She had the bear horn in her pocket. It would have to do until she could learn how to handle a gun. She’d also picked up a pair of rain boots, a loaf of bread, and a pumpkin. No one else would see it on her front porch, but it would be a fun project. Maybe this afternoon she’d even try one of those fancy designs like the ones at Orene’s.
It was eight o’clock in the morning when Natalie called Randy’s office, hoping he would answer.
“Fellowes.”
Today her heart raced at the sound of his voice. “Randy, hi, it’s Natalie. How are you?” She paced the porch to expend the energy that had her on the edge of giggly.
“Great to hear from you. I’m good. Hope you are.”
The uptick of his voice made her smile. “I just wanted to check in on things.”
“Glad you did. I was going to give you a call today too. I got some information in overnight that I think you’re going to find really interesting.”
“Really?” She stopped. “Already?”
“I talked to a detective in the Outer Banks who is handling a case very similar to yours. I don’t know if it’s the same guy, but we’re sharing information.”
She sat back down. “That’s great.”
“Yeah. I’m hopeful. At some point, I will need to walkthrough some of the details again and probably ask you a few more questions.”
“Yeah. Absolutely.”
“Are you going to be around this weekend? I could call you.”
“Yes. Call me anytime. I called for another reason too.” She heard him take in a breath.
“Sure,” he said. “What’s up?”
“I need a favor.”
“Need me to bait your fishing hook?”
“Well, I can probably figure that out. In fact, I bought a few new rods, reels, and gear the other day, but if you want to come up and fish, maybe you could educate me on how to safely handle a gun while you’re here. Two different people have mentioned bears and coyotes. I think I’d better be prepared rather than stupid about this.”
“Happy to help you with that.”
“I don’t know if I need a pistol or a rifle. There could be a bear, or something smaller like a raccoon or a skunk, although I can’t imagine shooting anything.”
“Well, from experience, you don’t want to shoot a skunk anywhere near your house. They spray when you shoot them, and you’ll live with that wretched smell for weeks.”
“Oh no. Is it that bad?”
“Badder than bad.”
“Well, I’ll pray no rabid skunks come crawling around.”
“Do you have a rifle?”
“No.”
“Shotgun? Pistol?”
“Not even a water gun.”
“Maybe you could go ahead and get a water gun. A Super Soaker, for sure. That would at least buy you a minute.”
“Yeah, I could rain on their parade.” She laughed. It might actually work. It wouldn’t hurt her feelings as long as it shooed them away.
