Dumping Grounds (Joshua Stokes Mysteries Book 1) (10 page)

“Actually, Mama hasn’t said anything about it, Pearl; at least not to me. I hate to hear that though. Honestly, I do honey. I thought you two had been doing real good together, the last few years.”

“I reckon most would a thought so,” Pearl replied, “Seeing as how we was doing the family thing and all. I thought so too, up until he runs off, that is.

The only satisfaction I have gotten, was hearing that Cajun bitches green eyes were the result of those new, colored contact lenses.” Pearl laughed loudly, “Not only was her eyes not green, she is blind as a bat!”

Joshua, who had not said a word, spoke up and said, “You’re looking healthy these days, Pearl. I hope you are taking care of yourself,” he said pointedly and Pearl knew what he meant. He was wondering if she was back to drinking.

“Evening Sheriff, and yes, I’m taking care of myself. At least I have a job and I’m trying to take care of my younguns. I’m trying not to fall back into my old ways.”

“That’s good to know,” Joshua replied. “How do you like working here?”

“It’s tolerable. Another day, another dollar as the saying goes.”

“Well, your children need at least one stable parent in their lives.”

“I reckon so… at least if I was home more, but the hours I’m working they don’t get to see much of me, or me of them. I get home after they have left for school and leave about the time some of them get home. About the only thing I’m doing is paying the bills and buying groceries.”

“There’s a lot to be said about being able to do that, Pearl,” Kathy said meekly, thinking of her own situation, she and her children having to be a burden on her mother.

“Well, they’re near bout grown anyway” Pearl informed them. “Emma, my oldest, graduated high school last year, my other two will soon. They don’t need me much anymore, other than to do what I’m doing, I reckon.

They have part time jobs too, or at least they did. I am not sure about Emma. Her boss called today; woke me up this morning, asking me why she hadn’t been to work the last couple of days. Hell, I don’t know!

I tried covering for her by telling him she was sick. That girl would have to be sick to miss work.

She didn’t miss a day of school in ten years and she was proud of that, said she even got some kind of award for it when she graduated.”

Joshua’s sharp mind immediately caught Pearls words and he wondered about her daughter Emma. Why would someone who had not missed a day of school in ten years, suddenly miss work and not call in; something did not seem right about that.

“I never would a thought you two would’ve shown up here, at least not together,” Pearl said slyly, smiling as if she now knew a secret.

Neither of them bothered to explain, even though they knew it would just add fuel to Pearls suspicions concerning their relationship.

“Was she home?” Joshua asked.

“Huh?” Pearl asked absently, her eyes sweeping the room. Kathy looked at him strangely too. Neither knew what he meant.

“Your daughter, was she at home?”

“I don’t know, I did not get up right then, I went back to sleep. She was gone when I got up to get ready for work though, but that was not unusual, she is always gone when I get up.”

“Could you be a dear, Pearl, and get us a cup of coffee?” Kathy asked sweetly, adding, “I would also like a BLT with plenty of mayonnaise.” Kathy asked Joshua if he wanted anything to eat; he declined.

“Oh, I can see when I am not wanted,” winked Pearl as she turned to go get their order started. Joshua and Kathy turned their attention back to one another, but Pearl was the first subject that came up.

“I sure hope she has got it together. Even if she does not realize it, her children do need her, especially with their father gone. I know all about that,” Kathy said softly. Joshua was at a loss as to what to say so he just nodded his head. He smiled and then asked Kathy if she had taken the job at Bernie Johnson’s house, taking care of his wife.

He wanted to change the subject and get it off children and other family obligations, lest she start feeling guilty about her husband.

“Yes, I decided I would take it. This is my last free weekend; well, not exactly,” she said, blushing slightly. “I will have every other weekend off once I start work Monday. The other woman I will be working with and I are going to alternate weekends, but it will be hard when I have to stay there for two weeks straight.”

The jukebox suddenly came to life, playing “Spirit in the Sky” by Norman Greenbaum; the peppy tune seemed to change the atmosphere in the room.

Pearl came strutting up to the table bringing their coffee, dancing a little jig as she walked.

“Ain’t that a lot better? It was getting depressing in here, but it always does this time of night,” Pearl said, and they both could sense the melancholy in her voice.

“I didn’t know you liked that kind of music, Pearl,” said Kathy.

