SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITIES

"Butter on the skillet

Whisky in a glass

To start a flame you've got to light a match"

It must have been close to midnight when John stepped out onto the porch, startling the group. He tipped his hat to Erin, "Y'all been out here a chit-chattin'? It's gettin' pretty late. Ya won't get much sleep if ya don't settle in soon."

Something about his manner didn't seem right to Nancy. It seemed like he was trying to push them all to leave. But why? She turned to him, but just as she opened her mouth to speak, Erin beat her to it.

"Oh, John," Erin chided, "You've stayed up many nights, helpless overpowered by the beauty of the stars. I know you have. These girls just needed some time. You should understand that."

"Yes, Ma'am, I do," his smile faded, but only for a moment. "Well, if you'll excuse me," he tipped his hat once more as he stepped past Nancy and off the porch, "I have some business to attend to."

"So late?" mumbled Nancy to herself. Fortunately, he'd already left for the stables. She turned around to face Erin, "How long have you known him? How long has he been working for you? How much do you trust him?"

Erin, taken aback by the questions, stuttered, "Well, I've known him since we were both children. We were neighbors most of our lives. His family lived in the farm just over that hill."

"What do you mean 'lived'?" asked George, turning to face her friends, "Why don't they still live there? Why doesn't John live there?"

Erin sighed, "When he turned twelve, the house burned to the ground. He was the only one to survive. He lost his three younger sisters and both of his parents in that fire."

"Poor soul," Bess joined the conversation, "Does he have any family left?"

"No, he had no brothers and all of his grandparents are dead. Both of his parents were only children."

"That's terrible," George looked toward the stables, "Did your parents take him in? Is that why he lives here?"

Erin nodded, "My mother took care of him until she died, and my father raised him to be who he is now. He doesn't really work for me, to be honest. Yes, he helps around the ranch, but so does everyone. We share this farm and everything it produces…good or bad. I legally own the farm, but in reality…it's home for both of us."

Nancy nodded, "Would you trust him with your life?"

"What do you mean?" asked Erin.

Nancy looked Erin straight in the eyes, "If your life was on the line, would you trust him to get you out of the mess you were in? Would you freely put your life in his hands?"

"Well, yes," Erin answered, "I suppose that if it came down to it, I would."

Nancy nodded, "Would he have any reason to want you off of this farm? Would he have any reason to-"

"Nancy, are you suggesting that John is behind the strange things that have been happening around here?" Bess looked incredulously down at the girl who sat at her feet, "I can't believe you, Nancy. No one can escape your detective clutches! Everyone's a suspect!"

"Yes, Bess," Nancy retaliated in a puzzled tone, "Everyone always is." She didn't understand why Bess was so upset.

"Erin just explained to us that he was an orphan by the age of twelve, her family took him in, and that he shares the farm with her," Bess summarized, "So, what motive could he possibly have for wanting the ranch. He already has it!"

Nancy shook her head, "I never said that he wanted the ranch, Bess. There are an infinite amount of possibilities for a motive."

"She's right, Bess," George touched her cousin's arm, "What's eating you?"

"May I say that I hardly find it possible that John could be working against this farm," Erin interjected, "He loves it as much as I do."

"See," Bess jerked away from George, "Erin doesn't think it's John."

"I almost nearly told him why y'all were coming," Erin continued.

"But you didn't," Nancy said, "Why?"

Erin was startled, "I…I'm not sure."

Nancy stood and looked at Bess, "Don't you find it the least bit suspicious that he's out here, going to the stables, at midnight?"

Bess glared at Nancy, "Whatever happened to 'innocent until proven guilty'?" She stormed off the porch, through the yard, and out into the darkness.

"Now where's she going at this time of night?" mumbled George.

Nancy shrugged, "She won't go far. If we clear the porch, she come back in when she deems it safe."

"I hope she's alright. She did seem awful upset," Erin stood.

"She'll be fine," Nancy looked out into the night once more before turning to her friends, "and Erin, I hope you don't think ill of me for pinning so much on John. I was only trying to get my point across to Bess. She knows very well that everyone starts out as a suspect until we can clear them. It's not that I do think John is your mysterious trickster, but you have to understand that anything is possible in my line of work."

Erin nodded, "I understand. And I know that you aren't going to try to frame him. You're just trying to find the truth and that's all I want. He's had a lot of pain in his past. If somehow anger and resentment has built up inside of him…I would only feel hurt that he doesn't trust me the way I do him. Well, I'm going to turn in. I'll see y'all tomorrow."

"George," Nancy called softly into the darkness that surrounded them, "George, are you still awake?" Nancy heard George turn over in the bed above her.

"Yeah?"

"What time is it?"

"Almost three," George answered after a pause, "She's still not back, Nancy."

"I know," Nancy whispered. She felt guilty for Bess's absence.

"You think she's alright?"

"I don't know, George," she sighed, sitting up, "but I'm going to go find her. I can't wait any longer. She might be lost, or…or anything."

George threw her covers off, "I'm coming with you."

"No," Nancy shook her head, "You should stay here."

"Nancy, she's my best friend too!" George frowned, "And she's my cousin. You can't be the hero every time. I'm coming with you. We can cover twice as much ground that way."

Nancy sighed and turned to the girl, "And what if she comes back while we're both out? We could be searching all night for no reason. Someone has to stay here. She's mad at me, not you. I need to go after her."

"But how will we stay in touch? I didn't bring the walkies with us."

Nancy held up her phone and then dressed herself, "Send me a text or call me if she comes in. If I find her I'll call you."

"Alright," George sighed, "You'll have a better chance of finding her anyway, miss detective."

"Thanks, George, and don't worry about her. I'm sure she's fine. She's probably out on the porch or something."

"Be careful, Nancy."

"I will," Nancy shut the door behind her and headed outside. She took a deep breath and checked her watch for the time. Stepping off the porch, she turned on her flashlight.

"Bess?" she called softly into the night, "Bess, where are you?" She searched all over the farm, but couldn't find her. She searched for half an hour, but to no avail. Nancy was starting to get worried now. Bess was nowhere to be found. She decided to go to the stables again.

"Hello," she called out, "Is anyone here?" The only answer she received came from the shuffling of the horses. Nancy counted the horses that were in their stalls and noted that one was missing. "John," she muttered. She left the stables, pondering her possibilities. Suddenly, an idea struck her. She quickly walked away from all of the buildings, allowing the darkness to envelop her. She headed to the top of the hill that Erin had pointed out to her earlier that night. She headed toward what used to be John's farm.

Just as she reached the top of the hill, Nancy noticed a light at the bottom of the hill from where she'd just come. She turned around just in time to see a glowing man riding a horse straight at her. The horse didn't glow, but both the man's skin and clothes were covered in a pale yellowish green light. She tried to jump out of the way, but the man grabbed her and pulled her up onto the horse with him. Nancy couldn't cry out because of the way he held her across the horse. She was struggling to breathe as it was. She held onto the horse for all that she was worth and closed her eyes tight. She knew that staring at the ground as the horse ran would only make her dizzy, aiding to the panic that rose inside her.

They rode for longer than Nancy could stand. It was still dark when they stopped, but Nancy could tell that it wouldn't be dark for much longer. The glowing rider pushed her off the horse roughly and then galloped away, depriving her of the chance to see his face. She landed in a pile of leaves behind a ramshackle building that she'd never seen before. As a result from being thrown from the horse at such an odd angle, she landed in a painful heap and hit her head on a buried rock, sending her into the depths of unconsciousness.