wondering

So the postman beat me to the mailbox. I had letters to post but he was gone before ten( some 5 hours before his usual time!).  There was mail in the box. Notice I say mail not letters. Letters rarely make their way to my box.

Letters those missive detailing the joys, pains, hopes, and news of family were handwritten and brought the writer's voice to the reader. In past times letters were written to invite, congratulate and to comfort and mail was delivered several times a day to handle the flow in bigger cities. They connected family, bonded relationships and broke them too.They were a staple of life and checking attic boxes one often find stashes of letters between people covering years of the correspondents lives.

The telephone stopped many of the letters to and from people in the same city. The phone was good but a degree of intimacy was lost. Perhaps due to party lines. However email has created a new correspondence. It can and does maintain contact but much of it any more consists of advertisements and political sentiment. Too many emails are not personal and end up in the trash. This has affected the flow of relationships which email might have enhanced.

My grandmothers both sides lived far from me but their letters to me kept us close. I learned of their lives and the lives of my kinfolks near them. They learned of my schooldays, my small wins, and my first years as a teacher. What riches those letters held  and how they blessed me with wisdom and love.

Pencils were part of my life also. Those beautiful stamps lit up my life, and the letters detailed a life  I might otherwise not have known. My two longest were from Greece and England. Kathy and I still exchange letters after nearly fifty years. I have visited her several times and she has visited me. A simple hello my name is and I am ??? years old letter opened a new world.

So I miss the envelopes addressed by hand containing love, news and thoughts about life. Mail comes to my house. Advertisements, charities with hands out(some I support) political messages and bills  fill my box. I take them out and walk to the trash barrel and only the bills go in to my house. It makes for less clutter but also less connection.

Frankly I miss letters.

Ok I am heading to bed soon. It is not even 8PM but I am ready for quiet space and reading. This weekend has been busy and Saturday was really intense.

Two pre move items have been bugging me--- clearing out the basement, and one closet that was built in over the stairs. Sara came down to help and brought 4 of her five adult children and 15 children 10 and under, I can see the eyeball here, and believe me, I had my doubts.

However it went well. Better than well.IT IS DONE!!! Sara is coming down in a few weeks to gather items that they claimed but could not take back now. Sacks of clothes and boxes of books went to the salvation army. Still a bit more of those to go but I will get it done. Trash needs to be hauled but I can handle that.

So it was chaotic, busy and insane but it worked and I am exhausted, and like Pepys said " and so to bed"

Sunday

Dana is in London  watching the new Dr. Who  and I am jealous. Funny  with the jobs and such I could not join her and for three days the cost was way too high, still I envy her the ambience of the city, and the respite from the ordinary life. Travel can create a bubble in which you can put daily cares on the home front on hold. Yes they are there when you return but the relaxation gained during the bubble allows you to face them with a new perspective.

This will be an odd week here also. Tuesday is no school for me as I have  the annual mammogram and bone density tests. they have always been good in past so I am fairly sure the results will be the same. Then over the weekend there will a family incoming to help clear some spaces I need help with and to pick up some things( furniture and such) they might want. Busy time but I hope when they leave on Sunday or Monday what is left is manageable to finish before December the 14th.

Selecting  what to keep and what goes is not easy. I do this with each move but this time is harder for some reason. Memories are with each item and they reach out and grab me. Some are stronger and some less so. Still it is not easy. I am doing what must be done but it is hard. Life is what it is and I will survive.

More later--here's to becoming southern

Daughter 2 just called on her way to London for her job. comes home on Monday. would love to be with her but too much money for a short trip. We are opting for a longer trip within a year. life is changing. packing up more stuff this weekend. glad is a three day event

Georgia on my mind--becoming southern

So change is a given and any life is full of them. Some are forced on us and others we choose. I am about to make a big change and am doing to by my own choice.

I am moving to Georgia. Seems simple but it will be a big change.

First it will fulfill a bucket list item to live near the Atlantic ocean.I have always loved the grey toned waters of the Atlantic and hoped to live near it. However but it always way north of Georgia like one of the New England. Yet last Christmas I walked on a Georgia beach on Christmas day and made my decision.

But the move entails another major change--lifestyle. I am a product of the midwest and plains states. Born in Ohio and raised in Nebraska I have lived in South Dakota and Kansas the last few years. however i had a brief soon of years in Missouri and a year in Arkansas. So this Yankee is about to move south and become southern. This is ( and I am not joshing you) a major change in language and customs. A challenge but challenges can be invigorating. keep reading as i describe the process.

                      

We are honoring a great American this year. His politics did not always match mine but if we had met he would have listened, explained his views and then did what he thought was right.He answered his country's needs during a time of war with no attempt to by pass his duty and spent 5 years surviving torture as a prisoner of war.
Hiss sons seve proudly today and his life rang true. He gave respect and thereby gained it.

   So  many thoughts run through my mind as the news coverage of this man goes on this his funeral weekend.  The honor due him is being paid and the good of his life its being recognized. He had  faults ,as do we all, but he was a man for whom the respect for our countries values were a guiding principle. My minds in bewilderment at what our country in the last  year has become. Where has the America I love gone?

 I was young in the era of MLK , Selma, Rosa Parks and the Walgreen lunch counter sit ins. i supported these cries for equal rights and felt joy when white only and blacks sit here practices began to fall by the wayside. My heart swelled with pride because America was beating down racism. I knew it would never completely go away(Hate clings to souls after all.) but progress was made. Now in the last year alt right and neo nazis are emerging, John Doe feels he can scream racial slurs in public at anyone he wishes to , and politicians ask voters not to Monkey up an election. Are people not aware that we are all human and that once the skin comes off there is no way to tell if that person was black, white, red or yellow.? I am ashamed that these racists feel they have the right to do these things, to move us back to the earlier racist mode. I can not point a finger at an exact cause but a leader who condones these people by saying there are good people among them is part of the problem.

 My father's family emigrated form Wales and Germany in the 1700's hundreds,.my mother's  came 100years later. Both families put down roots and were tax payers , hard workers and assets to our nation. Have we forgotten that without immigrants would not be great? So now we send away people even some who have become citizens and have fought for our country? We turn our backs on those who are fleeing injustice by drug cartels and dictatorial regimes because they speak a different language. We refuse to see the good they gave to us. George Washington Carver a son of the slaves, Albert Einstein, and Werner vonBraun to mention a few. If we are a truly Christian nation, then we must remember Christ turned no away who turned to him.

The current policies that threaten children elderly and others in need is not American. The favoring of those who have no need for financial security to provide housing, medical, nutrition and education due to the incomes is beyond my ken.  In Eisenhower's era the rich paid the higher tax rate and most people of middle income could buy a house , car, and educate their children without a go fund me campaign  and do it on one income. Yes, inflation is a factor and times change but the tax base saw that those who could afford to pay more did and all benefited. The current view in my home state and n the national level is that it trickles down. But be truthful ,it does not trickle anywhere but into the deep pockets of people who do not need it. Factories and businesses are closing, wages are static( Yes, employment is up but mostly in low wage positions) and it takes two incomes to put a house over the family.( Check it out. A minimum wage earner can not afford housing in most states; so many work several jobs.) Family life suffers because wage earners are too busy or too tired to be good parents. Not all our world's woes come this and I am the first to admit it. But once again are these the actions of a Christian nation. Did not Christ say: whatsoever you do unto the least of these , you do unto me?

 Rant time is over. let me however look closely at whom you support in elections. Look behind the positioned political speeches. Check their records, their value sn and who is funding their run for office. In closing  let me say John Mc Cain  you were one of the last of The Grand Generation and while My politics and yours were often at odds, I respected you and your vision of our country, It is my hope that your love of the vision will not entirely be lost.

  Just finished my sandwich lunch, and I really need to go get a few groceries. But as one my friends said yesterday" I am not ready to people yet." Weekends for me often mean holing up in the house and being alone. It does not bother me, and like this weekend I will often spend time figuring out how I can stretch supplies until a day I have to go out.  It is not that  I am anti-social, but that after a week of work in public situations the quiet stillness renews me.

   A morning fall off things is ending. I woke up after a storm to a yard full of leaf litter and a few twigs. I was awake when it came last night with  a big boom. Power was out and cox communications had a area wide  break down. Mine was fixed early but the quick storm left its mark. They  are saying it was a microburst,

  Still despite leaf litter some things  were finished. My laundry is folded and put away.  My dishes are loaded and washed. Dog hair is swept up even behind the dog chair. Now  I am writing a blog post.Amazing progress but down sizing awaits.

