Last Time: Brock Daniels beamed at the sudden change in Cody's attitude and thought to himself, "Well, it's about time, Little Man. Glad to have you back to your old self again."


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Sheriff Daniels adored the little boy he found in Cody. He especially liked how his diamond blue eyes animated. All it required was a little encouragement for him to light up like the Christmas tree in Central Park. A slight fist bump, or a gentle pat on the back, normally brought the impish grin to Cody's face his Dad treasured so much.

Arriving home late from the Pasta Fairre Italiano Ristorante, Cody spread his blanket out on the floor of the front porch of their house. In the heat of the summer, he slept much better under the twinkling stars of the West Texas sky. Sheriff Daniels allowed him to have his fun.

'Life's torments snatch children away much too soon,' the Sheriff thought to himself.

He understood Cody's abundant enthusiasm for being outside to catch the breaking light of day as it crept over the horizon. Red as the coals in a forge, the genesis of the morning illuminated Sullivan Lake. There weren't many more enjoyable sights in all of Astatula. This was also Sheriff Daniels' favorite time of the day.

He found serenity in listening to the mockingbirds trilling the arrival of a new dawn. The chaparral surrounding their property was kissed by the dew. Little rainbows appeared as the sun slowly touched its wetness. This was one of the many reasons Brock Daniels had hand-built his home on the outskirts of the small town so many years ago.

Reddish-gold light infiltrated the mesquite bushes. As the sun continued to rise, Sheriff Daniels could watch the bluffs south of town as they seemed to linger for a short while in the bluish hue. This morning, he had to step over the still snoring Cody.

'That boy could sleep through a Texas tornado,' he considered to himself.

Cody slept comfortably. The boy's favorite position appeared to be laying on his belly, with his face buried in the middle of his overstuffed pillow. The Sheriff could see this was one of those mornings when Cody was not going to arouse early or easily. He gave the boy a firm swat on the seat of his pajama-clad bottom and Cody's sleepy eyes popped wide opened.

Sounding very young, Cody whined, "Dad, I was having a dream."

"Your loss, Kiddo. Time to rise and shine. Beth will have breakfast on the table soon. All of your favorites including pancakes with blackberry syrup, ham, and scrambled eggs," his Dad informed him. Then, before entering through the front door of the residence, he reminded Cody, "Don't forget to feed Blazer before you come inside. He depends on you for his nourishment, you know. "

Cody tried to come alive. He gave a big yawn, stretched real good, and rose up off the blanket he'd spread out on. He reached down, picked the cover up and folded it into a neat square. That accomplished, he placed it on the wooden swing hanging from the roof of the screened-in porch.

His chore completed, Cody's bare feet patted back to the middle of the porch. He pushed open the screen door leading outside, and bounded down the three concrete stairs that placed him on the grass. As he rounded the corner of their home, and headed for the barn, he began whistling a happy rendition of "I've Been Working on the Railroad."

Blazer was nowhere around.

'The silly mutt probably went chasing the ring-necked pheasants and ruffed grouse again,' Cody proposed to himself as he popped open the lid on the wooden box that contained his amigol's fifty pound red bag of Ol' Roy dry dog food.

He scooped a bowl of kibbles out of the bag and shut the lid on the box. He set the bowl down on the floor of the barn. On the far wall hung an item Cody dreaded seeing. A memento of days gone by. Cody felt he'd outgrown its need. After all, he was twelve, going on thirteen in eleven more months.

On the other hand, his Dad wasn't so sure he'd agree with Cody's assessment of that particular situation. On those rare occasions when they occurred, if they needed to occur, the barn was definitely not one of Cody's most favorite short-term vacation spots. Nor was it meant to be. Such was the case the night before with Cody's wanton misbehavior at the restaurant. It hadn't been employed, but Cody knew it well could have been.

As soon as he placed the bowl of dog food on the ground, Blazer loped up from his morning run.

"If you're such a mighty hunter, why don't you ever bring any goodies back with you, puppy dog, and earn your keep once in a while?" he asked Blazer.

The dog produced a happy bark.

Cody checked his friend's water bowl. Teasingly, he questioned Blazer with, "You think I should give you something to drink, scrounge?"

Once again, Blazer barked agreement and wagged his tail in rapid succession.

"You are something else, boy!" Cody laughed as he filled the dog's water bowl. He kept a one gallon jug of the liquid in a small refrigerator in the barn for just such an auspicious occasion. "Now, it's my turn to eat. I'll see you later, alligator" he said.

Cody scratched Blazer's ears and headed out of the barn. Blazer was already into his food dish. Cody glanced down on the ground. It was then he noticed a small piece of cardstock laying beside the door he had not noticed upon entering the barn.

Curious as to what it may be, he bent down and picked the piece of paper up off the ground. Yellowed, and faded with age, it was a business card. Cody read the printing.

In bold black letters it said, "Earl Anthony Schroder, Handyman." His old Palo Pinto address, and telephone number, were printed in the bottom right corner of the card. Cody hadn't seen one of these business cards in several years.

Earl Anthony Schroder had struck again. This time, much too close to home for Cody. He knew he had to immediately show the card to Sheriff Daniels.


(To Be Continued:)


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Cast of Characters:

Cody Schroder - Blond munchkin and main character of the book.

Sheriff Brock Daniels - Long time Sheriff of Astatula and Cody's Dad.

Earl Anthony Schroder - Cody's biological sperm donor. Put Cody through ten years of hellacious physical, mental, and sexual abuse in Palo Pinto.

Blazer - Cody's Black Lab.

Chapter Word Count: 1,109

Book Word Count: 8,537