Bee All and End All by Ellen Riggs

Author:Ellen Riggs [Riggs, Ellen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-03-21T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Iwaited till Thelma steered the bookmobile onto the main road before grumbling, “I didn’t get a thing out of those guys. They ganged up on me.”

“To keep you safe,” she said, accelerating gradually. “For Kellan and Asher.”

“Who’ve been talking smack about me to complete strangers. Honestly, I expected more of Kellan.” Keats mumbled from my lap. “Asher, not so much.”

She adjusted her kerchief for maximum coverage as I opened the window. “The bees are safe and that’s the most important thing, right?”

“Definitely. Travis can give them a good home. He has a secure bee yard and is well able to defend them. But we have no idea why the swarms ended up near Jay’s house and many colonies are still missing. Including Bernice’s family. They can’t be too far away. When bees leave their hive they usually don’t fly more than a mile before gathering. The police might be able to find all the others if they act quickly. Otherwise, the thief could get on the road to California.”

“It can’t be easy to find a safe space for that many hives,” Thelma said. “Regardless, we didn’t leave empty-handed. Sometimes things are said over a pot of tea and an exchange of classic books.”

A grin spread over my face as I turned to look at her. “You got a lead from Binty?”

“Possibly. We were talking about the neighbors and she mentioned there are several vacant lots in the area. One property belonged to BiBi Adcock, who passed away last year.” She waited a beat and added, “Her maiden name was Bouchard.”

“Bouchard! As in Kayla Bouchard, before she slimmed that down to the initial, ‘B’? Was this her grandmother?”

“I believe BiBi was the sister of Kayla’s grandfather. If it hasn’t been sold, the property is still in the family and your old classmate, Kayla, may have chosen to hide the hives there.”

“Why would Kayla need to steal and hide the bees when Tammi was giving them to her anyway? Unless Tammi changed her mind at the last minute and Kayla wanted them more than she let on.”

“Questions we can’t answer today, I’m afraid.”

I ran my hands over Keats, feeling the energy percolating under his sleek fur. He was primed for more action. “How about we drive in that direction and see if Keats can find more swarms? He knows exactly what to look for, now.”

“Where’s your little bee friend?” Thelma asked.

“Not sure.” It was true, but I had given her the opportunity to fly into the back of the van with the books. There was mesh screen between the library and the cab, so I wasn’t worried about the bee joining us up front.

Thelma piloted the bookmobile around the next bend and then turned off into a lane that initially looked too grown over for the big vehicle. Rolling the window down, I peered up and saw plenty of branches that had been recently bent or broken. We weren’t the first to force our way through.

Keats panted heavily on my lap. It felt like more than the usual excitement.

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