deal with Peggy finding the body.
“Don’t just stand there with your mouth open, Dixie June. We got to get that scarecrow wrapped up now!” Aunt Connie hissed.
She already had a wad of cellophane in her hand, trying to wrap it around the scarecrow. I closed my mouth and grabbed the end to help her.
By the time we had the scarecrow wrapped up, Freedom had come back in, and we helped him put it in the same spot they had put Aaron’s body the night before.
As we hurried out of the cooler, Peggy, still a little groggy, was propped up on one arm. When she saw us, her eyes widened and she pointed to the cooler, stammering, “St-Stay out of there. B-Body, dead body. I saw it. Call Otis, q-quick!”
“Now, take it easy, dear. There’s nothing like that in the cooler,” Aunt Connie said quietly, but firmly. “Only thing in there is that old six-foot scarecrow I usually have in the front window. Go on and look for yourself.”
Peggy got to her feet and looked at each one of us like wehad taken leave of our senses. Which, of course we had.
With a dazed expression still on her face, Peggy pulled herself up straight and said defensively, “I know what I saw. If you don’t believe me, you just march right in there and take another look for yourself. I tell you, there’s a dead body in that cooler, and it’s all wrapped in pink cellophane!”
Apparently, the twenty-something Peggy Bannan was not aware of the Tanner propensity for peculiar behavior. Peggy and her husband moved here seven years ago. You would have thought that in a small town like Kenna Springs someone would’ve had the decency to warn her.
With a shrug of his shoulders, Freedom said, “Okay, I’ll look,” and walked into the cooler. When he came out with the scarecrow in his arms, Peggy scuttled around the other end of the worktable in the center of the room.
“That’s it! That’s what I saw.” Peggy squeaked and pointed.
Grinning, Freedom loosened the wrapping around the head and said, “See, Peggy, it’s just a scarecrow.”
“A scarecrow! But…” Out of instinct Peggy turned her head toward the unlit showroom window then back to us. “But the scarecrow was in the window. How did it get in the cooler?”
“I must’ve put it in there,” Aunt Connie admitted.
“Why?” she asked.
Aunt Connie shrugged her shoulders. “Why do I do anything lately?”
“Oh,” was all Peggy said, but I knew by the look on herface that she now assumed Aunt Connie was more confused than ever.
“Well, now that that’s settled,” Aunt Connie said, “I’ll help Peggy finish up, while you go on upstairs and change clothes, Dixie.”
“Change clothes? Why?”
“Mercy child, have you already forgotten? Mr. Crane here offered to take you to get some ice cream for that apple pie Nissa sent home with us. And you certainly can’t go in your flannel pajamas, now can you?”
She beamed at me with such innocence I wanted to spit. Nonetheless, I was shooed out of the workroom and found my little self standing outside in the alley with Mr. Freedom Crane, along with the body of Aaron Scott wrapped in pink cellophane, stretched out in the bed of a truck.
Grinning at me, Freedom said, “I guess since we’ll be spending some time together, you ought to know that even though we haven’t been introduced, I’m a friend of the family. Rudd called me awhile ago to fill me in on things and asked if I would keep an eye on you and Connie. In fact, I was on my way over to Connie’s place to meet you when I heard the scream.” He stuck his hand out. “My name’s Freedom Crane and I…”
“I already know your name,” I interrupted, ignoring his outstretched hand. “I also know that you must be quite daft to get involved in this mess. And the only reason we will be spending time together is because Aunt Connie obviouslythinks you need some help carting Mr. Scott around. So, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go and change and we can get this over
“Don’t just stand there with your mouth open, Dixie June. We got to get that scarecrow wrapped up now!” Aunt Connie hissed.
She already had a wad of cellophane in her hand, trying to wrap it around the scarecrow. I closed my mouth and grabbed the end to help her.
By the time we had the scarecrow wrapped up, Freedom had come back in, and we helped him put it in the same spot they had put Aaron’s body the night before.
As we hurried out of the cooler, Peggy, still a little groggy, was propped up on one arm. When she saw us, her eyes widened and she pointed to the cooler, stammering, “St-Stay out of there. B-Body, dead body. I saw it. Call Otis, q-quick!”
“Now, take it easy, dear. There’s nothing like that in the cooler,” Aunt Connie said quietly, but firmly. “Only thing in there is that old six-foot scarecrow I usually have in the front window. Go on and look for yourself.”
Peggy got to her feet and looked at each one of us like wehad taken leave of our senses. Which, of course we had.
With a dazed expression still on her face, Peggy pulled herself up straight and said defensively, “I know what I saw. If you don’t believe me, you just march right in there and take another look for yourself. I tell you, there’s a dead body in that cooler, and it’s all wrapped in pink cellophane!”
Apparently, the twenty-something Peggy Bannan was not aware of the Tanner propensity for peculiar behavior. Peggy and her husband moved here seven years ago. You would have thought that in a small town like Kenna Springs someone would’ve had the decency to warn her.
With a shrug of his shoulders, Freedom said, “Okay, I’ll look,” and walked into the cooler. When he came out with the scarecrow in his arms, Peggy scuttled around the other end of the worktable in the center of the room.
“That’s it! That’s what I saw.” Peggy squeaked and pointed.
Grinning, Freedom loosened the wrapping around the head and said, “See, Peggy, it’s just a scarecrow.”
“A scarecrow! But…” Out of instinct Peggy turned her head toward the unlit showroom window then back to us. “But the scarecrow was in the window. How did it get in the cooler?”
“I must’ve put it in there,” Aunt Connie admitted.
“Why?” she asked.
Aunt Connie shrugged her shoulders. “Why do I do anything lately?”
“Oh,” was all Peggy said, but I knew by the look on herface that she now assumed Aunt Connie was more confused than ever.
“Well, now that that’s settled,” Aunt Connie said, “I’ll help Peggy finish up, while you go on upstairs and change clothes, Dixie.”
“Change clothes? Why?”
“Mercy child, have you already forgotten? Mr. Crane here offered to take you to get some ice cream for that apple pie Nissa sent home with us. And you certainly can’t go in your flannel pajamas, now can you?”
She beamed at me with such innocence I wanted to spit. Nonetheless, I was shooed out of the workroom and found my little self standing outside in the alley with Mr. Freedom Crane, along with the body of Aaron Scott wrapped in pink cellophane, stretched out in the bed of a truck.
Grinning at me, Freedom said, “I guess since we’ll be spending some time together, you ought to know that even though we haven’t been introduced, I’m a friend of the family. Rudd called me awhile ago to fill me in on things and asked if I would keep an eye on you and Connie. In fact, I was on my way over to Connie’s place to meet you when I heard the scream.” He stuck his hand out. “My name’s Freedom Crane and I…”
“I already know your name,” I interrupted, ignoring his outstretched hand. “I also know that you must be quite daft to get involved in this mess. And the only reason we will be spending time together is because Aunt Connie obviouslythinks you need some help carting Mr. Scott around. So, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go and change and we can get this over
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