Mango Bob, page 15
“As it stands right now, Boston PD thanks you for the video, but unless something else comes up, you're out of it.”
I smiled, “Good. The last thing I need is to be involved in a murder investigation.”
“One question – can I tell Molly about this? She's the person back at the plant who sold me the motorhome. She took the calls from Tucker and spoke to the Boston detective. She's pretty worried about the whole thing.”
Jack shook his head, “No, don't tell Molly. The fewer people who know, the easier it will be to investigate.”
Jack and I continued our walk, marveling at the great Florida weather and all the wildlife in the park.
If this was any indication of what living in Florida was going to be like, sign me up for more!
We eventually got back to the park cafe, and ordered breakfast. Eggs, toast, sausage and orange juice.
“Where's Jean this morning? I thought she might be joining us.”
“She said she wanted to sleep in. But I'm guessing she just wanted to give us some guy time.”
I nodded, “So Jack, what's the best way to get from here to Englewood?”
Jack brightened, “Most people would take 19 to Crystal River and then get on the Sunshine Parkway. That would take you through Tampa and across the Skyway bridge. Then back onto I-75 to the Englewood exit.”
“Personally, I don't like that route. Too much traffic in Tampa, and the winds on the Skyway bridge can be a bit much for a motorhome.
“So what I do is get on I-75 at Crystal River. That way you avoid the congestion through Tampa. And from there, you stay on I-75 all the way to the Englewood exit.
“It's about a five hour drive to Englewood from here - assuming no major traffic tie-ups on I-75.”
Jack stood, “Jean and I will be leaving in about half an hour. Headed toward Venice. We probably won't see you again on this trip.
“Call me if anything comes up. Or just call me if you get bored. Either way stay in touch.
“And don't dare leave without saying goodbye to Jean.”
We finished our breakfast, and headed back to our campsites. Jack's was closest, and as we approached, Jean came out of the motorhome and said, “Don't you dare leave without giving me a hug!”
She walked up and gave me a big squeeze and said, “I don't know if Jack told you, but meeting you has made this trip one of our best so far. Jack got to play detective, and I got to play with Bob.
“We'll be in Venice, which is only about eight miles north of Englewood. After you get settled in, give us a call and we'll get together.
“Promise you'll call us if anything comes up. Or if you need someone to talk to. We will have plenty of time on our hands, and we'd love to hear from you.”
“I promise. I've got both your phone numbers and email addresses, and I promise to stay in touch.”
With that, Jean hugged me again, Jack shook my hand, and I headed back to my campsite thinking about how lucky I had been to meet these people back at the campground in Arkansas, that first day I had the Love Bus.
Seemed like a long time ago. But it had been just four days.
46
When I got back to the Love Bus, I programmed the route Jack had suggested into my GPS. Then I checked on Bob and started preparing for the trip.
After closing all the windows, I went back outside, disconnected from shore power and made sure the utility compartment was tidy and locked. Then did a final walk around the coach to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything.
Bob watched with interest from his perch on the back of the couch.
The final thing on my checklist was to call Molly's sister in Englewood, let her know I'd be arriving today.
I dug through my wallet and found the card Molly had given me. Her sister's name was Sarah. And she worked at Dolphin Adventure Tours, on Mango street in Old Englewood Florida.
I dialed her number. After three rings a woman answered, “Dolphin Adventure Tours, how can I help you.”
“Sarah?”
“No, Sarah is out on the water this morning. I'm Becky.”
“Becky, this is Walker. I've got Sarah's cat, and I'll be in Englewood this afternoon.”
“Oh that's great! Sarah said she was hoping you'd be here today. She told me to tell you that when you get here, park in front of the building on the street.
“If she's not back when you arrive, hang around till she returns. She has a morning and an afternoon tour today and should be back around four thirty.
“She's really excited about this. She's been talking about it all weekend.”
“That's good to know.
“Becky, while I've got you the phone, I've got a question.
“I'm kind of new at driving this motorhome and want to avoid heavy city traffic. Will I have any problem getting into Englewood or getting it parked?”
She laughed, “You've never been to Englewood have you? This is a small town of about six thousand people. Most of them live on the other side of the county.
“There won't be much traffic no matter what time of day you get here, and you won't have any problem parking in front of our office.
“Just be careful driving on I-75. Lots of idiots out there.
“Once you get on Old Englewood road, things slow way down. In fact, you're likely to see more people riding bikes than driving cars.
