Chapter 9
The alarm bells rang as the family got ready for the day. David was one of the first up and quickly took a shower before one of the kids used all the hot water up all up. Tracy threw on some clothes just to make breakfast, planning on showering and dressing for the day after the rest of the family had left. She put of the coffee and set out the usual breakfast material. She decided on pancakes this morning with a side of Jimmy Deans sausage.
David came out in his clean uniform with his hair still wet.
“MMMM Coffee! He reached out and poured himself a cup.
“Watch the sausage so it doesn’t burn, I’ll go wake the kids. Tracy headed off to the bedroom.
David picked up the spatula with his free hand and sipped his coffee as he poked and pushed the sausage patties around in the pan. The smell was intoxicating.
Tracy opened Daniels door, “Time to get up Danny. Hurry up and take a shower before your sisters or there won’t be any hot water.
Daniel rolled out of bed, his hair sticking up on one side. He fumbled to the bathroom with his towel in hand. Tracy decided to give Daniel a few moments before waking the girls. They always took so long and used way more than their quota of hot water. Sometimes it was just an achievement to get Daniel to take a shower in the morning. No one likes cold showers and Daniel did not like showers in the morning anyway. She did not want Samantha or Whitney ruining today’s small victory.
She walked back toward the kitchen following the delicious wafts of sausage aroma. David was flinching as he drank his coffee, avoiding the hot grease that spit and splattered from the frying pan.
“These look done, where do I put them?
Tracy ripped and folded several paper towels and placed them on a plate. “Here she motioned. Setting the plate near him “when you get that empty cut and cook another round so everyone can have at least two. We’re having pancakes. She pulled a large mixing bowl out of the cupboard and filled it with hungry jack pancake mix. She added eggs, milk and some oil and began beating the mixture. The sound of running water stopped and she knew that Daniel would soon be done with his shower. The girls would have to fight over who was next. Or run the risk of running out of hot water half way through there shower.
“Ok hon, these are done too, what next? David drained the last sip of his coffee and poured another.
“Pour everyone some juice, And clear the griddle. I’ve got to wake up the girls. She tested the viscosity of the batter mix then ladled out several round scoops onto the hot griddle. She wanted to get at least a couple on before Daniel arrived.
With the first batch of pancakes cooking up, She set the bowl aside and headed back toward the bedrooms. She knocked on the door gently.
“Time to get up you two. First one up gets the hot shower.
Whitney flew open the door and burst down the hall, towel in hand. Tracy was almost knocked over by the breeze. Whitney closed the door to the bathroom and locked it. Half a second behind her came Sam, barely grabbing the handle of the bathroom door before the lock clicked.
“NOOOO! Mom! Samantha screamed in protest. “ I have a big day today!
“Sorry honey, Fair is fair! Tracy smiled as she headed back toward the kitchen. She could hear Samantha pounding on the door in feeble protest. “At least she is up now.” Tracy thought to herself.
Daniel had managed to enter the kitchen, mostly dressed, and was sitting at the table already drinking his juice and selecting a sausage patty off the pile. David had flipped the pancakes and was about to serve them up before Daniel ate all the sausage.
“Wait for the pancakes, dear Tracy urged. She pulled out the syrup and butter. “And don’t add too much syrup, save some for the rest of us.
Danny looked up with his large brown eyes like a lost puppy dog. “But that’s the best part.
David flipped up several cakes into a stack then brought them over to the table, Daniel pierced several with his fork and stacked them up on his plate. He smothered them with syrup. He began eating. Tracy took over for David.
“You better eat up too or you’re going to be late. She advised spooning out another round of cakes onto the griddle.
David sat down and served himself up several cakes and a couple of sausage patties. He covered them all with butter and syrup.
The Sound from the bathroom stopped signaling that Whitney was almost done. Samantha’s pounding could still be heard.
“Hurry Up! I have to take a shower too! Hurry up! Dry your hair later! Hurry up!
Tracy guessed that Whitney was going to take her time with all that noise Sam was making. It’s times like these you wish you only had pets. She thought.
A few moments later Tracy had assembled a nice stack of pancakes on the main platter. She poured herself another cup of coffee and offered to top off David’s cup. She began to eat a little before the girls came in. Danny was almost done with his breakfast. He started to eat slower.
Soon Whitney joined them followed by Samantha. Sam scowled at Whitney as she selected some cakes from the stack and poured the syrup.
“You used up all the hot water again. Sam accused.
“Nu-uh! There was still some when I got out. Whitney took a bite.
“Yeah and it ran out two seconds after I got in. I had to hurry my shower up before I froze.
“Now Sam, you have left us all with cold showers plenty of times. It all evens out in the end. Tracy reasoned. Sam could never take what she dealt out. It was rather amusing.
“But mom, Today is a big day for me. I have to look perfect and now I will have to begin it with only half a shower.
“Why is today so big? Tracy asked between bites.
“No reason. Samantha looked down at her plate and cut a small piece off her one pancake.
“She is going to meet Andy Jaltima again. Whitney blurted out with an evil grin.
Daniel waved his fork around “Sammy loves Andy, Sammy loves Andy
“Stop it! Mom! Tell them to shut up please.
“Who is this Andy guy? Anyone I know? David said looking over the paper as he finished his coffee.
