On Thursday afternoon. Barney got the mail while I was out of the office. He found a heavy manila envelope addressed to me from Milwaukee. He guessed it was from Sheriff Jeremy Cline.
"Andy is expecting this," Barney said to himself and put it on my desk. He figured it was about the cold case, but he knew better not to read somebody else's mail.
Several minutes later, I walked into the office.
"Did the mail come in, Barn?" I asked.
"Just now, Ange. There's something for you," Barney said.
"Thanks, Barn. Must be from Jeremy Cline about the case his department's working on," I said, seeing the envelope.
Barney couldn't believe how fat the envelope Jeremy Cline had sent for me to go through.
"That is one fat envelope there, Ange," Barney said.
"I know it is, Barney. I guess he's sent me everything he's had for the past twelve years. I'll go through it," I said.
"Twelve years is a long time to work on a case like this. Shouldn't they close it up?" Barney asked.
"Jeremy says they haven't found anybody to put into jail, Barney. They have no idea who could have murdered his deputy," I said.
"Did you say deputy, Ange? You know it's a federal offense to kill an officer," Barney said.
"I know that, Barney. I'm going to see if I can come up with something Sheriff Cline might have missed," I said.
"Good luck, Ange. Let me know if I can help," Barney said.
"Tell me, Andy. How did this deputy sheriff get murdered?" Barney asked.
I looked at Barney. "Jeremy told me his deputy was shot in the driver's seat of the patrol car. He was alone and somebody shot him through the window. He didn't have his gun with him while he was doing patrol," I said.
"What a way to die," Barney said, shaking his head.
"Don't you know it, Barney," I said.
"Isn't there more to this?" Barney asked.
"There is, Barney," I said as we watched Otis Campbell, the town drunk walk in for the weekend.
"Howdy, Barney, Andy," Otis said and locked himself into the cell.
"Hi, Otis," I said.
"Hi, Otis," Barney echoed.
"What's going on here?" Otis asked.
"Not much," I said.
"You're not missing much, Otis," Barney said to the town drunk.
"Isn't there more to this, Andy?" Barney asked.
"There is, Barney. From what I've seen here in the reports, the deputy sheriff who was murdered, he was supposed to go home for supper the morning he was murdered," I told Barney.
Otis was listening to the conversation Barney and I were having.
"What are you talking about? Who got shot?" Otis asked.
"Nobody you know, Otis. Andy's just helping a friend of his with a twelve – year – old cold case that he couldn't get solved," Barney said.
"Barney," I said.
I didn't want word to get out.
"What? He asked, I told," Barney said.
"You weren't supposed to tell," I whispered.
"Sorry, Ange. What was I supposed to say?" Barney whispered back.
Otis was listening to us whisper. Otis knew I never worked on murder cases.
"You never have worked on murders, have you, Andy?" Otis asked.
"No, Otis. This murder is from out-of-state," I said.
"Where?" Otis asked.
"The Midwest," I said.
I didn't want to say what state. I thought it wouldn't make a big deal to Otis.
"That far out, Andy? Wow," Otis said.
I didn't reply to Otis and went back to the reports Sheriff Cline had sent me.
"Ain't that sad, Andy. Did your friend tell you the deputy sheriff had any family?" Barney asked.
"Jeremy says he has family. He told me he left a daughter in a wheelchair who couldn't walk so she lives with the deputy's mother now and the daughter is in her twenties," I answered.
"Sad. Did the daughter have a mother of her own?" Barney asked.
"Jeremy says she never knew her mother. Her mother died at childbirth," I said.
"How sad. You know what this reminds me of?" Barney asked.
"What?" I asked.
"This daughter reminds me of Opie since he never knew his mother," Barney said.
"You're right, Barney. A little like the two of us," I agreed, seeing the picture Barney put together.
Both of us were in silence for a while and then Goober Pyle, who worked at Wally's Auto Repair, came into the office.
"Hi, Andy, Barney. Your patrol car is ready to be picked up," Goober said.
"Thanks, Goob. I'll send Barney to pick it up," I said.
That's when Goober saw a few pictures I was going through.
"What are you looking at, Andy?" Goober asked.
I gave Goober a look that told him it was none of his business.
"Andy says it's none of your business, Goober," Barney said.
"Thank you, Barney," I said.
"I was just curious what you guys were doing. You guys never get much work around this jail, do you?"
Goober saw Otis in the jail cell.
"Hi, Otis," Goober said.
"Hi, Goober," Otis said.
Goober got close to the jail's cell and whispered, "What are Andy and Barney up to? You can tell me."
"They're working on a twelve – year – old cold case murder that is from the Midwest," Otis whispered in Goober's ear.
"Wow. That's an old case. Keep me posted," Goober whispered back.
"I will," Otis said.
"I'll see you at the station, Barney," Goober said and left the office.
"What were those two talking about?" Barney asked me.
"Who knows?" I said, shrugging my shoulders.
Goober was at the filling station, filling up gas when Aunt Bee was in the line of cars. She was next in line.
"Hello, Aunt Bee," Goober said.
"Do you know Andy and Barney are working on a twelve – year – old murder case?"
