presence of mind to note that it must be the new renter. There wasn’t time for polite introductions. We shoved and pushed our way downstairs with Aunt Connie hot on our heels.
The renter got to the door of the flower shop first and pulled frantically on the doorknob. Like the hysterical person that I was at the time, I accentuated the obvious by wringing my hands and yelling, “It’s locked! The door’s locked. We forgot the keys.”
“Maybe you forgot, but I didn’t.” Aunt Connie pulled the keys out of the side pocket of her dress. “Now get out of my way, you two.”
We parted like the Red Sea and let her through. She deftly put in the key and opened the door. All three of us tried to go through at once. We grunted and shoved until we were inside the workroom of the flower shop.
Peggy’s tall frame was sprawled on the floor in front of the opened door to the flower cooler. Aunt Connie got on her knees and looked Peggy over carefully, then informed us, “I think she just fainted. She might be sick, but in the five years she’s worked for me, I’ve never known her to faint. Guess there’s a first time for everything.”
“Uh, I’m pretty sure I know what made her faint,” the renter muttered. “And I think we’d better work fast if we don’t want the sheriff breathing down our necks.”
Moving quickly to the front of the shop, the renter called back, “I’ve got an idea, so don’t try bringing her around just yet. We’ve only got a few minutes as it is.”
“Do you know what that man is talking about?” I asked Aunt Connie. “What did you tell me his name is?”
“Name’s Freedom,” she answered. “I don’t know exactly what he’s up to, but since I can feel the air to the flower cooler is a lot colder than it should be, I got my suspicions.”
Aunt Connie stepped over the passed-out Peggy and peered into the cooler. Her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, my. They really did put him in the flower cooler.”
Stupidly, I asked, “Who put who where?”
Then it dawned on me. I put two and two together and came up with one dead body, one demented relative, andone very helpful renter. The scenario went something like this: poor Peggy screamed and fainted because late last night they, meaning my uncle, the Demented One, and his new pal, Freedom, the Helpful Renter, had put Aaron Scott, the Dead Body, in the flower cooler.
Of all the harebrained things that generations of Tanners have done—and believe me we can trace our peculiar brand of insanity back for fourteen generations—this had to be the most outrageous, Tenacious Tanner not withstanding.
Freedom came back to the workroom carrying the life-size scarecrow that had been a large part of Aunt Connie’s harvesttime window display.
Handing me the scarecrow, he said, “Hold this, while I get Scott’s body out of the cooler.”
“Just what am I supposed to do with this thing?” I demanded.
Freedom leaned close to Aunt Connie and me and in a low voice said, “Look, there’s not a lot of time. You two wrap that scarecrow in some of that pink cellophane Connie keeps over there in the corner. I’m going to take Scott out of the cooler and put him in the bed of my truck. I think I know a place where we can hide him until we’re sure it’s safe to put him back in the cooler. Once you get that scarecrow wrapped, put it in the cooler where Scott was. Hopefully we can get Scott and the scarecrow switched by the time Peggy comes to.” Then he dashed into the cooler.
“Pink cellophane! Why pink cellophane?” I asked. Surelythey didn’t wrap him up in pink cellophane.
Oh yes, they did! Freedom came out with the body of Aaron Scott wrapped in pink cellophane on his shoulder.
Now I knew why Uncle Rudd didn’t want me to let Aunt Connie in the workshop tonight. He didn’t want her to find the body. He couldn’t have foreseen that Aunt Connie would call Peggy in to finish up the flower arrangements. But she did, and now we had to
The renter got to the door of the flower shop first and pulled frantically on the doorknob. Like the hysterical person that I was at the time, I accentuated the obvious by wringing my hands and yelling, “It’s locked! The door’s locked. We forgot the keys.”
“Maybe you forgot, but I didn’t.” Aunt Connie pulled the keys out of the side pocket of her dress. “Now get out of my way, you two.”
We parted like the Red Sea and let her through. She deftly put in the key and opened the door. All three of us tried to go through at once. We grunted and shoved until we were inside the workroom of the flower shop.
Peggy’s tall frame was sprawled on the floor in front of the opened door to the flower cooler. Aunt Connie got on her knees and looked Peggy over carefully, then informed us, “I think she just fainted. She might be sick, but in the five years she’s worked for me, I’ve never known her to faint. Guess there’s a first time for everything.”
“Uh, I’m pretty sure I know what made her faint,” the renter muttered. “And I think we’d better work fast if we don’t want the sheriff breathing down our necks.”
Moving quickly to the front of the shop, the renter called back, “I’ve got an idea, so don’t try bringing her around just yet. We’ve only got a few minutes as it is.”
“Do you know what that man is talking about?” I asked Aunt Connie. “What did you tell me his name is?”
“Name’s Freedom,” she answered. “I don’t know exactly what he’s up to, but since I can feel the air to the flower cooler is a lot colder than it should be, I got my suspicions.”
Aunt Connie stepped over the passed-out Peggy and peered into the cooler. Her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, my. They really did put him in the flower cooler.”
Stupidly, I asked, “Who put who where?”
Then it dawned on me. I put two and two together and came up with one dead body, one demented relative, andone very helpful renter. The scenario went something like this: poor Peggy screamed and fainted because late last night they, meaning my uncle, the Demented One, and his new pal, Freedom, the Helpful Renter, had put Aaron Scott, the Dead Body, in the flower cooler.
Of all the harebrained things that generations of Tanners have done—and believe me we can trace our peculiar brand of insanity back for fourteen generations—this had to be the most outrageous, Tenacious Tanner not withstanding.
Freedom came back to the workroom carrying the life-size scarecrow that had been a large part of Aunt Connie’s harvesttime window display.
Handing me the scarecrow, he said, “Hold this, while I get Scott’s body out of the cooler.”
“Just what am I supposed to do with this thing?” I demanded.
Freedom leaned close to Aunt Connie and me and in a low voice said, “Look, there’s not a lot of time. You two wrap that scarecrow in some of that pink cellophane Connie keeps over there in the corner. I’m going to take Scott out of the cooler and put him in the bed of my truck. I think I know a place where we can hide him until we’re sure it’s safe to put him back in the cooler. Once you get that scarecrow wrapped, put it in the cooler where Scott was. Hopefully we can get Scott and the scarecrow switched by the time Peggy comes to.” Then he dashed into the cooler.
“Pink cellophane! Why pink cellophane?” I asked. Surelythey didn’t wrap him up in pink cellophane.
Oh yes, they did! Freedom came out with the body of Aaron Scott wrapped in pink cellophane on his shoulder.
Now I knew why Uncle Rudd didn’t want me to let Aunt Connie in the workshop tonight. He didn’t want her to find the body. He couldn’t have foreseen that Aunt Connie would call Peggy in to finish up the flower arrangements. But she did, and now we had to
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