“No dad you have never met him . Sam continued to glare at Whitney and Daniel.
“Maybe you should bring him over sometime, I want to know what kind of boy is dating my daughter.
“Dad first of all it is not a date. We are just friends! And second, this will be the last place I’m going to bring him and you will be the last person I’ll introduce him too.
“David looked up confused. “Why is that? He asked innocently.
“You scare every one of my friends that is a boy! Once they meet you, I never hear from them again.
Whitney and Daniel looked at each other in a knowing glance then looked at Sam. Both were suddenly quiet believing there was more truth to that statement than even Sam knew. Sam glared back at them, shaking her head quickly as if refuting their thoughts.
David smiled and folded up his paper as if laughing at an inside joke. “I don’t know what you mean. I thought I was very warm and hospitable to anyone you bring home.
“Dad, You’re creepy! And you say things that intimidate them.
“Fine, go ahead and blame me because your friends are scared of me. Maybe it’s because they are up to no good. Maybe you’re too young to be dating high school boys. Maybe …
Tracy cleared her throat, “David! You better get going before you’re late. She pointed at her watch.
“Oh! Right! I have an easy day today so I should be back before four. Then the weekend is completely ours! He said with a big grin as he rose from his chair. He bent down to give Tracy a kiss “Goodbye dear. Kissing her forehead. “Stay out of trouble you two, he pointed to Daniel and Whitney. “And the same goes for you, too! He pointed at Sam. He reached down and gave the cat a quick brush with his hand then opened the door and left.
“Danny and Whitney, take care of your plates and get your lunches ready. And Sam you better hurry too the bus will be here soon.
Daniel and Whitney jumped to attention grabbing their plates as they slid off their chairs. They rushed over to the kitchen sink and deposited the plates and forks. They began to assemble their lunches. Samantha looked on finishing her last little bites and sipping her orange juice.
Soon the kids were dressed and ready for the chilly morning. The temperature was dropping rapidly this year. The busses pulled up and all three of them ran out with backpacks and lunches in hand. Then the house was silent once more.
Tracy poured another cup of coffee and stroked the cat as he jumped up on the table licking up the hidden splotches of butter and syrup the kids dripped. She picked up the paper David had managed to unfold and separate. She glanced it over for any new news. More crime , death and tragedy ruled the headlines as was always the case each morning.
Today, however, Tracy was particularly interested in any stories that had to do with stolen money. Not just the armored car but any stolen money. She skimmed over a couple of armed robberies that were on the other side of the country. Then the armored car story appeared again. She read it intently.
Some new evidence lead investigators to believe that the perpetrator lived somewhere on the Michigan side of the border. The suspect was still at large and the exact amount of cash was still unknown. The article ended with a phone number and an offer of $10,000 for any information on the whereabouts of the suspect or the cash.
Tracy’s eye lit up. $10.000! That is quite a bit of money for a simple map leading to a stash of money. Tracy liked Ethan. They had been friends several years before he introduced her to David. She would never turn him in for something like that. Ethan was a little strange but was not really a criminal. However, if Tracy could turn in the money, well that money does no one any good buried out in the middle of the swamp. And Ethan would probably sleep better knowing that it had been discovered and had not lead the authorities to his front door. This was sounding better every minute!
They certainly could use the $10,000. I mean, Who can’t use $10,000? It’s not like it is a million and it is not like it is only $100. Tracy would not risk being a snitch anything for as little as $100. But $10,000 could pay off the house, buy a new car, help put Sam through college. Shouldn’t she think about her family first? And all she had to do was point the authorized in the right direction.
Her mind was made up. The case was reopened for the reward. First she wanted to make sure that the police or federal agents found only the money and not Ethan. There is no sense in getting him in trouble if that was not a requirement. Second she had to make sure that the money was at the location and that David would be free from any link to it. She did not want her husband becoming a suspect, or worse, get arrested!
Carefully she planned out her story line. Hunting season was almost on them. David said they had buried the money somewhere in Yankee springs. You could hunt in Yankee springs so it was possible that they could have just stumbled on the refrigerator and that is how they found it. That made perfect sense to her.
So next she had to find out where it was buried and how much money was in there. David knew the location and she could maybe convince him on finding it again. But only Ethan knew what was inside. Maybe it was time to reacquaint ourselves after all these years and maybe she could get him to drop her a hint as to the contents.
Tracy folded up the paper and reached for the phone book. She thumbed through the pages of the most recent yellow book, searching for Ethan’s number. Her own little black book of phone numbers for friends and family was old and most likely outdated. She knew that Ethan had moved several times after he married Cheryl. The last known location was in somewhere in Lansing, when they were attending Michigan State. From there it was thought that they had moved back to Grand Rapids. She glanced at the long list of Allens but none of them matched up. Nothing in this city
She did not have a Lansing phone book but she did have a computer. Tracy logged onto the internet and typed in for a search for phone numbers. Several hours later and 12,000 searches later proved fruitless. He simply was no where to be found. Either he had no phone number, or was homeless. Or perhaps he was on the run after all. Maybe he was in Mexico. Tracy abandoned the idea after much wasted time. She simply would have to ask David when he got home. Maybe today he would be more open to the idea with the addition of a $10,000 finders fee. Tracy clipped the article and planned her the next phase of her investigation.
No comments:
Post a Comment