“If you run into any problems, give me a call. I'm Sarah's answering service and live a few doors down from the office.”
I thanked Becky for her help. Told her I'd probably be there around three and looked forward to seeing Englewood.
We said our goodbyes and disconnected.
It was time to drive the final leg of the trip.
I started the coach, let the motor warm up a few minutes, rechecked all the doors and windows and pulled out of the campsite.
It took about 15 minutes to get from the campground back to highway 19. Then a three hour drive to Crystal Springs where I got back on I-75.
Driving on I-75 was far different than the slow unhurried pace of the back roads I'd been on. The speed limit on I-75 was 70, but most of the cars were doing at least 75. Many were going quite a bit faster than that.
I kept the motorhome in the right lane, set the cruise control to sixty five, and just ignored the cars, motorcycles and trucks speeding by.
As Jack had predicted, it took three hours to reach the Englewood exit. Due to the traffic and crazy drivers, those were the most stressful hours of the entire trip.
Taking the Englewood exit, I left the craziness of I-75 behind and found myself on a two lane road bordered by palm trees and rolling pastures.
Tropical birds flew between the trees, and white sand patches hinted of the nearby beaches.
This was more like what I was expecting.
47
I followed the two lane road toward Englewood. Almost no traffic, and no signs of civilization other than the surprisingly well kept road.
Eventually I came to a 'Welcome to Englewood' sign, and almost immediately, signs of small town life appeared.
A church, a post office, and a row of small well kept homes. At the first stoplight, the road to the left led south to Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda. The road to the right led to Venice. Places I'd want to visit in the future.
Two miles further in, I came to the second stoplight. A large Publix grocery store on the right. A Walgreen's pharmacy on the left. And straight ahead, Old Englewood Village on Dearborn Street.
The GPS instructed me to continue onto Dearborn street for two hundred yards, then turn left onto Mango Street.
As I turned onto Mango, the GPS announced I had reached my destination. I pulled over and looked around.
On my left was the La Stanza restaurant, and on my right the Mango Bistro. Neither was the place I was looking for.
But further down the street, just beyond an overgrown lot, I saw a faded sign. Dolphin Adventure Tours.
I drove toward the sign and parked in front of an old block building. The sign on the door read, “Back at four.”
It was now three. I had made good time and was early. I would have to wait to meet Sarah.
In the back, Bob was asleep on the bed, one paw over his eyes.
He didn't know it yet, but he was home. His days of riding shotgun in the Love Bus were over.
But my days of living in a house on wheels were just getting started.
48
Twenty minutes later, a white Toyota truck towing a trailer with eight kayaks pulled to the curb.
A woman was driving. Sarah.
She stepped out of the truck, turned toward the motorhome and waved. I waved back.
She was about five foot four. Wearing a bright orange fishing shirt, faded cargo shorts and tennis shoes.
Dark blue ball cap on her head, pony tail out the back.
Walking toward the Love Bus.
I opened the coach door and stepped out.
“You must be Sarah.”
She smiled, “You must be Walker. Is Bob in there?”
“He is. Asleep in the back.”
“Good. Let's not wake him.
She pointed back to the truck, “I need to get these boats into the yard. Give me a hand.”
“OK, what do you need me to do?”
“I'm going to pull the truck into the boat-yard, and when I get it turned around, come up to the trailer.”
A six foot high, ivy covered chain link fence connected the Dolphin Tours building to a large lot. In the center of the fence, Sarah unlocked and swung open a 12 foot gate.
Then she got back into her truck, pulled through the gate and circled the lot, ending with the front of the truck facing the gate.
She got out and waved in my direction, “Don't just stand there. Give me a hand.”
When I got closer, Sarah pointed behind her, “I've been doing kayak tours all day. The kayaks get sand and salt on them. Got to wash them down.”
She walked back to the trailer, lifted it up off the hitch, swung it around and began pushing it toward the corner of the lot.
“You're going to just stand there while I move this trailer by myself?”
I laughed, “It looked like you knew what you were doing and I was enjoying the show. But since you asked so nicely, what can I do to help?”
“Grab the front of the trailer and pull it over there by the wall. By the water hoses.”
I picked up the trailer. Not as heavy as it looked, which was good. Would have hated it if I couldn't have handled it as easily as Sarah.
I pulled the trailer toward the wall, stopping when Sarah said, “That's good.”
“Now grab a sponge out of that bucket. And stand back while I hose the boats down.”
