CHAPTER SIXTY
As Hazel spun the dial on the rotary telephone, she nervously watched out the window; several times from early morning to mid-afternoon she had seen the black-and-whites racing past her home in their search for Beau Camp.
Several rings later Ruth answered, “Hello.”
“I just can’t believe Chief Hudson is dead.”
Ruth recognized her voice, “Yes, I know what you mean. Such a good man, and to die like that; fried like an egg. My goodness, what’s the world comin’ too.”
“Have you seen all the police cars racing about?” Hazel now inquired.
“Well dear, if you look closely, you’ll see it’s the same car. There’s only one, but it sure is racing all over the place, I’ll give you that.” Ruth explained.
“How do you know it’s the same one?” Hazel asked, for she surely wanted to know there were lots of police out, not just one.
“Next time you see it drive past, look at the back and you’ll see one big number on the trunk; number 9. That police car has been down my street at least three times in the last five hours.” Ruth explained.
“Oh my gosh, here comes a police car…” She leaned close to her window to get a better look, “For heaven’s sake, you’re right, it has a big 9 on it.” Hazel’s voice betrayed her feelings and Ruth picked up on it with her womanly intuition; now she sensed her fear.
“Now Honey, don’t be alarmed, the police will have Beau Camp in custody before you know it. Besides, he never had a harsh word to say about you or Herbert, and that’s the god’s honest truth.” She said with a forceful tone, which she hoped would help ease Hazel’s distress over the whole situation.
“I sure do hope you’re right,” Hazel answered in a pleasant, yet frightful voice.
Ruth felt it was time to redirect her thoughts to something more humorous, “You hear about Mable’s cat, Mandrake, being kidnapped and dissected by the little gray Martians?”
“I have to go.” Hazel hung up quickly. She hadn’t told anyone except Father Lonigan about running over Mandrake, not even Herbert. She couldn’t take the chance if she told anyone, that it wouldn’t get back to Mad-Dog-Mable.
“Hello? Hazel…you still on the line dear?” Ruth looked at her phone then hung up. She guessed her friend was still too upset over the Chief Hudson and Beau Camp mess. Later, she would take her and Herbert some of her home-made chili and visit with them a spell she thought.
Ruth dialed Mary’s number, “Hello?”
“I was just talking to poor Hazel; she is very upset over Chief Hudson’s death.”
“The poor thing, she always wore her heart on her sleeve. Every little thing causes her heartache.”
“You really think Beau could murder someone?” Ruth asked.
“You know as well as I, that he’s loony-toons. People like that are capable of doing most anything if they have a mind to.” Mary stated it as if it were a fact and written in a book somewhere.
“So, you hear about Mad-Dog-Mable’s cat got skinned alive by the naked leprechaun’s?” Ruth said changing the subject for what she felt was more important gossip.
“Leprechaun’s? I heard it was the gray Martian’s who were conducting unholy sexual experiments on Mandrake,” Mary said a tad confused, “Who said it was naked leprechauns?”
“Why, I spoke to Ellen, and she said she got it straight from Cindy. Said her husband Gerald heard Nigel say so down at the barber shop. Said Mable was beside herself with grief over the blood thirsty leprechaun’s who had skinned Mandrake while he was still alive. Who said it was the Martian’s?” Ruth asked puzzled.
“Why, Beatrice said she ran into Sonny Darnell not a block from Zeeks Barber shop, and he told her it was little gray Martian’s, and that he heard it straight from Nigel’s own lips. He swore hand-to-god she said.” Mary countered.
“Those silly men are nothin’ but a bunch of fools. They wouldn’t know the truth if it jumped up and bit’em on their derriere.” Both ladies laughed.
One man’s truth is another man’s lie; yet, one woman’s gossip will always be another woman’s truth. So be it.