Jurgen Neubert was not a happy man. His promotion to patrolman first class at the end of last year had just added to his responsibilities. Now the grass was turning green and the flowers were starting to bloom and here he was, stuck in the office doing paper work. Not even his new trousers could cheer him up. The trousers were a replacement for the up-time uniform trousers that had finally worn out. Jurgen had been able to have the tailor sew them with a looser cut, more like what he was used to wearing.
The cause of his unhappiness was two-fold. First, and most importantly, being an investigator was not what he had expected. Every case, no matter how minor, seemed to land in his and his partner's lap. He looked down at the case file in front of him, and realized it was typical of the cases he and Marvin had been dealing with. It was a petty theft case. If the officer who responded to the first call couldn't solve the case on the spot, he and Marvin got a report. In Jurgen's opinion, Mr. Hudson's chicken was now resting comfortably in the stomach of a fox, but the man wanted a police report.
The second problem Jurgen had was caused by Chief Frost. Not that the chief had done anything to Jurgen, but because the chief had announced his retirement. Small town police departments are a lot like a family, so Jurgen was not looking forward to getting used to a new father. And then there was the problem of who was going to be the new chief. Rumors were flying; it seemed everyone had an opinion about who was going to step up to chief. Jurgen felt that his partner, Marvin Tipton, had the inside track. Marvin was the oldest of the up-time policemen and had been a policeman for over twenty years. And Marvin was a sergeant, the only sergeant who was not a watch commander, but still a sergeant. Jurgen realized that he was not qualified to be the senior investigator. So if Marvin moved up to chief, Jurgen would get a new senior partner and he wasn't sure he could work with someone else. It would be a difficult adjustment, and he doubted that he and a new partner would have the close relationship he had with Marvin. And now Marvin was in a meeting with the Chief and one of the watch sergeants, Preston Richards. This had to be it.
He looked at the stack of reports, then looked out the window at the leaves just budding on the trees. His mind started to wander. As he read the same sentence for the third time, Jurgen wondered if he could get a little time off to try out the up-time fishing rod he had purchased last week. His thoughts of trout jumping in the Saale were interrupted when he looked up and saw Mimi Rowland, the day dispatcher, looking out of the radio room into the hall where his desk sat.
"Jurgen, come here a minute, you should hear this. I have patrolmen Smith and Kramer on a missing child report."
Jurgen moved to join Mimi. Jonathan Smith, despite his name, was not an up-timer, but an Englishman. He and his partner, Wilhelm Kramer, had been mercenaries in Tilly's army before joining the police. Both had been on the night shift and had just transferred to days.
"What's the problem, Mimi?"
"Well, first off they're using a handi-talkie. Either there's a dead spot where they are or the batteries weren't fully charged, because I'm only getting one word in four."
Jurgen nodded. The handi-talkies were great in town, but without the booster in a cruiser radio they sometimes gave spotty communications.
Jurgen listened in as Mimi tried to talk to the patrolmen. "Base to Patrol Four, Base to Patrol Four, repeat your last traffic. I was unable to hear you."
" Squawk… Sputter… invest… reported… sputter. .. a kidnapping… hissss…"
"See what I mean, Jurgen? I think they want you and Marvin to investigate a kidnapping, but it isn't that clear."
"Do you have a location on them?"
"The original call came from the Cooper's, Mrs. Gladys Cooper. She wanted to report her granddaughter and grandson were missing. She was hysterical on the phone and didn't give any details, so I sent Smith and Kramer to check it out. Now the radio is on the fritz."
"Well, it seems like they can hear you, so tell Smith and Kramer we're on our way. I'll go get Marvin; he's in a conference with the chief."
Jurgen walked across the hall and tapped on the office door. From within, he heard the chief's voice, "Mimi, I told you no interruptions." Jurgen knocked again. "Come in."
When the chief saw it was Jurgen in the door he commented, "Oh, it's you, Neubert. I thought it was Mimi. What's so important that you need to interrupt our meeting?"