After she finished spraying, I grabbed a sponge and began wiping the boats on my side of the trailer.
We worked in silence. Sponging the salt and sand off each of the boats.
Finally Sarah said, “That's good. Stand back while I give them a final rinse.”
When she was done, she wiped her right hand on her pants, then reached out to me and said, “Let's start over. I'm Sarah.”
I shook her hand. “Just call me Walker.”
“Okay, Walker it is.”
She pointed behind me, “Everything within the fenced-in area is part of the old boat yard. I rent it and the building next door from Audrey Snyder.
“When it was a boat-yard, they had a night watchman who lived in a airstream trailer over there in the corner. He and the trailer are both long gone. But the power, water, and a sewer connection are still there.
“If you want, you can park your motorhome over there for the time being. But before you do, I've got some rules. You either agree to them or park somewhere else.”
“I'm listening.”
“No smoking in the boat-yard. No drinking in the boat-yard. No visitors unless I'm notified first. No other vehicles in the boat-yard. Keep the gate locked at all times. No loud stereos. And you can't do anything to call attention to being camped back here.”
She paused, apparently waiting for me to answer.
“Okay, I can agree to that.”
“One final rule. If I say it's time for you to pack up and move on, you go. No argument.
“Understood?”
I nodded, “Understood.”
Sarah continued, “It's nothing personal. But I don't know anything about you. You might be the greatest guy in the world. Or just another loser I don't need in my life.
“Better to get the rules straight before we go any further.”
I nodded, “I understand completely. Having rules will make it easier for both of us.”
Sarah continued, “Now that that's settled, let's get your RV in here.
“Pull in through the gate, then turn it around and back it up into the far corner over there. That's where the trailer hookups are.”
Without waiting for me to respond, Sarah walked to her truck and moved it out of the way so I could pull the motorhome through the gate.
I brought the motorhome in slowly, being careful not to hit anything. After I got it turned around, I lined up with the chain link fence on the far side, and started backing up.
Sarah guided me in. “To the right, OK, come on. Slow, slow. Stop.”
“That's good. Perfect.”
I put it in park and shut down the motor. Then I stepped out of the driver's door and walked over to Sarah.
She said, “Fits in pretty good. The neighbors will never know you're here.”
“Sarah, I really appreciate you letting me park here for a few days. I'm be happy to pay.”
She shook her head, “Nope, you're not going to pay to park here. But I might ask you to help me with a few chores. ”
I smiled, “Whatever you want, just let me know.”
She smiled, “I bet after four days on the road, you'd like a home cooked meal.”
I agreed, “Yeah, that sounds pretty good.”
Sarah continued, “Sounds good to me too. But I don't cook. So we're going to eat out tonight.”
A take charge kind of girl. I liked that.
I said, “Okay, as long as you drive. ”
Sarah replied, “No problem. I don't mind driving, but you're buying.”
I smiled, “Fine with me. You pick the spot, and I'll pick up the tab.”
There was a few moments of awkward silence.
I spoke up, “Hey, are you ready for Bob?”
Sarah shook her head, “No, not yet. I need to set up a space for him inside. And before I do that, I want to go in, take a shower. Get into some clean clothes.”
Sarah pointed at the building behind us, “I live in the back of the office. That's my private place, and it's off limits to you.
“I'm going in to clean up. I'll meet you back out here around five.”
Sarah pointed toward the street, “While I'm inside, close that gate and do whatever you need to do to hook up your motorhome.”
“See you at five.”
She went in the side door of her office, leaving me alone in the yard.
49
I closed and locked the gate. Walked back to the Love Bus and connected to shore power and city water. I didn't bother connecting up the sewer. I'd leave that for some other day.
Inside, I checked on Bob. He was still sleeping. Hadn't touched his food since earlier in the day.
As I started thinking about what I would wear for my 'home cooked meal' with Sarah, my phone chimed.
It was Molly.
“Hi Molly, What's up?”
“Just checking to see if you made it to Sarah's place yet.”
“I got here a few minutes ago. Met Sarah and helped her wash down her kayaks.”
“So,” Molly said, “What do you think?”
I said, “About what?”
Molly answered, “Sarah. What do you think about Sarah?”
“Molly, I just met Sarah a few minutes ago. What am I supposed to think? She's nice looking, likes to take charge. Gave me a set of rules I must obey or else. Other than that, I can't tell you much.”
