The Gardens of Digby Green: Preparations

Car and truck doors slammed, and Digby paused beside his truck. He followed three people into the hotel. Check-in time stretched the twelve hours between 3:00 p.m. and 3:00 the following morning. He wasn’t on any schedule, and could hang around as late as 11:00. Showing up too early at FloRa Woodbine’s place was likely to put her on her guard, and that’d only make things harder.

He padded up the stairs in his stocking feet, reached his room without running into anyone, and flopped down on top of the double bed to watch the fifth inning of the ball game by the TV screen’s bluish light. The seventh inning stretch arrived. Digby took the opportunity to rummage in his sports bag for a spool of cord that most other people would use in their weed-whackers.

Using his pocket knife, he cut three yard-and-a-half-long pieces, knotted one set of ends together, and laid that aside. From an end pocket on the bag, he pulled two flat wooden stakes about five inches long. These had holes bored through the middle. A quick pull, and the wood slid down the cords to the knot.

While the opposing team manager signaled for a relief pitcher, Digby braided his cords together. Two pop flies and a strike later, he’d attached the second handle to his garrote. The weapon got folded into his jacket pocket.

#

Ray unwrapped the less-than-palm-sized bar of soap, and dropped the paper into the bathroom waste basket. At least the skimpy bar didn’t smell weird. The enamel tub had chips ringed by rust, and he regretted the lack of preparations that meant he’d be wearing the clothing he’d shucked in the corner again in the morning. But who would keep a change of garments in a car in case of impromptu road trips?

He turned the lever toward Hot and waited. Water hissed down through the shower head. Scrubbing did feel good, but Ray doubted he’d sleep much afterward. To get the answer he had to have, he couldn’t lose Green.

The Gardens of Digby Green: Preparations is an installment of a short story which posts on Fridays. You can find the first part and read from the beginning, here.

Find a link to purchase the Heartland Treasures anthology here.

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