Free Peete and Repeat (The Frannie Shoemaker Campground Mysteries Book 3) by Karen Musser Nortman Page B

back in. After several Keystone Cops turns and a couple of gentle collisions, the two canoes were headed downstream. Frannie slowly leaned back on the makeshift backrest and tried to take a deep breath. Now the pain seemed worse. Fortunately, the current was such that she only needed to use her paddle occasionally to steer. And the pleasantly warm temperature made her wet clothes act as a cheap air conditioner.
    The Ferraros pulled alongside and Jane Ann handed her an apple bar, one of their traditional canoeing treats, from a small plastic container.
    “That should help,” she said, and Frannie nodded happily, her mouth full.
    Other than the pain, the float was very relaxing. The creek soon joined the Burden River and the waterway widened out, smooth as glass in some areas and gentle riffles in others. It headed generally southeast and would eventually join the Mississippi. They spotted a variety of birds along the banks, including a solitary white egret, and saw an occasional beaver, as well as a young fawn, drinking along the edge. She was so young, she didn’t know to be frightened, and watched them as if perplexed by these odd human pastimes.
    Frannie asked Larry for a water bottle out of the cooler, which he passed on the flat of his paddle across to Jane Ann, who handed it to Frannie so she wouldn’t have to turn around. She moved as little as possible, hoping the beautiful surroundings would take her mind off what felt like a vice on her side. But, before long, the constriction prompted her to plead for a respite at the next sandbar.
    “About time!” Mickey spouted. “No way I could ask for a break before you did.”
    Larry gently helped her out of the canoe. “It’s hurting worse, isn’t it?”
    She nodded. “A little.”
    “A lot , I think. We’ll go to the ER when we get back—no argument.”
    Jane Ann spread a disreputable old beach towel on the sand, the faded images of Donald Duck and family barely discernible. “Would it help to lay down?”
    Frannie sighed. She hated giving in or being pampered but a short rest did sound good. “I think so.”
    “Maybe if you can get down on your hands and knees first…? I don’t think we can lower you without hurting you worse,” Jane Ann said. Frannie did as she was told and soon stared up at the amazingly blue sky above, the warm sand forming to and supporting her back an added bonus.
    Larry opened a tub of party mix and passed it around. Frannie declined, thinking she didn’t need to add choking to her ailments.
    “Now, tell us how this happened,” Mickey said. “Every gory detail.” Larry obliged, too willingly, Frannie thought, complete with actions.
    After about ten minutes, Frannie felt her back had relaxed enough that she requested help getting up. Larry assured her that they didn’t want to hurry her, but on the other hand, the sooner they got back, the sooner they could have her injuries looked at. Once back on the river, they continued their steady progress back toward River Bend, waving at cyclists passing on the bike trail and residents in other riverside campgrounds.

Chapter Eight
    Saturday Mid-Afternoon
     
     
    They reached a low jut of land before a high bluff and decided it might be the last possible bathroom stop for a while. Again, Larry eased the canoe in with as few jolts as possible. Jane Ann designated a clump of shrubbery as the Ladies’ Loo. As Frannie waited in the canoe for the others to finish their business, she noticed a canoe downstream on the same side of the river, pulled up into some long grass. At first, there didn’t appear to be anyone around—perhaps also using the facilities.
    While she watched, a man and a woman seemed to pop out of the bluff near the canoe and then disappeared again. She realized with a bit of a jolt that it was Richard and his companion. In the trauma and pain of her fall, she had forgotten that he was on the float.
    She pointed out the canoe to Larry as he launched. “That Richard guy