LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

The rest of the Spring was uneventful much to my pleasure.  Bob and I spent quite abit of time together both at my place and at his place.I had many nice visits with the Fishbacks and we learned a great deal from each other, supposedly.  Bob brought home a very good report card for him.  Three C's , two B's and One A.  I confided to them that I had told Bobby about puberty as he asked me every question imaginable.  They seemed relieved as they said they didn't feel adequate even though they knew the answers. I told them that Bobby had asked me about masterbation as his friends were discovering it one by one.  Again, they seemed grateful.  Now, the long hot Summer lay ahead, except, in the Los Angeles basin, June was mostly grey and cool with day after day of "June Gloom" which was a persistant Marine layer that came in from off the ocean and persisted for days at a time.  They had asked me details about my childhood home and my parents, and I knew why.  I had prepared for that possibility and had worked up a story about the Key family from Pennsylvania.  After all, I was Robert E. Key !   Also, we got into a conversation about Sarah Henry who had mysteriously disappeared several  weeks before. He told me that the old lady was very senile and walked around the back yard at night alot.  He also told me that one night when he took the trash out, he found her in his back yard and peering through Bob's bedroom window.  He had a talk with her Son and he was so sorry and put a lock on the gate between his yard and the Fishbacks. My Father had never told me that. Her  husband died and she became too confused to live alone.  That was the reason for the gate.  My Father bought the house from a Dorr family, so the Henry's must have lived there before the Dorrs.   He was very skeptical about the Son's story about Sarah's disappearance and went so far as to say he thought foul play was envolved.  The Police detectives also thought so and were conducting an investigation including keeping their eye on Bobby to see if he might know something that he needed to tell them.  I also learned the police  were gathering facts for a hearing to be scheduled.  Bobby came  home from his paper route and was glad to see me.  He invited me to his room for another visit in private !   He wanted me to listen to the HAM radio operators on his old radio with him.  He fiddled around with the dial until he picked one up.   "CQ  CQ CQ 20 Meters,  This is W5 ARM  in Plainview Texas calling CQ.   Pretty soon, W5 caught a fish....."  Yes W5ARM,  this is W6 JRK in Highway Highlands California...loud an clear,  Im running a Collins KW with a Telerex beam...Over,,,"  We spent a little time fishing around and he said he could pick up KOMA in Oklahoma City late at night when the bounce was good.  Then he decided to fire up his Buddha incense burner.  He likedSandalwood Incense.  He told me he had to pee and excused himself.  I was his guest, but I just wondered because I can't remember when I started .....to......so I looked under his bed and there was a crusty handerchief pushed away from mama's sweeper or probing eyes.  So, the little twerp had come of age.   He returned and I told him I needed to go home, but I wanted to have a serious talk and I wanted him to tell me the truth.  "Bob, is there any thing you know about Sarah Henry that you need to tell me?"   He said "Mr. Key, I am afraid.  I saw something one night when I was sleeping in the shed....there were noises coming from her house...like someone hammering something.  There was alot of going out and going in their back door. Someone was shoveling dirt....I heard a loud thud...don't you tell anybody....I will never trust you again" I reminded Bob that the detectives had looked over everything inside and out and if there was anything that looked suspicious, they would have found it.  I also told him that his Father had told me that he had been suspended from school for one week because he told one of his teachers that she had a nice butt.  He grinned and said "Yes I did that, and you know why......she had a nice butt and I thought it was a compliment.  I was shocked that I was expelled.  He went on about how exciting it would be if her Son had buried her in the back yard,  I asked him if he would like to see a very special flying machine.  He started nailing me with questiuons about it.  I told him to wait until tomorrow and I would show it to him, maybe even give him a ride in it.  He got very excited and said he could not wait.  We parted company, realizing I had opened a door that I could no longer close.  (to be continued)