"Chief, we have a situation. Smith and Kramer are on a missing child report and we think they want to handle it as a kidnapping."
"A kidnapping!" Chief Frost turned to Marvin. "Tipton, you and Neubert get out there right now. I want to be kept informed. If you need more men for a search, I'll call in the night shift early. Now move it."
While Jurgen and Marvin ran to the cruiser and headed for the Coopers, Jurgen had to ask. "Well, did you take the job?"
Marvin never took his eyes off the road. "What job is that?"
" What job? What job has everyone been talking about? The new police chief when Chief Frost retires. That job."
Marvin chuckled. "Partner, the last time I checked the police chief was hired by the mayor and town council. It's not something passed on from one chief to the next."
"Marvin, I didn't just get into town yesterday. I know that the council is going to hire whoever Chief Frost recommends. Did he ask you?"
Marvin relented. He knew Jurgen was worried about a new partner. "No. I wasn't offered the job as chief. You need to keep it under your hat until the announcement, but Preston Richards is going to be the next chief."
"They should have offered you the job. You're the senior man in the department."
"Actually, I'm not. Oh, I've been a cop longer than Press, but I moved around a lot when I was younger. I worked a couple of years for Morgantown and a couple in Fairmont. I even did four years with the sheriff's department until the politics changed. So Press has been with the Grantville department about a year longer than I have. Besides, he has more education, two years of college and the F.B.I. course at Quantico. I did the F.B.I. course, but I never went to college."
"Oh… well, what was the meeting about then, if you're not going to be chief?"
Marvin chuckled again, "You're just full of questions. Chief Frost was just making sure Press and me were on the same page. He's heard all the rumors going around, just like you have. He didn't want to leave any problems behind, so he wanted to know if Chief Richards and me could work together. And, by the way, we both better start thinking of him as Chief Richards from now on."
"What would Chief Frost have done if you had any problems working for Chief Richards?"
Marvin thought for a moment, "Well, I guess I did get a job offer. Chief Frost is going to open a consulting business, helping set up modern police forces for towns in the USE. He offered to take me with him."
"Oh."
"I turned him down. I like it here just fine."
The sight that greeted them in the Cooper's driveway was enough to drive the thoughts of the new chief out of Jurgen's mind. There was Gladys Cooper, all ninety pounds of her, chasing two burly policemen with a broom. Old Tommy, her husband, was hanging on to her from behind. Even though he was twice her weight, he was unable to restrain her. Every time Smith or Kramer stopped moving, Gladys would lash out with the broom. If it wasn't so serious a situation, Jurgen would have burst out laughing. Old Tommy had a bad case of black lung, and he could hear the old man wheezing from across the yard. From the looks on their faces, Smith and Kramer were about to lose their tempers.
Luckily for all concerned, Marvin was able to keep his laughter under control. "Smith, Kramer, go over to the car," he yelled. "Mrs. Cooper, put down that broom. You look silly. And you're about to give Tommy a heart attack."
Gladys stopped trying to get at the two policemen, but didn't put down her broom. And it was obvious she was still angry. "Marvin, I want those two fired. They insulted my granddaughter and they won't do their job. The poor little girl is missing and all they can do is insult her."
"Why don't you tell me what's going on? I'll deal with Smith and Kramer later." Marvin turned back to the car. "Jurgen, talk to those two and find out what they know. With that he started talking to the Coopers, and Gladys soon lowered her broom.
Jurgen went to talk to the other officers. Smith had an obvious red mark on his head and there was straw from the broom stuck on the shoulders of Kramer's uniform. Gladys must have scored more than once with the broom. "Men, what happened?"
"Jurgen, I don't know what set her off. She was telling us her granddaughter didn't show up this morning. Then suddenly she was trying to hit us with the broom." Smith shook. "The woman is crazy."
" Ja," Kramer commented, "I just asked if the girl might have gone off with a boyfriend, then, whoomp, she started hitting me."
