“I can’t believe it,” Julie said to Roy. “Your mother was a horrible person to you and your brother.” Roy was sitting at the dining room table with his head in his hands. “She tortured you emotionally, spiritually and psychologically and then we had to sit through that ridiculous eulogy that she wrote herself.”
“I don’t know what to do about that, Julie. But at least she’s finally gone.”
“Yeah, well I for one wish we hadn't gone to that travesty of a service.”
“Yeah, but not showing up would look worse.”
“You weren’t allowed to speak.” Julie fell silent for a moment. “You should ask them to take down the obituary. It’s full of lies.” Roy raised his eyes up from his hands. “Otherwise it will stay online,” Julie continued. “It’s hurtful and a bunch of bullshit.”
At that moment Roy thought he would rather take Blessing and Taylor fishing. Was Blessing working at the florist tomorrow? What would the weather be like? He sighed. Julie was right. He decided to call his brother and talk to him about taking the obituary offline.
While he waited for his brother to pick up, Mila knocked on the front door. She asked if Emery was with Blessing.
“No. Blessing is in her room, though.” Julie said.
Mila thanked Julie and made her way through the kitchen to the garage.
“Emery’s still missing and so is her mom,” Mila said.
“You’re joking!” Blessing said.
“Serious.” Mila frowned.
“Do you think they've been sex-trafficked?”
“Not likely. Her Aunt Candace is also missing. And Troy Bannick.”
“Isn’t Troy working at the hospital?”
“Yeah.” Mila thought about the matter.
“Did he kidnap them?”
“Troy Bannick? No, his stepmom is really worried. Says he’s a good kid, kinda of slow.”
“I don’t think Emery is coming back,” Blessing said.
“I hope she’s okay,” Mila said. “I think Emery set Troy up to something.”
“Like what?”
Keith Kumasen Abbott was listening behind the screen that obstructed the work bench in the garage. He’d heard through Mike Sowl that Emily and Candace had shown up at Beer Springs. Keith thought about picking up the phantom genius marker but then he thought better of it.
*
Emily turned to Candace. “We need to find a car and we need to get a ghost in the car. Then we can drive back through the portal.” They were standing next to a canning factory and it was 1973. Neither of the sisters had ever been in 1973. Emily’s car had vanished into thin air. “Do you think you can do that?” Candace wasn't convinced of her sister's logic.
An hour previously Troy had walked off to the service station to buy a popsicle. While he was there a Hollywood producer pulled up in a convertible and asked him if he wanted a ride. Troy thought about it for three seconds and then he agreed. He wasn’t too happy being around Emily and Candace, and he had lost faith in Emery.
After Troy didn’t come back from the service station, Emily started to panic. She kept looking for Logan. What would the bishop say? She felt that they had to stick together to get back to Colorado. Emery was sitting on a cement block watching her mother and her aunt. It was sunny and she was in California. She also had fifteen thousand dollars in cash in low denominations with her. She usually kept that amount of vacuum-packed money in the false bottom of her backpack because she didn’t want to leave it in her room. The rest of Gator’s pills were tossed in, transferred into an aspirin container. Emery looked at the poster advertising a bottle of Coca-Cola. Fifteen cents.
Candace looked at Emily. “I think we need to go back to the bar and try to find Keith. He comes and goes a lot through the portal,” she said.
“Mom, I’m not old enough to be in a bar,” Emery said.
“Then you stay in the grocery store,” Emily said.
When Emily and Candace walked back into Beer Springs, Keith was waiting for them.
He smiled his most charming smile. Now that Candace was on the other side of the portal, she was powerless.
“What did El-Don do with my notebooks?” he asked.
“He gave them to Lolly.”
“All of them?”
“Well, El-Don likes his cut.”
“So what did Lolly do with the ones he got?”
“Probably hoarded them.”
“Where?”
“In his cabin.” Candace had briefly dated Lolly back when she was looking for a new church family after her break with Mormonism.
“Do you think he still has them?”
“I don’t know. Maybe, but he is into trading with other collectors.”
“Like who?”
“Some lawyer.”
“I see.”
Emily eyed Keith. She didn’t like his hair, robes or attitude.
Keith ignored Emily. “Candace, Rhino Ritz is a little sloppy at times. Causes situations.”
Candace looked at Keith.
“It’s better,” Keith said, “that I find out where the notebooks are before Rhino Ritz. Or Buck Rogers.”
“I can help you, if you help me,” Candace said.
After they agreed on the deal, Emily went to collect Emery and found her daughter had already left the grocery store. Emery was nowhere in sight.
*
Lolly felt himself sliding down a chute. The experience was making him dizzy and he started praying. “Lord deliver me safely,” he whispered to himself.
He landed in a puddle in Buck Roger’s driveway. He got up and limped to the front door.
Juan answered the doorbell. He stared at Lolly. Lolly wasn’t looking as clean as the last time Juan had laid eyes on him. Lolly had grown a beard and his shirt was stained and torn.
“Hi there,” Lolly said, rubbing his neck. “I am looking for my truck.”
Juan told him to wait a second and went to tell Buck that Lolly was at the door.
Buck had his routine down smooth. “Hey, pal! Good to see you! Why don’t you come in and have a beer.”
Lolly declined. “I’d really appreciate getting home Buck. I’ve had a bit of a time.”
Lolly reached for his hat. The short story was gone.
Buck didn’t react. Lolly couldn’t tell if Buck had the short story. He decided not to mention it.
Buck was watching Lolly carefully. “Well, Lolly, I’d really like to speak to you about some business.”
“Sure, Buck,” Lolly said, “I have time tomorrow. Can you, huh, tell me where my truck is?”
Buck hesitated and then smiled. “Of course, we put it in the garage. You sure left in a hurry.”
“Something came up.”
“I bet it did.”
“I’m a little tired.”
Buck didn’t move. “You got yourself a nice truck.”
Lolly looked around. “Is it in there?” he asked, jerking his head at one of the garage doors.
“We’ve been busy with what we call a New Environment," Buck said suddenly.
“Oh,” Lolly said. He was getting a little concerned about provoking Buck’s temper. “Is it minimalist?
“No.”
“Is it atheist?”
“No.”
“Is it paperless?”
“No. Paper is the safest method these days.”
“Okay,” Lolly said.
Buck eyed Lolly. “Juan, show him where his truck is stored.”
Coming Soon Chapter Thirty-Five
#longmont #colorado #keithkumasenabbott #keithabbott #mormonpotatoes #speakingwiththedead #ghoststory #rhinoritz #buckrogers #timeportal #
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