Fraidy Hole: A Sheriff Lester P. Morrison Novel by Warren Williams
Authors: Warren Williams
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screen television. A sectional bookcase sat at the base of the staircase , its shelves packed with small statues of cats and dogs. An obviously well used copy of the Holy Bible, the open pages faded and worn, lay on a coffee table of polished walnut, directly in front of a flowered divan. There was not a speck of dust in sight.
Melissa’s room was at the top of the stairs, first door on the left. A hand-lettered sign taped to the door read Private! Inside, warm afternoon light filled the room. Large colorful posters practically jumped from the thumb-tacked wall on the right. A smiling Justin Beiber, perfectly coifed, competed for attention with an image of Lady Gaga dressed in a flaming red body suit with matching , but wildly elevated , high heels. Oklahoma girl Carrie Underwood , her long blond hair complimenting a shimmering gold dress, held the place of prominence above Melissa’s bed. A stuffed Panda bear, at least three feet high, sat innocently in one corner of the room. The bed was neatly made, sheets and spread pulled tight.
Taking in the scene, Lester was puzzled . “Mrs. Parker, maybe I misunderstood, but I thought your husband ransacked Melissa’s room, tossin’ out everything he believed to be unsuitable for teenagers. It’s as neat as a pin in here. ”
Imogene bowed her head as if to apologize. “Yes, I’m afraid Albert did make quite a mess, but I cleaned it up right after breakfast this morning. I didn’t want Melissa to come home and see what a jumble her room was. She’s not like a lot of teens I hear about with their dirty clothes on the floor and wet towels hanging around on the furniture. Melissa keeps a tidy room. But then again, Albert is very strict about such things.”
“Yes Ma’am. Now about that photo…”
“Yes, of course. I’ll be right back.”
Lester watched the woman disappear through a doorway down the hall and quickly began opening dresser drawers, hoping for a diary or love letters. Finding nothing but socks, underwear, t-shirts, and a pair of thermal long-johns, he tried the closet. A pink soft-sided suitcase sat on the floor along with an open but empty duffel bag. Several pair of tennis shoes, some flats, as well as a single pair of snow boots lay side by side, along the outer wall. The mother re-entered the room just as Lester closed the closet door.
“I hope this will do,” Imogene said. She held a framed 5x7 photo of an attractive young girl with long, shoulder length hair, dark brown in color. The girl in the image had a smiling oval face with dark eyes that twinkled with the exuberance of youth. The photo featured a fallen tree, the girl posed playfully across it in a quarter turn, one leg bent and resting on the trunk. Lester had the impression that Melissa could easily pass as twenty-one or older. She had long and shapely movie star legs, not thin or gangly like so many young girls in their teens . And it was impossible to ignore her well-developed breasts that strained at the thin material of her tee shirt.
This girl could attract boys like bees to a flower, Lester thought to himself. Or men who like ‘em young.
*****
Outside, and behind the Parker house, were two corrugated galvanized steel sheds commonly known as Quonset huts, and a weathered barn —red of course —with a hayloft . The John Deere tractor with an enclosed cab rested near the edge of a field , it’s distinctive green and yellow colors catching the eye . Billy Ray decided to investigate the sheds first. The nearest one, the biggest, had an assortment of the usual machinery found on most farms. There was a chisel pl ow with four blades —designed to hold down erosion—as well as a front loader especially fitted for the front of the tractor. At the far end of the building sat a well-used workbench strewn with a variety of hammers, screwdrivers, and wrenches. The majority of the hand tools could have qualified as antiques; wooden handles, rounded off tips on the screwdrivers,
Melissa’s room was at the top of the stairs, first door on the left. A hand-lettered sign taped to the door read Private! Inside, warm afternoon light filled the room. Large colorful posters practically jumped from the thumb-tacked wall on the right. A smiling Justin Beiber, perfectly coifed, competed for attention with an image of Lady Gaga dressed in a flaming red body suit with matching , but wildly elevated , high heels. Oklahoma girl Carrie Underwood , her long blond hair complimenting a shimmering gold dress, held the place of prominence above Melissa’s bed. A stuffed Panda bear, at least three feet high, sat innocently in one corner of the room. The bed was neatly made, sheets and spread pulled tight.
Taking in the scene, Lester was puzzled . “Mrs. Parker, maybe I misunderstood, but I thought your husband ransacked Melissa’s room, tossin’ out everything he believed to be unsuitable for teenagers. It’s as neat as a pin in here. ”
Imogene bowed her head as if to apologize. “Yes, I’m afraid Albert did make quite a mess, but I cleaned it up right after breakfast this morning. I didn’t want Melissa to come home and see what a jumble her room was. She’s not like a lot of teens I hear about with their dirty clothes on the floor and wet towels hanging around on the furniture. Melissa keeps a tidy room. But then again, Albert is very strict about such things.”
“Yes Ma’am. Now about that photo…”
“Yes, of course. I’ll be right back.”
Lester watched the woman disappear through a doorway down the hall and quickly began opening dresser drawers, hoping for a diary or love letters. Finding nothing but socks, underwear, t-shirts, and a pair of thermal long-johns, he tried the closet. A pink soft-sided suitcase sat on the floor along with an open but empty duffel bag. Several pair of tennis shoes, some flats, as well as a single pair of snow boots lay side by side, along the outer wall. The mother re-entered the room just as Lester closed the closet door.
“I hope this will do,” Imogene said. She held a framed 5x7 photo of an attractive young girl with long, shoulder length hair, dark brown in color. The girl in the image had a smiling oval face with dark eyes that twinkled with the exuberance of youth. The photo featured a fallen tree, the girl posed playfully across it in a quarter turn, one leg bent and resting on the trunk. Lester had the impression that Melissa could easily pass as twenty-one or older. She had long and shapely movie star legs, not thin or gangly like so many young girls in their teens . And it was impossible to ignore her well-developed breasts that strained at the thin material of her tee shirt.
This girl could attract boys like bees to a flower, Lester thought to himself. Or men who like ‘em young.
*****
Outside, and behind the Parker house, were two corrugated galvanized steel sheds commonly known as Quonset huts, and a weathered barn —red of course —with a hayloft . The John Deere tractor with an enclosed cab rested near the edge of a field , it’s distinctive green and yellow colors catching the eye . Billy Ray decided to investigate the sheds first. The nearest one, the biggest, had an assortment of the usual machinery found on most farms. There was a chisel pl ow with four blades —designed to hold down erosion—as well as a front loader especially fitted for the front of the tractor. At the far end of the building sat a well-used workbench strewn with a variety of hammers, screwdrivers, and wrenches. The majority of the hand tools could have qualified as antiques; wooden handles, rounded off tips on the screwdrivers,
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