Needless to say that got our attention. The stampede began in earnest to the door to the driveway (the sound was definitely outside). We heard a car spinning gravel pulling away, but at first we couldn't see what had happened or what the gunshots had been about.
Then I saw the body. Laying just off the driveway in the grass up a bit toward the front gates. I ran followed by the rest and getting to it kneeled. Rose felt for pulse and heart rate. He was still alive but not by much.
Rico had Andy on his cell and it wasn't long before we heard sirens.
OH GOOD. ANOTHER FINE DAY AT YE OLDE HOME OF REST AND RELAXATION. Wouldn't be a good day without a murder or two now would it?
FUCK!
Andy arrived first barely ahead of his deputy Sharilyn and then the ambulance close behind. We pulled back to let them do their jobs and watched silently as they did.
The paramedics got the young guy stabilized and loaded into the ambulance and away they went. We watched as they turned around and went with sirens blaring down the driveway and through the front gates and turning left headed toward the highway and the nearest hospital, probably Spectrum in Reed City just to the south of us.
We were again silent as Andy approached.
"Well, gang, here we go again."
'"Regular two-for-one," Teddy volunteered.
For the first time in all this I heard Andy laugh. Nice laugh, almost but not quite out of place. Actually we ALL needed a good laugh.
"You got a good look at him, Dylan. Recognize him?"
"Not hardly. Remember we haven't been here long and really don't know any of these people."
"Right, Okay. This one had ID on him. A Raymond Parker. He is from San Francisco, California. Derek? You wanna handle this?"
"Sure, be glad to."
"Thanks. Bit out of my bailiwick."
"Gotcha. We do this all the time."
Andy nodded and then just kinda melted away. I got the impression he was a bit beyond overwhelmed. Couldn't blame him.
After a brief whispered powwow, Derek, Kenny, Jake, and Danny all got on their cells and commenced. About what I had no clue although I could guess...but I know they know what they are doing and so left them to their work.
"Honey, whatcha think?"
"About the guy out there?"
"Yeh and anything else you can think of."
"Boo, I have NO clue. None whatsoever. None of this makes any sense."
Rico and I just sat looking at each other and then not, and then again yes. We were all stymied. Each new piece of the puzzle seemed only to make things more confusing, or in other words WORSE.
"What you think, guys?"
"Nary a clue, Rose. You?"
"Me either. Seems to be just one big mess," and she looked more troubled than I think I have ever seen her since that helluva mess up in Kansas, and the farm Tess had grown up in and had escaped from.
Zeke came into the kitchen, got some coffee and then stood like the rest of us looking woebegone and in need of a LONG nap...like the rest of us.
Then Teddy joined us and he too, seemed uncharacteristically quiet and gloomy which trust me is VERY out of keeping for the Tedster, and when Brenda followed and she looked and sounded about as bad as he did, I knew we were in deep shit. Also very uncharacteristic of our Brenda.
"Seems to me some sort of plot, that got upended," she finally said.
"Whatcha mean?" I said to her.
"Yeh, mom. I think that too. Only makes sense."
"From what my instincts tell me, Rick was running away from something. Whatever that was...chased him. Followed him. Him and those twins. This latest victim may also have been trying to escape something."
"Yeh?" Rose said to Brenda. "Seems very plausible, come to think of it."
"I just wish I knew what the Hell it was they were trying to escape from?"
"ME TOO," came the chorus of twits...from the chorus of twits, aka the rest of us.
"Maybe even Garrett Longworth too, mom?"
Nobody had thought of that before, but score another hit for the Tedster. Zeke hugged him and planted one behind his left ear and Brenda behind his right. I felt like...but refrained. LOL.
CONTINUE TO CHAPTER XXVII:
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