The Edenbury Chronicles - Vol 2 - Chapter 18

“Is there anything I can be doing?” asked Olivia as she turned on the new coffee maker at the Chronicle office. 

Eric gestured in the direction of the computer desk. “See that stack of framed articles?” he asked. “They can be retyped and saved in the computer.”

“These are Andrea’s articles from the diner,” Olivia observed. “That’ll be fun. And a good history lesson.”

While Olivia typed away at the computer, Eric took a phone call.

“You don’t say,” he said to the caller. “In your backyard right now?”

Olivia stopped typing and positioned herself at the coffee maker, which was closer to the phone.

“Have you reported this to anyone else?” Eric asked. “Well, I don’t know, but we’ll come over and take a look. It sounds like something we might have an interest in writing about. See you in a minute. Thanks.”

Eric hung up the phone. “We can walk from here,” he said to Olivia while grabbing a camera from a drawer. “We’ll need this.” 

Olivia put a lid on her coffee and tried to keep up with Eric, who was already out the door. 

Outside, Eric took a right at Rascal Rock and headed toward a nearby neighborhood. “Did you read about Mr. Clemmons and his barn?” he asked.

“Just now, actually. Amazing story,” she replied.

“That was him on the phone.” 

Olivia’s excitement grew. “Is that where we’re going? Has his barn gone missing again?”

“He’s got an elk problem,” Eric replied, picking up the pace.

Olivia's excitement continued to grow. “At this juncture, I should probably disclose that I had the pleasure of interacting with a giant elk when I first came to Edenbury. It was last Tuesday morning, I believe.”

Eric looked back at Olivia. “Well, you’re about to meet a whole lot more of them,” he said. “Apparently, Mr. Clemmons has a large herd roaming around his backyard. We may be the first on the scene.”

“Has this happened around here before?”

“Not here, but in another town,” Eric replied. They showed up last fall but disappeared when everything went quiet.”

“Sounds like they’re back,” said Olivia. “Maybe I’ll recognize the one I met.”  

As they approached, Olivia recognized the mailbox but did not recognize the man in the driveway wearing a bathrobe.

“They’re in the back,” announced Mr. Clemmons. “Savage beasts, eating everything. I think we’re next.”

“I’m glad you called us first, Mr. Clemmons,” said Eric. “We’ll get the story and make sure others know about any danger.” 

They followed Mr. Clemmons around the side of the house. Olivia turned the corner to see the backfield covered with the graceful creatures. She could barely see the small barn referenced in the Chronicle article.

Mr. Clemmons watched from the back porch while Olivia and Eric stood on the edge of the herd. The animals didn’t seem concerned by the visitors.

“Oh, dear God,” said Eric.

“They’re not dangerous,” Olivia whispered. She pointed at the largest of the bucks near the woodline at the back of the property. “See that big one back there? We’re friends.”

Olivia left Eric behind before he could hold her back. Instead, Eric prepared his camera for whatever was about to happen.

“Young lady, I wouldn’t do that,” cautioned Mr. Clemmons from his place of safety.

Olivia slowly made her way through the crowded yard of the most amazing creatures she’d ever seen. Each one watched her carefully as she wandered among them in complete awe. At one point, she had both arms extended to pet animals on both sides of her. Other elk moved in to meet her gentle touch as well. After a few moments with each, she continued through the herd.

Every one of the animals towered over Olivia, and at times Mr. Clemmons and Eric appeared to have lost her in the yard. 

She watched as one ate from a small vegetable garden. “Don’t eat all of that,” she said.

Another one of the elk was sniffing a rose bush in bloom. “Leave some for Mr. Clemmons, please,” she requested.

Olivia finally made her way to the largest of the animals.

“Hello, again,” she said.

The animal greeted her with its warm, smiling eyes, and Olivia let her hand run down the dense fur of the animal. “I see you brought some friends for us to meet.” 

