Hillbilly Mom, Possible Crime Chaser

You know my imagination runs wild, right? All kinds of wicked scenarios pop into my head when I observe something that seems a little bit off. You'd think I'd harness that untamed imagination, and train it to pull my fingers across New Delly's keyboard to write fiction. Alas. I cannot. I am not an imagination whisperer.

Here's the next best thing, though. I'll share my fears with you!

Friday, I left home to do the weekly errands of letter-mailing (with stamp-buying thrown in), T-Hoe gassing, and weekly-allowance-withdrawing. I was perhaps two miles from the Mansion, on the county blacktop road. It's a straight stretch, but riddled with little hills.

Up ahead, I could see a red pickup truck heading towards town. I noticed it, because Farmer H has SilverRedO. I knew it wasn't him, due to his Storage Unit Store schedule. I also saw a white vehicle closer to me, heading toward me. That's what I was really looking for, to be alert, in case a vehicle crests a little hill in the middle of the road. I'm always in my lane, but ready to jam on the brakes or veer off.

When I crested the last hill between us, I saw that the white vehicle was an actual mail Jeep. It was sitting at a mailbox, putting in mail. Fair enough. No collision today. I continued on my way. When I rounded some curves by the sheep field, and crested the last hill, heading down toward the eventual junction with the lettered highway to town...

I saw that Red Truck, parked on the wrong side of the road, at a stand of 4 mailboxes for some newer homes that have been built in the past several years. The Red Truck was pulling a little trailer. A gray sedan came into view, headed in the opposite direction of Red Truck and T-Hoe. Coming at us. Obeying the rules of the road.

First of all, WHY was that Red Truck going through a mailbox? If he lived there, wouldn't he turn into his own road?

Red Truck veered across the road and continued driving when he saw the gray sedan coming. I figured MAYBE he'd gotten his mail, and wanted to get out of the way.

By the time I got out onto the lettered highway to town, Red Truck was way out ahead of me. He must have been going really fast. I was curious. I sped up to 70 (shh...the speed limit is 55) to see if I could get a glimpse of his license plate. HOS (Farmer H's Oldest Son) has a little trailer like that parked in our field. I hadn't noticed if it was there or not when I left.

Second of all, WHO drives a pickup truck 70 miles an hour with a trailer attached? Was this guy up to no good? Try as I might, I was not gaining on him. He flew by the prison. Aha! Red Truck signaled to turn left on the road by Mick the Mechanic's shop, where I was also turning.

Third of all, WHEN Red Truck saw my turn signal in his mirror, he turned his off! And continued into town at that high rate of speed, right past the 45 mph speed limit sign.

I did what any respectable law-abiding (except for the momentary moving violation) Hillbilly Mom would do, and called Farmer H to tell him my observations.

"Don't you think that's weird? Do you think maybe Red Truck saw the mail Jeep go by him, and decided to look into people's mailboxes before they could get their mail? It just seems odd that he was coming from out by our area, and stopped at those mailboxes near the road to town. Plus taking off when he saw a car coming. Not to mention the speeding and deciding not to turn when he saw that I, his main witness, was turning!"

Farmer H agreed that something was not right with this scenario. I'll keep my eyes and ears out for any reports of trailer thievery or mail stealing. Red Ford pickup. Four door. Short bed.