  The rest of the day should resolve it self. I have to grocery shop,but it can wait until tomorrow. I need to stay in and take care of somethings for the college  and some personal must get done items remain that i should see to today. So I have to miss an event I wanted to go to, and I hope the people involved understand

  My classes at the college fill my evenings as I am teaching three nights a week. Mondays. Wednesdays and Thursdays I drive to Newton for english classes.Yes, i am busy but the classes are interesting. Each year the mix of students is different and offers different challenges to help them learn.  While the drive is not on my list of favorite things to do, the classes keep my mind active and vital. Engagement is  a key to remaining aware of the world as the years build up, these nights keep me engaged.

 This evening my insist pot will be put to use as I make  my meal. From frozen meat to cooked meal in 15 minutes is a miracle. I do not fear the pressure cooker if the rules for use are followed. It has not been used enough because even though it is the smaller six quart model it makes more than I can eat in one meal. leftovers are good even if they are frozen for another time, Cooking for one is always a challenge. Another way to keep the mind active.

So now it is time to get busy with those tasks.

rambling mind

  Morning has come and it was a late one for me. I am usually up before the sun as either I am just awake or the dogs need to go out. Who needs an alarm? Today however dogs wanted out at 1:30AM( what is up with that?) so I went back to bed and slept until just a few minutes past 8AM. A break in  the routine like that while pleasant is also a bit of a hiccup that sets off my let's do just what we want to do alarm. Today that attitude is going to be dominant.
 
  As I write Acorn tv's Time Team is playing in the background.In the summer I tend to put cable on hiatus and just stream my television fare. Acorn,Brit Box, Netflix, and Amazon Prime allows to watch a variety of classic and new shows as well as documentaries ad free. Time Team is a program concerning historical digs in England which i dip into every so often. It played for 11 years ,and I find the second time through i hear and see things I missed round one. With  the coming move I am seriously thinking of dropping Dish as , as I news and weather apps on the phone,the newspaper and news channels on the computer.

  Downsizing will also continue today. I just have to decide where to work. Drawers etc in kitchen, knitting magazines in living room,or the one bedroom I have yet to get serious about are my choices.
The decision can wait awhile, but it has to be done as Dec 14th will come faster than I think it can. Time does indeed fly.

  Part of my lassiez faire attitude today I am sure due to the beginning of school.  Worked enrollment, open house,  morning of first day and then my new schedule the last two days. This work allows me to work in a field that I love but without the distractions of team meetings and non teaching duties  that regular classroom teachers must deal with.  Still after a schedule free summer the new daily routine causes an adjustment. However I get more done when I am on a schedule. Also the constant challenge to think about the lessons and to stay a bit ahead of the kids keeps my mind active.

 Well time to have another cup of coffee and get busy

The day was interesting . I went to the training for the election board workers. Lot of us elders there and so many were having problems with the  technology. It still amazes me that people resist adapting to the technology of life. Life is easier if you cope instead of resisting. I have one cousin that does not even email, and she is highly capable with  a degree in nursing. My career in education forced me to become semi comfortable with iPads, apps, iPhones, and I am thankful for it.

The other night at a meeting several phones went off and almost all of them were simple flip phones--perhaps with texting but I rather doubt it. The man next to me got a call, fumbled for his phone, flipped but could not manage to turn it off. So a smart phone would be way beyond him, and I doubt he was much beyond his 60s. I am in my 70s and thankful I can still change and learn new things.

Change is difficult for anyone. Right now, I am facing a major one. The coming move is a big change. I will not have two sources of income I now have. I will not be living alone. Wow, just writing it makes it real. Still it may open new doors for me and allow me to know someone is there if I need them. So it is a challenge and I hope in the long road it will  be a blessing.

Another thing bothered me and perhaps it should not. The wife of a candidate on one of the primary state representative recess serving on an election board. Now I know the board she is working on is not in the district  in which he is on the ballot.  Therefore there is not a area of conflict. Still, if it were I( good grammar;odd sound) no way would I do this. Why? Just to remove myself from the process except for voting if no other reason than that of appearances.

Tonight therein a lecture about photograph as art. It should be interesting and informative. The presenter is a very good photographer. In fact, I have one of his prints--an atmospheric shot of a bridge in Ireland. Every time I look at it I think the Fae series by a favorite author. It is in my mind art.

So interesting day all around.

Oceans, and surprises--gators and such

 It is a bit cooler today and that helps. Heat index is lower also. I could go to the library but have things  to do here. Packed another box.Going to put some things for sale on line.  Tomorrow I train to be on the election board the 7th of next month. Saturday I judge 4H photography in McPherson. Next week is semi clear--- only one set date August 1 school enrollment. I am working it so I can help with non English speakers.

 School will start and the busy season begins. Work every day and some nights for the college. Many at my age do not work nor do they want to do so unless they have too. I find work stimulates me and keeps me focused on things other than myself. It keeps me involved in the world outside myself, and I feel that keeps me younger than my years.

 Also I can still accept change. Oh there are some things I cannot change  or to be frank do not want to change. I will always write and read every day. I need these activities as they keep me focused and learning. However  I see change for the most part as positive. I am about to make the step to fulfill a dream to live near the Atlantic shore. While it is farther south than I dreamed of as it will be in Georgia not the New England area that initially stirred  my soul. It will be warmer ,but the sea is still more grey than blue there.  I may miss the true winter Kansas and will trade blizzards for hurricanes. But as my daughter Dana , my companion in this new home, says you get a warning for hurricanes.

 Darien  the town is a place where the shrimp boats are moored. Fresh seafood will be a delight Peaches and Vidalia onion stands are nearby. Southern life has those aspects and also some surprises. Right now,Dana and the wildlife department are hoping the two small gators in our pond will finally allow themselves be trapped and not just eat the chicken used as bait.  Gators are hard to kill and killing one is a 10,000 dollar fine.Living in the rural area of the the town may allow such visitors, but it something Dana wants. Her job sone that requires lots of personal contacts and  at home the less people or the better.

 If here is one thing that niggles at me, it is will I be able to work there? If not, will I be able to volunteer as I need to do something. My life goes better if I am busy. Summers with no  regular schedule  relentlessly remind me of that. They allow me to out off things that need to be done as there is always tomorrow. It is one of my greatest vices.

 Such are my thoughts as the summer closes down and school approaches.enjoyed the ease of summer but will glad of the work until December.

reminder of an American right and its power

  Last night I attended a candidate panel of the Mod squad at  the Shears  center on the community college campus. This group is bipartisan and is aimed to create moderate common sense government in Kansas. So the panel includes Democrats and Republican candidates the group has endorsed.It also includes some governmental representatives who again were bipartisan but who were not in active runs for office this year. Each gave a small speech on their views and their hopes for Kansas, but something beyond that was put forth to remind of us an essential right and it importance. that is the right to vote.

 Voting is a right Americans obtain just by being born a citizen or being naturalized. Maybe because it is a given , many  feel it is not that important but it is. In our last governor's race, some 40,000 Kansas citizens did not vote for whatever reason. 40,000 voices were not heard. Think of the difference they may have made in the history of our state. 40,000 voices lost  their right to complain about what followed  that election. The same is true of national politics-- the non -voter influences elections just as much if they had voted.

  I belong to the age group most likely to vote. We are for the most part grey haired and wrinkled and often vote to maintain interests we hold dear. One speaker told his 90 year old mother always votes and she is a one issue voter. Her issue is medicare. Not surprising. The next group that votes at least in national elections is those who are 30-55. They tend not to vote in bi-election years. The last group is of course made up  of ages of 18 to 30. Historically, they have been the group left apt to vote in any election, However recently spurred by groups  focussing on school shootings, student debt, and DACA , I sense from those I teach in this age group a stronger activitism  that will perhaps get them  to the polls in higher numbers,

 Another message came out  of the meeting was why voters need to study candidates. One issue voters often influence elections, One of my friends refuses to vote for anyone who is not pro-life. She looks not farther. She was astounded when one of her candidates when elected enacted tax laws, voter right laws etc  that appalled her. Voters need to know the person's views on multiple issues and vote for one that matches their own views. As an registered independent for most of my life, I have done this and often my vote directly opposed the vote of people I cared for, but it was my vote for what I felt was the best person. Recently finding few GOP candidates I could vote for( mostly on the national level), I registered as a Democrat, but in this by election I am strongly supporting the incumbent Republican candidate for the 104th district of the Kansas  House of Representatives. So I can honestly still say I vote the  man not the party,

 But the gist of all this is to say,it is important to get the voters registered and voting. Encourage your friends and families to use this right. No excuse like work won't let me off or I do not know where my poll is are actually valid. Frankly, this can be handled by a mail in advance ballot. I n Kansas for the primary I believe you have until July 31st to request one. It will come in the mail, fill in your votes, sign it and mail it in. Easy way to let your opinion be known with very little hassle. I always vote in this manner if it  is possible.

