Graham Quartet - Part 12

Hello FFFs!
It's a cloudy, rainy morning here and still pretty dark. We could use the rain as things have been dry for a little while.
This has been a crazy week since I last posted. Family Camp was a lot of fun! Telling the "Enthusiasm" story and falling off a table was delightful and I enjoyed getting out and playing kick-ball with all the other children, young people and dads even if I did get sunburned. We sure were tired when we got home Sunday afternoon. But it was well worth it.
Monday was spent trying to get ready for writing classes and taking care of other things. I was also quite stiff and sore from kick-ball (and playing soccer with some of the younger ones Sunday before lunch). We went over to my brother's for supper that night to celebrate Pickle Puss's 7th birthday! How can she be 7 already?
Tuesday I worked on other things and tried to write my report, but didn't get it done. S and I babysat the kiddos that night. I was reading a story to Doodle Bug and Funny Boy and there was a cat in the book named "Pumpkinseed." Doodle Bug, being the imaginative little boy that he is, pets the picture of the cat and says, "Hi Pun'kinsee." Then, jerking his hand back he says to me, "Oh, Pun'kinseed bite me!" It wasn't until I had told the picture of the cat that it wasn't nice to bite, that he again reached out to pat it. Then he says, "My hold Pun'kinseed," and cupping his hands together, pretends to scoop up the cat. Two year olds can be so much fun!
On Wednesday I wrote my report in the morning, but it didn't get checked until later. I taught two writing classes in the afternoon and tried to write TCR that evening. It's rather slow going right now.
Yesterday I graded papers and attended the Sheriff's Academy last night. I'm going to try to get the report ready to post this coming Wednesday.

And now here is the Graham Quartet. I do hope you are enjoying the story and aren't tired of it yet.

Graham Quartet - Part 12

“Sorry I’m a little late,” she said. “Alice and I were leaving the yarn shop, she needed another skein for the sweater she’s making, and this man stopped and asked us if the furniture factory still gave tours like it used to several years ago.”
    Dropping their books, Tim and Selena scrambled forward and leaned over the front seat. “What did you say?” Tim demanded as Elsa paused to catch her breath.
    “I said I hadn’t heard and Alice suggested that he call and find out. The man said he had tried but hadn’t be able to get through. Then he shrugged and said that he just thought he’d ask someone local since he was from out of town and had heard some time ago about tours. He remarked that he had a chair from the factory and thought it might be interesting to see how the factory operated. Alice and I said we were sorry we couldn’t help and then the man walked off.”
    “Wow!” breathed Matt. “That might be a break.”
    “Or it might mean nothing,” Selena observed.
    “True,” Elsa nodded, “But there was something about the man. Something almost familiar.”
    “Like you’d seen him before?” Tim was in danger of toppling head first into the front seat until Matt gave him a little shove back.
    Elsa looked thoughtful. “Almost, but I can’t think of where.”
    “It wasn’t Aaron Burr, was it?” Matt asked quickly.
    But Elsa shook her head. “No. I don’t think I’ve seen the man before, maybe he just looks like someone else.”
    When Elsa finished talking, there was a pause and the sounds of outside could be heard. Then Selena touched Matt’s shoulder. “You started to say something about school when Elsa came.”
    “Well, I don’t think it was anything, but I guess at this point it’s hard to tell what is important and what isn’t.”
    “What did you hear, Matt?” Tim begged, while Elsa turned questioning eyes on him.
    “Mr. Tompkins mentioned Hong Kong in social studies, but it was in relation to our lesson and—” Matt shrugged. “I made a note of it along with my other notes from class and I’ll mention it to Guy. But if we’re going to visit him tonight we’ll have to get those things picked up for Dad.”
    Elsa started the car and the others settled back. It was a silent drive to the store a few blocks away. The items on the list were quickly purchased and, though each one of the quartet kept a sharp watch for any word or face that might offer a clue to the FBI agent who was hiding in their cabin, they saw and heard nothing. It wasn’t until they were driving back home again that Tim spoke.
    “Say Matt, suppose Mr. Tompkins was giving a signal to some of the students in your class.”
    Matt turned and looked back at his brother. “What kind of a signal? For what? And which kids in my class would be involved in anything illegal?”
    “I don’t know. It was just a thought I had.”
    “It’s not a bad one,” Elsa remarked. “But I don’t think Mr. Tompkins would be involved in anything wrong.”
    “I wish we could take the car to the cabin tonight,” Matt muttered almost to himself as Elsa flipped on the blinker to turn into their lane. “It’s going to be dark by the time we get home and we’ve also got homework to do.”
    Elsa nodded. “I was thinking the same thing.”
    “Should we go in the morning?” Selena asked.
    “If we only had the brief mention in school to pass on, I’d say wait, but with the info Elsa has . . .” Matt turned to look at his siblings as the car stopped. “What do the rest of you think?”
    “I think we should go tonight,” Tim said.
    “I do too,” Elsa agreed and Selena nodded.
    “All right then. Let’s get inside and find out when we can go.”
    Mrs. Graham said it was all right with her if the quartet headed off for a while as long as homework was done before bed and it wasn’t too late when they got back. “But check with your dad first,” she told them.
    “You go, Matt,” Elsa urged. “You got Dad to agree to the three of you staying home when Guy was sick.”
    “Yeah, go ask,” Tim agreed.
    Matt smiled. “All right. But he’d probably agree if any of us asked.”
    When the question was put to him, Mr. Graham looked thoughtful for a moment. “Tell you what, Matt, I have to drive out to the Lashley place this evening to drop off some papers. If I were to leave now and take the long way there, I could drop you all off at the cabin and then pick you up on the way back. That way we all ought to be back before supper, leaving plenty of time to get your homework done.”
    “Would you, Dad? That would be great! We really need to see Guy and tell him some things. Of course we don’t know if they are important or not, but it’s something.”
    Mr. Graham nodded. “Then let’s go.”

    When Mr. Graham stopped the truck a little ways down the road from the cabin, there was not a speck of light to be seen through the trees, and Matt grabbed a flashlight from the truck. “Do you all want me to wait and make sure he’s still there?” Mr. Graham asked.
    “No thanks, Dad,” Matt replied quietly. “If he’s not there, we’ll head back home and call the Lashley’s and tell you. It’s not dark yet and I’m sure we’d make it back before it was too dark. But I’m sure he’s there. Where else would he be?”
    Mr. Graham didn’t reply but watched in silence as the Quartet began making their way towards what appeared to be a dark and deserted cabin.
    “What if he’s not there?” Tim whispered.
    “Then we’ll head home,” Matt promised softly, adding as he felt Selena grab his arm and noticed the slight trembling of her hand, “he has to make it look like no one lives there, remember.”

Do you think Guy is there?

Is there anything important about what Matt heard today?

Who is that man who talked with Elsa?

Any ideas for me?