Jurgen thought for a moment then asked, "Which girl is missing? They have three granddaughters."
Kramer whipped out his notebook. "Crystal Cooper. She's sixteen. She and her brother Zachary, who is fourteen, were supposed to be here this morning"
Jurgen saw why Mrs. Cooper had lost her temper. "Guys, you just came off night shift so I know you have heard of Tiffany Cooper."
Smith smiled and Kramer nodded and said, "I guess Tiffany is one of the other granddaughters. She is little better than a whore."
Jurgen nodded. " Ja. Tiffany is Crystal's sister, so when you asked if she had a boyfriend, Mrs. Cooper thought you were saying Crystal was the same as her sister. And do not use the word whore. She is not, according to the morals of the Americans. She's just a little non-selective in her bed partners."
Kramer looked at his partner thoughtfully; then he turned back to Jurgen. "But I never suggested that to the crazy woman. I was polite. I didn't know who her other granddaughter was."
"I believe you. Just stay here by the car, we might need you later. I think Marvin will calm them down, but let us deal with the Coopers."
Gladys was in fine voice when he walked up. "Crystal and Zachary always come to stay with me on Saturdays. They've been kidnapped. They wouldn't run off without telling me. Now, do something. I thought the police were supposed to help."
Jurgen was surprised at how Marvin stayed so calm. "Mrs. Cooper, we're trying to help, but we needed to get all the facts." Then Marvin turned and shouted, "Smith, put out a BOLO on the kids."
Soon Jurgen heard Mimi's voice over the speaker. "Base to all units. Base to all units. Be on the look out for two juveniles. One is Crystal Cooper, a sixteen-year-old female, five-four, 110 pounds, brown and green. The other is Zachary Cooper, a fourteen-year-old male, five-three, 120 pounds, brown and blue. Be aware that this is a potential kidnapping."
Marvin turned back to the Coopers, "Now we wait. I'll talk to Patrolmen Smith and Kramer. I'm sure they won't want to file assault charges against you."
Gladys was shocked speechless, but not her husband. Old Tommy reared up to his full height. "File charges against Gladys," he yelled. "Why, those krauts started it. Gladys was just defending Crystal's good name. I knew the world was going to hell when they put krauts on the police department. They don't understand Americans."
Something snapped in Jurgen. "Herr Cooper, Patrolman Smith is not German, he is English. And if you say the word kraut to me again, you better be referring to cabbage, or else I will file the assault charges."
Old Tommy stepped back, but Gladys said in a lower voice, "Officer Neubert, he wasn't talking about you. We know you're a good German. Everyone knows you could have shot my boy G. C. when you arrested him. I just wish you could have put that witch he is married to in jail."
"Frau Cooper, when you or your husband uses the word kraut to refer to any German, you are talking about me." Jurgen realized the old woman didn't think she was insulting him, but sometimes it was hard not to lash out.
Just then Marvin tapped his arm. "Another country heard from." Jurgen looked around and saw that Marvin was pointing toward two people clearly heading for the Cooper house. "The Craigs. Peggy is the other grandmother and Marty is Connie's brother."
Marty was the custodian of the middle school and one of the nicest people Jurgen had ever met. He'd gotten to know him while attending night school just after coming to Grantville. Peggy, he knew, was the chief cook of the school system.
The Coopers had also spotted them. "There she is, the witch's mother. Coming to gloat about how she does a better job of watching the kids than I do," Gladys stormed.
"Yeah, and she has her half-wit son with her. If you ask me I think they kept the after birth and threw away the baby," Old Tommy added.
Marvin gave a sigh. "Folks, we're not here to listen to you put down your neighbors."
But Old Tommy missed the look in his eye. "Marvin, it's true. Their daddy, Buford, must have been throwing bad seed. Look at what he got… an idiot and a murderess."
"That's right. That witch butchered Tommy Jr. like a pig. And you police did nothing about it. She even tricked G. C. into trying to hide her killing. I'm glad he threw her out."
