Final Post for Cumberland Saga

Canina could hear the Sheriff’s sarcasm in his response to her report. “Natural Causes?” he replied.

“The preacher and I looked at the evidence and we both agree that they died of Natural Causes.” Canina confirmed.

The Sheriff looked at her response for a minute and considered his options. He could drive out there and look at the “stiffs”. Or he could try to find a doctor willing to do that but they would have to hustle to get there before the bodies were buried.

Or, he could let Canina’s judgment stand and have the bodies exhumed at a later date if it became an issue.

“OK” he finally texted back. Sometimes you just have to trust your people.

Frankly, he was pinned down in Dayton. Direction had been issued by the Governor, “Keep the roads open and the traffic flowing”. That meant clear wrecks, keep the gas-stations and convenience stores open and address “bandits” that disrupted traffic on major roads.

He had plenty of other action on his hands as people took advantage of the chaos to settle old, and new, scores. Carlton Marx was no longer a thorn in everybody's side. Somebody had decided that the odds of getting caught were low enough that they had done donuts with their dirt-bikes in his front yard and when he came out to yell at them...they shot him in his head.

 

The county clerk refused to leave her house, such was the anger over the recent elections. There were reports from other counties of clerks being murdered and she wasn't taking any chances.

 

The Sheriff, himself, was being exceptionally careful. He had not shortage of enemies. It came with the job.

***

After Canina returned the supply-truck, it made a trip back to Copperhead Cove with Lliam and Eddie as passengers. They were hailed as returning heroes and everybody was eager to hear the details of the operation and much relieved that nobody had been injured (except for some very sore backs and a banged-up thumb or two).

Plans were made for the return of Miss Shannon and her mother for the next morning and the return of half the men who had taken part in the operation.

 

Even though that was joyous news, it paled compared to the fact that Miss Shannon had received a text from Bob, her husband. He would be back in Tennessee by the end of the week.

After the two women were settled back into their homes, the plan was to have the women who had expressed an interest in being part of the four “guard families” make a tour of the grounds. They would go one-at-a-time and they would tour Miss Shannon’s farm and look at the housing situation, which was to be assigned based on drawing lots.

Sig promised to send the saw-mill and a crew to build housing at Miss Shannon’s as soon as the two units that were being built at Copperhead Cove were sealed-up and weather-tight. But until housing was built, the available housing was a camper, the shed that held dairy-goats, and OLD house that Bob had been using for a storeroom and shop...and a tent.

Gregor and Rosa had already expressed an interest in being one of the four guard-families. Gregor had already asked Samson to fabricate a ring from a silver coin he had been given by his grandfather. If he though “popping the question” was going to surprise anybody, he was very mistaken.

For a shining moment in time, all was right with the world of Copperhead Cove and Miss Shannon's.

***

Thanks for reading.

 -Joe