Pride Goeth Before A Fall

[Deena in GA]

Okay, I'm caught up and ready for more. Thanks for the great story!

[PacNorWest]

#23
Evie got the lunch chores done, and needed to sit down. She had a headache and a ache in her stomach. She had been up and down three times getting things for Betty, until she felt bad enough to have the kids help. This was not the first time Evie had thought the children needed to take a more active part in life on the farm.

Drinking a cup of mint tea to settle her stomach, Evie pondered her reluctance to require the kids to pitch in and help. Realistically, there was no way one old lady could chase after 4 active kids, 5 if she counted Patty. Soooo, things were going to change.
Rest and improved food choices had the children growing, more active and able to weather the spells of heart tremors that were lessening in severity.

Cold, Evie put more wood in the insert. Calling for Benny and Brett, she had them bring in more wood from the shed. Clora and Sandra were put to work cleaning beans, sorting out any bad and molded beans and rocks. Evie got the chills when the boys had the door open, the cold air making her shake. She gladly moved her chair closer to the stove, balancing her tea mug on her knee.

It seemed like it was taking a long time for the room to warm up, until she looked at Clora and the girl had beads of sweat on her brow. Sandra was rolling up her sleeves, and wiping her upper lip.

"Grandma it must be a hundred in here," Brett protested, as he dropped his last armload of wood in the box. "More than a hundred," Benny deposited his final load. "Are you OK Grandma, you look awful red in the face." he stopped to look intently at Evie;"I think your sick Grandma, what can we do for you."

Whatever Evie was about to say was interrupted by Betty , who needed another drink of water. Then she needed help standing up to get to the bathroom. One of her crutches went on a walkabout, skittering across floor to collide with the bathroom door. It was clear that Betty was hurting, but she was reverting to her former prima donna status in the pain fog she was experiencing.

Betty called out, requesting soup and bread for lunch. She had passed over the noon meal Evie had fixed, not liking the bean and baloney soup. "I'd like some chicken soup, that's good for people who don't feel well," her aristocratic demand floated in from the living room.

Not feeling well herself, Evie stood up and walked hunched over, to the couch. Her arm around her mid section and the other on the sofa for support. "No," she said simply. "New rules. You eat at mealtime, or you go hungry. There's water to drink, or tea. Coffee is for mornings only. Supper will be rice and potato casserole, so you can be thinking on if your hungry by then,...or not.

Evie thought being sick must make her cross-eyed cranky; cause she sure felt out of sorts and kinda mean around the edges.
"You can behave yourself and be agreeable, or you can flounce your fanny back to the hospital, do you have any questions?" she asked in her best 'Grandmother' voice.

Not surprisingly, Betty had no problems with the new rules, and meekly agreed that she would probably like rice and potato casserole just fine.

Evie nodded and walked with faltering steps toward her bedroom. "I need to take a little nap, I feel poorly, like maybe I have the flu." she told Clora who was walking with her. "Can you be in charge?" she asked the helpful child. Clora nodded and helped Evie take her shoes off and get under the covers.

'Yes Grandma, I'll help Aunt Betty also," Clora promised as she spread a third blanket over Evie and closed the bedroom door.

Evie hated getting the flu. It always made her sicker than normal people. She must have a deficient gene in her makeup to have it nearly incapacitate as it would. It felt good to curl up under the covers and lay so still that her headache didn't send shooting pains up the back of her head. Eyes closed, she carefully controlled her breathing to keep her stomach from churning.

When Ev got to the Hanson's, the kids were playing Sorry at the kitchen table. Evie was asleep, as was Betty. He hated to backtrack back into town, but this group needed supervision and he went to fetch Inga.

[ejagno]

Thank you so much. It looks like the past month has finally taken its toll on Ms. Evie.

[PacNorWest]

#24
That Hanson family. Ev drove silently back to Evie's place after picking up Inga. When he requested that she come, he thought, as she hesitated so long; she was actually going to refuse to help her mother. There must have been something in his incredulous expression that changed her mind at the last minute. That Inga was a strange woman for sure. She had just looked at him, turned away and gathered her few things and walked to the door.

Ev explained, as they sloshed through the melting snow to the farmhouse door, there probably wasn't much food in the house. He actually couldn't figure out how Evie made the meals she did, but there was always something on the table to eat. He explained about Inky, and said he would look in on him before he left.

The kids had the back door open a crack, the cold air making the sweltering hot kitchen more tolerable. Brett explained about Evie piling on the wood because she was cold, and how uncomfortable the rest of them were. They made enough noise coming in, that Betty woke up. That suited Ev. He needed answers to the shooting, and she might as well give her version tonight.

Betty sighed. She really didn't feel like going into detail, but she guessed now was as good as any to give her explanation. "Well, you see it was like this..." she started and then realized there were 4 children eagerly listening. There was no way to clean it up enough for kids to hear, so she pointedly looked at the youngsters and waved her hands towards the kitchen.

Ev thought she was acting goofy and stupid, when it dawned on him what Betty was doing.

