This story is purely a work of fiction. Any resemblance to person's Living or dead, or to events that may have occurred, is purely Coincidental.
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Mark Stevens
I would like to welcome my previous as well as hopefully new readers back to enjoy this story. However, should you have not read any of the Porterville books before, you should do so
- Porterville 2. Murder in Porterville 3. Silver Candlesticks 4. No Regrets
All the stories are stand alone, however, a lot of the same characters from the first book return for more adventures.
To my old readers: Welcome back. To my new ones, welcome aboard.
Please feel free to write me with any thought you might have. Please keep comments positive. I already have an editor that keeps me walking the line. Ha ha. You can email me at:
jetdesk2@yahoo.com
Chapter Ten
Britt rolled over in bed. Something was trying to wake him from a deep sleep. He was suddenly aware of his phone ringing on the table beside the bed. Hoping not to disturb Devon, Britt quickly reached for it and answered the call. The caller was Brian.
"Sorry to call so late, Britt. I hate to ask you, but can you drive into town and meet me at Kathy Applebee's bakery? There's been damage done to her shop."
In a whispered voice, Britt assured the Chief of Police he would be there as soon as he could. Ending his call, Britt got out of bed, and after throwing some clothes on, he hurried downstairs. He grabbed his coat from the closet by the door and hurried outside. He drove into town as quickly as he dared. A light snow had fallen sometime during the night, and the freezing temperature was causing the road to be slippery. When he reached the town square, Britt quickly pulled up in front of Kathy's shop. As he got out of his car, he saw what the damage was that Brian had spoken of over the telephone. Kathy's shop had one large window in the front of her store, and most of it had been shattered into many pieces, landing on the sidewalk. He could see Brian, Chris Vaughn and Kathy through the jagged opening and entered the store through the door.
"It's a mess," Brian greeted.
Britt gave Kathy a hug and said, "I am so sorry, Kathy. This is our fault, Devon and me. We should have insisted that you drop our catering event when you received your warning."
"She's received another one now," Brian said and handed a sheet of paper to Britt.
Britt read the words on the note:
KATHY APPLEBEE THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING. DO YOU
WANT THE SAME THING TO HAPPEN TO YOUR BUSINESS THAT
HAPPENED TO THE MINISTER'S HOME? THINK ABOUT IT.
"You need to cancel your plans to cater our wedding reception, Kathy," Britt advised the shop owner.
"No, I don't think I will," Kathy disagreed. "Am I frightened? Of course I am. However, I am not giving in to whoever is bullying me. I refuse to be intimidated."
"Besides the broken window and the warning note, have you found anything else, Brian?"
"There doesn't seem to be anything, other than these two things," Brian answered. "I've called Chip Mays. He going to pick up some materials from the lumber yard so we can secure Kathy's place of business." Chip was the manager of Porterville Lumber Yard.
Britt assured them both he would help to close up the window. "Devon and I were saying last night how simple it should be to get married."
"It is sad, the world we're living in these days," Brian sighed.
"You're sure nothing has been taken, Kathy?" Britt asked the shop owner.
Kathy shook her head. "Nothing appears to be missing."
"Whoever did this didn't have stealing in mind," Brian declared. "The intruder's intention was to frighten Kathy."
Chip Mays arrived with the materials needed for the window, and Britt helped secure the building. When finished, Britt said he was going to head home. "Unless you need me for anything else, Brian. You think Kathy's business will be safe?"
"I'm going to hang around here for a time," Chris Vaughn said. The officer had been searching for finger prints and had declared to have found some. However, he didn't think any of them would prove to belong to the intruder.
Feeling he wasn't needed any longer, Britt left the bakery and drove home. He entered the house and made his way upstairs. He quietly entered the bedroom, shucked off his clothes and crawled silently between the covers. He succeeded in not waking Devon and soon fell to sleep.
The next morning Britt was having breakfast with Devon when Cory joined them at the kitchen table. Britt had just finished filling Devon in on the early morning's happening and repeated the same explanation to Cory.
"My God, what's going to happen next? I know we're not living in the best of worlds these days, but what's happening to people in Porterville is insane." A concerned look appeared on the detective's face.
"Just goes to show you don't have to live in a big city to have bad things happen," Devon remarked.
When breakfast was over, Devon left for his office, and Britt and Cory drove to the police station. They were curious to know if Brian had turned up anything new on the break in at Kathy's shop.
"Good morning, you two," Brian greeted.
Brian's dad was sitting in a chair next to the wall and the two new comers greeted the man.
"I was just about to give you guys a call," Brian told them.
"Something new?" Cory asked.
"Possibly," Brian answered.
Brian went on to tell them about a telephone call he had received earlier from the police chief in Webbers Falls, Oklahoma. It seemed that a woman who lived in the small town had read about Sandra Collins' death and was concerned that she might know something.
"You think it's something worth checking into?" Britt asked.
"I do," Brian said. "Dad's willing to check it out, but I have a meeting this morning that I can't miss. Britt, would you and Cory be willing to make the trip with Dad?"
Both Britt and Cory assured the Chief that their morning was free, with Britt adding, "I'll give Devon a call and fill him in on my plans. After that we can hit the road."
"I appreciate all of you taking the time to help me. By the way, the woman you're going to see is Virginia Allen. She is going to be at the Webbers Falls police station at one o'clock this afternoon. You should have plenty of time to get there."
Britt made his telephone call to Devon, and then with Jerry and Cory in his car, he drove to Interstate 40 and began the trip to Webbers Falls. They pulled off the interstate a few minutes before noon. With an hour to spare, they decided to eat lunch. Britt discovered a café in the middle of town and pulled up in front of the modest structure. A scent of delicious food filled the air as the men climbed out of the car and made their way into the building.
They placed their order and while waiting for it to be served talked over different possibilities of what their visit with Virginia Allen might uncover.
"While I'm not getting too excited, I am hoping we will learn something from the woman," Jerry said.
"Hopefully she will have some information that will help solve the case," Cory added.
"I have to think she will be able to help us out," Britt remarked. "Reading about Sandra Collins' death in the newspaper must have sparked something for the woman."
Their food soon arrived, and talk turned to the delicious food before them. Upon entering the café, they had discovered most of the tables and all of the booths were filled with customers. That fact alone assured them how great the food was going to be, and with the first bite taken, all three knew they had been right in their thinking.
When they had finished, Jerry paid their tab, and they returned to Britt's car. As he drove to the police station and parked in front of the building, Britt felt excitement course through his body. He had high hopes they would leave with information to help them solve their case. Sandra Collins deserved it.