 One friend said."Why vote?. The machines are all hacked."  The answer to that is vote on paper. Ask for a paper ballot. In Reno county all ballots will paper this primary or so I have heard. This is a positive move in my view. Paper ballots must be hand counted and saved. No hacking.

Well,this long enough. Let me summarize it-- Vote, Exercise your right to let your support for views be known, research your candidates to avoid one issue responses, and encourage others to register and to vote. Remember not voting is a vote in itself and often helps elect a person you can not support. There Are 11,000 non registered voting age people ( I believe that is the number quoted last night.) in Reno County. We voters need to help them register and to actively vote. IF WE DNOT USE THIS RIGHT WE MAY WELL LOSE IT IN THE FUTURE.

  Today I put off an appointment for Winston. I just did not want to go out. There are days  when my RECLUSE gene is dominant. Sounds odd to many people but I am content with my own company. Maybe it is a the result of being the only child of older parents. All the children of their friends were in their late teens or out of the house so except for school, I had to learn to entertain  myself. This trait was also instilled because my parents did not cater to  me by becoming my source of entertainment. Also they lived by the unspoken( or not often stated) motto that boredom is the result of a lazy mind. So now I can cope with being alone, and in fact enjoy especially after dealing with large groups at work and social gatherings.

 Books became a refuge for me. Television had yet to become part of everyday life. Mom read to me often until she realized I was reading by myself. After that she provided the books and  I read them myself form the age of three or just past it. From the pages of the books, I learned about animals, places and people. Little did I realize how much these imaginary worlds would allow me to relate to the real world.

 So today I shall clean, do laundry and  read. The dogs will make me move around between their naps. I may even clear some more areas in the on going process of downsizing. I will also work on some writing. Nothing has to be done today. It is mine to arrange and fill anyway I wish.  That to me is a luxury.

 But do you not get lonely? is a question often asked of me if I tell people this. The answer is no.I am alone but not lonely. Lonely to  me is being isolated by others---not having contact due to the choice of other people. Alone by choice means that you are content with that state and it is by choice. So reader to me there is a huge difference in the two words.

Just a brief log on today---no real topic is forming in my mind. It happens to all of us. one will come I am sure.  Just packed up my memories of yesterday and other shelf items. some belonged to my MOM.This box will not go by moving van.

Downsizing is moving along. Shelves done. Now drawers to do. Have to slow down as I do not plan to move until December.

More later.

  I was raised during a age where there few mandated limitations on childhood. There have been Facebook  posts detailing the delights of that era. Drinking from a hose, riding in the back seat of a car unfettered by seat belts, chasing fireflies with a glass jar in our backyard, Walking to  and from school during the city years, bluebird meetings and campfire girl camps with no air conditioning were part of the joys. Going to visit relatives in the East on the Denver Zephyr, wandering in the woods on Grandma's farm with no adult, hunting books to read in dusty dark libraries, movies with serials as part of the show on Saturday afternoon with Dad. My crib probably had rails I could have put my head through as well as lead based paint, and my Mom pushed me in a small enclosed crate with wheels that I could and did climb out of at any time. The only restraint I recall was being strapped into a halter and hooked to the clothesline so Mom  could work in the yard. That lasted only until I learned to unbuckle the straps.

  Oh there were rules. Dresses were the only attire allowed in schools if you were female , and they were changed once you got home so they could be worn another day. Bedtime was no later than eight even in the summer. Meals were served  to everyone in the house at the same hour. What was on the menu was what you ate or you went hungry. Interrupting an adult was not done, Home work was done at  a regular time. My Mom let me play for an hour or so after classes but it was to be done before she  called supper. When television became part of our family life, it was on after supper  for the few child centered shows( most shows then would not have been the least risqué anyway) before bed and on Saturday morning for cartoon shows.(Daffy Duck, Tom and Jerry etc.). The rules were few as you can see, but they were followed.

 One distinct memory was that there were no participation ribbons. The effort made was what determined the award at school, Sunday School and in organizations such as 4H, Campfire girls etc.
One 4h project  a simple apron which was a seamed square of flour sack material( Bought material was not used to learn on.) drove me batty. That tunnel made by folding and then seaming it came out so often it was a wonder the material did not get holes.The blue ribbon was worth it and so were the gold stars for knowing Bible verses on Sundays. Reading groups were decided by  a student's ease with reading at school--Bluebirds, Redbirds etc. Yes, we knew what the groups were and probably some feelings were hurt when the division was made. Still the grouping was fluid and moving up or down was based effort and improvement. At times I earned the award ,and at other times I did not do so well. My parents like most of that era  did not intervene on my behalf. Trouble at school meant trouble at home. The lesson  learned form these experiences was a simple one-- the choices I made had consequences and that the choices were mine. A principle that has proven useful  my entire adult life so far.

 I consider myself lucky for my parents' attitudes toward life. They saw people as people not as races. My Dad did have prejudices as I found out later in life, but they were not really racial in nature. He was the one that had a pal who was a pathologist for the police show  and tell me that once the skin is gone race is not possible to discern with accuracy.(that might be truer today with the mixed marriages.).If a person was honest with my parents, they had my parents' respect.  So I as a teen knew Mexicans, Greeks, Asians , and some Italians whom were close to the Local Don and his capos. Religion was another no conflict area. Mom was a lapsed Catholic, Dad was raised Lutheran, and they were married by a Baptist minister. I was sent to Catholic School( including the religion class which is a story in itself) and on Saturdays  the Lutheran catechism was the morning class. Family friends included the local Greek orthodox priest and his family as well as the local Rabbi. It was a varied and culturally rich upbringing. Today I credit my parents with gifting me with an open mind and the ability to judge people by their actions alone.

 This is getting long and some of these statements need more depth thought. So reader I will return to the topic soon.

lazy day. worn out. so a me day. more later.

ok  I am posting   a writing as far as it goes. This is being done on7/13/2018 at 8:41CST
The reason is I want input. Tell me honestly what you think---even if it might not be really positive. I want to make this better.

The ground was anvil hot. Burning the bare feet of the two boys walking the dirt path to the rodeo grounds announcer’s booth perched above the arena. Paint brushes and paint pails were piled in the wagon. They discussed their luck in getting this job. It was good pay.  They had scraped the old paint blistered from the wood expanding in the wet snow of winters and contracting in the heat of South Dakota summers.  Today they planned on beginning the actual painting. Cowboy Carnival was less than a week away, and they had to be done before the event.  This was not an hourly wage job. They would get their paycheck when the last brushstroke was dry.

Nearing their goal a sweet smell began to fill the air. It was sweet but not pleasant. Farm boys that they were, they knew it was the scent of decay and assumed some animal had died or had been ditched nearby. The odor was so strong as they entered the arena they glanced over the ground to see if they could spy the carcass to remove it. Nothing was visible so they climbed the ladder to the booth.

Jace was the first to enter and what he saw nearly made him fall backwards on the last rung of the ladder. Ryan just few rungs below glanced upward and leaned to one side to avoid being hit with vomit spewing from Jace. 

“ Hey doofus, what the heck. You nearly upchucked all over me.” He angrily shouted at his partner.

“Sorry. You got your phone. Didn’t bring mine. Call the sheriff. There’s a body up there.  I think it’s the pastor of that Holy Roller congregation outside of town”

“Are you pranking me? Nope guess not that vomit was real enough. Hang on. I’ll call when I get off this ladder. You coming down?”

“Ryan, I sure as heck ain’t staying up here. It isn’t pretty. He’s naked except for a neon green condom!”