Jurgen could tell Marvin had reached his limit so wasn't surprised when he said, "Tommy, Gladys, get on the porch and stay there. I'll talk to the Craigs." Then, tapping Jurgen shoulder, he added, "Keep them on the porch. The last thing we need is a neighborhood fight."
"Hey, Ape. Listen to this." Ape Hart looked up from the account book he was working on. His brother Monkey was standing at the end of the Club 250 bar listening to the police scanner. "What's up?"
"Listen. It sounds like someone has taken Connie Cooper's two youngest kids. The cops are having some radio trouble, but it sure sounds like a kidnapping. Marvin and Neubert just radioed they were at the Cooper's. Then some kraut was on, telling Mimi it was a kidnapping."
The scanner then confirmed Monkey's words. "Base to all units. Base to all units. Be on the look out for two juveniles. One is Crystal Cooper, a sixteen-year-old female, five-four, 110 pounds, brown and green. The other is Zachary Cooper, a fourteen-year-old male, five-three, 120 pounds, brown and blue. Be aware this is a possible kidnapping."
Everyone in the bar started talking at once.
Ape drained his beer. "Monkey, get on the phone and call all the boys who ain't here. Tell them to meet at the Cooper's." He climbed on a chair and yelled, "Shut up, everyone. We need to get organized. Me and Monkey are going out to the Cooper's to help. Who's going with us?"
A general cry of agreement came from the crowd. Followed by a rush of men headed for the bar to stock up.
Ape waved Monkey over. "I bet some kraut is behind this, so be ready for anything. Come on people, let's get moving." Ape noted Ronnie Murray, Francis Murphy and Curtis Maggard had full cases of beer as they headed for Monkey's truck. Good, he thought. Someone was thinking ahead.
After hearing what the Craigs had to say, Marvin turned to walk back toward the Coopers. As he passed the cruiser, he waved Smith and Kramer over. They need to hear this.
Gladys and Tommy watched them approach with expectant looks on their faces. "Well? What did the witch's mother have to say?" Tommy asked.
Instead of answering him, Marvin turned to Gladys, "Mrs. Cooper, did your daughter-in-law tell you anything about the children's plans for today?"
Gladys puffed herself up. "I don't talk to Connie. If I did, she wouldn't like what I had to say. She leaves notes in the mail box, like I don't know how to take care of kids. I know what the kids need better than she does, so I have Tommy tear them up."
"You should have read the one she left this morning," Marvin said. "Then you'd have known about the school field trip that Zachary has today. And, you'd have known that Crystal was going along to help Miss Jenkins fix lunch for the kids."
"But… but…" Gladys sputtered.
Marvin almost hoped the Coopers missed the disgust in his voice, but he really didn't care that much. "If you'd read the note, you'd have known this. And you wouldn't have wasted our time. In case you haven't noticed in the last year and a half, we're not in West Virginia any more. Grantville is ten times as big as it was and we have real work to do."
Marvin watched a wave of comprehension sweep across theirs faces. "Oh," he continued, "we'll run down to where they are having the field trip just to be sure, but I think we've cleared this case."
Marvin gathered the other policemen with a wave of his hand and started back to the cruiser. "Smith, Kramer, this is your case, but Jurgen and I will run down to the creek where the field trip was going. We can get there quicker and let you two get back to work."
"That is fine with me." Patrolman Smith untied his horse from the mail box at the end of the Cooper driveway. "And thank you, Sergeant, for getting the old woman under control. I was… It was hard to keep my temper under control."
Marvin patted Smith's shoulder. "But you did. I've known the Coopers for years and they still get me riled up sometimes, so I know where you're coming from."
Marvin turned to Jurgen. "Well, partner, let's go check on the field trip." He tossed Jurgen the car keys. "You drive. I'm so fired up, I'd break half a dozen speed limits if I did." Marvin slid into the car and grabbed the microphone. "Investigator one to base, show us and Patrol Four clear and in service. The children are on a school field trip. Repeat, no missing children, no kidnapping. They're on a school field trip."