Eric could hear Olivia talking. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“Never better,” she said mostly to herself.

While Mr. Clemmons paced back and forth in his bathrobe, Eric ventured into the herd only far enough to take a few pictures. He took out a notebook and began writing. Over his shoulder, a large snout appeared. Startled, Eric dropped his pen.

Just then, Olivia returned. “She wants to know what you are going to write,” she explained.

“She?”

“They’re good listeners. You can tell her,” said Olivia, folding her arms. “You talk to your rock, Eric. I don’t think this is a stretch.”

After he picked up his pen, Eric started to introduce himself but was interrupted by someone nibbling on his camera strap.

“Hey!” Eric laughed nervously, greeting the animal behind him.

Eric and Olivia stayed a few minutes roaming through the herd until the elk began to head off into the nearby woods.

After taking more pictures, Eric finished taking notes and secured his pen. “Olivia, do you think the elk would like to come visit the office sometime?” he asked.

“That’s just what you need,” replied Olivia, “more things on the front lawn.”

They said goodbye to Mr. Clemmons, who seemed satisfied with their visit, and walked back toward the office.

“What’s your headline?” Olivia asked.

Eric read from his notepad.

Giant Elk Visit Site of Mystery Barn

—

“I can’t believe The Winholder Group would level the entire hill to remove and prevent anything miraculous from happening there again.”

“Just like the grove of trees was cut down on the Warren farm fifty years ago,” remarked Father Vance.

“And our rocks that were destroyed in the park,” added Stephanie.

The Miracle Council voted to move their Friday Night meetings to Jake’s Diner in order to enjoy the special of the day, and Cheryl’s company, of course. 

The intensity of the last two weeks was beginning to take its toll on the group. While they seemed to be at an impasse with any threats related to Ames Hill, there were choices to be made.

“We have two options,” offered Zeke. “One, we do nothing. The Ames Hill Nursing Home property will be destroyed, and they get away with what happened there along with the suspicious death of the reporter, and the current intimidation, which also led to the death of Father Gregory.”

“Well, Zeke,” said Father Vance, “you wanted to know what Heaven-hating dragon we have to slay. We finally know who the bad guy is, and I suspect option one is not on the table for you.”

“We’re all ears for option two, honey,” added Lucy.

Zeke grinned. “We find a way to expose not only what took place, but the ongoing cover-up and coercion.”

No one noticed Cheryl listening at the end of the table.

“Four specials?”

“Five. We’re expecting Olivia,” replied Lucy as she pointed to the wall above the counter. “What happened to the newspaper articles?”

Cheryl set down some glasses of water. “Anne and Rebecca borrowed them. Eric is going to reprint them in the Chronicle. Something about generating interest for the play in a couple of weeks.”

When Cheryl disappeared, she was replaced by Olivia, who pulled up a chair. 

“Here’s the research you requested,” she said, handing a document to Zeke. 

As he read, the rest of the group waited to hear how another one of Zeke’s hunches was about to pay off.

“There’s something here,” he said. “I’m not a real estate attorney, but it appears the Ames Hill Nursing Home property has a deed restriction.”

All around the table, concerned faces waited for an explanation. 

“Is that like a zoning law?” asked Sheriff Stephanie. 

“In a way,” Zeke replied. “The original owners of the property knew the property was special. They put a stipulation in place that dictates it cannot be sold or rezoned for anything other than a facility which, and I quote, cares for those in need.” 

“They can do that?” asked Father Vance.

“It’s quite common,” replied Zeke. “Usually, these kinds of things are uncovered before a property is sold.”

“So if anyone who purchases it must use it to care for those in need,” remarked Father Vance, “it sounds like a shopping center does not qualify.”

“Listen to this part,” Zeke continued. “Furthermore, the hill itself cannot be modified in such a way as to significantly alter the landscape or topography.”

“The attorneys are going to love that,” declared Stephanie. “It could end up in court for years.” 

