Wednesday's Words on a Friday

The original Words for Wednesday was begun by Delores and eventually taken over by a moveable feast of participants when Delores had computer troubles.

The aim of the words is to encourage us to write. A story, a poem, whatever comes to mind.

If you are posting an entry on your own blog, please let us know so we can come along and read it.

This month the words are supplied by ME and can be found right here.

This week's words are:

1. bathroom
2. parasol
3. furniture
4. duck
5. phone
6. puzzle

and/or:

1. wade
2. grim
3. barge
4. sporadic
5. pizza
6. burial

Here is my story: Part Two: Chapter Five

Harry and Eleanor discussed the things Bill Money had told them as they walked along the short Main Street of Shark Cove. They turned and had a good look at the General Store-Post Office- Market and decided to come back another day and do a little grocery shopping. “It will make a nice change from the Supermarket at Braytown,” Eleanor said.
“Why do we never shop at the Littleton one?” asked Harry. “They don’t have the brands I prefer for most things,” said Eleanor, “and no organics section.” “We can’t be sure they have that here either,” said Harry. “Oh I think maybe they do, I saw a sign that said Fresh Local Produce, so that sounds likely,” said Eleanor. 

A little further on they came to the side street where Curly Cuts was situated and Eleanor went in to make an appointment for the next week. “We can kill two birds with one stone that way,” she said, “a haircut and some grocery shopping.” “Smart thinking,” Harry said, “which day?”

“Wednesday,” said Eleanor, “the hair appointment is in the afternoon, at two, then we can walk around a bit again, shop, and go on home.” They read the restaurant menu in the lobby of the Cove Hotel, peeked around to se where the red and the green dining rooms were, then thought it was time to explore further up the street. A small bluestone building with a brass plaque declaring it to be a Bank, opened in 1909, a couple of cottages with pretty gardens behind picket fences, and glimpsed down a side street, the vegetable patch belonging to the Hotel.  “The meals must be wonderful, with the veggies fresh from the garden there,” said Harry. 

A sweet little Bakery attached to a café on one side and a “casual bar” behind, was set back a bit off the street and a sign reading ’Café closed, Bakery and Bar open 10am to 5pm’ was posted in the front yard where furniture for patrons would be in the spring and summer. Going down the lane to the bright blue door, they entered the Bar area which was decorated this week with toy fluffy ducks holding tropical style miniature parasols. The bartender explained this week’s half-price cocktails were the very popular fluffy ducks and next week the theme would be different.

Harry and Eleanor ordered lemon squash with ice and sat at a table by the window just in time to see a grim looking city Police Inspector and his partner come up the lane and enter. He fronted up to the Bar while his partner rushed for the bathroom. Inspector Stanley Grace acknowledged them with a nod, then pulled out some paperwork and asked the bartender if he had a few minutes to look at some photos. ‘And do you have any lunch menus? We have several questions as well and might as well eat while we’re here.” The bartender offered a plasticised menu saying the pizza was on special today and fresh too, “no frozen pizzas here.” 

Irene returned from the bathroom, declaring herself ‘starving’ and was pleased to hear pizza was on the menu. “I haven’t had a pizza in ages,” she said. “I’ve been trying to eat a healthier diet, but I think today a pizza is just what I need.” She came to sit at the table next to Eleanor and Harry, introducing herself and Stanley. She checked her phone in case there were any messages and found one from Jerry Morgan saying he had found someone who knows something about The Merry Moose. 

Irene tapped the screen to talk to Jerry who said the old man’s memory was a bit sporadic, he was in a nursing home, sometimes remembering things and other times laughing at cartoons on the television. Jerry had shown him the Merry Moose tag and he’d seemed to remember a Canadian themed club, before falling asleep suddenly. Irene relayed the message to Stanley who gave instructions for Jerry to follow up as much as he could, but tread warily, not to barge into it like a bull in a china shop. Elderly people were often more frail than they appeared. 

Overhearing, Harry approached their table and told their tale of the skeleton and the pink plastic Merry Moose tag. “Another piece of the puzzle getting fitted into place,” said Inspector Stanley. “We were coming to find you tomorrow, but since we’re all here together today, how about I take your statements?” He helped Harry push their tables together and they decided to all share a pizza before wading through all the details either party knew so far. Eleanor was wondering if they should bring up the ‘Tom’ that Bill Money had mentioned, but thought maybe not. It didn’t seem to have any bearing on the skeleton and Merry Moose case.

While Stanley wrote down Harry’s statement, Irene and Eleanor discussed Shark Cove, Irene saying they came up about once a year to visit someone, leaving Eleanor to wonder. They talked about how Shark Cove got its name, why it was so quiet this time of year and what brought the tourists in spring and summer. Eleanor declared she knew nothing at all apart from what Maxine had said about Curly Cuts. Irene said it was an excellent establishment, clean and the girls were friendly. “I had my hair trimmed and tamed there just a few days ago,” she said. “It’s next to an old Church, no longer used, but the tourists like to wander around the headstones in the tiny burial ground behind it.”