Mimi's voice sounded relieved, "Clear, Investigator one."
"Where to, Marvin?" Jurgen asked.
"According to the Craigs, the class is on a field trip right where Buffalo Creek leaves the Ring of Fire. We should see them from the road." Then, just to stir Jurgen up, he added, "It'll give you a chance to talk to your girlfriend."
Marvin thought he detected a note of wistfulness in Jurgen's voice when he said, "I don't have a girlfriend."
"It must have been some other tall, German policeman I saw walking with Dawn Jenkins the other day." Marvin answered. "You sure looked friendly to me."
"Fraulein Jenkins helps me find things in the library. I was just helping her carry her books and walking her home."
"If you say so. But the two of you were in an awful close conversation."
This time Marvin was sure he heard the wistfulness in Jurgen's answer. "Ah, Marvin. She knows so much and is interesting to talk to."
Yep, he's got it bad, Marvin thought. "Jurgen, there's nothing that says you can't ask her out on a date. After all, you're an interesting guy yourself, when you try to be."
Jurgen shook his head. "No, Marvin, I cannot ask her out. She is a school teacher, an educated woman, and I am a simple farmer-and soldier-who became a policeman. Besides, she has a boyfriend. She told me she is dating Toby Snell."
"Toby Snell? If he's who I think, he's a short fellow and he's in the army right now. Is that the guy?"
"Never met the man. I don't know how tall he is, but it might be the same one, since Dawn said he was in the army."
"Well, are they engaged? If they aren't, you could ask her out. She might surprise you and say yes," Marvin offered. "You've met my wife Elsie. She was dating someone else when I asked her out the first time."
Jurgen seemed sad when he answered. "They're not engaged. But they are 'going steady.' Dawn explained what that meant to me. Marvin, I can't try to take a soldier's girl while he is out of town in the army. It just wouldn't be right."
"You're a good man, Jurgen," Marvin said. Maybe a little too good .
"They must be close." Jurgen brought the car to a stop.
Once they were out of the car, Marvin and Jurgen could see two horses placidly chomping on the new grass. Beyond the horses, a woman was seated on the ground and surrounded by children. Other children playing on the grass nearby. They had found the class field trip.
As they walked down the slight embankment, Marvin noticed that Jurgen was walking proudly. He was almost strutting, with his shoulders held high and his back stiff as a poker. Marvin shook his head. Yeah. You got it bad, you poor guy.
"Allo, Fraulein Jenkins," Jurgen called out.
Marvin saw Dawn jump a bit in surprise. Then he noticed the thirty or so young faces that surrounded her were smiling.
Dawn appeared a bit flustered when she answered. "Hello, Officer Neubert, Sergeant Tipton. What brings you out this way on this beautiful day?"
A couple of the young girls behind Dawn were whispering and pointing toward Jurgen. Ah, leave it to kids to know what's going on before anyone else. Since Jurgen seemed to be a bit tongue-tied, Marvin spoke up. "Miss Jenkins, we're sorry to interrupt but we have to check on a couple of your students. Are Crystal and Zachary Cooper with you?"
Dawn pointed to a group of three boys who were nearby. "There's Zachary with Aaron Craig and Gerd Schultz. Crystal is down by the creek, cleaning up the pot we used to cook lunch. And you're not interrupting. We're finished for the day. We were just waiting for the children's parents to come for them."
Marvin smiled. "Well, if you're sure the kids are with you, we can be on our way."
Jurgen interrupted. "We don't have to leave so soon. We should see Crystal. That way we can report that she is all right."
Marvin took pity on his partner. "Okay, Jurgen. I'll walk down and check on Crystal. Why don't you show Miss Jenkins and her class the police cruiser? Give them the same tour we gave the first grade class last week." Marvin found it hard to believe that Jurgen could smile any broader, but he did.