“Well, I do!” Pearl exclaimed, “Just don’t tell my children” she chuckled, “They get sick of hearing country and gospel at the house, but I am trying to keep em pure as long as I can… I hate to admit it, they’re probably as wild as we was when our parents weren’t looking.”

“Probably” Kathy responded. “I know I did an awful lot of things that I hope Papa never knew about.”

“Yeah, I bet” Pearl said doubtfully. “You were always so shy; I doubt you did anything near as bad as you think.”

Kathy smiled sadly. “More than you would think, Pearl. I was scared, but after lightning failed to strike me dead, it become easier and easier to do wrong.”

“Yeah, I know. Mama and Aunt Faye were always telling us girls we would go straight to hell if we did so and so, but they let the boys get away with everything.”

“Even abusing us g-” Kathy stopped short, as if realizing what she was about to say, would let the cat out of the bag and expose family secrets that were best kept to themselves. Joshua saw the knowing look exchanged between the cousins.

The bell dinging and the cook yelling “order up” interrupted the exchange.

Pearl, smiled and quickly asked Joshua if he was sure he did not want to try a BLT too, saying theirs were the best in town. Kathy looked away.

“No, I’ve already eat supper, Pearl. Maybe I’ll try it next time.” he could not help but to know what Kathy was about to say and he felt sorry for both she and Pearl.

He knew that sort of stuff went on in some families. To him, it explained some of the substance abuse problems among men and women in the world.

Pearl sashayed back to the counter to get Kathy’s BLT. Several truckers came in and seated themselves along the counter. After she brought the bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich to the table, Pearl happily went to the counter to wait on the truckers. Pearl flirted outrageously with the truckers, and winked at Kathy who was facing her.

Seeming to have recovered her slip of the lip, Kathy smiled. “I think this waitress job suits Pearl,” she observed, watching as the truckers handed Pearl money to put into the jukebox.

“She appears to like it from the way she is carrying on with those truck drivers,” Kathy stated, and Joshua sensed something in her tone of voice that resembled jealousy. Kathy probably wished that she was more outgoing, as Pearl was, and not quite so shy.

“Flirting with the customers is part of the job. It gets her more tips,” Joshua explained.

“Well then, my tip jar would be empty. I would never make a good waitress. I get tongue tied talking with men I know, so I’d never be able to flirt with strangers as she does,” Kathy said and Joshua smiled at her causing her to lower her eyes.

Yeah, right, Miss Kathy. You flirt alright, you just don’t realize it, thought Joshua, picking up his cup to take a sip of coffee. Afterward, he pulled out his cigarettes then asked Kathy if she minded. She told him to go ahead and smoke, it did not bother her.

Joshua lit his smoke then leaned back. He did not like having his back toward the room, but he was a gentleman, so he let Kathy choose where to sit. It seemed she did not like having her back to a room either, he wondered if it had anything to do with the way she grew up.

As the bridge came into view, Emma realized it was not the Highway 98 Bridge, which crossed the river near the campground. The bridge ahead of her was a wooden structure. It appeared to be suspended by iron support beams fashioned into trusses.

Once upon a time, it could have been a covered bridge; maybe partly destroyed by one of the many hurricanes that had swept through in years past.

Emma was disappointed. She did not remember this bridge at all. She wished with all her heart she were closer to the Escatawpa Campground at Highway 98.

She was now along a stretch of the river with stands of mature pine trees on either side. The trees, probably planted by the paper mill, swayed overhead. Wind whispered through the branches, gently moving them back and forth. They sighed and sang to the flow of the river.

The dark clouds and threatening storm following her down the river was getting closer and closer.

Before she reached the bridge, the storm broke loose. Lightning flashed through the sky causing Emma to search for a safer place to be.

She would rather stay in the middle of the river than to get out where there was no sandbar, but at least the bridge would offer shelter if she could get under it. There is bound to be dry land somewhere beneath it she reasoned.

Watching for snakes and undertows, Emma swam from piling to piling to the less cluttered side of the river.

Debris, fallen trees, and other miscellaneous trash had collected around all the pilings. One side was packed thicker and heavier than the other was.

When she climbed over the rubbish trying to make her way out of the river, she noticed the collection on the thickest side was a beaver dam, not just fallen trees.