Less than half hour later they were giving the details to the deputy as the new sheriff pulled off her gloves and paper slippers. Bet Kistler was new to the job and this was not what she wanted to deal with in her first term but it was what she got. She took off her Stetson and shook her ginger colored curls out. They were damp from the heat. The ambulance and coroner arrived as she replaced the hat.

“ Bet, what have you got for me?” Doc McKane asked as he climbed form the ambulance’s shot gun seat.

“ What do you think Doc?  A body, of course.  It ‘s up there waiting for you.”

“Know who it is?”

“Yep, Pastor of the Angels On Earth congregation outside town.  Name of Evans Richards.  And Doc, he’s naked except for a neon green condom if that will help you

in your exam.”

“You don’t say. Well I’ll be dinged. Let’s get to it.”

“ Are you going to be okay getting up there?”

“ Bet, I might be older and have a bit of a game leg but I am not yet dead. “

“Okay, Doc.” Bet nodded toward the ladder and followed the older man to the arena.

She watched him go up to the booth slowly but he did go on his own power. She climbed after him not wishing to see the body again but knowing she had to do so.

Doc knelt by the body and began dictating notes in to his phone. Evans Richards age fifty or fifty five, rigor leaving the corpse, lividity indicates that the death occurred at the site. Cause of death to be determined.  No visible trauma.”  He turned to Bet. ”Can we get him down and to the clinic? “

“Yes, we have a tractor with a bucket loader waiting. Now, Doc he does weigh a bit over average.  That ladder is not going work to take him down. What? Why are giggling, Doc?”

“ Just think Bet. You have been Sherriff three months and your big case is Widow Running Dog’s chickens being stolen. Now you have a murder—the murder of a naked neon condom adorned pastor that has be taken from the scene in a front loader cause he is a big load.”

“ Thanks for the insight, Doc.”, Bet snapped following the man down the ladder. She needed to suggest they do stairs to the booth for safety and ease. Maybe a ramp would be better for ADA regulations. She watched the body being loaded into the ambulance. Wiping her forehead, she climbed in her car and hit the air conditioning turning it on high.

Bet stopped at the door to her office. Her name was finally under the title sheriff. Beat Kistler in gold leaf looked good. She had never liked her name. Beata was odd enough to cause classmates to tease her. More often it was mispronounced as Bee at a instead of be ah tah. Now after a hard won election, she felt it had the strength for a sheriff.

“Bet –err sheriff.  I heard the call. Is it true?  Richards is dead?”

“Yes, Clara. Do you have his address? I need to notify the widow.”

Clara pulled a sheet of paper from her notebook. Handing it to Bet, she apologized, “ Not really an address. More of a map. He and many of his members live out near Wilson’s gully. Might try the church first. I heard they were going to paint the church this week.”

“Family?”

“ At least one wife.  Couple of kids.”

“ At least one wife?   Polygamy here. Are you sure?” Bet looked at Clara with eyebrows raised. Her middle-aged office manager nodded causing her ginger curls to bounce.

“ Well no proof. No complaints.  Chet let them alone as they keep to themselves and nothing bad came on the old ladies hotwire.”

Bet took the post it notes with the address. The old ladies hotwire was never far from the truth of the matter. During her five years as under sheriff, she had learned to listen to their tales with an ear tuned for the truth it contained.   This multiple wife thing was new but then how long had this group of believers been part of Limon.  No more than four years she thought as she walked out the door.

The church a renovated Quonset was about two miles south of town near a narrow creek. Bet wondered if they did immersion baptisms. Clara was right about the painting crew. The churchyard was full of people with paint buckets and ladders. She parked under a lone tree for shade and stepped out of the county’s suv.

“Hey Sheriff. You come to help us paint the inside?” one the crowd yelled as she walked toward the group.

“ Fraid not. Is Mrs. Richards here?”

“ Over by the main door. Blue dress. Is something wrong?”

“ I need to talk to Mrs. Richards first.” Bet answered and walked past the man.

The older woman stopped setting donuts on a long table and watched the sheriff approach. Her hands on her hips as she leaned backwards as if to release tension.

She was a substantial woman taller than average, muscular rather than slim.  Her attitude was calm unsuspecting, and Bet wondered how she would take the news.

Remembering the three other times she had been the messenger of death and the shattered response to the news, she sensed this time it would be more acceptance than a breaking of spirit.

“Mrs. Richards,”

“Yes, sheriff. If you want my husband, he is in rapid getting more supplies.”

“ No, No he is not in Rapid. He Is”

“ What do you mean he is not in Rapid?  He left yesterday and he should be home soon with the paint.”

“ Mrs. Richards, your husband is dead. He was found this morning in the announcer’s booth at the arena.”

“ He was found; he is dead.  How? What… What happened?”

Bet waited for the shudder the tears that such words resulted in. She had been right the woman did not shatter, but it was not acceptance either. Disbelief maybe or was it relief.  An iron control kept the woman’s emotions unreadable. Bet made a mental note of the reaction or she guessed the lack of it even as church members walked over to investigate.

“ Sheriff, tell me. Please I have to know. Evans was … was not an easy man but he was a righteous man.” 

“Mrs. Richards,” Bet began.

“ Margaret, please.”

“Margaret, your husband’s death is suspicious.”

“Suspicious, what do you mean?” Margaret interrupted once again.

“ Perhaps we should go somewhere private?” but a firm negative headshake denied that, so Bet continued. “  We have to investigate deaths from unknown causes. Mr. Richards was nude with no visible wounds. And I am sorry but I have to ask, did he, did he have affairs?”

Now Margaret’s eyes filled with the shock Bet had expected from the death notice. 

“ No. He was the Lord’s man.  He did not have affairs. Why would you ask that?”

“Mrs. Evans, he was found nude as I said except for “

“Except for what?’

“ A neon green condom.” Bet replied.   This news did cause the woman to blanch and sit on the bench near the table. Bet mentally noted the reaction so different from the receiving of the death notice.

“Sheriff, I don’t understand ---nude and a, a?  Why? How?”  The words stumbled out stonily tinged heavily with disbelief.

“ Mrs. Evans. His death is suspicious. There are questions to answer. Do you want to answer now or at the station later today?”

Noticing the crowd of volunteers near the church, the woman nodded her assent. “I’ll come to the station. Can you give me time to set things in motion here?”

“ In an hour then, Mrs. Richards.”

The only response was a nod.

…………

Back at the office Bet   thought about the next steps. She had called in the state   crime scene unit, as the county had no such unit. Her deputies had taped off the location and were standing guard. Bet thought they would not find much. The drought-heated ground was nearly dust so footprints if they existed would be gone with the slightest breeze. Fingerprints would be in the thousands. The booth was a favorite trysting and drinking place of Limon’s underage citizens. The word tryst made her stop to consider the neon green condom. Where would that lead?

Local buzz might help point her somewhere, and she had one of the local participants of the buzz sitting in her office.  Clara Wall her fifty some office assistant was tuned in to local happenings with accuracy. Also she was wise enough to know the wheat from the chaff of the gossip. Beta walked to the door and stuck out. “ Hey, Clara come on in here.”

Minutes later Clara settled her German housewife figure into one of the chairs in the office. Nearly as round as she was tall with a steel gray bob, people often dismissed her as a grandmotherly assistant, but looks were deceiving as Bet knew. Clara had an ability to see into things and make connections.

“ Ok, what is the scoop on the pastor, Clara?”

“ Not a lot, though generally people found his whole church a bit off except for the members.  As for him, most women in town seemed to find him too, how do I say it?

Not exactly comfortable but not pushy. He just made them feel as if they could not trust him.”

“ Meaning they felt he was a bit overly friendly, made passes?”

“ Bet, it was like every women no matter the age felt he was like a fox counting the chickens. He was always on the hunt but never made an open move.”

“ Any woman in particular? Any women or woman who welcomed him? Clara, have you heard anything?”

“ Nope Bet. But then people usually do not damn a pastor without really  terrible events.” Clara got up when the phone rang, and going out the door she promised to find out what she could.

“ Doc’s on the phone, Bet.”

Doc’s gravel toned voice began to report findings as soon as Bet came on line.

“ Richards was a bit overweight but in good shape. There was no heart attack, no aneurisms, no wounds, and in fact no visible reason for a death form natural or unnatural causes.”

“ Then what, Doc?”