Marvin whistled one of his wife's favorite songs while he walked toward the creek. "Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match."
All thoughts of matchmaking were driven from his head by the voices he heard coming from behind a clump of bushes. A voice he clearly recognized as Wendel Schultz's said, "We shouldn't be doing this. We'll get into trouble." He was answered by a female voice which said, "Hush. If you don't slow down, you're going to mess up. Just like the last time."
Expecting the worst, Marvin stepped around the bushes. He was greeted by the sight of Wendel Schultz and Crystal Cooper standing on the creek bank with fishing rods in their hands. Crystal was reeling in her line and pointing to what looked like a large trout that was dancing on Wendel's. "Work him in closer to the bank, Wendel. But take it slow. We've already lost two hooks."
Marvin Tipton, you have a dirty mind.
Wendel started reeling in the line. "He's tiring out. Get the dip net." Crystal grabbed up the net and slid down the bank. Her and Wendel's jeans were wet and muddy; this wasn't their first fish. She plunged the net under the fish and soon held it aloft.
Marvin stepped up beside Wendel. "Now that's a nice fish. Have you two caught any more?"
His comment shocked Wendel enough that he almost dropped his fishing rod. "A… A… Hi, Sergeant Tipton," Wendel stuttered.
Crystal held the fish up proudly, her fingers through its gills. "Shoot, yes, Sergeant Tipton. You should see our stringer. We got five more. This is the biggest though."
"Sergeant Tipton, it's all my fault. I made Crystal help me catch the fish. You can arrest me, but she is innocent," Wendel said.
Crystal and Marvin stared at him in disbelief.
Marvin managed to ask, "What are you talking about, son? I'm not going to arrest you. There's nothing wrong with you fishing."
Wendel looked relieved, but doubtful, "Do you mean no one owns the fishing rights? We didn't ask permission."
"Son, I'm not the game warden, but under West Virginia law it's all right for a minor to fish in public waterways. If you're worried about it, go by the city offices and get a fishing license before you go fishing again. Right now, we'd better go up to the road and join the other students. It's almost time for you to head home."
Wendel ended up with everything heavy, the big pot from the lunch and the stringer of fish. Crystal carried the rods and reels, along with the dip net.
Marvin couldn't help overhearing Crystal's words to Wendel. "You dummy. You were trying to take all the blame and keep me out of trouble, weren't you?" When Wendel nodded, she continued, "That's about the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me." Her free hand came up and linked with Wendel's.
That song was running through Marvin's head again.
Jurgen had gotten to the part of the tour where the kids were taking turns being locked in the back seat of the cruiser. "I hope this is the only time I see you in the back seat." It was hard for the kids to take him seriously since he had a silly smile plastered on his face.
"Okay, Jurgen," Marvin called out. "Let's wind it up. I see some cars and wagons on the road and I'll bet they're the parents."
As they watched the children being loaded into their parent's vehicles, Marvin nudged Jurgen. "Did you offer her a ride home? It's a bit of a walk and I think we can spare the fuel."
"No. I asked and Dawn said she was going to ride home with Wendel. That's how she got here."
After the last child was picked up, Wendel loaded his charges in the wagon. In the back went Zachary Cooper, Aaron Craig and little brother Gerd. Marvin noted that Wendel did not look at all unhappy that having Miss Jenkins riding on the seat of the wagon caused Crystal to sit closer to him.
As the wagon pulled out of sight, Jurgen commented, "Marvin, what would you bet that Crystal moves over when they drop Dawn off?"
Marvin smiled. "Not one red cent, Jurgen. That little girl will stay right there. And Wendel will enjoy every minute of the ride. Come on. Let's head for the office. It's getting on toward quitting time. This has been one wasted day."
Marvin was correct in his prediction. Not only did Crystal stay in the middle of the wagon seat after they dropped Miss Jenkins off, she convinced Wendel to teach her to drive the wagon. Not that he minded. It gave him an excuse to put an arm around her to help guide the reins in her right hand.
