“I’m out of here.” Laverne bolted.
Jo quickly ushered the remaining residents and Duke through the kitchen, down the back steps, and into the basement. Delta was right behind her with Gary and finally Nash, bringing up the rear.
Gary clutched his emergency radio as it continued warning listeners to take cover immediately.
Nash pulled the cellar door shut behind them and Gary turned his emergency radio light on so they could track down the flashlights he’d placed on the shelves in the event they needed to take cover.
Jo lifted her gaze to the double cellar doors which led directly out into the yard as the wind whistled loudly through the crack.
Duke huddled close, and Jo wrapped her arms around the trembling pup.
Kelli coaxed Curtis from the carrier and placed her on her lap.
“It’s a good thing we put off starting our planting for another week or so,” Gary said.
“I knew once Carli saw the angels, we were going to get a whopper of a storm today.”
“Carli saw the Divine angels?” Michelle asked.
“This morning,” Jo said. “Out by the fence line.”
Laverne winced. “I knew a storm was coming when I started getting a lower pain in my back again. Any change in the weather and the old joints protest.”
“You aren’t that old.” Delta waved dismissively. “Are you sure it isn’t gas?”
“Gas?” Laverne looked offended and then embarrassed. “Well, we had beans for breakfast. They typically don’t sit well with me.”
“There you go.” Delta dusted her hands. “Lay off the beans.”
Laverne and Delta went into an in-depth back and forth about the benefits of eating beans, each weighing in on why you should or shouldn’t eat them.
Jo didn’t stop their banter. It was a welcome distraction from the storm raging outside.
The minutes slowly ticked by…fifteen minutes, almost half an hour. It seemed to take forever for the winds to subside, and as soon as they did, Nash was the first to make his way up the cellar steps.
He cautiously unlocked the double doors and eased them open. “The coast is clear.”
“Finally.” Jo sprang to her feet and followed the others up the steps, where they found downed limbs and branches scattered around the yard. “It doesn’t look like a tornado went through, or if it was, we didn’t take a direct hit.”
“I put the chickens in the barn before the storm and want to go check on them.” Gary made a beeline for the barn while the others began gathering the limbs and branches.
Nash started a pile with plans to use them as kindling for the upcoming campfire.
“I can think of better ways to gather firewood,” Laverne grumbled. “Some of these are gonna need to be chopped up.”
“You gather the wood and let Nash worry about chopping it up.” Delta pointed a stick at her. “You won’t be fussing and whining when you’re dining on crispy pizza pies and ooey, gooey delicious s’mores.”
Jo caught Laverne rolling her eyes as she turned away, but let it go. It wasn’t worth the fight, at least not with Laverne.
Gary emerged from the barn with a squawking chicken firmly tucked under each arm. Carli dropped what she was doing and ran over. The chickens instantly calmed, and she fell into step while Gary carried them back to their coop.
“Carli reminds me of Leah,” Raylene said. “A true animal whisperer.”
“I think they would be delish in a large pot of chicken noodle soup,” Laverne said.
“The chickens are not…”
Laverne finished Jo’s sentence. “I know, I know. My responsibility.”
“Correct.”
With everyone working together, they cleaned the yard and gathered up the brush in record time.
After finishing, they went back inside to clear the dinner table. It was getting late. The residents headed back across the parking lot to check on their units and hang out for the rest of the evening.
Delta waited until she and Jo were alone. “What do you think about Carli’s lip-reading ability?”
“I think it might come in handy, which reminds me. I want to check on Leah now that Robyn Colburne hasn’t been charged with Barr’s murder.” Jo grabbed her cell phone and tapped out a quick text to the young woman. She was relieved when she sent back a quick reply: she was fine, everyone was safe and they were cleaning up.
Moments later, Jo’s phone rang. It was Leah.
“I’m glad to hear you’re okay.”
“It was scary there for a few minutes,” Leah said. “The wind was really whipping. When the warning sirens went off, we all made a mad dash for the cellar. Before the storm hit, I got a call from the corrections department. They said they sent my final release papers to my last known address, which is your place. I was wondering if you could check to see if they came in.”
“I haven’t picked up the mail yet.” Jo shifted the cell phone to her other ear and strolled toward the mailbox.
She quickly sifted through the contents and found a thick envelope addressed to Leah. “I have them. I’ll drop them off.”
“Thanks, Jo. There’s no hurry, although I promised Dave I would give him a copy for his files when they came in.”
Jo circled around back and noticed Carli’s lights were on. “What does your schedule look like tomorrow?”
“The same as today…working all day, eating and sleeping.”
“And maybe lunch again out by the picnic table?” Jo asked.
“Yeah. It’s nice to get some fresh air and not sit inside the employee breakroom. It gets kinda smelly from the barns, especially when it’s warm. I mean, it’s not that I mind cows or farm smells because it goes with the territory.”
“I know we had lunch today, but I was thinking maybe I could come by for lunch again tomorrow and drop off your papers.”
“Sure, Jo. Again, there’s no hurry. You don’t have to make a special trip.”
Carli emerged from her room and began making her way along the corridor. She must’ve felt Jo’s eyes on her because she turned in her direction and gave a small wave.
Jo waved back. “The woman who was being questioned by the cops has been released. She was out of town, staying at her daughter’s place at the time of Barr’s death so it appears they’ve cleared her as a suspect.”
“Which means they’ll be back here trying to figure out who killed him,” Leah said.
“That would be my guess,” Jo said. “Are Buzz and Sandi still hanging out during breaks and lunch?”
“Yeah. The two are almost inseparable. I’ve caught them watching me again. I still think they’re talking about me. It’s kinda creepy. Why?”
“Because I might have an idea about how we can figure out what’s going on, which means I’ll be bringing someone with me when I come by for lunch tomorrow,” Jo said.