In Harm’s Way - Ch. 39

From rough draft of In Harm’s Way by Pat Otterness

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

        “What brings you here today?” I asked Mallory, after the air had cleared.

            “Your friend … Hiram, I think … fixed the broken window at Mr. Fox’s house. I believe he is straightening up the mess so it will be safe for the family to return. I see the children are still here with you.” The kids were whooping all around the house, chasing the dogs. It would be hard not to notice them.

            “Their dad isn’t back yet,” I said. “We’re hoping he’ll be back today.”

            “Where has Mr. Fox gone?” asked Mallory. “A business trip?”

            “No, I believe he had personal business to attend to,” I said. “ I don’t have a way to get in touch with him.”

            “ I think you should try,” Mallory said. “He needs to know that his children will be safe in that house.”

            “ I’ll see if I can get a message to him,” I said. “He’s hiking in the mountains.” I would have to send Hiram to fetch him home, or go myself. I couldn’t spend another night in that crowded bed.

            “Were you able to find any clues … figure out what they were looking for?” I knew it was diamonds, but I didn’t think she agreed.

            “Something small,” she said. “You were right about that. The places they were looking indicated something pretty small.”

            “They really did say they wondered where she hid the ice,” I said, “and I don’t think they were talking about fixing cold drinks.”

            “Jordan actually looked in the ice trays,” Mallory replied, grinning. “He said that’s the kind of place you would hide them.”

            “ I don’t think Fletch ever had the diamonds,” I said. “He’s a pretty honest guy. If he found a bunch of diamonds, I think he would have turned them over to the authorities.”

            “Maybe the men thought someone else had hidden the diamonds in Fletch’s house,”Mallory said. “Does he have a wife? Or a girlfriend?”

            “He has a housekeeper,” I said, “but she’s away right now. We’ll have to ask her when she gets back.”

            “Let us know when Mr. Fox returns,” said Mallory, turning to go. “It looks like nothing was taken, but it’s possible those men could come back.”

            I watched her drive away with mixed feelings. On the one hand, I didn’t want to share Jordan with this antitheses of myself, because she was everything I was not, plus attitude.  Without the attitude, she would have been beautiful but boring. It was that little spark of fun in her had me seriously worried. However, that felt like a worry for another day. Right now, I needed to find Hiram and go in search of Fletch. Hope’s patience was wearing thin, and I didn’t want to be left as sole caregiver for all those active children.

            “Any idea where Harm is working today?” I asked Hope.

            “ I’m pretty sure he’s planning to volunteer at Almost Home today,” she said. “ But I think Ava is making him nervous. She’s more serious about him than I think he’s ready for.”

            “Maybe I can lure him away, then. We need to get Fletch home again. I need to think of a way to get Carmen home, too.” Her little girl was feeling abandoned, and I was tired of it. I debated taking her up the mountain with us, but quickly abandoned the idea. Even my fanny pack was too heavy to carry up the mountain. A small child would be a bridge too far.

            I set off to walk down the road to the house Hiram shared with Chance Cassidy. Wolf joined me, followed by Ruffle, and soon I led a parade of dogs and children down the dirt road.

            “Where are we going?” asked Danny.

            “I’m going to find Harm,” I said. “We need to go get your dad and bring him home.”

            “Oh, cool?” he said. “Can I go?”

            “Me too,” said Mitch.

            “I want to go, too,” said Chip.

            “See Mama?” asked Dorita in a small voice.

            “Sorry, guys, this is a trip for grown-ups,” I told them. “Very rough country!”

            Arguments ensued. They were tough, they could hike up a mountain, they weren’t afraid of wild animals. Eventually I had to employ my no-nonsense voice. “No!” I said. “Absolutely not!”

Crestfallen, they dragged their heels and one by one they dropped back and began to return to my house. Ruffle, tired of walking, went back in Danny’s arms. Wolf stayed with me. I sometimes thought Wolf believed I was his owner. Or he was mine, for that matter. I was clearly pack leader.

I found Harm putting away the tiller he had used to plow a large field, where Chance was already digging holes and dropping in daylily corms. Chance waved, but continued without interruption.

“Harm,” I said,”we need to go get Fletch and bring him home.”

Hiram wiped the sweat from his face and thought about it. “I’ll have to call Ava,” he said. “ I was planning to help out at Almost Home today.”

“Tell her I’ll help tomorrow, too, if she’ll let you off today,” I said. “I need to ask her if anyone has reported a lost dog. Someone must be missing Ruffle.”

“Okay,” said Hiram. “I’m going to need a cold drink and a sit-down before we go, though. I’ve had a busy morning.”

“I heard you fixed Fletch’s window and cleaned the place,” I said. “That was thoughtful of you.” I walked to the house with him and sat under a shady tree while he fetched cold drinks for both of us.

“I called Ava,” he said when he returned. “She wasn’t happy. She said she was going to count on your helping out tomorrow, because I’m working somewhere else tomorrow and can’t be there myself.”

“Not a problem,” I replied, thinking it should be a snap. Pet a few doggies. Fill some bowls. Pretty laid back.

“Umm …” said Hiram. “I’ve been thinking.

“What about?” I asked, sipping my drink.

“About that key. About those boxes. Doesn’t it seem odd to you that the key opened the very first box we tried?”

“That does seem like quite a coincidence,” I agreed.

“Maybe … just maybe … that key is a master key,” said Hiram. “Maybe it opens more than one of those boxes. Maybe it opens all of them.”

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