Harry got up, refilled his coffee mug, collected the page from the printer, and returned to his seat. He glanced at it and then looked up. “Earth Mother?” he questioned.
Bertie nodded. “She seems to have been thought of sort of like the mother of the entire community.”
“She had cats… are you sure she wasn’t some kind of witch?”
“There’s nothing to indicate that. I think they were just regular household pets. Should we mention this to Mr. Stack?”
He rubbed his chin. “Not right away. We’ll concentrate on what he’s found first.” Looking at his watch, he realized it was almost lunchtime. “I’ll meet you at Benny’s after lunch.”
“Okay. See you then.” She pulled on her jacket and left.
***************
Benny Stack was letting the dog out when Harry’s truck pulled into the driveway. He shut the porch door and sat on the step as he waited for Harry to join him. “Mr. Hogan. I guess you’ve been talking to Detective Parkins.”
“I have,” Harry said. “How are things going?”
“Pretty good,” Benny said. “We still keep a few chickens, and a small vegetable garden. This tourist thing has been a nice change.”
“And you’re retired from full-time farming?”
Benny nodded. “It was getting hard for me to keep up with it, and we were ready. The last few cattle will go this fall and that will be it.”
“That must be a big change for you,” Harry said.
“It was, but I’m getting used to it,” Benny replied. “And Mildred is thoroughly enjoying herself.”
“I’m glad it all worked out.” Harry looked up as Bertie joined them.
“So am I,” she said. “Hello Mr. Stack. I hear things are going well for you.”
“Very well,” Benny agreed. “But I really didn’t need more bones turning up.”
“Show us where they are,” Harry said. “What were you doing when you found them?”
“Follow me.” Benny set off down the well-worn path. “I was turning soil for a strawberry bed… almost missed them… but saw them just in time.”
“Did you get many visitors last year?” Bertie asked, as they walked along.
“Yeah, we did,” Benny answered. “Pretty much a steady flow, except for when it rained.” He laughed.
“Mildred was glad we had some rainy days, said it gave her time to catch up on the baking. Now she’s got a second oven installed and hopes to hire a student this summer. She’s talking to the Heritage Committee about funding.”
“I’m not surprised,” Harry said. “Her baked goods and the homemade jam are wonderful.”
Benny shook his head. “Don’t mention jam. We were out berry-picking every good day last fall. She has cases of jam bottled and stacked in preparation for this season.”
“It sounds like you keep busy, all right,” Harry said.
“Not too busy, I hope,” Bertie said. “You’re supposed to be retired.”
“True,” Benny said, “but, since it’s seasonal, we have plenty of time to relax. We often walk around the place, and always keep our eyes open for new discoveries.”
“Anything other than bones?” Harry asked.
