Sequestered with the Murderers by Dr. Tanner (books for 8th graders TXT) 📕

unqualified. The car accident had damaged his right leg and he could never pass the flexibility, strength, and range of motion test. Cutty, a sheriff at that time, pulled some strings to get Junior qualified several times. His leg was never strong enough to meet the qualifications. Rachel said this devastated Junior, but he was able to find work as a salesman.

Though Rachel and Cutty couldn’t see it, they favored Junior. They overcompensated to make him feel equal to Gam. I didn’t like it when the excessive measures they undertook to uplift Junior were at Gam’s expense. I persuaded Gam to talk to his parents about this. He did. Their response was they did no such thing.

“Daddy, you leave me out all the time. Why can’t you see that?”

Gam and Cutty were still at it when Gail came to the table with our food. They stopped talking as she sat the food and drinks before us, then asked, “Is there anything else I can get for you?”

“No,” the four of us echoed affably.

“Enjoy your meal,” Gail said.

Cutty prayed, then we ate.

“Mmm, the chicken is good,” Rachel said.

“It is. Aunt Clove has a bunch of secret herbs and spices that she uses on poultry. She is proud of this and guards the secret with her life. She’s made a pineapple cake just for you. She asked me to make sure I mention this to you.”

“Then I must have a slice,” Rachel said.

For five minutes, we ate in silence.

“Do you have any plans for Memorial Day weekend? I’m inviting you to my cookout on Saturday before Memorial day,” Rachel said. It was pretty evident she was trying to cheer up the gloomy atmosphere.

“When do you move to Florida?” Gam asked.

“In July if everything goes as planned,” Cutty said

“That soon,” Gam said.

“Son, there is no reason to put it off. We want to do this,” Cutty said.

Sensing another confrontation between Gam and Cutty, I said, “Rachel, we don’t have any plans for the Memorial Day holiday, do we Gam?”

“No, Baby, we don’t,” Gam answered.

“What do you want us to bring?” I asked.

“I’ll get back to you on that. I don’t have the menu quite planned yet,” Rachel replied.

“Okay, that’s fine,” I said.

“Gam, how are those handsome grandsons of mine? I have not heard from them in a while,” Rachel said.

“Mom, Trevor and Ethan are fine. Give them a call. They asked about you and Daddy last week.”

“I will do that,” Rachel said.

“What about Uncle Rob. What’s going to happen to him,” Gam asked. Uncle Rob is Rachel’s mentally challenged younger brother who she visits several times a month. She has looked after him ever since their mother died in a car accident when Rachel was thirty and Rob was twenty-eight. They never knew their father.

“He will be fine. He will continue to live where he is. You know he loves living at that home. I will talk to him at least once a month by phone. Nothing will change regarding his care.”

“Hmm,” Gam scoffed.

“Gam, what does that mean?” Rachel asked.

“Nothing, Mom. I’m sure Junior will handle any issues that may arrive concerning Uncle Rob.”

Cutty completely ignored Gam’s snide remark.

While Rachel stared at Gam in disdain, I squeezed his hand again. Gail walked to the table with a pitcher of water and refilled our water glasses. She walked away without saying anything. I’m sure she sensed the hostility in the air. In a few moments, she was back with refills of soda and iced tea.

“I hope you are saving room for dessert,” Gail said.

Rachel was now looking down at the table. “I would like to order dessert now. May I have a slice of the pineapple cake? I understand it was prepared especially for me,” she said, looking up and smiling widely at Gail.

“I’ll have a slice, too,” I said.

“Make that three slices,” Gam said.

“Don’t leave me out. I’ll have a slice, too. Make it four,” Cutty said.

“Would anyone like coffee?” Gail asked? We all ordered coffee.

While we waited for dessert and coffee, a busboy came by and cleaned the table.

“Vett, Gam said your trip to Serenity was amazing,” Rachel said.

“It was. It was so relaxing, and the place is so beautiful,” I said.

“Where is your next vacation going to take you?” Rachel asked.

“We’re talking about going to Italy,” I said.

“That will be nice.”

While Rachel and I discussed my excitement at visiting Italy, Gam and Cutty retreated into their corners and said nothing. After the dessert and coffee were delivered, Rachel was the first to taste the cake.

“Mmm, this is so good. Please tell Clove I said the cake is delicious,” Rachel said.

“I will. She loves it when people provide wonderful feedback,” I said.

“Vett, tell me about your current case. Gam says you have not solved it yet.”

“Not yet. But I will. It’s complicated, but when it is solved, I believe I will have solved two cases.”

“Oh, really,” Rachel said.

I provided a quick summary of Duffy’s murder and the Lacecap Hydrangea Murders. I gave her an overview of my suspects and reasons for suspecting them.

“Now I just need to narrow it down to the murderer.”

“Seems like they all did it,” Rachel said in afterthought. As soon as she finished her sentence, a sinking feeling began to take over my stomach. A sense of foreboding quickly overcame me. I knew what was happening. I knew it was nothing to be afraid of and that the sensation would only last a few seconds. A revelation was coming through to me. A power beyond me directed me to pay close attention to what Rachel just said. Rachel didn’t know this. All she could understand and see was my body trembling and me clutching my stomach.

“Vett, what’s wrong?” Rachel asked.

When I didn’t answer, Gam put his arms around me and asked, “Vett, are you okay. Is a revelation coming through to you?”

I looked at him and nodded my head. A few seconds later, I was able to speak. “Yeah, I just had a revelation. I was directed to