Book Four - Part 8 - Rhyming Evil - Chapter Sixty-One

Another Weekend In Montie Begins

One Traffic citation was handed out all day and the winner was one Albert Scaldondi, with Mississippi plates.

He was on his way to Stanhouse to visit with his daughter and son-in-law. They brought a new life into this world. Her name, Isabella. They named her after his wife, who died a month after Teresa married Alfonse.

Dianne almost ripped up the citation and would have, were it not for Clinton.

“Sir, I appreciate your desire to get there, but speeding isn't the way to go about it. Drive the speed limit Mr. Scaldondi. Stanhouse is less than ten miles from here.”

At A Touch Of Grace, the line was still long and would stay that way until their doors closed for good.

No one Ever seem to notice the shelves never seemed to empty. No one questioned the amount of items that were always available, or their cost.

Several People would have an idea of the gift they had in mind, which Grace somehow, always manage to find in the storeroom.

Baker made her way into the store and Grace walked up to her.

“Just give me a moment, Lieutenant. Let me go in the back and get you your gift.”

When she returned, not only was Baker stunned by what she saw, but so were several other customers.

“As promised. A one-of-a-kind creation.”

Grace handed Baker back the original picture Grace worked from. Then she handed her a two-foot high, four-foot-long Catamaran, detailed with three sails, painted in a deep velvet and baby blue. And there, just as in the picture, stood two six-inch porcelain figures of Stevie and Ellie. They were held in place with special epoxy glue.

When Baker first saw the porcelain creations, there was a brief flashback when she had seen three other porcelain creations of her, Stevie, and Ed.

“Are you all right, Lieutenant?”

Regaining her composure quickly she said, “I’m fine. I’m overwhelmed. This is just beautiful. You must allow me to give you something for this.”

“What if I ask for a Locket of your hair for payment?”

“My hair?”

“It would be a fond remembrance of one who does so much, Not only for your community, but your family, as well as for strangers who are in need.”

Baker walked out minus a few strands of hair. As far as she was concerned, a priceless gift such as what she carried, she would treasure to the day she died.

As any weekend in Montie goes, people make plans, others didn't, and the rest are spontaneous.

Andre Devon had plans to take Vanessa and Jenny to Brighton to see an off-Broadway play for kids. The Muppets Save New York.

Satchell also made plans to have dinner at The Cowboy Ranch in Brighton and do a little line dancing with Sam. Of course, he checked with her first to see if she could.

J.W. and Patrick Made plans to have a quiet dinner, a bottle of wine, and as Patrick put it, “A little wild and crazy music,” at his house. This would be the first time they would spend an entire weekend together in Patrick’s home with no interruptions.

Patrick wanted to talk about the right now with J.W. He wanted to talk about tomorrow and the day after that.

He knew J.W.’s Job wasn't only stressful, but dangerous. Patrick also knew the risk he was taking, falling in love with a cop. There might come a day when policemen come to his home and tell him J.W. died in the line of duty.

That bothered him but it didn't scare him away. He could honestly say that in his life, he met two men he loved more than anything else in the world.

And when Baker came home at the end of her day with her special gift in tow, she placed it on the Mantel above the fireplace.

Ed was in complete awe.

When Stevie saw it, he called Ellie and told her she had to see what his mom brought home and that her parents needed to see this, too.

After everyone had arrived, the detail amazed Ellie. Her dad said that Grace added the boat detail from stem to stern was an exact replica.

“Something like this would take weeks to recreate and you say she did this in a matter of days? Incredible! She and her son’s must be magicians.”

“You guys will be out at Standing Room Lake tomorrow, right?”

“We should be. You want to go boating with us again, Stevie?”

“If it isn’t a problem, sir.”

“You aren’t a problem, Stevie.”

Ellie squeezed Stevie’s hand.

“That’s settled. Looking over the detail even if we are tiny, the dolls look just like us, Stevie.”

“Yeah, it’s kind of wild, huh?”

Stevie looked at his mom.

“You said you got this from A Touch Of Grace, right?”

“That I did. Ordered it and picked it up myself. We’re good.”

“Well, while you were all yacking up a storm, I called Albertini’s. They’ll be here in about twenty minutes with a couple pizza’s. So, who’s up for some Monopoly?”

When Saturday arrived, the town clock struck noon, not a soul was waiting to get inside A Touch Of Grace.

And if you looked in the windows, you would see a large empty room. The counter and all the shelves, empty. If you went into the back room where Grace and her son’s performed their mastery of one-of-a -kind pieces; it lay bare as the front.

But the City Park was filled with laughing children, teens playing soccer or tennis, and couples both young and old would walk hand in hand, or arm in arm. When you looked into the wrinkled eyes of the older couples, you would see decades of love etched and surrounded by unspoken words of always and forever yours.

But it was this Saturday afternoon, August 12, 2012, that would puzzle a few people.

Baker and Ed, with Baker driving her red Hummer, were on their way to Standing Room Lake. It wasn't quite 12:30, but in her rear-view, Baker saw a fire truck coming up behind her. She pulled over onto the shoulder to allow it to pass.

“Hope there is no fire at the Lake.”

“Don’t get excited, Jan. Those guys are doing their job. Everything is fine.”

Baker resumed her drive, driving a little faster and was about hundred feet behind the fire truck. Then she spotted another one coming from Stanhouse.

“Over there on the right, Jan. See all that smoke?”

Baker was suddenly relieved.

“And you don't need to stop, either.”

She smiled and drove past the five-mile marker to Stanhouse and a quarter mile later, took the entrance to the Lake on Ochie Woods Lane.

Meanwhile, both fire trucks, called Hook and Ladders, turned on a small dirt road that under normal circumstances, because of the vast thickness of trees on both sides could easily be missed.

And just before that road, there used to be a sign with an arrow that read: Bethany’s.

As both trucks rumbled across the dirt road, they could still see a thick plume of grayish-black smoke. They hoped they would be there in enough time to save some lives as well as property.

When they made the last winding turn and drove up onto a clear field with a dense forest in the background; there wasn’t any burning building or home and certainly, no massive fire.

There was absolutely nothing.

When the weekend anchor crew from Channel 08 news came out to get film footage of a fire called in by a woman, they were disappointed.

The fire-fighter’s from Montie and Stanhouse were scratching their heads over this one and couldn’t understand what they had seen.

They didn’t have a choice. Wherever the Doll-Maker was; she wasn’t here any longer.

And the weekend Moved on as it should. The nights grew darker, faster and they were starting to get cooler. Summer was slowly disappearing.

Oh, and the stars! By the billions. If you are like some people, you have a special star or two you talk with on nights like this. Nights that are void of everything but you're breathing and the words you impart to a star you named after a parent, a grandparent, son or daughter, husband, or wife, or that best friend.

Montie has many nights like this. This just happened to be one of them.

Don’t let this lull you to sleep.

Baker will have another fax waiting on her when she comes back to work on Monday.

After all, even Freddy deserves a fun weekend too. Wouldn’t you agree?

The most amazing thing of all happened Sunday evening, just after dark. Just when those millions or so stars appeared as if it were a magical moment and a three-quarter moon blazoned with a white aura, when the doorbell rang.

Stevie got up from the couch with Baker in the kitchen making popcorn, and Ed in the living room setting up the DVD player to play a couple movies rented earlier in the day.

When Stevie opened the door, he looked down with a shocked, yet smiling look on his face, said, “Dude! What are you doing here?”

Then he turned and yelled really loud, “Mom! Ed! We have company! Better come take a look!”

Baker and Ed came to the front door. They both had the same shocked yet pleased look on their faces.

“Leon! How did you get here?”