"Out to the kitchen, or down to the basement," he ordered. "This is official business and needs to be done without an audience." The amount of grumbling was proof they were eager to participate in the interrogation, and hated to give up their ring side seats.

Betty's account of that morning was quite simple. Sarah had broken into Claude's moody reverie about Inga; and it had not gone well. Trying her sultry best to entice Claude to pay attention to her, Sarah had been dismissed to her room. The fight began from that moment on. Betty explained she hadn't been in the room, but the walls were thin and the pair had been loud.

Betty had no idea Sarah could shoot, they hadn't been that close as friends, she remarked wryly. Ev nodded, he didn't want to speak and break Betty's concentration. Everyone knew Claude had an extensive gun collection. He had a private loan shark business on the side, and usually preferred guns as collateral. That was news to Ev, but he held his peace.

It seemed a lot of under the table 'enterprises' happened at the roadhouse; beyond it's whispered happenings in the back rooms. Betty shrugged, that type of shenanigans was going to happen, might as well make some money off it; had been Claude's business model. Betty thought Claude might have a considerable amount of money on hand, but hadn't seen it nor did she know where his safe was located.

Sarah had moved in and taken over from the instant she hit the door, Betty recounted. So she was most likely to have more inside information than Betty would have had the opportunity to gather. The longer she went on about how Sarah had the inside track, Ev got the feeling that he was being set up.

Sarah had not taken her dismissal with grace. Claude had told her to pack up and get out; and she had objected. Betty didn't know why Sarah had obviously snapped, but she had shot her as she was getting out of bed.

Betty had her fingers crossed; she hadn't actually told a lie, she just hadn't been truthful about who's bed she was getting out of. Betty was a storyteller of cunning proportions, and with practiced ease she led the Barney Fife wannabe down the path she had chosen for him. It was easy to be overcome with fatigue and pain, when she had given Ev all the information she was prepared to divulge.

[MrsClaus]

If I was Betty I'd be careful. Ev isn't Barney Fife and Inga is probably a woman who can figure things out real quick.

[sssarawolf]

Thank you so much, Betty is making another bed sheis going to regret making. Hope Evie gets well.

[PacNorWest]

#25
Ev checked on Evie, called the kids up from the basement, looked in on Inky and headed back into town. He needed Will's advice. This was getting into territory far beyond traffic stops, and dog fights.

Doc Phillips wasn't happy to see Ev; but allowed a quick visit. The sheriff had improved greatly; the foggy grogginess that he had exhibited in the morning was gone. Will had refused further pain meds, but he was uncomfortable. Actually he thought Ev's visit was a welcome interruption in a long boring evening.

The two men had an earnest conversation, with Ev relating to Will everything he had learned. Doc Phillips looked in a couple of times, but backed off calling a halt to the visit. The hospital was an excellent place to hear gossip, and the shooting spree had caused plenty.

Ev spent the night in the roadhouse, securing the sin palace against the curiosity of the local underage boys. There had been rumors that the young guns were interested in free booze and a place to party. They waited until 11pm before rattling the doors.

The temporary sheriff put the run on them, amid much grumbling and protests. Ev laughed when the last of them turned around and headed back to town. It hadn't been that long ago that he had been a young man itching for excitement. It was easy to remember the confines of a small town when your blood was running hot.

Ev looked over the layout of the roadhouse, taking special note of Betty's room where she was supposedly shot. The scene had been investigated by the State Police, there was fingerprint dust everywhere, but Ev just watched the room. Waiting for the contents to tell him what might have been missed by the experts. Eventually his eyes fell on the bed. Two pillows were not unusual; but when both had imprints from occupants, that was another story. There was blood where Sarah had shot Betty; she had been the closest to the wall. That would plenty of room for a second person to have been closest to the door. Ev filed that information away for later.

Claude's office had been searched by the professionals. Again, Ev studied the wood paneled living room sized area, and made note of the gun safes. There were three of them. According to the extensive paperwork, they were full of carefully catagoried and tagged, pawned collateral. The keys on Claude's desk opened all three big black containers. Ev studied more intently. Then the realization came to him. These safes were full, there was no room for the rifle that Sarah used. So where had that long arm been stored. That meant a private stash. Ah ha! Ev felt pretty smart. He then looked behind the doors, pictures, felt the floor and finally found what he was looking for. In Claude's private bathroom behind the sink plumbing in the small, cramped cabinet covered by packages of toilet paper and towels was a hidden door.

One of the keys opened the metal lock. It was really something to see the amount of cash stuffed in there. Ev spread a towel and loaded the cash on it. That was an impressive picture. He placed the rolled up cash towel in a gym bag, and put it on the bar.
As interesting as the money bonanza was; it didn't solve the mystery of where did the gun come from. The cash safe too small to contain anything more than a pistol. That meant there had to be another secret hiding compartment. Ev was fired up, hunting down the mystery was all consuming as he prowled the roadhouse top to bottom.

[sssarawolf]

Oh wow good for EV, I hope he shares . Also hope he finds the other guns before someoe else does.