Free Bats and Bones (The Frannie Shoemaker Campground Mysteries) by Karen Musser Nortman Page B

memorial service here in the park and
scatter her ashes when all this is over.” Jodi was crying again, gulping as she
tried to stop. “I’m sorry—I think I need to go back in.”
    “Certainly.”
Jane Ann patted her arm. “Just let us know if we can help.”

 
    Meanwhile,
when Frannie and Jane Ann left their campsite and Larry and Mickey were deep in
conversation about supper, Donna said to Rob, “I’ll be right back. I’m going to
the restroom.”
    “Maybe you
shouldn’t go alone,” Rob said. “Wait until the girls get back.”
    She sighed
dramatically. “I will be fine. The ranger’s right by the restroom watching
those kids on the playground.”
    Rob looked
down the road and saw the young man leaning on the jungle gym. “Okay.”
    She headed
down the road, and after using the restroom, saw Ranger Phillips still standing
by the playground. She ambled over, waving to Rob who waited by the road at
their campsite for her.
    “Kind of a
rough day?” she asked the young man.
    “Yeah,
that’s for sure.” He pulled at the neck of his shirt and blushed slightly.
“We’ve never had anything like this since I started. You’re Mrs. Nowak, right?”
    “Right,”
Donna said. “I talked to you this morning a little—about Mr. Schlumm. I
can’t imagine how tough this must be to handle.”
    He nodded,
and now he definitely blushed.
    She lowered
her voice. “I understand he abused his wife. I bet he chased her and that’s why
it happened out on that trail. When we got back to the parking lot, her car was
there with her purse open on the front seat—like she left in a hurry.”
    He nodded
thoughtfully, but said, “Well, I’m not supposed to talk about it. Agent
Sanchez, you know, has taken over the case.”
    “I hope
he’s still taking suggestions from you, though. After all, you’re the one who
knows the park. I’d better get back before my husband sends out a search party
for me. Good luck!” She smiled and headed back down the road toward Rob.

 
    *********************
    Happy
Camper Tip #7

 
    Bunge cords
are the answer to everything that WD40 and duct tape won’t fix. They will hold
bikes on campers, lights on awnings, or pants up if you need a belt.

Chapter Eight
    Late Saturday Afternoon

 
    Frannie and
Jane Ann walked back from the Schlumms. Frannie said, “Dave is looking more and
more like the number one suspect. Funny, I certainly didn’t think so this
morning.”
    “But you
know what Larry said—he may have done it in anger and now be very sorry.
He has to be thinking what it will do to his kids and grandkids if it does come
out that it was him.”
    “True.”
    When they
returned, Donna almost attacked. “What did you find out? Anything new?”
    “Dave was asleep.
We just talked to his daughter outside,” Frannie said.
    “Maybe he’s
just trying to avoid you.”
    “He’s
probably trying to avoid everyone. His wife just died.” Frannie said. Her shaky
patience with Donna was about to fizzle out.
    The grill
hung in place over the fire. “Is the chicken in one place or did every one
bring their own?” Larry asked.
    “It’s in
our fridge,” Frannie answered. “I’ll get it. Jane Ann’s doing the sausage gravy
tomorrow morning and Donna has pork chops for tomorrow night.”
    Mickey
saluted the women and said to Larry, “We don’t deserve wives who are so
organized.”
    “Sure we
do. Do I need to list all of our stellar qualities?” He followed Frannie into
the camper and she handed him the plastic bag of marinating chicken breasts.
After he went back out, she got out dishes, flatware and glasses. She also
pulled out an inflatable ice bucket and started to blow it up for the wine. As
she puffed, she looked out the back window of the camper. They had a great view
of the woods from there. The late afternoon sun sifted through leaves and
branches occasionally quivering with the stingy breeze. A few birds and
squirrels scampered or flitted from branch to branch,