The Pool
Diarmuid O'Hara
eBook
(Diarmuid H. O'Hara, Dec. 27, 2015)
The pool was full of dead things: old, dead logs--and a woman's body. The folks from the town are certain that they know who killed her and why. But Bob and Howard aren't convinced. This is their chance to become real teenage detectives. Yet, it is not easy. Like a wild river tumbling through the western foothills of the Adirondacks, their search turns down one channel, then another and another. But only one has a dead end. The boys' stubborn work opens one clue after another, but will the police chief listen to them? Will Mr. B be a help or a hindrance? What about the Logan cousins? And where will that final clue be found?_________________________It was dark as he began to open the door of his car in the parking lot at the mill. Suddenly a dark figure almost popped up on the other side of the vehicle.âClose the door! No light; donât want no-one to see you and me.âStartled and a bit alarmed, Lloyd looked at the man who spoke, trying to make out who it was.âWhat?ââI said shut it!â The strangerâs voice rose then suddenly fell as he realized that someone might hear him.Lloyd closed the door. By now his eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and he recognized Reuben Logan, a large, husky man who was known to be a loner.âLogan! Why the heck are you hiding beside my car?â Lloyd sounded both curious and annoyed.âI got you over a snake hole, Wells, anâ if I wanted I could push ya in!â The man muffled a hoarse laugh.Lloyd squinted with a scowl on his face as he tried to make some sense out of what the other was saying.âWells, ya better listen to me, anâ ya better listen good.â Reuben had become very serious and earnest and appeared a bit threatening. Lloyd stepped back from the car, getting a little farther away from the big man.Reuben talked quietly but forcefully. âSeen ya over at Whetstone Gulf. There ya was, standinâ on that high ridge of the gulf, talkinâ to no-one âcept yourself.ââWhen was that? I havenât been at that gorge for years!ââWell then youz got a twin brother, âcause I seen ya all right. And Lou was with me. Yesterday.ââWhere were you?â An anxious tone of voice began to betray Lloydâs truth.âWe had been hitchhikinâ on the lower road, and when the car driver let us off we took a shortcut up the cliff anâ over toward my road. We do that all the time. But we donât go near the edge, thatâs dumb. We was goinâ on our own trail, and then we seen ya standinâ by a rock. Couldâve pushed ya off the edge if we wanted!â A rough laugh came out of the dark pit of Reubenâs voice.âSo what?â Lloydâs voice suddenly became stubborn. âSo you saw me on the ridge talking out loud. Just âcause a person says something doesnât mean they plan to do it. I could have said, âIâd like to jump off the cliff and fly!â But do you think Iâd be dumb enough to do that?âReuben rubbed the top of his head and looked at the ground as though Lloydâs question raised a thought that never had entered his mind. Then, grinning as he shook his head, he looked up at Lloyd.âI didnât say ya was planninâ nothinâ.ââWell, I wasnât! I didnât mean that I was!âReuben leaned forward as though he wanted to talk privately with Lloyd.âOh, ya were. Ya talked about killinâ some woman. Anâ ya talked about doinâ it some way that the cops would never think of you beinâ the one. Anâ ya said that your wife better not know. Anâ then ya stopped and stared across the gorge, anâ then ya said, âWhat if she does?â We watched ya for fifteen or twenty minutes goinâ over and over this whole thing. Anâ Lou and I looked at each other and grinned when ya said, âIt will be a perfect murder; no-one will ever know!â Anâ all the time the two of us knew!â Again Reuben laughed.__________________________Diarmuid O'Hara is a retired English teacher and a pastor. He and his wife live in Knoxville, Tennessee. They have one daughter and two sons.