“  His last supper was still intact or mostly so. Sent samples to state lab. Poison is definitely an option. Had to be fast acting and something he’d eat not worrying about it or be able to taste. Asked Swen to hurry it up. He will send you a copy of his findings. Might take a couple of days”

“Ok, I ‘ll talk later; someone is in the office.” She hung up the phone turning to see who had entered the office.  Six foot of male stood inside the door and everything about him signaled masculine to the core. He doffed his Stetson to reveal ginger waves that matched the Sam Shepherd style mustache decorating a square jawed tan face. Steel blue eyes took in the office with a swift glance.

“I am looking for Sheriff Jackson. Is he here?”

“ No. He retired three months ago and moved to Florida.”

“ Well that is a kick. He hired me as a deputy about four months ago and told me to come up after I got out of the marines and settled thing s up on base. Is the new sheriff here? “

 “ I am the new sheriff Beata Kaiser and you. Well, you are a complete surprise. Clara, what do you know about this?”

“ Joe did talk about a new hire but never did say when he would come on duty. Name of Yeargonic or some thing like that. Got the paper work in the drawer here.”

“Yeargan Ma’am. Buck Yeargan. Buckminster actually but never use it except for legal things. Now where does the job stand? Do I have one sheriff?” He leaned against the door jam running the brim of his Stetson through his hands.

“Bet, here’s the file and there is a letter for you in here.”  Clara waved a file folder in front of Bet and watched Buck who gave little reaction to the activity across the room

“Ok, Clara. Get. Mr. Yeargan a coffee while I read this file and try to figure where we stand.” Bet walked to her small private office and shut the door. Ok, Chuck what have you done and why she thought as she tore open the letter.

                        Hey Bet,

                        If you are reading this, Buck has arrived. Shucks I know you do not 

                        Need help --- the county being large but mostly quiet. The thing is he

                        Needs the job and the people. His granddad asked me to help as one 

                        ex-sheriff to one becoming an ex-sheriff in a matter of days, I reached

                        Out to try.

                        Buck is a smart kid. Knew him growing up but came back from them

                        Middle east spats a bit shattered. He had started law enforcement

                        Degree but did not go back. He was footloose and undecided. So I

                        Offered him a place here in hopes of anchoring him to a real life. Told

                        Him to come on up if and when he was ready.

                        So give him a chance. If it doesn’t work let, him go.

                         The old meddler,

                         Chuck

Truth was when Bet though about it buck might be helpful. She did have a large county and the money for another hire was there thanks to a retirement after Chuck left.  She opened the door to say come in but was distracted by the arrival of Mrs. Richards. She nodded at Buck and walked over to the widow.

“ Mrs. Richards, thanks for coming in. This is Deputy Yeargan. Do you mind if he sits in on our interview. He is new to the area and will be working with me. Not knowing the area or people he may pick up on some things we locals might miss.” Bet smiled at the man who had now stood beside her with a somewhat bemused expression.

There was a slight hesitation before Mrs. Richards nodded her assent. Settling her robust frame in the wooden chair across from the table, she folded her hands and waited. Bet sat across from her and Buck settled himself in the chair beside her putting the Stetson on his knee.

“ I am going to record the interview if you don’t mind. It help make accurate notes when we need to check them.” Bet informed the woman.

“ I’m okay with that, I guess.” but the body language seemed to deny that. Mrs. Richards sat a bit straighter and pulled her arms tighter to her body. Buck and Bet both noticed the slight adjustment but neither commented on it.

“Mrs. Richards can tell me in your own words when your husband left Limon and why?”

“ We have been trying to make the building more like a church. It had been a big barn—the Olsen’s donated it and land around to us. The stalls and such were gone so we could just begin to redo it. We insulated it and were painting it but you saw that.  The color was odd; pretty bright to my mind for a church, but Birk’s hardware had overbought so it was a gift.  Evans said he was going to see if he could get more paint as the donation was a bit short and he wanted to price air conditioning.  He left early yesterday and planned on being back this afternoon.”

Buck leaned toward the woman and asked, “ I know this sounds harsh Mrs. Richards, but we need to ask some personal questions. How were you and Mr. Richards getting on?” Bet looked at Buck surprised not by the question but that he chose to ask it. Mrs. Richards stared across the table at the pair of law officers and hesitated. Her hands twisted together and her head went down.

“It was good in many ways.”  She offered and then became quiet,

“But?” Bet prodded.

“ But the last few years he had. Well he had rarely  --almost never – wanted to have se--- the physical part of marriage. He said as I was past childbearing, there was no point. I, I don’t want to sound lustful, but it was causing a strain in our marriage.”

“ Now this is hard but do you think he might have found release-physical release- with another woman?” Bet disliked putting the question to the distraught woman but considering how her husband’s body had been found, she had to ask.

“No! He liked to look; many men do that, but I cannot believe he broke our vows. He was a godly man.  He wouldn’t. I won’t believe. I have to go.  The church has to go on. I can go can’t I?”

“Deputy Yeargan, will you see Mrs. Richard’s to her car.” Bet stood up and began to leave the room.  Buck followed her and took Mrs. Richards elbow guiding her to the door.

A few minutes later the Stetson flew toward the coat tree and caught on a hat hook as Buck came back into the office. “So does the escort and interview signal I am hired?”

Beata looked up from her paperwork and answered, “ Temporarily for the moment because an extra will help ease the load of crapola that Reverend Richard’s death and attire will cause.  Get over to Birk’s hardware and see if he knows what stores in Rapid carry that paint brand and better yet that color.  While you are out, stop at Steele Plumbing and see why the church was looking for air conditioning out of town.  Clara, you got Tim’s old deputy badge handy?”

“Right here in my drawer, Bet.”

“Well, toss it to Buck so he can look official and swear him in while you are at it. I am going make some calls and see what I can find out about the church. Also want to check out Evans Richards--- A man with two last names might have a back-story. Buck, come on back here when you get the info and then we’ll talk about a place for you to stay, salary and such.”

Buck grabbed the Stetson and walked out the door duly deputized. He had barely gone out the main door when Beata turned Clara. “ Ok, did I sound like I might actually know what I am doing?”

“Yes, you did Be .Yes, You did, gal.” 

Even new to town, Buck was able to find the businesses he was to visit as they were located side-by-side about three blocks down from the office. He put on his badge and pulled the door to the hardware store open.

“Kin I help you?” rang out from somewhere at the sound of the bell attached to the door. Seconds later a curly red head emerged from below a counter followed by a petite body that looked twelve but projected sex with a overwhelming force. Buck resolved not to answer the siren call despite his body’s response.

“ I am from the Sheriff’s office and I need some information. Do you know about your paint supplier’s other outlets?” Buck asked trying to avoid the assessment made by the child woman behind the counter.

“Nope. Dad would though. Wait right here and I’ll fetch him from the back.”

“ Thank you, ma’am.”

“ Ain’t a ma’am!" Never married.  Name’s Hetty Birk.” came the retort as she headed toward the rear of the store hips swaying in unspoken invitation. Buck wondered if she had known Evans Richards.

Minutes later   the door opened and a squat man with more handle bar mustache than hair on his balding head came toward Buck. Wiping his hands on a rag first, he extended a hand to Buck. “  Howdy, Stock Birk. New to the department, I take it. Yes, I know the name Stock Birk is odd. My folks lived in a commune when I was born. They thought it was cute, and I have learned tolerate it. How can I help you?”

Buck took the hand and found the shake firm, honest feeling. “ Well my folks stuck me with Buckminster.  No idea why. Sheriff wants to know who in Rapid City might

Sell the same paint as the church Richard’s is using?”

“Church you say. More of a cult to my mind. That color has been discontinued for five, six years. Two stores in Rapid carry the brand. Ace Hardware and Dugan’s DIY.

Ain’t no others I know of.”

“ Got it.  Thanks.” Buck turned to leave but was stopped by Birk calling out.

“ Hey deputy, come back we carry ammo, boots and such.”

Opening the door , Buck tipped the  Stetson as a reply and left. The traffic in Limon was going at its usual dangerous pace—one car going west. Buck smiled at the difference from the traffic jams on the roads of his former home. He crossed  the street in his usual slow walk instead of a brisk canter and walked to the door of the plumber’s building.

“Hey there can I help you?”   A lean man nearly Buck’s height asked from behind a counter across from the door.

“ My name is Buck Yeargen and I need some information.”

“ Sure thing. Drips, clogs, heating, air. You ask. I’ll answer.”

