Chief Joseph.
“You were there?” Frances interrupted. “My Lord. I read about that in the paper. A hog-butchering knife?”
“Stuck to the linoleum.” I heard Frances gasp as I segued to Sunshine’s disappearance, the bloody nightgown, the search through the woods.
Frances is a good listener which makes her a good counselor, but I didn’t want to push my luck. I left out a few details like Gabriel and the Port-o-John and the porn movies. Interesting details that she would enjoy someday soon when we had an afternoon to visit.
“Anyway,” I finished, “I wonder if you could look Sunshine’s record up for me. See what kind of student she is, if she’s in any kind of extracurricular activities, if she cuts class much.”
“I’ve already pulled her record up, Patricia Anne. These used to be confidential, you know. Now anybody with a computer can get to them. We’ll probably have to go back to the old-fashioned manila folders in file cabinets someday. Give me a minute. Let me see what we’ve got.”
I could hear clicks from her computer.
“Pretty good grades,” Frances announced. “Came for tutoring in chemistry.”
“Did she cut class much?”
“My Lord, Patricia Anne. They don’t have that old three-cuts-and-you’re-out rule like they did when you and I were in school back in the Ice Age.”
“They don’t keep attendance?”
“Nope. Not like we had to, girlfriend.”
“Extracurricular activities?” I waited for the search.
“Don’t see any. That’s not unusual, though. These are day students who go back to jobs or their neighborhood pursuits.”
“The only thing to pursue in her neighborhood is rabbits.”
“In Redmont?”
“She lives in Locust Fork, Frances. In a trailer. Are you sure you have the right girl?”
“How many Sunshine Marie Dabbs would be enrolled here? It gives her address as 30535 Redmont Crest. Now isn’t that up on Red Mountain close to Mary Alice? One of those fancy houses?”
“Maybe they moved,” I said lamely.
“Well, she’s a pretty girl, even in this school picture. Reminds me of Audrey Hepburn. Remember how we all went out and got Audrey Hepburn Roman Holiday haircuts, Patricia Anne?”
“She’s got short dark hair?”
“She did last fall.”
I’d read somewhere that hair grows a half inch a month. It was possible, I supposed, that AudreyHepburn could have turned into a blonde Barbie in eleven months. Though if you were an Audrey Hepburn, why would you want to?
“Do you see anything else interesting? Who’s listed as her father?”
“They don’t have to give that anymore, Patricia Anne. I guess they think people might be snooping in these records.”
God forbid.
“She does say in case of emergency to contact Edward Turkett.”
“That’s her uncle.”
“Well, he’s listed at that same address she gave on Redmont.”
“That’s strange.”
“Not so strange. A lot of these kids live with relatives.”
I wasn’t about to explain Meemaw and the trailer to Frances. I thanked her for the information and promised that I would give Haley her love and wish her every happiness. Lunch soon.
Lord! None of the pieces of this jigsaw puzzle fit. Who in the world were the Turketts? What I needed was a Gabriel to tell me. I closed my eyes and thought of all I would ask him.
Nine
I t was a mistake closing my eyes. When I woke up, it was three o’clock and my morning headache had come back full blast. I groaned and went into the kitchen for aspirin. The television in the den was still on, and in the corner of the screen the temperature was posted, 103 degrees.
I heard a car door slam, and a moment later Haley came up the back steps. I opened the door and told her to bring Woofer in, ’tweren’t fit for man nor beast out there. Haley grinned. When she was in the sixth grade, she had a starring part in the class play, a melodrama. Her brothers loved it, mimicking her “’Tain’t fit fer man nor beast” until Fred put his foot
“You were there?” Frances interrupted. “My Lord. I read about that in the paper. A hog-butchering knife?”
“Stuck to the linoleum.” I heard Frances gasp as I segued to Sunshine’s disappearance, the bloody nightgown, the search through the woods.
Frances is a good listener which makes her a good counselor, but I didn’t want to push my luck. I left out a few details like Gabriel and the Port-o-John and the porn movies. Interesting details that she would enjoy someday soon when we had an afternoon to visit.
“Anyway,” I finished, “I wonder if you could look Sunshine’s record up for me. See what kind of student she is, if she’s in any kind of extracurricular activities, if she cuts class much.”
“I’ve already pulled her record up, Patricia Anne. These used to be confidential, you know. Now anybody with a computer can get to them. We’ll probably have to go back to the old-fashioned manila folders in file cabinets someday. Give me a minute. Let me see what we’ve got.”
I could hear clicks from her computer.
“Pretty good grades,” Frances announced. “Came for tutoring in chemistry.”
“Did she cut class much?”
“My Lord, Patricia Anne. They don’t have that old three-cuts-and-you’re-out rule like they did when you and I were in school back in the Ice Age.”
“They don’t keep attendance?”
“Nope. Not like we had to, girlfriend.”
“Extracurricular activities?” I waited for the search.
“Don’t see any. That’s not unusual, though. These are day students who go back to jobs or their neighborhood pursuits.”
“The only thing to pursue in her neighborhood is rabbits.”
“In Redmont?”
“She lives in Locust Fork, Frances. In a trailer. Are you sure you have the right girl?”
“How many Sunshine Marie Dabbs would be enrolled here? It gives her address as 30535 Redmont Crest. Now isn’t that up on Red Mountain close to Mary Alice? One of those fancy houses?”
“Maybe they moved,” I said lamely.
“Well, she’s a pretty girl, even in this school picture. Reminds me of Audrey Hepburn. Remember how we all went out and got Audrey Hepburn Roman Holiday haircuts, Patricia Anne?”
“She’s got short dark hair?”
“She did last fall.”
I’d read somewhere that hair grows a half inch a month. It was possible, I supposed, that AudreyHepburn could have turned into a blonde Barbie in eleven months. Though if you were an Audrey Hepburn, why would you want to?
“Do you see anything else interesting? Who’s listed as her father?”
“They don’t have to give that anymore, Patricia Anne. I guess they think people might be snooping in these records.”
God forbid.
“She does say in case of emergency to contact Edward Turkett.”
“That’s her uncle.”
“Well, he’s listed at that same address she gave on Redmont.”
“That’s strange.”
“Not so strange. A lot of these kids live with relatives.”
I wasn’t about to explain Meemaw and the trailer to Frances. I thanked her for the information and promised that I would give Haley her love and wish her every happiness. Lunch soon.
Lord! None of the pieces of this jigsaw puzzle fit. Who in the world were the Turketts? What I needed was a Gabriel to tell me. I closed my eyes and thought of all I would ask him.
Nine
I t was a mistake closing my eyes. When I woke up, it was three o’clock and my morning headache had come back full blast. I groaned and went into the kitchen for aspirin. The television in the den was still on, and in the corner of the screen the temperature was posted, 103 degrees.
I heard a car door slam, and a moment later Haley came up the back steps. I opened the door and told her to bring Woofer in, ’tweren’t fit for man nor beast out there. Haley grinned. When she was in the sixth grade, she had a starring part in the class play, a melodrama. Her brothers loved it, mimicking her “’Tain’t fit fer man nor beast” until Fred put his foot
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