The Blue Coyote (The Frannie Shoemaker Campground Mysteries Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

phone.”
    “The frog sound is pretty
funny though, don’t you think?”
    “Yes, it’s pretty funny,” Frannie said grudgingly. Secretly, she thought it was very
funny.
    “Are you going to leave it on
there?”
    Frannie stood up straight. “I
haven’t decided yet.”
    She kissed Joe, who was
practically asleep already, and turned out all of the lights but the one over
the stove.
    “Grandpa and I will be in
shortly,” she told them both and went back out to the fire.
    Without streetlights,
millions of stars were visible above, and quiet laughter drifted from the
circle around the campfire. The glow from the fire highlighted her friends’
faces, almost disembodied against the dark background. Firelight really is
flattering, she thought, as she noticed it had stripped the years from their
faces. And she wondered briefly if there was a direct connection between the
growth of cosmetic surgery and the development of better lighting.

 
    **************
    Happy Camper Tip #3

 
    Folding step stools are one
of the best cheap camping inventions. They take very little space and are
indispensable for putting up awning lights and for children who need to reach
the sink—or cookies in the overhead cabinets. They are also the right
size to double as a footstool with your lawn chair.

 

Chapter Four
    Saturday Morning

 
    The sun was just peeking
through the trees when Frannie picked her way down the trailer steps carrying
the old percolator and her favorite mug. The coffee pot made such a racket
producing her morning brew that, weather permitting, she always set it on the
folding metal utility table outside and plugged it into the exterior outlet. Cuba, who had eagerly trotted out behind her, stretched, scratched,
and looked at Frannie expectantly , tail wagging
furiously . She found the leash hanging over the awning strut, and
grabbing a plastic bag, took the lab out for a walk. At the end of their loop,
she opted to head away from the center of the campground through the tent loop.
Only a few people were up, stirring the coals of their fires. All waved or at
least nodded and a couple of campers commented on the beautiful weather.
    As she finished the loop, she
glanced at the road workers’ campsite and saw no sign of life. Probably their day to sleep in. She told herself she wasn’t
being paranoid, just careful. By the time she got back, tethered the dog, and
got her coffee, Mickey came out. His attire consisted of turquoise flannel
pajama bottoms festooned with pineapples and palm trees topped by a faded
maroon Minnesota Gophers sweatshirt. He had an unmatched collection of college
sweatshirts from Goodwill. He had actually graduated from Grinnell, but Frannie
didn’t remember ever seeing him in any Grinnell garb.
    “Good morning!” he said
exuberantly. Mickey was both a morning and a night person. He never seemed to
be grouchy or groggy.
    “Morning,” she answered. “Got
coffee over here.”
    “Excellent! That’s why, Frannie,
if I could just dump Jane Ann, I’d marry you.”
    “I’m flattered, but of
course, if you dumped Jane Ann, you’d be dead,” she smiled.
    “There is that,” he agreed.
    They settled in camp chairs
by the fire ring, and Mickey proceeded to stir the coals and add firewood.
After much fussing and blowing on coals and sticking in kindling, the wood
caught and began to burn cheerily.
    Mickey settled back in his
chair. “Well, first things first—what’s for breakfast?”
    Frannie, Jane Ann, and Nancy
usually planned their menus together to avoid duplication.
    “I’m doing a hash brown
omelet in the electric skillet.”
    “Ooooh. Sure you don’t want
to marry me?”
    “If I thought you were
serious, I would in a minute,” she said with a straight face. Mickey, for once,
was speechless and she burst out laughing.
    “Mickey, you are such a con
man and yet so easily conned!”
    He looked sheepish. “Just
habit, I guess.”
    Jane Ann emerged from their
camper, looking as always