As Harry backed the truck out of the driveway, Henry said quietly, “Miss Bertie, I miss you at the library.”
“Why, thank you Henry. Sometimes I miss being there myself,” she replied.
“Why did you leave?”
Bertie laughed. “I just felt like it was the right time to retire and let a younger person take over. It happens to most people as they get older, Henry. I’m sure Mr. Hogan knows what I mean.”
“She’s right, Henry. That’s why I retired from the police force.”
Henry was quiet for a minute. “But you’re still a detective, so it’s kind of like you just changed where you work.”
Harry and Bertie laughed.
“I guess that’s partly true,” Harry said, “but now I work on my own and I can take a day off to go fishing anytime I want. Many people retire when they reach a certain age, Henry, so they can have the freedom to do the things they enjoy.”
Henry thought about that for a minute, and then looked up at Bertie. “What do you do, Miss Bertie?”
“Well, I sometimes help Mr. Hogan with research.”
“The way you used to help kids with research at the library?”
“The same way,” Bertie replied. “But there are other things, things I never seemed to have time for when I was working.”
“Is it like that for all adults?”
“For most, I suppose. I always wanted to have a small vegetable garden and I’m working on that too.”
“I could help with that,” Henry said. “I grew some peas last year and this year Mom said she might get me a couple of tomato plants. I could come and help you weed.”
Bertie smiled at him. “I’ll keep that in mind, Henry.”
“Okay, here we are.” Harry parked the truck near the trail entrance. “Lead the way, young man.”
Henry scrambled out of the truck and started running.
“Don’t run! There’s no big rush. It’s not going to run away,” Harry said.
Henry stopped and waited for the two adults. “Sorry. I forgot older people don’t like to run the way kids do.” He grinned.
“I just like to walk,” Harry said and mumbled under his breath: “Cheeky kid.” Beside him, he could see Bertie was trying not to smile… but losing the battle.
“It’s not very far.” Henry set off again, at a slower pace, and they followed along behind him.
After about ten minutes, the boy began walking along the right side of the path, looking down. Several minutes later he stopped and bent down. He picked up something in one hand and then stood up again. “It’s gone.”
“Are you sure this is the right spot?” Bertie asked
“I’m sure.”
“It’s not easy to remember an exact spot on the side of a trail,” Harry said. “Are you absolutely sure it was a skull? Could it have been a rock that looked like a skull?”
“Well, there’s nothing here. Perhaps if we went a little further,” Bertie suggested.
“But it was here, Miss Bertie. I saw it and it wasn’t a rock. There were two eyeholes in it and a hole where the nose should be.”
“I believe you, Henry,” she said.
“Are you sure it wasn’t plastic, like a Halloween decoration?”
Henry shook his head. “No sir. I would know if it was because I have a whole collection of them at home. Anyway, the plastic ones look fake. This one looked real and it was pretty dirty.”
“And you are absolutely sure this is the exact spot?”
“Yes sir.” Henry lifted a rock and then held out his hand, showing them a red marble. “I put this here to mark the spot.”
Harry rubbed his chin. He believed the kid had seen something but was it really a skull? “Well, there’s nothing here now. Perhaps some animal found it and carried it off.”
“Why?”
“Who knows why animals do things?” Bertie said. “Come on, we’d best get you back before your Mom gets off work and starts to worry about you.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” They could hear the disappointment in his voice.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