“Either way, this is great work, Olivia,” said Zeke. “Are you ready for another important assignment?”

“Absolutely,” she replied.

Zeke took out the street map purchased at the Ames Hill gas station and unfolded it on the table.

“The gas station attendant said there’s a paper mill right about here,” he said, pointing at the map. “I have a hunch that it may be helpful for us to know who owns it. A commercial real estate agent would know how to find that out.”

“No problem,” Olivia replied. “But when will we have enough to leak the story to Andrea Glenn? This needs to be all over cable news.”

Father Vance turned to Olivia. “I know you have a personal interest in this, Olivia,” he said kindly. “I’m asking you to trust us when it comes to how and when we might do something like that.”

“I understand, Uncle Shredder,” Olivia replied as she folded the map.

Lucy turned to Zeke. “Let me guess, you suspect the TWG company owns the paper mill as well?” she asked. “I remember the gas station attendant in Ames Hill said many of the townsfolk work there or have retired from the mill.”  

“Can you think of a better way for someone to control a large group of people?” Stephanie asked. “They could devastate the whole town by shutting down the mill.”

“And threatening them with closure will keep residents quiet,” added Zeke.

“Which reminds me,” said Stephanie. “I had a chat with Bruce Davies today. He’s got quite a chip on his shoulder after being controlled by Heathrow for decades. He wants to help and has requested a meeting with all of us. He’s putting some thoughts together and has invited us to his house after church on Sunday.”

When no one objected, Zeke spoke up. “Sounds like we have a date for lunch.”

—

Horace the horse was roaming his favorite section of pasture on Saturday morning along with two other horses at the Warren farm. The dew on the grass in the early hours of dawn made for tasty grazing. 

A dark wind blew in from the main road, and Horace’s nostrils flared. His ears pulled back, and his eyes widened as his head raised along with two others. The rumbling of vehicle tires at the beginning of the driveway was something Horace had heard many times, but this was different.

Horace left his dew-covered grass and galloped toward the farmhouse. He reached it well ahead of the black sedan now coming down the driveway. With some loud noises, the horse stopped as close as he could to the house. 

Cleaning up from breakfast, Mrs. Warren rushed out to see what the fuss was all about. Standing on the front porch, she met eyes with Horace and then saw the cloud of dust down the drive. Horace bobbed his head up and down a few times, then stationed himself along the fence.

The doors of the car opened, and two men in suits approached the porch. 

“We’re reporters, ma’am,” claimed one of the men. “We understand you had a mysterious tree grow up in part of your house.”

In silence, Mrs. Warren sized up the pair as Rebecca emerged from the house, and noises from Horace continued.

“I know what reporters look like, and you’re not reporters,” Mrs. Warren finally said.

“Your tree,” the other man said, “is under investigation by Mr. Zeke Hughes of the Heathrow Insurance Company, correct? We saw this in a news story.”

Mrs. Warren took a step off the porch. “If you don’t remove yourself from my property immediately, you’ll be a part of another news story.”

Horace grunted loudly, and one of the men jumped. They both turned and got back in the vehicle.

Rebecca took her mother’s hand and watched the car drive off. “Who were they, Momma?” she asked.

“I don’t know, but Horace is a good judge of character, and those men were not of good character.”

“How do you know they were not reporters?”

Mrs. Warren stepped back on the porch. “They were asking about things that happened six months ago.”

Mother and daughter went back into the house, and with everything back in order, Horace went back to eating his breakfast.

—

Read Chapter 19 here!

The Edenbury Chronicles - Vol 2 - Chapter 19

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May 12, 2023

Saturday’s newspaper hit the newsstands at just the right time. The reprinted article in the Chronicle gave a boost to interest in the big play just as the girls were struggling to pull the show together. It wasn’t that the children weren't showing up to practice—they would be at the park anyway—but distractions were aplenty on a warm Saturday in the sp…