Maybe the dam would be safer, she pondered, but she did not ponder long, a streak of lightning and a boom of thunder made her scamper faster through the river brush.

The sound of a motorized vehicle suddenly sounded above the other noises. Emma’s first instinct was to yell to the driver, but then fear gripped her, causing her to duck down and hide. After all, it could be her captors come hunting her. They sure seemed to enjoy the chase the first time they captured her.

Emma knew she could be passing up an opportunity for rescue, but she would rather be safe than sorry.

From what she could see of the vehicle, it looked like an older light blue Chevy station wagon. It came to a stop on the bridge above her.

Emma could hear a radio playing; the music was the same music Earl and Vernon listened to all the time. The car pulled forward several times and then stopped about middle way of the bridge.

When the rain slacked, Emma heard several men get out of the car. She could hear them laughing and talking.

“I bet we showed them ol’ boys a thang or two last night, didn’t we.They thought they was gonna whup our ass; well, we showed them didn’t we!” one of them said. The other replied, but not loud enough for her to hear.

Then she heard and saw something being poured into the river. It took a moment before she realized they were urinating into the river.

Emma waited quietly, debating if she should let her presence known. Many thoughts ran through her mind.

She knew they were drinking, and they were probably drunk. Some men liked to take advantage of girls, especially if they are drinking.

She decided she would rather take her chances in the river than to call out to them and end up in a worse position than she had been earlier, if that was even possible.

The men finished using the bathroom, got into their car and drove off. Emma waded up the embankment under the bridge then climbed out of the water.

She saw a full bottle of beer, lying on the ground. Emma knew she could quench her thirst by drinking river water, but not after what she had just witnessed.

Emma decided she would rather drink the bottled beer if she became thirsty. She stuck the bottle deep into a pocket of the jacket she still wore and then crawled up the incline to where the bridge connected with the land.

It was reasonably dry under there and snake free as far as she could tell, although she did see a few spiders, moths, grasshoppers, and crickets. They did not seem to mind sharing their shelter with her and she was grateful.

Emma hunkered down to wait out the storm. She awoke to complete darkness and it surprised her; she had not meant to fall asleep.

It took her a moment to process where she was, which was on the riverbank, not in the hands of captors. She did not remember even becoming groggy, but she was physically and mentally exhausted.

Emma sat there a few minutes collecting her thoughts. Even though it was dark, she decided she did not want to wait there any longer, but now she faced another dilemma. Her predicaments was, to either climb out and walk along the road above her, not knowing which way to go or where it might lead, or to stay in the river and float south, where eventually, she felt it would run past familiar territory.

A pale moon appeared from behind fast moving clouds, vaguely lighting her surroundings; the place now felt eerie. Emma was ready to leave; she no longer felt safe. Never being much of an adventurer into the unknown, Emma made up her mind. She decided it would be best to stay in the river.

Emma climbed down the way she had come and made it back to the river.

The river was swift, flowing much faster than it had before the rain. She was nervous, not knowing if she would be able to float with the river raging so.

The dead man’s float, as her daddy called it, would probably be her best bet, it had gotten her this far.

She felt she had accomplished much already, by floating down the river. Emma stepped into the water, doing a belly flop into the river.

At first, she sunk down deep, but remained calm. Having exhaled all of her breath before falling into the water, she figured she would float back to the top, as a dead man would, but instead the water sucked her deeper into its depths; Emma began to panic!

Her chest felt heavy and her lungs began to burn from lack of oxygen.

She knew she needed to swim, but the current was a tough opponent. It beat her back down from the surface into its dark, seemingly bottomless, depth; she struggled on.

Suddenly, Emma realized she was fighting against the current. She would need to relax to get the results she needed, but it would be the hardest task she had ever faced.

Emma felt as though she would lose consciousness if she did not get air into her lungs soon. Then she remembered her Aunt Hannah, and her great-great-grandfather Geronimo. No matter the circumstance, they never gave up and neither would she.

She would sink to the depths of the river if need be and crawl along its muddied bottom until she could climb out and breathe air again.

Her thoughts were soon mocked. Emma began sinking deeper and deeper and deeper into the river, her toes dragging the mucky, debris littered river bottom.

Darkness surrounded her as she spun around and around then sunk all the way down. Her entire body now lay on the river bottom. It felt as though she were being pressed to the ground, held down by a giant, unseen hand.