What??
Lock all the doors. That’s all I know.
Strange. I went to check the doors, windows too. Everything was secure and I continued sketching. Could there have been another murder in Poplin?
The shooting turned out to be a hunter’s stray bullet, according to local gossip. John Larabe had been out rabbit hunting when he was hit. Fortunately for him he wore a bulletproof vest, unusual for a hunter, but John had proved to be an unusual guy many times in the past, so no surprise. What was surprising was that no one came forward to admit they had been hunting nearby and may have discharged the bullet, despite it being an accidental shooting.
“I can’t believe it,” Archie said, turning off the TV when the local news ended. “It was John. I talked to him and he’s okay, but wow.”
“Unbelievable,” I replied.
“What is going on in this town?” Archie paced the living room.
“I don’t know,” I agreed. “It’s crazy.”
Archie frowned and stared at me. “You never liked him.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Archie shrugged. “I don’t know. The whole situation is very odd. First Angela, then Robin, now John gets shot? What the hell is going on?”
“Two were accidents. Angela was the only murder and they’ve arrested someone for that. Obviously, Poplin is not the quiet, serene community we thought it was.”
“Damn right.” Archie frowned. “I don’t even know if I still want to live here.”
I pursed my lips. I wasn’t going to argue with him about John and, as for the town, well I was having doubts about staying there too. If we moved, I wondered if I’d continue receiving the strange reminders of the past. Would he follow me wherever I went?
FIFTY-ONE2024
Aimee
I stopped by Debra’s house on my way to the store to drop off a basket of blueberry muffins for her and John. He was recovering from being shot, although he wasn’t injured, only bruised and sore, since he had worn the vest. Archie had encouraged me to make the gesture.
I parked my car and walked up the sidewalk to ring the doorbell. Before I could though, the door swung open and Debra stood in the doorway, smiling at me.
“Oh, Aimee!” she greeted. She held a stack of envelopes in her hand. “What a nice surprise. Let me pop these into the mailbox and then we can have some coffee. I just put a fresh pot on!”
“Sure,” I said, entering the house. I placed the muffin basket on the table. The aroma of fresh coffee filled the tidy kitchen. The house was quiet except for the hum of a television in the back bedroom. I guessed John was awake. I wouldn’t be staying long.
“Aimee, thank you for the muffins,” Debra said, smiling at the basket and then me. “Johnny loves those muffins as much as I do.”
“Good, enjoy them,” I said. “Just wanted to let you two know Archie and I are thinking about you both after what happened.”
“Isn’t it terrible?” Debra touched her chest. “If he hadn’t been wearing that vest, it would have been so much worse. But my Johnny is a stickler for safety.”
“Well, that’s good.” I smiled at Debra. “I really must go. I have to open the store.”
“Come on.” Debra was already pouring the coffee into two mugs. “Just one cup.”
I nodded. “Okay, just one.”
We sat at her kitchen table covered in a cheery yellow tablecloth. I smiled at her. I liked Debra; she reminded me of Aunt Lou, in a way.
“Johnny has a nasty bruise on his chest, but that will heal soon enough. I’m so thankful the Lord was looking out for him. So strange that it was a stray bullet from another hunter. That’s what the police think, you know.”
“Oh, do they have any idea who fired the shot?”
She shook her head. “No, and nobody came forward, which is strange because it must have been an accident.”
I sipped my coffee. “Sure, maybe they think they’d be in trouble though, even if it was accidental.”
“Perhaps, well, all I know is I’m going to have one of these muffins right now, and I’m sure Johnny will have one when he wakes up.”
“I’m awake, Grandma.” John appeared from the hallway into the kitchen. He looked at me. “Hello, Aimee.”
“Aimee brought us some muffins. Wasn’t that kind of her?”
He grinned. “Very neighborly.”
I stood. “Well, I’ll leave you two. I have to open the store. Have a great day.”
“Bye, Aimee,” Debra said. “Thanks again.”
“I’ll walk you to your car,” John said.
“No need,” I said quickly.
He stared at me. “No, I want to.”
