A Reckoning in Mayberry

Part 12/1 The Day Of

Daisy's story, taken from notes from my diary journal written the summer after the summer it all began

Reckoning - a settling up, an accounting for something due.

The day that my town became famous (notorious?) for more than being a model for Mayberry - the perfect, innocent small hometown - and famous for more than just your average, run of the mill serial killer - began normally enough. That is, it was as normal a start of a day for someone whose mom had helped kill a serial killer in a gunfight straight out of a wild west show just three days earlier.

We were eating breakfast - a pop tart and a cup of coffee - and I'll admit, I was looking a little closer at my mom this day, trying to figure out just who she really was. I had dismissed her before as weak and hokey, and I was now only realizing just how brave she had been all along. She was once somebody's punching bag, but now she was a hero , righting wrongs. When the bullets started flying, she acted with bravado while I hid in the back like a coward. I guess this apple fell far from the tree.

I believe it takes some growing up for children to understand that their parents are not the enemy. Heck, it takes a lot to just realize they are people at all. Ren and I had been discussing this very topic on the phone the night before.

"They try. They say they don't want us to repeat their mistakes," he said. "I guess we just need to cut them a little slack." He was right.

It was a week before school started back, and I was riding to town with mom. She was going to work, and I was going to ride with her and visit Mr. Cropps for a little while and maybe see my Nana Gail who was there covering for another lady on vacation. My mom said Mr. Cropps was not doing well, and I had neglected him as much as I had Magdalena over summer. I missed him as much as Magdalena.

Devin had gone to help move some furniture for Tabitha and Zeb, but he said when he got back, he'd pick me up and we'd start our search for Magdalena.

"We can go by and see her mama at the shelter first," he said, "then go from there."

I was grateful Devin was taking my mind off my missing friend, and even more grateful that we were going to do something proactive in our search. The last two days consisted of reporters and flashes in my face, but looking out the windows before we left, I could see that the reporters were gone. I guess a dead serial killer was not as interesting as one running around loose. Finally, there would be some peace and quiet. Boy was I wrong about that. It was to be what people call - the calm before the storm.