Texas Stars ✓

Chapter 21 - Perfect Storms

JL Ranch (A/N Starting at the same time when Debbie wakes up in the last chapter.)

        "As you all know," Pa sighed, "Debbie has been captured by the thieves, as their little "note" has explained."

        "Where did you find the note?" Ma fidgeted the fringe of her shawl. 

        "It was in the barn, next Knightly's stall," Pa patted Ma's hand, "The writing is looks like chicken scratching, and the spelling looks like a five year old's."

        "What did the note say?" Ma bit her lip.

        "Here," Pa dug into his pocket and pulled out a scrap of paper, "Read it."

        To the Locary famly,

        We ar holding yer dauter hostag, and if you want to see her agan we recwire 2 hundred dollers in cash. You have 1 weak to giv it to us. Meet us at the east well at sundown 1 weak from now.

        "D-A-U-T-E-R?" Ma furrowed her eyebrows. 

        "I'm assuming they meant daughter," Pa took a bite of Ma's apple cobbler, "Only they don't know that she isn't our daughter."

        "Well are we going to pay them?" Ma handed Pa the note back.

        "Worst comes to worst, we will, but if we can get the law on our side -which I'm sure we will- we have a good chance of outwitting them. If they said that they wanted to meet us at the east side of the ranch, that means that they're probably hiding there. Also, there is only one cluster of trees next to the well over there. So I have a pretty good idea where they're hiding."

        "I never knew my husband was a detective," Ma smiled for the first time that day.

        Pa chuckled, "It doesn't take a genius to figure that out."

        Ma laughed, "True. So what's the plan?"

~~~

        "You leave as soon as it's dark," Pa told Isaac in hushed tones, even though they were in the dining room with no one else in sight.

        "If I'm not back within an hour, you all come after me," Isaac quoted from memory, "I find Debbie, I tell her the plan, we execute the plan, and bring justice to all."

        Pa laughed, "You know what to do son," He patted Isaac on the back and left the house to do the evening chores.

        "Keep it together Henry!" Isaac could hear Alex's voice outside.

        "I'll never see her again!" Isaac heard Henry-the-weasel whined.

        "Keep it down boy," Zeb, -who was in the porch swing- lowered the hat on his head and kicked up his feet.

        "She's gone," Henry cried.

        "She's not gone," Isaac gritted his teeth.

        Henry ignored me and continued his bemoaning, "We'll never get married now."

        My head jerked up at his last comment. Marry her? Since when was he planning on marrying her? Apparently Alex, Zeb and I were all thinking the same thing.