Bats and Bones (The Frannie Shoemaker Campground Mysteries) by Karen Musser Nortman Page B

count on you, Mick.” Frannie unhooked Cuba’s leash and put her
back on her tether.
    Mickey had
leaned his guitar against his chair and Jane Ann stood up and stretched. “I’m
headed to bed. Could be a short night.” She leaned over and kissed her husband,
taking his guitar to store in the RV. Good nights were said and she disappeared
inside.
    Frannie
pulled a beer out of the cooler and sat down at the picnic table. To her
regret, Donna soon joined her. Larry sat by the fire ring near Mickey in the
other chair and Rob set a large piece of firewood on end and perched on that.
The men proceeded to solve the problems of the world—the sports world,
that is.
    Donna said,
“Frannie, I’m sorry if I was rather abrupt yesterday about your mom. I know
it’s never easy.”
    “You
weren’t abrupt,” Frannie lied. “I appreciate your thoughts. It’s just been a
hard time for me.”
    “Do you
have any brothers or sisters?”
    “No, but
Larry’s family has been very supportive.”
    “What about
your dad? He’s gone also?”
    Frannie
sighed. “He was killed in Korea when I was two.”
    Donna sat
back. “Oh! I am sorry. Did your mother ever remarry?”
    “No. I wish
she had. But she felt she needed to devote all of her time to me. Then when I
married and had kids, she substituted them for any other relationship. But I
know she must have been lonely at times.”
    “Wow!”
Donna said. “That is dedication.”
    “What about
your family? You’re not from around here are you?”
    “No,
Wisconsin. My parents have both been gone for about twenty years. And I have no
siblings either.”
    “Now I feel
bad, Donna. At least I had Mom for a long time, and she saw my kids grow up and
a couple of great-grandchildren even.”
    In the dim
light of the lantern, Donna’s eyes glistened. Frannie noticed also that Donna’s
right hand lying on the table shook slightly. She thought about covering that
hand with her own, offering comfort, something—but the moment passed.
Larry stood and announced that he intended to go to bed.
    “I’m
thinking Jane Ann’s got the right idea. We may be short on sleep
tonight—get it while we can.”
    “Me too,”
Rob stood up and stretched.
    “What is
the radar showing, Mickey?” Frannie climbed out of the cramped picnic bench and
arched, rubbing her lower back.
    “Still
moving this way but not much change. An awfully big red blob though.”
    “I hate
those red blobs.” Frannie picked up her beer can and put it in the recycling
bag already stashed in the back of the pickup. Mickey and Larry put the other
two chairs away. Rob and Donna took Bugger and headed across the road. Frannie
could see Stub and his friends still sitting next to the motorhome. Randy sat
slightly out of the circle brooding while his companions tried to outdo each
other with jokes and stories.
    “See you in
the morning,” Donna called back.
    “Let’s hope
we don’t see you sooner,” Mickey said.
    Cuba stood
up eagerly and stood by the camper steps. She knew it was cooler inside and
probably sensed the imminent storm. Larry unhooked her tether and opened the
door for her.
    Inside,
they set flashlights on the counter and Larry’s flip-flops and Frannie’s
moccasins in the shoe caddy by the door. Frannie also took their raincoats off
the hooks and laid them on the chair beside the door. Out of habit, she readied
a fresh pot of coffee to plug in the next morning. Larry put the weather radio
on his nightstand and made sure it was tuned in. Frannie pulled the comforter
off the bed, folded it and placed it on one of the dining benches.
    “Think I’ll
just sleep in my clothes,” Larry said.
    She
considered a minute. “Me too. Maybe if we’re fully prepared, nothing will
happen.” She was a great believer in unexpected things happening and expected
things not.

 
    *********************
    Happy
Camper Tip #9

 
    The biggest
cause of clutter, especially when the grandchildren come along camping, is
shoes. In the