It was just after they rounded the curve in the road and the Cooper house came into sight that they realized something was amiss. The driveway had four trucks and a wagon in it. Indeed, one of the trucks was half blocking the road.
Wendel took the reins back and slowed the horses. "Look at the crowd at your dad's house, Crystal. Do you think something is wrong?"
"Oh Lord," Crystal exclaimed. "I hope Dad and Grandma Cooper aren't fighting again. She's been on his case since Uncle Tommy died. Don't tell anyone, but I'm glad he's dead. He was always sneaking around looking at me, if you know what I mean. I was afraid of him."
Wendel guided the wagon past the parked truck and brought it to a stop at the end of the Craig's driveway. "Are you going to go over there?"
"I should. I haven't seen Grandma and Grandpa Cooper all week. Yes. I guess I have to go over. I'll take my share of the fish and use them as an excuse to leave as fast as I can."
"That sounds like a plan." Wendel tied the reins around the brake lever. "I'll get your fish out of the cooler. Gerd, hold the horses. I'm going to walk Crystal across the road."
Crystal sounded a bit doubtful. "You don't have to do that. You know how my grandparents think about Germans."
"I will just walk you to the door. They will never see me."
"Just to the door. Honestly, Wendel, you don't know how nutty they are. I love them, but sometimes they're both crazy. And since Mom moved out, Dad is getting almost as bad."
Wendel grabbed the stringer of fish out of the cooler and followed Crystal across the road. He caught up with her after a few steps and took her hand. They had just started up the walk when he noticed the crowd on the porch. Then a voice from behind pulled his attention to the men standing in the shadow of a large tree. "Hey! That's the Cooper girl. That must be the kidnapper." Wendel found himself surrounded by older men. The smell of beer and old sweat was almost overpowering.
"What?" Crystal shouted. "Wendel is just bringing me home from a school trip; he's no kidnapper."
A man Wendel recognized shoved his way into the circle. It was Ape Hart. "Get on up to the house, girl. Your grandmother is worried." Then he turned to Wendel. "We know how to handle this."
"No. I'm not leaving. Wendel didn't do anything wrong and…"
Ape roughly shoved her into the arms of another man. "Monkey, take her to the house."
Wendel decided that no one was going to treat Crystal like that. He spun the stringer of fish off his shoulder and slapped Ape across the face with it. When Ape fell back, Wendel spun the stringer around and slapped it at the man called Monkey. Monkey let go of Crystal and tried to catch the stringer.
"Run to the house, Crystal. Run. I'll be all right." Wendel backed away from the enraged Hart brothers, spinning the stringer of fish over his head. When he saw Crystal had reached the Craig front door, he turned and slapped the fish in the face of the man behind him. This cleared him a path for a moment, and he broke from the circle and ran toward the wagon.
He'd almost made it to the center of the road when he felt hands close on his shoulders. He heard a voice say, "There's the other one by the wagon. Get him."
Wendel yelled to his brother, "Run, Gerd. Run." Just before two large men piling on him blocked his sight; he was rewarded by the sight of Gerd disappearing through the door of the Craig house.
Marvin and Jurgen had just pulled in to the station parking lot when the radio crackled to life. It was the voice of Jim Watteville, the night dispatcher, "Attention, all units. We have a report of a disturbance at the Craig's."
Marvin picked up the microphone. "Base, this is Investigator one. Put us back in service. We'll go check on the Craigs."
"Clear, Investigator one. All units, Investigator one is going to check on the Craig call. Stay alert for back-up."
"Drive, Jurgen." Marvin switched on the lights and siren. "I knew we should have stayed around the Cooper's a little longer."
Jurgen was amazed by what he saw at the Craig's house. There were thirty or forty people gathered in front of it and it looked like a small scale battle was about to start. But who was fighting? It looked like the "Rednecks" against the "Rednecks," since both sides had a lot of Club 250 regulars.
