Well, with my phone call to Annelie completed I felt much better knowing that everyone was tucked in for the night. Now we can do things a little more unhindered. Hope and the other ‘crazy’ girls were in our bedroom talking for a while. “I sure wish I had such long beautiful hair like you Sky,” she said smiling. She was referring to Jennifer who she knows only as my wife Sky.

“Well, why don’t you grow your hair long?” asked Sky. “Because dad just might come back,” she said nervously, “and he always threatened to shave me bald if I dared grow my hair any longer than it is. Dad always wanted his firstborn child to be a boy, but I turned out to be a girl, which made him furious. He blamed mom and beat her for it.

So he turned me into a boy and kept my hair cut real short like this.” “I always wondered why you kept your hair short,” I said. “Yeah, it was not fun, everyone teased me at school,” she continued, “that is why I put on this crazy act, to try and hide how much it hurt. Dad tried turning me into a boy, doing everything he wanted a son to do.

I even had to work outside without a shirt on, until I got old enough and could not do that anymore. That made dad furious too, and he punched me, hard, right here.” Talk about furious, when the other girls heard that they were red with anger. Hope’s dad left home not long after Patty and Pinky’s fathers had disappeared, which I found interesting as well.

Is all of this connected somehow? Hope told us more of what things were like at home as she grew up, things I never knew and never realized were happening. She certainly has not had it easy. I told her that maybe she should consider moving away from this area and start over somewhere else. “Yeah, I have been kind of thinking about it,” she said, “but where do I go?

I would be all alone wherever I went. Patty was my only real friend, Pinky just joined us because there was no one else her age around here. We did not really have anything in common, except for enjoying the outdoors. It was actually her idea to buy this place.” “Now that is interesting,” I said, “was that before or after she joined the Creepers?”

“That was after she joined them,” said Hope, “you know, my name sure does fit me, Hope Less.” “No way girl,” said Candace, “you are definitely not hopeless, you just need some friends.” She then smiled and hugged Hope, as did all the girls.

Meanwhile, at 11am at the restaurant in town, in came Buck, Bear, Vulture and Grizzly. Bear and Buck came and sat at the table with Uncle Matt and Rascal. “What is that?” asked Buck. “This is Rascal,” said Uncle Matt, “my friendly wildcat called an Ocelot. But he can turn into quite a killer if I give the word, or if someone tries to hurt me.”

The waitress came over with coffee for Bear and Buck. “You are new here,” said Buck. She just smiled and walked away. “The regular waitress is off sick temporarily,” said Uncle Matt, “so my friend is filling in for her, oh, and the owner is also off sick today. Plus, if you are thinking those 2 fake cops might come and help, forget it, they have not been sleeping well lately, too much stress.

So they are enjoying some much needed rest, in one of their own jail cells, they should wake up later today. Now, about your 4 Creeps, do you want them back or not?” Bear and Buck were both a bit nervous now, especially Buck who had been looking around the room and noticing some of the Black Knights sitting at different tables.

“Yeah, we want them,” said Bear, “so, what is the deal?” “I want to know who killed Patty and her family,” said Uncle Matt, “and who killed Pinky and her family as well.” That produced a real shock on the faces of Bear and Buck. “What are you talking about?” asked Bear, “Flo went to stay with her parents in Toronto and I have no idea what happened to Alice and her kids, they just disappeared.”

“You know, one thing I hate is when people lie to my face, thinking I am a fool,” said Uncle Matt, “Flo’s father died years ago and her mother lives in Nova Scotia. So, we decided to look around a bit and found their bodies in the woods not far from their house.” Bear and Buck started going pale at this news.

“Next we decided to look for Pinky and her family,” he continued, “and we found their bodies in the woods out behind their house. Is that where you told your friends the cops to toss them? Or did your own Creeps do that?”

Buck had his mouth open now and did not know what to say, he just knew they were in big trouble. Bear was silent for a moment too, but just then a tall man entered the restaurant and came over to Bear…

To Be Continued.

©2024 Steve McLeod.