Biggie and the Devil Diet - By Nancy Bell Page 0,55

to get out to the Barnwell ranch. Abner Putnam wants to organize a search party to find Stacie."

"Good idea," Biggie said, following him to the door.

20

As soon as breakfast was over the next morning, Biggie went into her room and closed the door. I went to the phone to call DeWayne Boggs, hoping that now would be a good time to ride bikes down to the bypass to look over the storm damage. Before I was finished dialing the number, Rosebud put his big hand on my shoulder.

"Don't be makin' no plans, boy," he said. "We got yard work to do."

"Rosebud! I was planning to go look over the tornado damage."

"You ain't got no business messin' around that stuff. We got our own damage right here at home." With that, he turned me around and marched me out the front door. Sure enough, although I hadn't noticed before, the yard was a jumble of limbs and twigs that had fallen during the storm.

"Here," Rosebud said, handing me a rake. "You rake while I use the chain saw on these here big limbs."

I was stuffing a plastic trash bag full of stuff I had raked together when I thought of something. "Rosebud, how would it be if I got DeWayne or somebody to take Monica to the dance?"

"Reckon you could," he said, not looking at me.

"What's wrong? I know what you're thinking. You don't like that idea, do you?"

"Since when can you read minds?"

"You know what I mean, Rosebud. I'm asking your advice here."

Rosebud stopped raking and grinned at me. "Okay, I was thinkin' about that time Monica knocked him down and sent him home cryin' to his momma. What makes you think DeWayne wants to go to no dance with her?"

"Oh, yeah. I forgot. That was the time DeWayne called her 'Cue Ball.' I guess I'll have to come up with another plan. It's a cinch nobody else is going to agree to take her. I only thought of DeWayne because he's so nerdy, he'll never get another girl to go out with him."

Rosebud picked up a bag and started around the side of the house. "Here comes Miss Biggie. You see what she wants while I tote this stuff out to the alley."

"Get cleaned up," Biggie said, panting a little from running. "We're going out to the ranch."

Later, on the drive out, she filled us in. "They haven't found Stacie yet," she said. "Abner has the neighbors out combing the woods."

"What if she isn't in the woods?" I asked. "What if she got on the highway and got a ride? She could be far, far away by now, Biggie."

"The Department of Public Safety has been notified. They've put out a statewide alert for her. Anyway, I want you and Rosebud to help the men while I take another look around the house."

As it turned out, the search party had already left, so I helped Biggie in the house while Rosebud and Josefina made coffee and sandwiches for the searchers. We started in the little study. Biggie went through the desk drawers, even though the sheriff's men had already searched. She took everything out of each drawer, looked it over, then replaced it. After she was through, she took all the books off the bookshelf and shook them before putting them back. I stood at the French door looking out at the rolling pastures. The horse that Laura had been riding was grazing with the others just as if he hadn't, only yesterday, almost killed a woman. I turned the handle and pushed at the door, but it was locked. I twisted the deadbolt knob and pushed again, but the door still wouldn't open. Then I noticed that the ground outside the door was planted with chrysanthemums, gold and bronze and purple all mixed together.

"Biggie, this is funny. This is a door, but somebody has planted flowers right in front of it and it won't open."

"So? Maybe they just chose not to use that door."

"There's something else, Biggie. Looky here. These flowers are brand new. See how the dirt is all loose around them?"

Biggie squatted down so she could get a better look. "You're right. Let's go outside and check this out."

I followed her into the dining room where she pushed open the French doors and trotted down to the path toward the study. "My soul," she said. "These plants are new. Look, they still have the nursery tags on them." She dug around the base of one plant. "J.R.,