#7: Counting Blue Cars

[00:00:44] Speaker A: Edith pulled into the parking lot of Corners Market, easing into her usual spot near the cart return. The engine gave a tired sigh as she shifted into park. Then a flare of red and blue splashed across her rearview mirror, staining the world in something urgent, something wrong. A police cruiser flying sirens screaming, tires biting into gravel. A furious streak of metal and authority. Hickory Bend wasn't a fast moving place. Nothing here moved like that. Not the people, not the air, not even time itself. She wasn't the only one who noticed. Heads turned. Conversation stalled. A couple of old timers near the entrance paused mid spit, their wad of chew hanging on their bottom lips like they'd forgotten what to do with it. Something had happened. Something big. Edith cut the engine, gathered her purse, and stepped out of the car. She barely made it a few steps before she heard that voice. What do you think that's about? Edith sighed. [00:01:57] Speaker B: Margaret Wheeler. [00:01:59] Speaker A: Fiery red hair, a mouth that never rested, and a long history of getting under Edith's skin like an old splinter that never quite worked its way out. Edith turned, already setting her jaw. [00:02:13] Speaker B: Morning, Margaret. [00:02:15] Speaker A: Margaret wasn't one for pleasantries. She leaned in, eyes sharp with interest. I bet it's got to do with the Harley boy. Edith raised an eyebrow. [00:02:25] Speaker B: Bo? Margaret nodded. [00:02:27] Speaker A: You know those college kids. Always up to no good. I heard he's back for winter break. Maybe he got himself in a mess. Edith gave a small shake of her head, shifting her purse higher on her shoulder. That doesn't mean anything. Could be anything. [00:02:45] Speaker B: Margaret smirked. [00:02:48] Speaker A: Maybe. But you and I both know nothing this exciting ever happens around here without a reason. Edith frowned, stealing a glance in the direction the police cruiser had disappeared. This town was peaceful without him for a few months. Margaret wailed, arms crossed like she was about to deliver a sermon. No rowdy fights, no car wheels screeching through parking lots. No drag races at the old mill. Just peace and quiet like the good Lord intended. Edith exhaled through her nose, already regretting this conversation. I don't recall Hickory Ben suddenly turning in a Mayberry while he was gone. [00:03:32] Speaker B: Margaret scoffed. Oh, please. You can't tell me things weren't better. Edith adjusted her purse strap, eyes narrowing. I seem to remember your nephew getting picked up last month for knocking over a stop sign while trying to impress that waitress from the diner. Margaret's lips pressed into a thin line. That was an accident. Oh, sure. Edith nodded. Just like that time your brother in law accidentally stole two cases of beer from the gas station because he forgot he loaded them into the truck. Margaret's eyes flashed, but she Recovered quick. You always did have a smart mouth, Edith. The two women stared at each other for a long moment, a silent battle of wills playing out right there in the corner's market parking lot. This wasn't their first round, and it sure as hell wouldn't be their last. Finally, Margaret huffed, shifting her weight. All I'm saying is that boy's nothing but trouble. And if the police are already running around town with their sirens blaring, I'd bet money he's got something to do with it. Guess we'll find out soon enough, she muttered. Margaret smirked. Oh, I know we will. Edith turned, ready to escape already halfway through her mental list of groceries, milk, bread, coffee. Something Bernard wouldn't complain about for dinner. She was almost free then Margaret opened her mouth again. I heard he got some girl pregnant at school. Edith stopped mid step. Margaret scoffed, shaking her head like a preacher condemning sin from the pulpit. Kids these days. No morals. Fornication before marriage. It's disgusting. Edith closed her eyes for a brief merciful second. She should have kept walking. Should have just let Margaret marinate in her own brand of righteous indignation and gone about her business. But no. She turned back around slowly, staring Margaret down. You mean like your cousin Debbie? The one who mysteriously went to visit family for nine months? Margaret's face twitched. That was different. Oh, of course it was. Edith nodded, crossing her arms. And your sister Karen, the one who got married in March and had a full term baby by July? Margaret pursed her lips. That was a miracle. Edith let out a short, humorless laugh. Yeah, I bet it was. Margaret sniffed. It's still disgusting. No self control. Edith tilted her head, giving her the same skeptical look she gave Bernard when he swore he was just resting his eyes and not taking a two hour nap. Margaret, she said, voice patient. Weren't you the one who had a youthful indiscretion with Dale Hardy behind the bowling ALLEY Back in 58? Margaret's face flashed red. That is not the same thing. Edith smirked. Oh, right, because nobody got pregnant. Just an indiscretion. Margaret squared her shoulders, adjusting her purse strap. [00:06:59] Speaker A: Edith thought about the police cruiser again, the way it tore through town like something urgent, something serious. For once she didn't have a comeback. Cause maybe Margaret wasn't entirely wrong. Beau Harley. He wasn't a golden child. Far from it. A little too fast, a little too wild. The kind of boy who looked like trouble before he even opened his mouth. [00:07:26] Speaker B: Not Edith's cup of tea. [00:07:28] Speaker A: She hadn't liked him much when he was younger and that opinion solidified two years ago when he was a junior in high school and roughed up her nephew behind the football field. Busted his lip, gave him a black eye, and for what? A stupid argument about a girl? A bad joke. Something so minor that to this day her nephew still refused to talk about it. Bo never apologized, never looked twice in her direction when she ran into him at the gas station or the grocery store. Like the whole thing had never even happened. That was the kind of boy he was, the kind who did what he wanted and walked away like it didn't matter. So if the police were racing through Hickory Bend and Bo Harley's name was already being thrown around, Edith had a bad feeling. She tightened her grip on her purse and turned back toward the store without saying another word to Margaret Wheeler. As she stepped into the grocery store, the automatic doors exhaled a breath of cold fluorescent air. Edith barely noticed. Her mind had drifted elsewhere, drifted to Bernard. He'd been off this morning, not in any obvious way, just a hair out of place. A note played slightly out of tune. Bernard had his routines as steady and unchanging as the Foxfire River. He moved with the current, let it carry him through the quiet corners of the day. But today something had disrupted the flow. Their conversation and breakfast had been clipped words landing a beat too late, his voice thinner, stretched. Bernard had always been like that, a little distant, a little elsewhere. But this morning he felt removed, like he wasn't quite Bernard at all. Whatever it was, it could wait. Edith exhaled, rolling her shoulders, shaking off the unease like a coat too heavy for the season. Bernard had his moods. Always had, always would. She turned her attention back to her grocery list. The ink smudged slightly from where her thumb had pressed too hard. Bread, milk, canned peaches. Ordinary things, solid things, things that made sense. Bernard could wait. [00:10:03] Speaker B: For now. [00:10:04] Speaker A: There were aisles to walk and shelves to scan, the quiet hum of the store wrapping around her like a half remembered song. [00:10:11] Speaker B: It's just another day in Hickory Bend, she told herself. The police sirens were inconsequential, didn't mean anything. And if Bo Harley was involved, it didn't matter. She had things to do, a life to maintain. Again, it's just another day in Hickory Bend. [00:11:00] Speaker A: Sa.