had been sitting. Amelia was still there, head bowed as her hand wiped a tear from her eye.
Granny was about to pull out of the parking lot to go and visit Franklin, when she glanced back at Amelia still sitting in the booth. Amelia was no longer alone. Franklin was seated by her side, holding her in his arms as she cried on his shoulder.
Granny revved the engine and took off out of the parking lot, not caring that a police car was sitting on the corner of the block.
Soon Granny heard the siren. Looking back in her rear view mirror she saw the flashing lights behind her car. Sighing, she pulled over. To her surprise, instead of stopping to talk to her, the police car kept going, lights flashing, in the direction of Amelia’s new chocolate factory. Granny decided to follow at a slow pace so they wouldn’t know she was following them.
The police car pulled into the lot of the chocolate factory. She pulled up, across and down the street from the factory. Her car was partially hidden by the tree on the corner of the street.
Granny watched as other police cars came from all directions and congregated in the parking lot. Soon she saw Lars, Starshine’s fiancé, come out of the factory and talk to the police. What was Lars doing at the chocolate factory?
Granny peered over the windshield of her convertible so she could get a better look at the scene. At the precise moment that she craned her neck up over the windshield, Franklin’s car drove by with Amelia in the front seat. They were so busy talking that they failed to see Granny’s car. Granny sat back down in the seat to wait to see how the excitement played out.
Soon Thor and the Tall Guy joined the scene, coming out from the back of the plant. What was going on?
Granny took her cell phone out of her pocket. “Heather!” she belted out her daughter-in-law’s name. “Good evening, Heather. How are you?”
“Just fine, Mom Fiddlestadt, and you?”
“I was wondering if Thor was at home.”
“No, no, he’s not.”
“Do you know where I can find him?”
“He’s out on a case.”
“Oh, that’s interesting. Does it have anything to do with Robert Blackford and Amelia?”
Granny heard the other car door in her car slam shut, and felt the phone being taken out of her hand before Heather could answer her.
“Heather, Silas Crickett here. Never mind your mother-in-law. And don’t bother Thor. I can get her out of the jam she’s in this time. We’ll talk later.”
Silas hung up and handed the cell phone back to Granny.
“Trouble? I’m not in any trouble, you nosy old man,” said Granny.
“You would be, if I wasn’t always here to save you from yourself.”
Granny sputtered, “Get out of here! You’ll blow my cover. I need to find out what’s going on at the factory.”
“You could ask.”
“Ask who? Thor?”
“No, me. Silas Crickett at your service,” Silas said, chuckling at Granny’s expression.
“And why would you know something?”
“I’m a former detective and I have a police scanner, and––I talked to Ephraim.”
“Spill it!” Granny ordered.
“Not so fast. Why are you here?”
“I was having supper at Rack’s. I’m going to expand my house so I had to meet Woodley Spackle, but that darn Amelia had my car so I had to give her a ride home. I was being nice like all of you told me I needed to be to my sister, and I invited her to join me for supper. But, she said something that upset me, so I left her at the restaurant. I was planning on going to see Franklin, but then the police led me here. Anything else? Now spill it.”
“I suspect there’s more to your story than there is to this story,” Silas commented. “The alarm went off, but according to Lars it was a false alarm. The police needed to check to make sure.”
“What is Lars doing there?”
“He’s the general manager. He’s Amelia’s stepson.”
“My daughter is engaged to Amelia’s stepson and no one told me. You’d better get out of the car.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Do you remember the snowmobile ride I gave you last winter in the snowstorm?”
Silas hesitated before he answered, “You mean the ride where you almost killed me and where you ran over a stiff?”
“That’s it. If you don’t want to repeat the ride then you’d better get out of my car.”
Silas coughed, trying to hold it in but couldn’t, and let out a belly-moving laugh. “There’s no snow and there’s no stiffs around, Granny. Good try.”
Granny revved the engine and took off. “No, but there’s ditches! Haven’t you ever heard of ditch hopping?”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The sun was setting in the west as Granny drove out into the country, leaving the community of Fuchsia behind. Silas put his seatbelt on when he saw they were leaving the city and heard the words, “ditch hopping,” not sure if Granny would make good on her threat, but Granny drove steady and was quiet during the drive. Silas decided he would not break the peaceful silence of the drive.
Twinkling stars dotted the sky as Granny turned into the driveway of her old home place. She parked the car in front of the house, the bright moon being the only light in the front yard that night. Both she and Silas sat quietly, neither breaking the stillness of the night. Only crickets made beautiful music in the background.
“He thought she was me. He thought he was running away with me,” Granny said to the night air, forgetting that Silas was in the convertible with her.
Silas, knowing Granny was remembering, reached out with his hand to touch her hand that was still on the steering wheel, reminding her that she wasn’t alone.
Feeling a hand on hers brought Granny out of her reverie. She turned to Silas. “How could he not tell the difference? My life would have been so different.”
Silas still did not say anything.
“Did you see? Even today, she’s trying to steal Franklin from me. He was with her tonight and, according to Pastor Henrietta, he was with Amelia when Pastor Henrietta was visiting her.”
“I was there too, Hermiony. It was a visit. We were trying to find out information to help you. Why else would your paragon, Franklin, and I team up? It was all about you.”
Granny sat back in her seat, looked up the stars, and then fixed her gaze on the dilapidated house. “Because she left, I had to marry Ferdinand. She was engaged to him at the time, you know. She was supposed to marry him.”
“Well, maybe she did you a favor. Remember, it didn’t work out too well for her. You have a family that you love and that loves you. It appears that her life with your Robert Blackford didn’t last too long. You still had your mother and your father and your brothers. She lost it all because she wanted to be you.”
“I stayed away from this farm because I wanted a new life––a life I chose, not one that was chosen for me. I didn’t want any reminders. I didn’t sell it because of the income from the rent and I wanted to have something I could hand down to my kids when I’m gone to help them out in their lives. Maybe, after everything that has happened in the last couple of days, I will find out I was wrong, and it will bring more heartache.”
“I think you have to solve the case, Hermiony. What happened that the love of your life left your sister and ended up back here at your farm––dead, along with his sidekick?”
“I’m not sure I can solve it. Maybe I don’t want to know what happened. Maybe it’s time to give it all up, marry Franklin, and settle down into old age.”
Granny Forks A Fugitive (Fuchsia Minnesota Book 4) Page 6
