Free Mango Bob by Bill Myers Page B

was the one I was looking for. Jack was outside checking the air pressure in his tires.
     
    “Jack, checking your tires?”
     
    He looked up, “Glad to see you're still here. We were afraid we'd missed you.”
     
    “Still here. But I'm leaving in the morning. Wanted to get your advice on a good route to Florida. Maybe some suggestions on where to stay on the way down.”
     
    “Happy to help. But did you hear about the break-in attempt last night?”
     
    “Yeah, the Ranger told me when I came in.”
     
    Jack pointed toward his coach, “But did he tell you it was our coach they tried to get into?”
     
    “No, he didn't mention that. What happened?”
     
    “It was around one in the morning. We were sleeping. I got up to pee. Heard a noise below the bathroom window.
     
    “I thought it was a raccoon. I peeked out and saw a man bent over trying to get something out of our utility compartment.
     
    “I yelled at him. Ran to the door to see if I could catch him. But he took off. Gone before I could get out the door.”
     
    I was stunned. The only people I knew in the campground and they were the ones who had been broken into.
     
    “Amazing! Someone tried to get into your motorhome while you were sleeping. Did they get anything? Any idea what they wanted?”
     
    Jack wiped his hands on a towel, “I've been thinking about it all day.
     
    “The low-life was scrounging around in our utility compartment. There's nothing in there to steal except a 30 amp power cord and a used sewer hose.
     
    “I can't think of any reason he'd risk getting caught for that.
     
    “And there's another thing. Anyone who knows anything about motorhomes wouldn't look in the utility compartment for something to steal.
     
    “They'd look in the other compartments. Or try to get inside. What bothers me most is no other motorhomes were targeted. Just ours.
     
    “He didn't try to get into any of the unlocked cars at the other sites or inside the flimsy tents or the more expensive motorhomes.
     
    “He chose ours. Like he had a special reason to target ours.
     
    “I guess it could have been a prank – but why bother? Why go to the trouble of trying to break into the sewer compartment in a motorhome with people sleeping inside?
     
    “It just doesn't make sense.
     
    “When I looked out the window, the guy was rummaging around like he was looking for something.
     
    “He even peeled back one of the metal panels on the inside of the compartment. No telling what he'd have done if I hadn't seen him.
     
    “Jean is pretty upset about this. Not scared, just upset that someone would damage her home for reasons we can't figure out.
     
    “In any case, we're leaving tomorrow morning. Not because of this. We'd already planned to leave for Florida tomorrow.
     
    “The only change is tonight we're camping at Walmart instead of staying in the campground here.
     
    “That'll make it easier for us to get an early start in the morning, and Jean won't worry so much about the thief coming back here tonight.
     
    “Right now I'm checking all our systems. Making sure our visitor last night didn't mess with anything else.
     
    “After I get everything checked out, we'll head over to the Walmart parking lot. Spend the night there with the other boondockers.
     
    “Tomorrow we'll get up at daybreak and head toward Florida.”
     
    Wow. Jack and Jean were broken into. And they weren't going to be here in the park tonight.
     
    “You're spending the night at Walmart? How does that work?”
     
    “It's called boon-docking. Camping without any hookups.
     
    “A lot of Walmart stores allow motorhomes to park overnight in their parking lots. Mostly the Super Centers close to the interstates.
     
    “A few cities don't allow it, so you have to check to be sure it's okay.
     
    “If it's allowed, you can stay overnight as long as you don't block the delivery trucks or cause problems for other customers.
     
    “They're smart to allow this. It gives