G. C. Cooper faced off with Ape Hart, and Slater Dobbs was face to face with Ronnie Murray. Then Jurgen saw Wendel Schultz in the middle of the yard, standing back to back with Marty Craig and surrounded by six older men.
Marvin grabbed the microphone. "Investigator One to base. We've got a mob here and they're fixing to tear into one another. Get us some backup ASAP. It looks like redneck central; every goat-roper in town is here."
"Help is on the way, Investigator One."
Marvin and Jurgen jumped from the car and strode toward the mob on the lawn. Jurgen could tell Marvin was tense and ready for action, but it didn't show in his voice. "Evening, guys," Marvin said when he knew the crowd had noticed their arrival. "Be careful there, Ronnie. You're standing in Effie Craig's flower bed. She'll pitch a fit if you stomp on them."
Jurgen admired Marvin's calm voice as he asked, "Now would some one like to tell us what this is all about?"
Ape Hart walked over. "Marvin, we're doing your job. We caught the man who kidnapped the Cooper girl."
"No, you damn fool." G. C. Cooper pushed through the crowd. "I told you there wasn't no kidnapping. She was at a school field trip. And even if there was one, that doesn't give you no excuse to manhandle my daughter." Cooper almost growled the last sentence as he stood toe to toe with Hart.
Jurgen could see this was about to get out of hand. He stepped between the two. "Herr Cooper, Herr Hart, this is getting us nowhere. You both need to calm down."
Monkey Hart stepped out of the crowd, "You're all lying. I heard it on the scanner. She was kidnapped."
"If you had listened to the scanner a little longer, you'd have heard that Crystal was on a school field trip." Marvin stepped up to cover Jurgen's back. "Have you asked Crystal if she was kidnapped?"
"Monkey, you know my mom isn't right in the head. She's as crazy as a bedbug. It would take a drunk idiot to believe her," Cooper said.
"I ain't an idiot," Monkey yelled as he threw a punch at G. C. He might not have been an idiot, but he was drunk. He missed and ended up sprawled at Cooper's feet. Cooper planted a solid kick in his ribs.
That seemed to electrify Ape. He brought up a punch from his waist that almost lifted Cooper off his feet when it made contact with his chin.
Jurgen drew his baton from his belt. A quick thrust to the ribs and a front spin put the baton in a perfect position to slide under Ape's arm. A quick step forward and a twist and Ape was in a bar hammer lock and incapacitated.
Jurgen glanced to his right and saw Marvin had also drawn his baton. Marvin was putting on a little show with a series of front and back spins that caused the crowd to draw back. "All right. Everyone move off. The show is over. Effie Craig wants you all out of her yard."
The crowd was just starting to disperse as four police cars, lights flashing pulled up in front of the Craig's.
"That was pretty sneaky, Neubert." Ape massaged his shoulder. "You hit me when I wasn't looking."
Jurgen took pity on the older man. "That's right, Herr Hart. You are a dangerous man. I do not think I could take you in a fair fight." Ape almost strutted when Jurgen walked him to the cruiser.
"I can't believe it. He won't press charges?" Dan Frost asked.
Marvin shook his head. "Nope. Wendel says he gave as good as he got. From the look of some of those fool's faces, I think he's right. That boy packs a mean punch and they were so drunk they could hardly stand up, anyway. So there are no assault charges against most of them. The only charges were filed by Effie Craig; the mob trampled her flowers. Oh, we filed disturbing the peace and assault charges on Ape, Monkey and G. C. We saw them throwing punches." Marvin laughed. "I did get Ronnie Murray for public intox, but that's it."
"What about Wendel and the Coopers? You think that is going to be a problem?"
Jurgen smiled. "Well, Wendel was with Connie and Crystal when they bailed G. C. out. G. C. was talking about helping Wendel rebuild a junk car when they left."
Marvin laughed. "Chief, old G. C. was so happy that Crystal is dating a nice boy that I think he forgot Wendel is German."