Blood Bath

Chapter 29

Colton drove home from his meeting with Mr. Zeller. He went into the house and told his mom about the conversation.

"It sounds like it ended well. At least you weren't given another two weeks suspension."

Colton laughed and agreed. "I guess I'll have a week off. Do you need anything done around the house?"

"Not that I can think of, She said as she grabbed her coat. "I have to go shopping in Pigeon, you can mind the telephone. If it's a business call, the phone will ring here. I had Jim Owens set it up this morning."

"That's great. Have fun shopping."

"Yes, sure. I'll have lots of fun shopping," she said as she walked out to her S-10 pickup.

Colton sat for a few moments. He wanted to call the County Sheriff to find out the progress of their investigation. Then he reconsidered. I should keep out of this. At least for a while.

He had enough coffee and found a can of Coke. As he sipped his drink, he continued to think about Luke's murder. Who is the killer? Someone who was also abusing Jenny. Perhaps her father or uncle? That would be disgusting if it was sexual abuse. But why did they kill Jenny? What's the motive?

The sound of the bus and the voices of his brothers and sister interrupted Colton's thoughts. The kids ran into the kitchen talking about school, sports, hunting, and kitties. It was Steph who was talking about kittens. She wanted one and knew her mom would never allow her to have one in the house.

"Colton, why is mom against pets?" she asked.

"I don't know. I know she wouldn't let me have a dog when I wanted one. Chickens in the shed are OK, and for a while we had two cows. But no pets."

Jason and Terry helped with the groceries when their mom got home. They made several trips and acted like it was too much work. Colton laughed at them, which they didn't appreciate.

After dinner Colton again went to bed early. There would be a newspaper delivery tomorrow, Thanksgiving morning. Colton wished he didn't have to, but he knew it was his job. He would also have to deliver papers on Friday. Sometimes this job is a drag, he thought. Perhaps when I make more money from the business, I'll consider giving it up. But until then..."

There were no dreams during the night. At least he remembered none. Perhaps the bad events are over, he thought. No! It's just a lull before the storm.

There were no problems with the route. The roads were clear and because there were many customers gone, it took less time to finish.

Colton finished the last delivery and was home by six o'clock. He went to his room and took a nap. When his dad yelled for him to get out of bed, he couldn't believe it was almost ten o'clock.

He took a shower and put on dress clothes. Downstairs everyone, including his dad, were busy getting the house ready for guests. The Thanksgiving parade was on with no one watching. He didn't take time to watch because he had to pick up Lacie.

Stephenie and her mom were busy cooking. It nice to see the two of them sharing. Cyndi was explaining every step she made. Then she had Steph take over. They were making rolls and Steph was beaming with pride as she baked.

Colton grabbed a quick breakfast and excused himself. He rang Lacie and said he would be there soon. She welcomed his call because she also was running late. "I don't know what happened, but I overslept and so did Mom. We'll be ready at noon," she advised.

"In that case, I'll be there at noon. You have an hour to finish."

Colton sat at the table and continued to watch the cooks work their magic while he drank coffee.