“Nope. I am a new deputy and the sheriff has some questions she wants answers to.”

“Ok, glad to help deputy but I just know plumbing and not much else. Shoot the questions.”

“Really there is only one. Evans Richards was fixing his church. Heard he wanted to update the heat and the air. She wants to know why he said he was headed to rapid to look for it?”

“Easy answer. I told him we would cut him a deal on the mechanics and the labor. The mechanics were new but ones the company was about to update. Not cheap but damn good.  Told we’d donate the furnace, if he paid for the air unit and give him 10% off labor. Same deal we gave St. Francis Catholic and the German Lutheran congregations. He told me he wanted it all free. I said it was not possible. Hell the furnace alone was over twenty-five hundred. Little puffed up bugger stomped out of here saying the Lord would curse my greedy soul.”

“ You know he was found dead this morning, don’t you?”

“ Nope! Been in the storage checking on pvc pipe supplies and no one has called or been in ‘cept you. Being single, I ain’t got a wife or kids to keep me up to date on local doings and scandal.  How did he die?”

“ I can’t give you any information on that. Thanks for the information. If we need more, we will contact you.”

“ Feel free to do that.”

Back at the office, Beata stopped her computer search when Buck walked in. Once again the Stetson flew towards and landed on the hook. She smiled as she thought how she would love to be able to do that. She waited for him to come into her office wondering if he had gained more information to add to what she had found.

Setting his tall frame into the wooden armchair across from her desk, Buck waited for her to signal him to begin talking. Nothing he had found out was urgent and might not even be helpful, but his studies had emphasized that any little thing might be the key to solving a case.

“Tell me yours and I’ll tell you mine.” Beata offered.

Buck grinned and Beata realized how that phrase was close to another that had an entirely different meaning. He told her what the two businessmen had said and then he added his reading on the people. “Not sure but the little redhead down at the hardware is a bit too friendly so may be she might know the reverend in the biblical sense. Just the way she talked , walked, etc. The plumber now he sounded a might miffed the reverend didn’t consider his offer, called him a puffed up bugger.”

“ Yep, Hetty is a bit flirty but usually stays away from married men. She says she doesn’t want to do to others what was done to her. Still might look into that. Never know what hormones will lead to. Steele is a loner but is an honest businessman.

Usually works a deal that is fair when he knows finances are tight. Lots of local families have been helped during hard times.”

“Okay, sheriff. What did you learn?’’

“ Richards was born in Kansas and had a few juvenile run ins with local law in his home town. The records are sealed for the moment. It would take subpoena to open them. At the moment that is probably not necessary. He showed up in Aberdeen in his twenties and was somewhat of a loose cannon.  Several run ins for fighting, public drunkenness, but no charges were ever filed. Seemed to find Jesus about ten years ago when he became an assistant pastor at an off beat church now dissolved. Nothing much after that, not even a traffic stop. Showed up here four years ago and began to gather a following. No visible means of support until his church granted him a salary about eighteen months ago. Married as we know and apparently happily but liked to look at women. No record of him acting on it.”

Buck nodded his head and remained silent. After a few seconds he spoke with a shake of his head, “ So a reformed sinner now a preacher with a roving eye is dead with no apparent motive but due to the place and attire there must be one. Was it to 

humiliate him?  Revenge by a woman scorned? We definitely need more.”

“I agree; we have to dig deeper. I am sure however that it was well planned and not a spur of the moment act. Not much experience to base that idea on, but the location of the victim and his attire or lack of indicates that in my opinion. Do you agree, Buck?”

“Makes sense to me. What next Sheriff?”

“ Next we see if Clara found you some place to stay other than the Shady Rest no tell Motel.   Clara housing report?”

Clara walked to the door of Beata’s office with a grin on her face. “Well there is an apartment upstairs at the hardware. Hetty would be your neighbor.” The look on Buck’s face was worth the moment of fun. “ But figured that would be more of trap than a place to relax, so I looked further. Grammer James has a renovated garage she lets out to tourist, but she’s willing for a more permanent tenant.  She’s nearly eighty.  I reckon she might need some help once in awhile and someone living there might put her kin at ease.”

Buck’s startled expression relaxed. “  Guess I can handle a few chores for a little old lady. Got to better than being in Hetty’s target zone.”

“Well, Grammer is not your typical little old lady so be prepared. The town calls her

Grammer but her real name is Flossie. She is changing sheets right now as I figured you’d go there. Two blocks to the east and one south. Bright Purple clapboard;can’t miss it. Told her you’d  be down in hour or so.”

“ Purple ?  Ok. Sheriff, do you need me or can I go meet my landlady?”

“ Go ahead.  I’ll go over what we have and see if anything pokes my mind as odd.  Better call the state lab and ask them to hurry on the test results. Doc is thinking poison and that means it wasn’t accidental. Poison takes planning and thought.”

Bright purple was a mild description of the color; pulsating purple would have come closer. Buck started toward the front door but was stopped by a voice informing to come round back. So he opened the gate and din as he was asked to do

“I take it you’re my new source of income. Welcome.” 

Buck looked at the place the voice was coming from but could not see the person.

No one was in sight. Then he got a glimpse of red sandals above his head hanging from the edge of the roof.

“That’s right sonny. I am up here. Darn ladder slid away after I got up here to catch this dad gum cat. Can you set against the house so I can get my body down and welcome you properly?”

Buck grabbed the ladder and put it against the house. The red sandals placed themselves on the top rung and were soon followed by an elfin sized woman sporting a red and yellow caftan. Her bright blue eyes twinkled when she saw his amazed expression.

“ Relax sonny. I wasn’t up there long. Cat took off and got down without my help. And yes, being stranded up there at my age isn’t fun, but this is a small town and someone would come along or see me from their house. Sides it is a good place to meditate. Let me show you the guest house.’’

Buck followed her down the path to a miniature Victorian house complete with gingerbread trim. It was set in a garden of hollyhocks, daisies and other older variety flowers. 

“ Pretty femmy for a hunk of man like you, but it is comfortable. Warm in winter and

Cool in summer. 175 a month I guess and since you are a copper I will throw in breakfast.” She announced as she opened the door to a small sitting room.

Buck saw a door to a bedroom to the left and a hallway to a small kitchen. He walked in to inspect it closer. It was bigger than his apartment in the city. It felt as if he would be comfortable there. “Guess I better go buy some towels and such.” he offered.

“ No need. Part of the rent and a cleaner come in once a week for long-term renters.

It is my great granddaughter.  So I know your options this or the other. Got to tell you no side benefits will be on offer here, but it is clean and comfortable.”  The blue eyes laughed as she informed him of the details.

‘No worries,  ma’am. I made my choice to forgo side benefits before I even came. Let me get you a check.”

“ Nope  first month for deputies is free. Just decided that, as you’re my first deputy. My first long term renter for that matter. Key is in the box by the door. Mail will be delivered in same box.” She whirled around and red caftan flowing left to walk down the path. Leaving Buck wondering how such a character was in Limon.

Be read through her notes on the death and created a case file.  Doc was thinking poison and since nothing else in his post mortem was indicated as a cause of death, she had to agree. What type of poison had to be found at the state medical examiner and that could take days or weeks. She checked the time and realized it was too late to call them today as east river was on central time.   So home, shower, supper and evening spent with her bulldog Winston beckoned.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

 Morning came with a rush of heat at dawn. Bea rolled over and stepped out of bed to see Winston staring at her with that let me out, now look in his eyes. So she headed to the backdoor and opened it for him to run in the fenced yard. Yawning she walked to the coffeemaker and began to brew a pot. Even in the heat of summer hot coffee was a necessity. 

Winston yipped at the door as her cell rang. She answered as Winston came into the cool of the house. “Hello. What the heck?  Fax the report to the office. Thanks for the rush.” Grabbing her uniform from the hanger she, went to punch in Buck’s cell and recalled she had yet to program it into the cell. “Damn It.”

“ Clara, call Buck now.” Bea shouted as she entered the office.

“No need. He is here in your space.”

Bea walked over to her inner office and there he was sitting in the free chair. Closing the door she noticed the Stetson hanging on the wall hook by the outer office door.  She had not even looked that way. Sheriffs are supposed to be observant and she had missed that hat.

“ State called me at home. They are faxing lab results. It is a preliminary and they are dong some more tests but it should help us. How is the rental?”

