11
After trudging into the factory, Bing clocked in, still mulling over his dream. Fez had returned. Great. Just what he needed.
Before the shift started a county sheriff’s deputy came into the room. “I’m looking for Fez Ponderosa.”
Bing pointed to the taller man.
Fez spied the deputy, dropped his hard hat, and tried to run past the officer to get to the door.
Bing stuck out his foot, tripping the man.
Fez fell to his knees.
The officer slapped on handcuffs.
“What’s going on?” Herb came out of his office. “He just returned from a suspension.”
Fez was struggling to his feet with the assistance of the deputy. “I didn’t do nothing!” he bellowed.
The officer read Fez his rights and led him away without divulging any details.
Fez spouted negative imprecations against the officer and everyone else as they departed.
The factory became eerily quiet.
Herb glanced at Bing and Puck.
“I haven’t got a clue, boss,” Bing said. Had the man bothered Gigget again? If she got law enforcement involved, that was a good thing.
Puck shrugged.
The bell chimed, and the men scattered to their workstations.
Bing focused on his own tasks.
When the lunch bell sounded they all headed to the cafeteria.
Puck leaned forward as he unwrapped his sandwich. “I heard he was bothering Gigget again,” he whispered.
Bing’s heart hurt at the thought. Should he call her to make sure she was OK? Lord, help her be all right, please. “We really shouldn’t talk about it, Puck. It’s not right.”
His friend nodded. “I guess I’m bored. I do the same task all day long. Don’t you get bored with that?”
“It’s not a mindless task, Puck. Doing quality work can ensure the safety of the customers who purchase this. Imagine happy families enjoying life without a care because you did your job.”
Puck frowned. “I guess I never thought of it that way. Is that all you think about while you work?”
Bing shook his head. “Nah, often I pray or sing a worship song in my head. Colossians 3:2 says, ‘Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.’ I don’t want to speculate about Mr. Ponderosa. I do pray for Gigget and the children as well as you and others. And sometimes humming a worship song makes the day go faster. I can repeat a song or sing a new one. I never grow tired of worshipping God.”
“I’ll have to try that. Thanks, buddy.”
“You’re welcome. Say, I got orders to deploy. I leave next week.”
Puck dropped his sandwich. “What? Before Thanksgiving and Christmas? How long?”
“No clue. It’s possible I’ll be home by Christmas Eve but there are no promises with unrest around the world.”
“Will you text or write? Keep me up to date with how you’re doing?”
“Sure, if I’m able. I’ll ask Gigget if I can text or write to her as well. Or email. Whatever is easier for her.” Bing bundled up his garbage and took a healthy swig of water.
“May the romance between you bloom,” Puck said. “I’m taking Tawyn out Friday night. Maybe we should double date?”
“We haven’t really even had a first date yet. Not sure about a double one. Besides, I’m not sure Gigget likes me.” Bing’s cheeks grew warm.
“Not like you? After all you’ve done for her? How could she not like you?”
“Well, you know how it is. Some women don’t want to date after a loss. Besides, someone is sending me unsigned letters threatening to send damaging information about me to my friends here. I suspect it’s Sharlie. She was pretty nasty when she left.”
“Why would she pay attention to you after how she treated you…and why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because it’s just a hunch. Whoever it is doesn’t sign them. They are postmarked from different states. When I looked up one address it was the CIA, another one was from the Department of Immigration, and a third was from some obscure National Park. I can’t prove it’s her.”
“If it is Sharlie, she wouldn’t send anything to Gigget, would she?”
“Why would she? We’re not dating.” Bing asked, suddenly filled with dread that it might be possible.
Puck shrugged. He picked up his garbage and rose. “Did you tell the police about the threats? That’s a federal offense to send threatening letters through the mail.”
“I haven’t, but maybe I should. What does it matter though? Whoever it is could send something to someone else, and it could go on from there. Of course, if anyone believes the lies written in those letters, well, that person doesn’t really know me very well and probably isn’t a friend to me.” Bing tossed his garbage and put on his hard hat. They entered the factory area as the bell rang. “Back to work.”
