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

pay close attention to what you said, Rachel. That’s all. I am all right now. When this happens, God is telling me to listen and not speak.”

Rachel and Cutty looked at me with fright written all over their faces.

“I’m okay. I really am.”

“What did I say that you need to pay close attention to?” Rachel asked.

“You said, ‘Seems like they all did it.’ This is a clue, a piece of the puzzle for me.”

“Well, I’m glad I could be of help. Do you go through what you just went through every time you get a revelation,” Rachel asked.

It took me ten minutes to explain to Rachel how I receive revelations. During that time, everything about the murder fell into place. After my explanation, I was ready to go home. I needed time alone to comprehend fully what I now knew was the truth. What I didn’t know was where Marjorie and Rebbie were. I had no idea where to look for them, but I knew who to ask for help. I now knew who murdered Duffy, why he was murdered, and how he was murdered.

“Baby, what does what Mom said reveal to you?” Gam asked after I had finished explaining how I receive revelations.

I knew, but I was not ready to tell anyone yet.

“It’s all coming together. I need to work out a few more details. I will have the answer tomorrow.”

CHAPTER 26

My night last night was a particularly vexing one. The dinner ended on a sour note. After the check was delivered, Gam picked it up.

“Gam, I can pay for the meal. It was your mother and I who invited you and Vett,” Cutty said.

“Daddy, I don’t mind paying,” Gam said.

“Boy, don’t be so hard-headed. Give me the check,” Cutty said.

Cutty paid the check, then he and Rachel left. We barely said good-bye to each other. Gam walked me to my office to get my bag. He then walked me to my Jeep. He drove home like a maniac with me following him.

Once home, he said, “I know you want to talk about this. But I need to cool down first.”

Gam went to bed, and I sat at the kitchen table trying to make sense of what my voice had told me and what I now knew. I was dumbfounded, but it all made sense, except for the part Marjorie and Rebbie played in all this. Where are they? After an hour of replaying in my head what I knew about the murder, my inner voice spoke. It said Marjorie and Rebbie are at a place that grows vegetables. What the heck did that mean? I went to bed with visions of fresh vegetables dancing around an empty vegetable garden and talking to me, but I could not understand what was being said.

On Thursday morning, I was getting out of bed when Gam pulled me back in. I relented and snuggled into him. This was his way of telling me he wanted to talk before I walked on my treadmill. I was eager to get on the treadmill to work out everything that had been shown to me. I was anxious to add the particulars to my vision board.

“I am sorry I was in such a vile mood last night. I know you wanted to talk, but all I wanted to do was go to bed and sleep it off,” Gam said.

Now with my body nestled into his, I said quietly, “Apology accepted. I understand.”

“Mom and Daddy continues to treat Junior better than me, but they don’t see it.”

“Perhaps, they perceive that Junior needs them more than you do. I’m not saying that you don’t need them. I’m saying perhaps it’s their perception that is blurred.”

“Parents should treat and love their children equally.”

“They love you and are proud of you. They may not show it to you the way you want them to, but I see it when they look at you.”

“Mm-hmm, if you say so.”

“Gam, they love you, and they love Junior. I think they feel responsible for Junior getting himself involved with a woman that accused him of domestic abuse and for the car accident you said was not his fault. Those things kept him from fulfilling his dream of being a sheriff like Cutty and you.”

“Well, the abuse charge was his fault. He knew that woman was wild and bad news when he met her. I believe he did hit her to get her off his back physically. But Daddy taught us never to hit a woman.”

“A good thing he did. So, don’t you see that to them you are the golden child? You have a beautiful, talented, and educated wife. You’ve given them two extraordinary handsome grandsons. You’ve worked your way up to detective investigator in the Sheriff’s Office. You own your own home, have a nice bank account that’s continually growing, and have a pension on the job. You did all that. What does Junior have to show for his fifty-five years on the earth?”

“I do see your point. He’s had some tough challenges. He’s not married, has no children. This job he has now is the longest he has ever stayed with a job. He lives in a small apartment.”

“Your parents may feel you have it all, and Junior still has a way to go to reach where you are or where he wants to be. They may think he needs them to help accomplish his plan B since his plan A didn’t work out for him. They may think you don’t need them as much because they see you as having it all.”

“Mm-hmm, I see your point.”

“Since you still think they don’t share their affection equally, maybe the four of you should have a heart-to-heart, face-to-face discussion. I think this is a good idea. I’d hate to see you go through the rest of your life with this unequal love discord among the four of you.”

“I hear you. I will think about it. I do have two handsome