“Other than an eighty year old sitting on her roof because her ladder fell giving me a bit of alarm nice. Also conversation at breakfast was interesting. She seems to know a bit more about social life here than many are willing to talk about---legal and clandestine.” Buck chuckled remembering his first meeting with Grammer.

Conversation stopped when the fax whirred spitting out a page of print. Bea grabbed, copied it and handed one to Buck. “ Ok so it was poison. Fast acting and leaving no true trace but stomach content seemed to be chili with at least three different beans. They are testing them now. So not only is it is murder, it had to be premeditated.  Poison takes planning.”

“ Yep seems so.”

“Ok , your turn. What did Grammer say?”  Bea asked.

“Well seems the parson had early morning meetings with someone. Some he wanted to hide. Even asked if he could maybe rent Grammer’s guest cottage cheaply, but she told she did not let it out to cheaters even at triple the price. Guess he got quite mad at the response but she pointed out that a preacher was a teacher and what his actions were teaching wasn’t exactly Biblical. So he left, but he shot her the finger as he walked away. Grammer giggled telling me that.” Buck grinned remembering the laughter in the eyes of the older lady over her coffee cup.

“ So did she know who the other person was?”

“ To quote her Sheriff: ‘ It might be several light skirts and may even a young male but with no proof she ain’t pointing fingers at nobody.’ Let on how finding that out was our job.”

“ Well, she’s right there, but where in the blue blazes do we start.  Gossip will have him with every willing woman in town ,and believe me, with men working the North Dakota oil fields there are women willing to have their itch scratched. Also we got one or two known men who might be willing. Dagnab it, Butch. We are going to be sifting gossip for days. So let’s see if we can trace his last movements and maybe something will surface.”

“Sounds good. Do we start with the missus?”

“ Yes. I will do that - might be better woman to woman.   Buck , you walk down to the diner and see what the old man’s coffee groupies have to say. Those old coots know a lot and love to gossip, but sidle up to the topic. A direct question might put their backs up.”

“ Yep, it just might. I imagine the preacher is today’s topic. I’ll just go down and have a listen.” Buck left her office grabbed the Stetson, and left the courthouse.  Bea watched him and then walked out to stand by Clara’s desk.  She waited a few minutes knowing the woman would have something to say, and it would be good.

“Bea, that is one long tall hunk of handsome.”

“Maybe but his job performance is what will keep him here for you to look at, Clara.

Now tell me what you know about the preacher’s wife before I go question her.”

Chapter 2

Buck entered the diner and chose a stool near the group of older men sitting around nursing cups of coffee and talking loudly probably because their hearing was failing. Still it did not necessarily rise above the usual noises of business in the town’s popular eatery. They nattered about all daily town events, politics and their aches and pains.

“ So the preacher got his own?” questioned one grizzled man.

“ Figured he might get some type of hit but never figured he would die like he did. The man could not contain himself. “Even approached my granddaughter, he did .” The man across from the speaker spit out.  Buck’s made notice of this but the next comment lessened the value.

“ That was when she visited last year. She was so mad she cut her visit short and went back to Bismark saying she would come back when he was gone. Well, now I do not have go there to visit .”

The third man put his coffee cup down and leaned closer to the others and in loud whisper opined.  “Well, I always thought he played the other side of the field.”  The talk then switched to the effect of the death of the town’s annual rodeo celebration. Buck finished his coffee and sauntered out of the diner. Walking back to the office he pondered the last bit of the conversation and how a town like Limon might deal with  that sexual preference especially from a preacher. He would have to investigate the truth of the statement and the town’s attitude as well trying to find out who the woman or man in the case may be.

Beata braced herself and climbed out of her SUV. This was not going to be an interview. Earlier at the office she had sensed the wall the woman had built around herself regarding her husband.  Was it a real lack of knowledge of her husband’s activities or was it a defense against the knowledge?  Hopefully, something would be revealed during this visit. Shaking herself,, she knocked on the door and waited.  She  had about decided no one was home when footsteps sounded and the door swung open.

“ Sheriff?”  the woman’s voice was rough and nothing invited Beata to come in. 

“Margaret , I am sorry but there  are some questions only you can answer, and I thought the privacy of your home to be better than my office.”

“ Come in then. I have coffee in the kitchen. Do you want some?”

Beata followed the woman down a hall.  It was spotless and uncluttered with any family stuff. No coats, no boots, no pictures were in sight. Only a small table with a lamp was visible.  It felt sterile, empty of life.  The kitchen was hardly better. Nothing  was on the counters. The only thing breaking the surface was old fashioned coffee pot on the stove and red mug on the oilcloth covered table. Margaret went to a cupboard and brought down a bright yellow mug and filled with coffee.

“Evans didn’t like colored things. I bought these mugs yesterday after I talked to you”, Margaret offered as she set the cup in front of Beata.  “Now why did I tell you that?” 

“Perhaps because now you felt free to express yourself?” Beata offered.

“Maybe. Evans was a dominant male and we lived as he liked. Color could lead to strong feelings and he wanted to avoid that except in the church. He wanted strong faith there. Now, I can use color in my way.  Now what do you want to ask me?”

“Tell me was your marriage a good one?”

“ It was complacent but not passionate. Before you ask I know Evans liked to let his eyes wonder, always did. Still he rarely if ever made it physical. Except, except.’

“Except what?”

“ I had begun to think that he might have actually been having an affair recently. He seemed different---less passionate about the church and me also. He was quieter, secretive even.”

“ How did you feel about that?  Were you angry? That is nosey, but I have to ask it?”

Margaret looked at her mug for a moment before lifting her eyes to Beata and answering the question.  “ I was not happy but was I angry enough to kill him? No. I long ago accepted that my marriage was not perfect but it was my lot in life. I tried to be the best wife I could.  I lived within his rules and took care of his creature comforts. Had we had children I might have been angrier as his sin would taint, humiliate them. Children often know such things before their mother, you understand, but with no children I could pretend there were no problems.”

Beata weighed that odd reasoning for moment before going on. “ When did you last see Evans?”

“ The morning he left for Rapid City or so he said. He went to the bank and came back here to get his suitcase and some paperwork from his safe. He left almost as soon as he came. He was like that always organized and on a schedule. He did not say good bye or when he would return.”

“ Was that unusual not saying when he would be back?”

“ Yes, it was. He always left me a list of things to see to before his return and he could get a bit upset if it wasn’t complete when he returned. After he left ,I went to check the list on his desk but there wasn’t one. So I assumed he just wanted the church painting to be continued and finished. “

Be’s phone signaled a text message, and she cut the interview short. “ Margaret I have to leave, but I will probably have more questions. Stay in town.”

“ No problem. I still have the congregation to serve in Evans’ Place.”

Buck arrived  at the office in time to open the door before Be reached it. He opened it and doffed the Stetson with a wide cavalier style bow. Once inside Be  gave him an odd look.

“Why the stink-eye boss?”

“and why the bow, Buck?”

 “No reason, really.”   The response rang true to Be.  So far Buck had shown no sign of humor or sexism. 

“Well, Buck. It is hard being a female sheriff in this area where many people think of women as men’s helpmates. So if you do this in public or even when no one is around, the bow could be considered sarcasm or sexism. I would like you to be careful about such actions in the future.”

“ Yes, ma  er boss. I didn’t find out much at the diner but got a line of thought I want to share.”

“ Good we can compare notes in a minute, but the state crime lab called. Let’s talk to them first.”, she commented drily as she led the way to her office and after he entered ,she shut the door and dialed the number.. The wait for the answer stretched into minutes. She sensed her group beginning  to fidget so she hung up.

“Well, that was futile. Guess we wait for them to get to us again. They have already said it was probably poison; so we are waiting for confirmation. Anyone got any input until we hear from them?”

Clara jumped in.” Poison is usually the woman’s choice. Well, the pastor made women damn uncomfortable. Some of town ladies would cross the street to avoid being on the sidewalk with him. He never made a obvious pass but he had a way of looking at you that made your skin crawl. I reckon some would find that exciting..”

“ That goes along with what my landlady hinted at this morning. Said it wasn’t her tale to tell, but she reckoned two or three ladies had found him interesting.”

Bet looked at Joe Running deer. “ Anything from your area?” He was her contact with the Lakota around Limon. She hoped he would say no as it would cause jurisdiction tension.

