A Friend Called Ruth

She woke to the smells of the Island entwined with the smoldering wood in the pot belly stove that sits in the kitchen of the old farm house. The farm house and the 40 acres it sits on has been in her best friends family for generations. She is sure they have done no modernizations since the day it was built. It's a solid old home filled with many memories. She and her small circle of friends have spent most every summer here and she loves it.

As she opens her eyes her head throbs dully...evidence of the "fun" they had the night before. A familiar feeling, it seems they always have too much fun when visiting Lopez Island. Her bladder is full, forcing her to leave the comfort of the big metal framed bed and the warmth of the worn comforter she lay under. As her feet hit the floor she recieves the full impact of the alcohol she had consumed while visiting Ruth and between dances at the Galley restaurant and bar. Steadying herself she heads for the back door and gathers her self to face the cool Island morning on her way to the out house. Over the years she had not learned to love the outhouse as much as she loved every other thing on the Island.

After relieving herself she quietly made her way from the outhouse to the pot belly stove to warm herself. It was going to be a beautiful day she thought as she noticed the sun breaking through the morning clouds. Summer mornings where always the best on the Island and she decided to take full advantage of this Island morning. She tiptoed into the bedroom and quietly removed her flute from her backpacks pouch. Slipped on her summer sandals and made her way out the back door and down the driveway to the cove. The cove was the most beautiful place on the Island and she loved it, especially in the mornings and at sunset.

As she sat on the edge of the cliff overlooking the cove she reflected on the night before. They had all been invited to have a light dinner and drinks at Andie's friend Ruth's home prior to going out. She wonders how in all these years she had never met this friend. Their hostess was an older woman, short in stature and a bit plump. With short dark hair that framed her round face. As she consumed her vodka and fruit juice she became increasingly animated and very verbal, without a filter to say the least. The stories she told were entertaining even if somewhat unbelievable.

"You see that missing piece of carpet over there?" she said as she pointed to a perfect square spot absent of carpet on her living room floor. "Yes," they replied. "Well that's where those idiot cops tore up my carpet when they came and searched my house looking for my husband. You know he's been missing three weeks now. Went missing a year after he drove that 550 ft freightliner he captained into that drawbridge down in Seattle, broke that bridge he did. And now it has to be replaced. Personally I don't think he ever got over having been forced into retirement or the embarrassment of hitting that bridge".

"I don't know how many times I told that man not to drink or smoke that pot while he was working. Never the less this is what happens when you do. The Cops keep bothering me asking where he went and all that, but to tell you the truth, I don't know any more than they do. He just up and left me, yep, after all these years of marriage he did and never said where he was going! Damn prick I tell ya he left me to deal with this crap. Or maybe he committed suicide one or the other, either way I don't know. Crazy cops trying to tell me I ground him up in my industrial meat grinder outback! They even tried to confiscate it! Digging holes everywhere, jack hammering my cement foundations and watching my every move. Heck they even took those ceiling tile missing right there from my ceiling!" She pointed to the ceiling and rambled on until it was time to leave, then she gave them a tour of her home and even showed them the meat grinder in her back yard.

As she and her friends loaded up in the car to leave Ruth yelled to them to "drive careful, ya know those idiot cops are watching everything and I don't want to see no one go to jail". She was quite the character and Maddie actually liked her. Of course Ruth and her missing husband Rolf were the topic of conversation between friends off and on for the next few days. They all came to the conclusion that she just could not have committed this crime, but then anything is possible.

Maddie sat there playing her flute reflecting on her evening at Ruth's. She welcomed the sun upon her face, engulphed in it's warmth and the tranquility of the Island she was in no hurry to return to the farm house. It wasn't until her tummy growled that she slipped her sandals back on her feet and headed back. As she walked the drive way she was greeted by the welcoming smell of bacon, eggs and her favorite French toast. "Were have you been?" they asked as she entered the Kitchen, "we thought little old Ruth maybe had you turned into sausage by now" they joked. She giggled as she thought "maybe that's not to far fetched".

Ruth continued to be the topic of the day as they were each fascinated by her stories and each had their own opinion of what was really the truth. Could it be that they had just been entertained by a murderess? No she thought, not funny little Ruth and on her beautiful Island at that! She resolved to think that Ol' Rolf had either committed suicide or returned to Norway to avoid any further embarrassment. Just as Ruth had suggested.

Later in the day, when the tide was right, Andie suggested that the four of them head down to the beach and dig up some clams for the grill. Maddie grabbed her flute and off they went. Before digging Maddie rolled a tight joint and they all shared in it and enjoyed a good laugh, much of it at Ruth's expense but none of it harmful. After all Ruth was a funny person for sure, just how funny was she really though? The thought came to Maddie's mind as she sat and played a soft and pleasing melody letting the Island sun warm her, as she watched her friends fill their bucket with the allotted number of clams for each. It wasn't until Andie found the first of many bones that she put her flute aside and joined the dig.

They all seemed to have moved into another zone of reality as they dug, they dug for hours finding various bones scattered and buried along the beach, look Andie, Maddie had exclaimed it's a tibia! "It sure is Andie agreed" Oh poor Rolf they exclaimed as they conversed over the odds of them finding his bones and solving his murder. After collecting enough bones that they felt there was no more to be found. They placed them in a box and closed the lid. Maddie excitedly asked Denny and Janet to go get Closs the Islands police officer. "We will wait right here for you guys ok!" "And don't tell anyone about our find, we don't want to be next!"

It wasn't until Denny and Janet returned with Officer Closs that much to the embarrassment of all they suddenly gained glaring clarity and realized that they had been collecting the bones of a poached deer! Some one had poached a deer and disposed of the bones along the beach! They were all thankful for the sun they had been exposed to all day, their faces blushed with embarrassment emulating a deep red that could be mistaken for sunburn. Maddie thought to herself "mind the words of wisdom that had come from Ruth "you should never use alcohol or smoke pot when doing any job!"

Over the years the group of friends spoke less and less of Ruth and her missing husband, it had been many years since any of them had mentioned her when Maddie was surprised to learn that Ruth had eventually been found guilty of her husbands murder and was sentenced to life in prison. This was after the trial had been delayed many times due to Ruth's health and other technicalities. The Judge was reluctant to find her guilty as he expressed he felt the charges where most likely to be over turned. Rolf's body was never found and almost all the evidence entered was circumstantial. Never the less she was convicted and incarcerated Maddie realized she was not the only one who liked Ruth, over 100 friends and homeowners on the Island signed a petition for Ruth's early release. Unfortunately Ruth passed while incarcerated from lung cancer in 1992. at the age of 83. She had been incarcerated a total of 4-years at the time of her death.

Maddie found it ironic how many people liked Ruth and supported her, wishing her no ill will even after she was found to be guilty of her 93-year old husbands death. I guess it's fair to say Ruth was quite the character and a likable one at that!