~*~
Dear Ms. Wicket,
You are in a sticky wicket to be sure, having a relationship with Bingle Twinkle.
It’d be a shame if something happened to your cute little dilapidated shack. I was surprised not to find chickens in the yard. I like chicken. You really should prune back your bushes before winter. Given the vastness of your garden I would have thought you’d know that. That rusty old truck of yours is an eyesore. Probably good that you keep it in the garage where no one can see it.
Stay away from Bing. He still pines after his first wife who is far prettier than you. He’s a vile man who will do nothing but hurt you. He is definitely someone not to trust, especially around children. He despises them and can be viscous. Those big mitts of his can do a lot of damage. Beware!
This is a friendly warning to avoid any contact with Ring-a-ding-Bing. You’ll only get hurt and so will your children. I have been on your property and with the remoteness of it I could do many things without anyone knowing who did it.
He’s not worth your time. Leave him alone, or else. Trust me. I can be creative in seeking retribution if you disobey this letter.
The Phantom
Gigget had no idea who would send such a vicious message. The letter was typed. The handwritten return address was from Pennsylvania and the postage stamping was in Arkansas. Who sent it? It couldn’t be Fez, could it? She picked up the phone on her lunch break to call Lulu. Lord, be with me and protect my children. “.
“Hey, Lu, you got a few minutes?” Gigget asked.
“Sure, what’s shaking?” Lulu asked.
“Me, from top to bottom. I got a letter last night. I didn’t look at it until this morning. I don’t know who it’s from and it says some horrible things about Mr. Twinkle. It threatens that if I have any further communication with him there will be dire consequences.”
“Who sent it?”
“No clue.”
“You need to go to the police about that. Sending threatening letters is against the law,” Lulu said.
“There’s more. She tells me she’s been on my property and mentions things one could only know if they were physically here.”
“Nothing’s shown up on the camera?”
“No, unfortunately that doesn’t capture the driveway or the garage. Someone could sneak around without triggering the front or back cameras as long as they stayed on that side of the house.”
“Go to the police. Listen, I can pick up the kids from school. You go straight to the police station to make your report.”
“Do I tell Bing about this?” Gigget asked.
“Do you believe the bad stuff in the letter?” Lulu asked.
“Not at all. It’s obvious the person is mentally ill, paranoid, or even worse…evil.”
“We need to be praying, don’t we?” Lulu said.
“Yes.”
“Let me do that right now. Lord, You know all that’s going on behind the scenes beyond what we cannot see. Please protect Gigget and the children and clear Bing’s name of the false accusations someone is spreading about him. Let justice be done and help us to forgive this individual.”
“Forgive? I hadn’t even thought of that. Guess I need to do more praying. Lunch break’s almost up. I need to get back to work. Thanks for being there and picking up the children. I will go to the police when I’m done with my shift.”
“Good. Try to relax and have a good rest of your day. I’ll be praying.” LuLu disconnected the call.
Gigget set the phone on her desk and returned to her computer screen. She still had a lot of work to do. Focus. Please help me focus. And Lord, protect Bing, please .
~*~
Bing stopped off at home for a quick shower and to change his clothing. He spied a manila envelope by the mailbox and opened it. Another anonymous threatening letter. He glanced up to the camera that covered the front entry way and knocked on the manager’s door.
“Bing, how are you?”
Bing tapped the envelope in his hand. “Good afternoon, Mr. Gostburger. This letter was dropped off, and there’s no identification on it. Do you have any video from when it might have happened?”
“Sure, come on in. I recall when it happened because I let the woman in.” He went to his computer and sat down. After a few clicks he had the image on the screen.
“Can I get a photo of that with the time stamp? I think I need to go to the police.”
“Sure thing. Anything I can do to help?”
“Never let her in the building again,” Bing said.
The manager handed him the photo.
Bing shook his head. After all she’d put him through, why now? “Thanks. I really appreciate it.” Bing headed to his apartment. He was already planning to go to the police. Could she be charged with stalking?