Hush Little Babies

Chapter Nine

“Good morning, Jeffrey, another day, another dollar.”

He winked at me while eating his eggs and bacon.

“Jelly on your toast,” I asked.

“Yes, please, and make it snappy, I’m running late,” he replied.

“Yes, sir, General,” I retorted, literally saluting.

He giggled, and proceeded to don his suit coat. “I have to be in court today,” he proclaimed, and he was obviously, slightly nervous. I poured him some hot coffee to go.

“I don’t need a lunch, today, I have an important, lunch date.” He kissed me quick and left for work.

I had a long day ahead of me, as well. I couldn’t wait to get to the library, to research, data on the remaining years of child disappearances. I pulled my sweater over my shoulders, grabbed my keys and drove towards town.

I spied the Antique Barn. “I’m dying to check that place out,” I sighed. “I told Jeffrey, I would start decorating the house,” I said, as I slowly talked myself into shopping.

I stepped on the breaks and pulled into the Antique Barn, parking lot. I parked in front, and close to the door. “This will only, take a few minutes,” I told myself.

There were only two cars, besides mine, in the parking lot. The walkway to the Barn, was made of brick, and on either side, there were rows of Geraniums and Irises, with tall standing rose tree bushes, behind them. The Barn was built out of brick and the inside was decorated in white and purple accents. They used antiques to decorate, and set dishes, and other valuables on the antique furniture. They used antique chandeliers, for lighting. Everything had a price tag, but nothing was over-priced. I wouldn’t mind spending two or three hours here, every day, I thought. “This place is huge.” It had three stories, and a basement, and they all, were decorated to perfection. It helped that purple was my favorite color!

I purchased, several large items, at the Barn and arranged to have them delivered. I would look again, when I could fit it into my schedule.

As I drove to the library, I imagined, the antique mirror, hanging in my entryway. I just had to have it. “That was for another day,” I muttered. My whole house needed to be painted, inside and out, and I wanted wallpaper, in one of the bathrooms, and possibly part of the kitchen. I knew I needed time for that, but time was flying and my party, was sneaking up fast.

I arrived at the library, turned off the car engine and walked up the sidewalk to unlock the door. As I turned the key, I thought I saw, out of the corner of my eye, movement. I shut the door and walked down the sidewalk, to the right side of the library, but by the time, I’d walked over there, I could see no one. Perhaps, it was just my wild imagination, playing tricks on me. I went back to the front of the building and entered.

The place, was ransacked. I couldn’t believe it. Books were off the shelves, papers were everywhere, chairs were knocked over and out of place and the, small window, in the back of the library, was cracked. I didn’t know what to do first, call Mrs. Fitzberg, or Sheriff Johnny. I opted on the latter, and the Sheriff vowed, “I’ll be over immediately.”

I called, Mrs. Fitzberg, and her answering machine, clicked on. I Left a message, explaining that the library had been broken into, and the place was plundered. I stated the time and date the message was left and said, if she got the message, in time, to call me at the library, straight away, otherwise, I’d be home later this evening.

Sheriff Johnny, arrived as I was hanging up from leaving a long-winded, one-sided conversation with a woman, I barely knew.

He looked around, asked me the usual questions, asked when faced with what appeared to be, “What, I asked myself? A ransacking, a robbery, what, and if it was a robbery, what could they possibly need, that bad, at the library! Either somebody, seriously needed reading material, or they were very angry with Mrs. Fitzberg,” I chuckled to myself.

“Sheriff, I thought, I saw a foot or boot, go around the corner, as I was opening up, but when I went to explore, there wasn’t anyone there. I deduced that it could possibly have been, a brown, boot, of the female persuasion. It was, I thought, brown suede and taller than a males boot.”

“Since this is a public place, anyone’s prints, could be found here; so, it would be a waste of the departments time, money, and energy,” he interjected. “I thought he was taking this too lightly, but I’m not a Sheriff, what do I know?”

“However, he said, I do need to file a report. I’ll call you later, for any other information, I might deem necessary. Are you going to be all right by yourself, Missy?” asked the Sheriff.

“I feel a little, uneasy, but I’m a big girl, and anyway, the damage was already done. I see no reason, for anyone to return to the scene of the crime,” I said.

“Goodbye, then,” he exclaimed, and he headed back to the department.

I looked around at the damage, “Gosh, all my hard work, for naught.