The Traveling Corpse Read Free

I’ll—”
    Annie cut in, “Barb, you said I looked like a
ghost. Well, I didn’t see a ghost, but, believe me, and I certainly
hope you will believe me, I did see a dead body! Or at least I saw
part of a dead body!”
    Barb’s attitude quickly changed to amazement
as Annie told her about feeling the arm of a dead woman in the
storage drawer. She trembled, “I’d have screamed if I’d touched a
dead person!”
    â€œNo, you wouldn’t have, Barb. That would have
been the last thing to do. Not with all those old people sitting in
there!” Annie warned.
    Barb pointed out, regaining her humor,
“They’re not any older than we are.”
    â€œOh, well, I guess you’re right. But I just
didn’t want to scare them. Look at how upset I am, and I was a
nurse for over forty years!”
    â€œWell, you certainly scared me. You’ve got to
call the police.”
    â€œI will, of course,” Annie assured her, “But
I didn’t want to use the kitchen phone. I didn’t want anyone to
overhear me calling a law officer.”
    Surprised, Barb asked, “Why didn’t you want
anyone to know you were calling the police? That seems like the
first thing you should do.”
    â€œThink about it, Barb. The murderer could
have been there watching me.”
    â€œOh, I didn’t think of that. That’s downright
scary, isn’t it?”
    â€œIt is,” Annie admitted. “And I am scared. If he were watching me, and I’m not sure whether it’s a he
or a she, he doesn’t know if I saw the body or not. I tried to be
careful not to show any emotion. I thought I’d be safer that
way.”
    â€œThat was using your head,” Barb praised her
friend. “What do you want to do now?”
    â€œPlease, take me home. I’ll call the police
from there.”
    The two senior women hurried across the paved
courtyard which lay between Old Main and the Shuffleboard Building.
Just as they neared Barb’s electric golf cart, a jagged streak of
lightning cut through the night sky. Thunder clapped so close that
it jolted them. “I know we need to hurry,” Barb cautioned, “but
we’d better take a few minutes to let down the sides on the golf
cart or we’ll be soaking wet once the heavens open up.” They tore
at the Velcro tapes, and the clear plastic sides unrolled and
dropped down. “Just snap a few of the front snaps and some along
the bottom edge, enough to hold the side curtains from blowing
out,” Barb instructed. “Don’t take time to do them all. Then hop in
and zip up.” When they were snug inside, she pushed the pedal down,
and they drove noiselessly out of the courtyard.
    â€œMy long skirt feels good tonight,” Annie
sighed, tucking the denim material around her legs. While most of
the women in the park dressed in slacks or Bermuda-length shorts,
she often wore a Granny dress, an easy fitting, floor-length cotton
dress or jumper. Annie had explained earlier to her friends, “I
just like to wear dresses, always have.” Her friends had smiled
back politely, not convinced that dresses were better than shorts
or slacks for casual wear.
    The strong wind pushed against the little
cart making it hard to steer. Then a deluge of rain suddenly
blanketed them. Another streak of lightning was followed by a
jolting boom. Immediately, all of BradLee Park was swallowed up in
darkness. Once again, an electrical storm hit with fury; a frequent
happening in central Florida. As she slowed down and strained to
see her way with only the little headlights to guide her, Barb
complained, “Tampa area and central Florida get more electric
storms than anyplace else in the nation.”
    â€œI know we do,” Annie groaned. “And when the
lights go out then the phone lines usually go dead, too! Whatever
will we do? I need a telephone, and I need it now.”
    With a quick