could have been his blood in the kitchen.”
“No, sir, I checked that. Jesse was also O positive. Sheriff, if we catch this man I think it would be easy to convict him on that basis alone. AB negative is extremely rare.”
“That would be good; keep me informed, John. I have several people I am going to talk to about migrant workers, see if maybe he is still hanging around here. He might have decided to stay a while since this is a nursery and farm town. There are lots of jobs to do this time of year.”
“Yes, Sir, I will check back with you later.”
Joshua hung up the phone, refilled his cup, and then walked out onto the porch. He sat down and lit a smoke. The squirrels and birds were busy as bees gathering nuts, berries, and twigs for nests. It was still mating season. Joshua liked the spring season with its blooming flowers and the smell of fresh cut grass and hay. The wisteria vines that ran through the trees south of his cabin were beginning to bloom. He liked the scent they give off. Suddenly Joshua was a little boy again. He remembered carrying a cluster of them in his hand, petals dropping off them as he ran up the walkway to his house; however, that was all. The memory was gone before it was fully remembered.
He must have been taking the flowers to his mother…
Fall was Joshua’s favorite time of year. He loved the aroma of fall, wood smoke rising from chimneys, frosty mornings, and the smell of apple cider brewing when he walked into Miller’s Grocery. He finished his smoke, rinsed his cup and unplugged the coffee pot. He had slept in his clothes, but felt no need to change; he had showered just before putting them on the night before. He grabbed his hat, locked the door behind him and left. By 9 a.m., he was sitting in front of the office of Edgewood Nursery. The owner, Bill Thrower, was coming down the steps when Joshua got out of his cruiser.
“What can I help you with, Sheriff?”
“Nothing, Bill, I stopped by to talk to Kitty about Joe Dyas,” Joshua replied, saying the first thing that come to mind.
“It’s a shame what happened to Joe. He was a good worker and a good man.” Bill said. “I thought y’all got the fella that killed him… it was Tom Stringer wasn’t it. At least that was what I heard. I hear you had to kill him when you tried to arrest him for it.”
“Yes, I did,” was all Joshua said. He did not feel like discussing it.
“Well, I’m glad he didn’t get away with it. Tom always was an arrogant sort.”
“Yeah, he was, and I hate Joe got caught up in it. We’ve been taking up a collection for his widow and young’uns. I thought maybe Kitty could help with the distribution of it and make sure it got into the widows hands.”
“She’s in there, Sheriff, just go on in,” Bill replied getting into his pickup.
6
Nit and Pea Picking
Joshua took the steps two at a time and tapped on the door before opening it. Kitty Christian was sitting at a desk that faced the door. She looked up and smiled. Kitty was a pretty woman and Joshua like her temperament and personality. If she was not married to one of his deputies, he might go after her himself. She was one of those natural dark beauties. From what he had heard, her grandma was a full-blooded Cherokee. He would not doubt it either; you could see the Indian in her, her kinfolk too.
“What can I do you for, Sheriff,” Kitty asked cheerfully.
“Well, Hon, I wanted to talk to you about migrant workers, like the Mexicans that come in here every year; the hiring practices and so forth. I was wondering if you knew which nurseries hired them and so on.”
“I can tell you for sure that Bill Thrower doesn’t hire any Mexicans, Sheriff. He will hire migrant workers during potting and trucking season, but only white or coloreds. He refuses to use Mexicans even though several other owners have told him that they’ll work harder and cheaper than the others will.”
“Is that right”
“His exact words are -
“No, sir, I checked that. Jesse was also O positive. Sheriff, if we catch this man I think it would be easy to convict him on that basis alone. AB negative is extremely rare.”
“That would be good; keep me informed, John. I have several people I am going to talk to about migrant workers, see if maybe he is still hanging around here. He might have decided to stay a while since this is a nursery and farm town. There are lots of jobs to do this time of year.”
“Yes, Sir, I will check back with you later.”
Joshua hung up the phone, refilled his cup, and then walked out onto the porch. He sat down and lit a smoke. The squirrels and birds were busy as bees gathering nuts, berries, and twigs for nests. It was still mating season. Joshua liked the spring season with its blooming flowers and the smell of fresh cut grass and hay. The wisteria vines that ran through the trees south of his cabin were beginning to bloom. He liked the scent they give off. Suddenly Joshua was a little boy again. He remembered carrying a cluster of them in his hand, petals dropping off them as he ran up the walkway to his house; however, that was all. The memory was gone before it was fully remembered.
He must have been taking the flowers to his mother…
Fall was Joshua’s favorite time of year. He loved the aroma of fall, wood smoke rising from chimneys, frosty mornings, and the smell of apple cider brewing when he walked into Miller’s Grocery. He finished his smoke, rinsed his cup and unplugged the coffee pot. He had slept in his clothes, but felt no need to change; he had showered just before putting them on the night before. He grabbed his hat, locked the door behind him and left. By 9 a.m., he was sitting in front of the office of Edgewood Nursery. The owner, Bill Thrower, was coming down the steps when Joshua got out of his cruiser.
“What can I help you with, Sheriff?”
“Nothing, Bill, I stopped by to talk to Kitty about Joe Dyas,” Joshua replied, saying the first thing that come to mind.
“It’s a shame what happened to Joe. He was a good worker and a good man.” Bill said. “I thought y’all got the fella that killed him… it was Tom Stringer wasn’t it. At least that was what I heard. I hear you had to kill him when you tried to arrest him for it.”
“Yes, I did,” was all Joshua said. He did not feel like discussing it.
“Well, I’m glad he didn’t get away with it. Tom always was an arrogant sort.”
“Yeah, he was, and I hate Joe got caught up in it. We’ve been taking up a collection for his widow and young’uns. I thought maybe Kitty could help with the distribution of it and make sure it got into the widows hands.”
“She’s in there, Sheriff, just go on in,” Bill replied getting into his pickup.
6
Nit and Pea Picking
Joshua took the steps two at a time and tapped on the door before opening it. Kitty Christian was sitting at a desk that faced the door. She looked up and smiled. Kitty was a pretty woman and Joshua like her temperament and personality. If she was not married to one of his deputies, he might go after her himself. She was one of those natural dark beauties. From what he had heard, her grandma was a full-blooded Cherokee. He would not doubt it either; you could see the Indian in her, her kinfolk too.
“What can I do you for, Sheriff,” Kitty asked cheerfully.
“Well, Hon, I wanted to talk to you about migrant workers, like the Mexicans that come in here every year; the hiring practices and so forth. I was wondering if you knew which nurseries hired them and so on.”
“I can tell you for sure that Bill Thrower doesn’t hire any Mexicans, Sheriff. He will hire migrant workers during potting and trucking season, but only white or coloreds. He refuses to use Mexicans even though several other owners have told him that they’ll work harder and cheaper than the others will.”
“Is that right”
“His exact words are -
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