“Bet you won’t like this but the man had a rep on the Rez and no, it wasn’t good. Seems he would come out and preach then young kids began to move to that community or whatever you want to call it and rarely is ever came back eve to visit. They would call from Rapid or Spearfish about a good job. Then nothing. Henry Many Humps daughter was the most recent. You can guess what kind of a job a sixteen year old native girl can get in Spearfish. There is no proof, but some of the dads made sure he didn't come back on the Rez. So poison may indicate a female killer, but those dads are devious . Could be a mad momma also.”

“ Ok if the poison was given on the Rez, we have to deal with the Feds and Rez police. Let’s hope that doesn't happen.” The phone interrupted her. “Speaking. Really. Would that be something anyone would know? I see. Thanks.”

Bet looked at the group around the desk. “Okay guys it was ricin poisoning. It can kill slowly in one form but is quicker in another. Richards’ last meal was chili full of castor beans the source of ricin.. From the stomach contents they estimate he ingested enough beans to kill him   Rather quickly as the cooked beans would have released the toxin and ingested it would be fatal.”

Buck leaned forward, “So we need to know where he at the fatal chili, when he ate it and who the heck cooked it up for him”

“ Yep that sums it up, I’d say.” Joe agreed.

—————————————————————--

Bet sat in her chair wondering just how they would find the killer. Limon was small; everyone knows everyone else's business. How was it there was only speculation about the man’s meandering? How much did the wife know and would she resent it. Enough to kill him?  Her enforcement training indicated many murders of spouses were done by the other spouse. Still she wondered if an angry Christian could do the deed.

Joe could work with the Lakota parents particularly Henry Many Humps. He knew how to do it without irritating the Rez police and his being Lakota himself was helpful. Clara never left the office, but she had a way of hearing tales that could be interesting. 

She and Buck would have cover Limon and the country around it. His landlady was an odd one but she knew things because she kept what she knew locked away. Prying anything out of her might be difficult. The town would be polite to Buck ,but  as he was new he had hoops  to jump before people would trust him enough for confidences. Darn, they had already missed the most important forty- eight hours that often gave up the perp. On top of that if her rival in the election decided to this lack of speed would be a harping point.  She banged on her desk, stood up, and left the office.

Buck and Joe were drinking coffee when she slammed the door of the diner behind her causing them and the old men to jump. She didn’t bother to say sorry as she plopped into the booth with her deputies, and motioned for a cup of coffee. Nothing broke the silence as the three of them sat holding their mugs..

“Well, Bet think I will go do some t listening in tipi land. Lots of hard feelings out there just now what with the pipeline dispute, but maybe I can get line on the parents .” He stood while laying down the money for the coffee. “ Nice to meet you, Buck. Bet. I will be in touch.”

“ We get the town; I take it Boss. So how can I work as I am the   new boy.”

“ Guess we will have to question anyone tied to the victim. Wonder if we can find something about his outside ladies . His wife knew he had a roving eye, but not sure he acted on it. Your landlady might know something but prying it out of her will be like cutting the Gordian knot.”

Bet considered the options for the next steps. Decided, she shook her head and looked at Buck. He was something to look at, but she bit back the thought saying,” Tell you what, charm Grammer and try to loosen her up  I am going to walk the town and listen to what people are saying. You can do that too. Tomorrow we will go down to the church and question the members.”

Grammer was on her porch drinking tea when Buck entered the yard. He walked up to the porch and doffed the Stetson. She raised one eyebrow before she grinned  and invited him to sit. “Plant yourself youngster and have some of my special tea. It will mend what needs mending.”

Buck laughed and accepted the glass she offered. Taking a large gulp he felt it burn all the way down. Special needed to be spelled spiked. “ Good  lord, Grammer what the heck is in that and I bet you better not serve it to minors.”

“ The English drink gin and tonic. I like gin and tea.  So any news about the parson?”

“ He’s dead—posioned. That is pretty public. Does the town know how he was found?” 

“ Nude in the announcer’s booth with an odd bit of decoration?  Of course it was too juicy not to spread like a gasoline fire.  Neon green? In my day they were not in color, and frankly, I think it was chosen to give his memory a bit of tarnish--- to  keep him from being remembered as the saint he would want to be seen as.”

“Had not thought of that, Grammer. Revenge for a wrong and after death a way to mock his life.  Who could have been that full of spite? Any ideas ?”  Buck looked the woman in the eye. She returned his look without a blink and shook her head. He felt she knew or guessed more than she would willing reveal. He set down his glass and got up to go to his cottage.

“Deputy, it is your job to find the answers but it might not be the easiest person to point a finger at. Dig deep. “, and then she got up , gathered the glasses and went into her house.

Morning came with heat and the day promised to be hotter than normal. Be   let Winston out to do a quick morning exercise before the heat became dangerous for him.  As she made coffee and toast , she reviewed the case. Nothing concrete but the body and the means of death. A stoic widow and a town buzzing with the details but no rumors other than indefinite hints at the man’s infidelities.   She drained a mug of coffee, called Winston in from the heat, and left for the office. Maybe Joe and Buck had stumbled on something,

The office was empty. Where was Clara? She was always the first one to arrive and to make the morning coffee. No Stetson on the hat rack. She did not expect Joe to be there there, but the emptiness of the office was odd and a bit eerie. In order to ease her uneasy feeling she went to the coffee maker and begin the day’s first pot of caffeine courage. The door opened behind her and Clara rushed in,

“Sorry to be late Br, but  I just had the most interesting talk with  Lily  Heier.”

“ About what, Clara?”

“ About the parson’s life here. Seems there was a ldy interested in what he was offering. Lily  lives near the park and she has insomnia.”  Clara paused to open the box of doughnuts she carried and began to arrange them on  a plate. No eating from a box in an office she oversaw.

“ And that tells us what?”

“Well, she often sits on her porch in the dark. Fresh air helps her to sleep  and  while she cannot be seen the city light across the park allows activity in the park to be seen dimly.  Several times in the past month or so the parson met a woman and they were very affectionate. Lots of   PDA. She knew it was him because of the way he walked. Everyone in town would recognize that strut, but she never did get a good view of the woman. “

“Not much to help us there but it may develop into something.  Did Joe or Buck call in yesterday before you closed the office down?”

“ No and they didn’t call the night dispatcher either. I checked on my way over.”

“Driving and talking on your cell, Clara. Do you want a ticket?”

“ Had it on speaker and laying on the seat. No hands on it , Be.”

“No problem. How much credit to you give to this information? “

“Well, Lily is no saint herself but never know her to say what she did not believe was true. Not prone to gossip.”  Clara went to her desk and began checking emails and messages. Be walked into her office to look at her files and then turned to the internet typing in the name Martha Richards.  Not many references showed up about the woman--- a teacher until her marriage. Martha led a pretty ordinary life except for one thing. Before leaving her post to marry Richards she was gaining a reputation as a herbalist.  Be assumed that meant she would have some knowledge of poisonous plants such as castor beans. She tented her fingers and began to wonder if this knowledge had been used.  Her office door opened ,and Buck walked in.

“Morning, boss. Thought I’d report on my conversation with Grammer. She gave me no answers, but she knows something. I can sense it in her reluctance to expand; perhaps to avoid being grouped with the old lady gossips.  I would bet my Stetson she knows who accepted the advances of our ogling pastor.”

“ Entirely possible, Buck. She is one of Limon’s oddballs, but she is not a gossiper. When she comments, it is true and on target. Give her a cause and she is gung ho, but unless she is sure she says nothing. When she is ready she will say what she believes. Meanwhile, we need to go to the church area and interview members.” 

Be stood up and started out of the office with Buck when her phone rang.  She checked the caller id quickly and put the phone to her ear .

Buck watched her facial reactions to whatever she was hearing.  Finally, she tucked the phone into its holder and turned to Clara. “Clara, dig up all the information , official records and otherwise on Henry Humps Many,  Victor Grey Eagle , and Adam Braveheart.”

“Ok, Be.” Clara answered as she booted up her computer.

“ So Joe found something?” buck questioned as he reached for his Stetson.

“Noting strongly pointing to our case, but all three of these men have had a teenage child  join Richards’ group and then go to Rapid for a “job”  and then gradually quit responding to parental calls.  Joe knows them and doubts if they would plot a murder but they are warpath ready. They want to know their kids are safe. We will have to talk to them.  Let’s get out to the church and the members who live out there near it.”