Free Fancy Gap by C. David Gelly Page B

from our clothes.”
    Both children looked puzzled. He wasn’t surprised. They would surely come to understand in time. They would trust him. They were his family now. They were his children.
    “It’s time to bathe,” he announced. “You’re both dirty, and we must clean up.”
    He had installed an extra-large claw-foot tub in the far corner of the room. There would be enough room for the three of them. He would cleanse their bodies as well as their souls. He smiled wickedly and hummed a little tune as he filled the tub with hot water.
    Rub-a-dub-dub, rub-a-dub-dub.
    Rub-a-dub-dub, rub-a-dub-dub.
    Rub-a-dub-dub, rub-a-dub-dub.
    It’s time for the tub!
    The children’s tiny faces were frozen in fear.

CHAPTER 17
    He awoke at the crack of dawn. Hungry birds chirped at his bedroom window as the sun peeked over the eastern horizon. He could stand on the deck and see the Sauratown Mountains on his left, the Winston-Salem skyline some sixty miles away to Pilot Mountain in the middle, and the mountains of Roaring Gap, North Carolina, to his right. This was not a morning for gazing at the horizon, though, no matter how beautiful it was. He had to clean the entire house from top to bottom before Louisa arrived, including the windows in the great room and in the basement. The hardwood floors were in need of some attention as well.
    Before he started cleaning, however, he needed to work up a good sweat. He grabbed his rock-hopper mountain bike from the shed behind the house. Soon, he was careening down a rough and steep mountain trail near the house. He had to tug on the brakes to slow down. This was not the day for a stupid fall on the trail, he reminded himself.
    The end of the trail spit him out near mile marker one ninety five on the Parkway. He then rode an old dirt road that once led to a place called Tranquility Acres. That was a planned development off of the Parkway that never happened. The Park Service now owned most of the land as they buy whatever they can to prohibit any type of commercial development along the Parkway. He soon flew out of the woods into the open field behind the house. The sweat poured off and all bones were intact. Nothing could be a better start to his day: adrenalin flowing and endorphins pumping.
    As he began the dreaded task of cleaning the house, he remembered that he had to meet Nigel and the sheriff at the deli at eleven-thirty. He danced with the vacuum cleaner a little quicker and finished with enough time to shower and shave.
    As he showered, he wondered what this whole day was going to be like. This almost felt like he was going on a first date with someone. He wondered if Louisa felt the same way. He then realized that certain parts were getting those happy thoughts again; the warm soapy water was working.
    He arrived at the deli ten minutes late. Nigel’s old truck was in its usual parking spot, a Carroll County sheriff ’s cruiser parked next to it. Striding inside, he saw them both sitting at a corner table. They both rose as he approached. The sheriff was much taller than he looked on TV.
    “Sheriff Pierce, I’d like to introduce you to Quinn McSpain,” said Nigel.
    “Good morning, sheriff. Good to finally meet you. I’ve been meaning to get by your office.”
    “Well, good to meet you, Quinn. Nigel has filled me in on your exploits as a corporate crime-fighting crusader.”
    “Sheriff, I’m sure you would find my attempts to be a proficient gardener and house keeper a lot more interesting than my achievements on the corporate dole.”
    “Now, hold on, Quinn. I’m trying to impress the sheriff with stories of all the bad guys you single-handedly sent to prison for stealing secrets and diverting profits to their own pockets,” said Nigel.
    “Nigel, I’m sure the sheriff is up to his ears in things that are far more interesting than my old, boring life,” he replied.
    Nigel looked at the sheriff and asked, “Speaking of hot topics how’s the investigation into the