CHAPTER EIGHTY-EIGHT
Over at Zeeks Barber Shop, Nigel and Sonny were involved in a sudden death match of championship checkers. They were both tied at six games each. This would decide once and for all who the ‘King of Checkers’ was at the barber shop.
Gerald and Herbert had already been eliminated from their four-man tournament; yet they were enthusiastically watching the final match, when Doc Otis wondered in and pulled up a chair.
“You boys hear about Alan Wallace?” Doc asked.
“What? He finally going to make an honest woman outta Beatrice?” Gerald grinned.
“No sir, regrettably, he killed himself last night. Poor Beatrice was unfortunately the one who found him. I had to sedate her, then had her taken over to Barron Memorial in Millersburg, the poor thing.” Doc said sadly.
“How’d he do it?” Herbert asks somewhat shocked.
“Hung himself in his tool shed…he was naked as a jay-bird.”
“Naked, why naked?” Nigel enquired.
“People do strange things when they take their own life.” Doc answers.
“Did Alan leave a note sayin’ why he did, what he did?” Sonny now joins in.
“There was a note found inside the house, I didn’t get to see it, but I heard Officer Hendrix telling another officer that it said, Alan got a prostitute in another unnamed town pregnant and out of shame he killed himself. Now, don’t go tellin’ nobody, the police want to keep that under wraps.” Doc said.
Nigel responds, “Oh no, we won’t say a word, right boys?” The others all nod and agree to remain silent; at least until Doc departs, then they’re all going to tell their wives, friends and anyone else who happens by, as is the way of small town life.