"Yes, I do," Aunt Bee said.
She added, "How did you find out? Did Andy and Barney tell you?"
"No, they didn't tell me. Otis Campbell told me," Goober said.
"I see. Andy usually likes to keep his business quiet," Aunt Bee said.
"I know he does. Where did this case come from?" Goober asked.
"He's helping an old friend who happens to be a sheriff from Milwaukee. He asked Andy to help him with the case," Aunt Bee said.
"This sounds interesting," Goober said.
"I don't want Andy to get hurt," Aunt Bee said.
"He won't, Aunt Bee. You know Andy's a good sheriff," Goober reminded Aunt Bee.
"I know he is, Goober," Aunt Bee said and paid Goober for the gas and drove off.
Goober saw Howard, Sprague, the town clerk, drive in next.
"Hi, Howard," Goober said.
"Hi, Goober. Fill 'er up," Howard said.
"Did you hear the news?" Goober asked, filling the gas tank.
"What news?" Howard asked.
"Andy and Barney are working on a twelve – year – old cold case that is from the Midwest. It came from Milwaukee," Goober told Howard.
"No kidding. I've never heard of Mayberry having a murder before," Howard said.
"Me neither. This should be interesting," Goober said.
" How old did you say the case was again?" Howard asked.
"Twelve," Goober repeated.
"Wow. How did you find out? Did Andy and Barney tell you?" Howard asked.
"They didn't tell me, Howard. Otis Campbell, told me," Goober said.
"I told him to keep me posted on what's going on," Goober told Howard.
"Twelve years, huh? I wonder what kind of case that made Andy say yes to," Howard said.
"I don't know. I'm sure Otis will tell you," Goober said, "since he's there a lot."
"You've got a point, Goober. He can give us the details," Howard said.
"You're right, Howard. The tank's all filled up, so you're ready to go," Goober said.
"Thanks, Goob. Thanks for telling me the latest happenings in the sheriff's office," Howard said and drove back to the clerk's office where he worked.
The rest of the day had passed with the gossip on me and Barney working on the twelve – year – old murder cold case of the deputy sheriff. Opie had gotten out of school at three o'clock that afternoon and went to the sheriff's office.
"Hi, Pa," Opie said to me.
Barney had left so he could do school crossings for the kids.
"Hi, Op," I said to my son.
I was going through the pictures of the wanted suspects that Jeremy had thought they were suspects to the cold case.
"What are you doing, Pa?" Opie asked.
"Working on the case Sheriff Cline wanted me to help with, Op. Aren't you supposed to be home with Aunt Bee?" I asked.
"I just got out of school," Opie said.
I looked at my watch and could tell Opie was right.
"You're right, Op," I said.
"There is word around town about you and Barney working on the case, Pa. I know it's true," Opie said.
"Who spread the word, Opie?" I asked, not very happy.
"I don't know, Pa," Opie said, his backpack on his shoulder.
"I'll bet I know who did it. I bet Goober probably spread the word out," I said.
"Why would it be Goober, Pa? How did he know about you working on this case?" Opie asked.
"I'll tell you at home. I'll see you at supper," I said.
"All right, Pa. See you," Opie said and left the office.
A few minutes later Barney walked in the office.
"I'm back," Barney said.
"So I see," I said.
"I just saw Opie," Barney said.
"So you did. He just got out of school," I said.
"So I noticed. I saw him carrying his backpack on his shoulder," Barney said. "Ange, there is word about us working on the cold case."
"I just heard about it from Opie. I think I know who spread the word around," I said.
"Who?" Barney asked, not having the slightest idea and shrugged his shoulders.
"Goober," I said.
"Goober? You must be crazy, Andy. What made you think Goober spread the word about the murder on that deputy sheriff? Goober doesn't know the case is about a deputy sheriff," Barney pointed out.
"Of course he doesn't, Barney. He will find out sooner or later," I said.
I ate with Aunt Bee and Opie that night. I had the fat envelope with the pictures of the suspects and the reports of the past twelve years with me. I thought I'd read more to see what I could pick up.
"Did your case come in today, Andy?" Aunt Bee asked that night as supper was placed on the kitchen table.
"Yes, Aunt Bee," I said.
"Pa was going through some pictures when I came in," Opie said.
Aunt Bee didn't reply.
"Barney and I both heard gossip about the case I just got started on, Aunt Bee," I said.
"I saw Goober this afternoon when I went to get the car filled up," Aunt Bee said.
"I had a feeling he would spread the word out," I said, "so it's no surprise to me."
"Why would Goober do such a thing?" Aunt Bee asked.
"That's how Mayberry is, Aunt Bee. Full of gossip," I said. I knew the town was like that.
When the Taylor family finished eating supper that night, I watched Opie go to his bedroom to start his homework. I pulled out the fat envelope to read more of the reports Jeremy had sent me. I read through the night. Before I knew it Aunt Bee going upstairs stairs to bed.
"Good night, Andy," she said as we kissed good night.
"Good night, Aunt Bee. See you in the morning," I said and turned the lights off downstairs and followed my aunt upstairs.