by David DeVowe
Mr. DuPree seemed satisfied, picked up his fork, and began to eat once again. The table was quiet. Ricky slipped a fried potato onto the grass for Oscar.
MaryAnne broke the silence. “A real-life Potiphar’s wife?”
Mr. DuPree swallowed hard on his mouthful. “Yes, you could say that, honey. Potiphar’s wife was a real-life person, too. It was just a long time ago. Sin still abounds in lives until those hearts are transformed. We shouldn’t be surprised by sin, MaryAnne. But we have to always remember that everyone who commits sin, even terrible sin, can become a new creature in Christ.”
Being with MaryAnne, her mom, even her dad, felt like I was in church. They always talked about Jesus like he was something for more than Sunday. I used to think that Mrs. Krebbs was the only one who lived like that.
“It’s too bad about Mr. Malvern,” MaryAnne said thoughtfully. “He missed his chance to be a new creature.”
“Yes, he did, MaryAnne. Mr. Malvern didn’t want to face the truth. Instead, he fired on the sheriff, and they had no choice but to defend themselves, honey,” said Mr. DuPree. “Not everyone will come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, but it was available to Malvern, just as it is for all of us.”
MaryAnne’s eyes looked pained to me. Mr. DuPree put his hand on hers.”
“That’s why everyone needs to consider their own relationship with Christ, honey. The Lord is not willing that any should perish.”
Somehow Mr. DuPree made sense. More than I usually got in church. Still, I was ready for the service to be over.
“We’ve heard that Alice is doing well at the Koskela’s,” interjected Mrs. DuPree.
“Oh, that’s good to hear,” Mama said. “So nice she has somewhere to stay.”
“Yes, it is. The Koskelas have fostered other children before.” Mrs. DuPree caught herself. “Well, you already know that. The authorities arranged for them to take her for a short time on the Fourth. So far, they said it’s going fine, so she’s staying there for now.”
“So nice of them,” Mama affirmed.
Before we were done eating, every dish got passed around three times. Maybe more. “You can’t be full yet,” Mama said. “Here, have some more carrots. I don’t want to see them go to waste! Shoe, honey, please go in and refill the applesauce bowl.”
Ugh-h-h! I thought. Not ‘Shoe Honey’ in front of MaryAnne!
MaryAnne jumped up from her half-finished meal. “I’ll come with,” she said, apparently looking for an escape.
MaryAnne stopped outside to scratch Oscar’s ears. When I came back out with fresh applesauce, Mr. DuPree was speaking again to Dad.
“Like I said, this was a difficult investigation. We had probable cause for Hawthorne’s motive, but no hard evidence to tie Mrs. Hawthorne to Dietrich.”
MaryAnne stopped petting Oscar and followed me as I put the bowl of applesauce on the table.
Mr. DuPree continued, “It wasn’t until your Arthur identified Lawrence’s blue feather as the one from Mrs. Hawthorne’s hat—then we had enough evidence to make an arrest. If it weren’t for Arthur, the case may have never been solved.”
“Shoesth!” MaryAnne exclaimed with an expectant smile.
I looked at her sheepishly.
Suddenly, MaryAnne wrapped her arms around me, pinning my arms down at my side. “You’re a hero!” she bubbled.
That was weird.
THE END
Epilogue
Sometimes I feel sorry for Oscar. He used to be my best friend. MaryAnne changed all that.
When the new kid opened the schoolroom door smack in the middle of winter, I didn’t see how she would last at Stoney Creek. Boy, was I wrong. There was so much I had to learn that year—way more than Mrs. LeMarche could help me with. I know, I was still just a kid, but I grew up a lot—it was a turning point for me, and it was a turning point for MaryAnne. We had shared so much that the new kid had become my best friend—even if she was a little churchy.
We talked about that summer as The Year of the Mystery. We didn’t realize that it was the beginning of many adventures together. And I had no idea that I had only begun to discover the mystery of MaryAnne.
–Shoe
P.S. Oscar seems to be doing fine.
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed Mystery at the Hot Pond. I have to tell you, I became enamored with the characters of Shoe and MaryAnne as their story came to life. You may be asking, “What’s next for the two of them?” Well, you can find out in Book II—The Suitor’s Treasure.
Check out all the books in the Greatest Treasure series at ShoeMakinen.com
As I wrote Mystery at the Hot Pond, I expected there would be feedback. Some will have an opinion about Shoe, others will understand the world from his eyes. I love to hear your feedback. Quite frankly, you are the reason that I will explore Shoe’s future. So, tell me what you liked, what you loved, even what you hated. I want to hear from you. You can write me at [email protected].
Finally, I would like to ask you a favor. If you’re so inclined, I’d really appreciate an honest review of this book. You, the reader, have the power to make or break a book. If you have the time, please go to my website, DavidDeVowe.com and click on “Give a Book Review.” It will take you to my author page where you can select this book for your review.
Thank you so much for reading and for spending time with Shoe and his friends. He will be back—and so will MaryAnne—to take you along on more of their adventures.
Now is a great time to read For the Love of Ricky—a free prequel with exclusive content for Shoe’s Reader Group. Get this free e-book at ShoeMakinen.com.
“…then came the night that Ricky tangled Mama’s nerves up so tight, I was afraid she might never get them undone.”
If you liked this book, be sure to read the others in the Greatest Treasure series:
The Suitor’s Treasure
Mystery of MaryAnne
Suitor’s Prize
In His Visible Hand,
David DeVowe
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