Konocti Caves (Cobb Mt Mystery Series Book 3) Read online

  As Ron’s SUV backed out of the drive, Mrs. Capra gave one last wave and sank into a nearby chair. Heaving a deep sigh, and without thinking she reached for the locket that always hung from her neck; opening it she smiled wistfully at the photo smiling back at her.

  Having lost her husband before they could have children of her own Mrs. Capra had raised more than a dozen foster kids over the years; and had loved them all. She still received cards and letters from most of them; and was proud of the hundred percent success rate of her kids finding their way in life. A few even earned scholarships; and went on to college, and the professional world. Whether professional or blue collar- Mrs. Capra was proud of them all. They had all beaten the fifty/fifty odds of becoming homeless that foster children face.

  A frown fell upon her usually cheerful face. “So far…” she muttered. Mrs. Capra was worried about Little Jimmy. “Why did he have to come to me at this time? So late in my life,” the woman murmured out loud. She knew her patience was not what it used to be- let alone her energy. It was impossible for her to keep up with Jimmy- whose energy was endless. She loved that about him; and could see beyond the labels he came with. She knew Jimmy had more potential than any child she had raised. She just needed to find a way to help him channel his energy in a productive way. A sigh escaped her lips again as she drifted off to sleep, despite the dirty breakfast dishes waiting on the kitchen table. Lately it seemed like she was tired all the time; and couldn’t sit down without falling asleep.

  Ron put his SUV into third gear as he started up Glasgow Grade heading out of Lower Lake, overtaking and passing a gravel truck; then waited for the ‘Whoop!’ from Little Jimmy he knew it would bring. This time it was followed by “Hemi!” causing Ron to laugh. He loved how much Jimmy enjoyed riding in his SUV. He slowed and made a right turn on Point Lakeview Road towards Jago Bay and settled back for the dissertation that he knew was about to ensue. Sure enough Little Jimmy started giving the history of the mine as they passed it on the left; and pointing out geological markings, which led to a bubbling forth of newly acquired information about the lake and volcano.

  “We are driving on the rim of the crater!” He exclaimed barely able to contain himself. “I read that the entire lake is the crater of the volcano! I used to think it was the mountain; but the peaks were formed by lava… the crater is the lake…” Jimmy’s voice trailed off as they turned the corner and caught a glimpse of the lake. He stared at it for a few minutes giving Ron a moment to interject: “So Jimmy, I stopped Magoon’s Jewelry Store the other day; and the owner showed me a huge Lake County Diamond- about five to six thousand karats. The guy who sold it to him said he had ran off the road in a storm around here somewhere; and when the tow truck driver pulled him out of the ditch the diamond was laying in the gutter. He grabbed it up and when he took a good look at it later he could see that it had been sheered off smooth. He tried to find the place again- but couldn’t. But somewhere around here is a huge Lake County Diamond vein.”

  “Whoa!” Jimmy exclaimed. “No Way! Six thousand karats- that’s about the size of a football!” he said and kept his eyes glued to the red hill bank; while spewing facts about the semi precious gemstone Lake County was famous for.

  Even though this route was longer, Ron had taken it because he knew it would inspire good conversation, and bring him and Jimmy closer. He was proud of how close they had become already and how much Jimmy trusted him. It had taken some time and effort but it had been worth it.

  Ron pulled over just before the Soda Bay Road stop sign, in the Rivieras and a hush came over the two and they looked up at the mountain where they would soon be walking. Both the little boy and the bigger boy, reached for their binoculars at the same time.

  Ron was surprised at the excitement he felt and decided to ditch his plan to follow Soda Bay Road around the lake to take Gaddy Lane into Kelseyville. Instead he turned left and headed towards the highway. He saw the grateful look on Jimmy’s face and was glad he did. As he pulled off Highway twenty-nine onto Main Street in Kelseyville Jimmy’s excitement increased as did his conversation. When they passed the high school and turned right on Konocti Road Jimmy’s voice raised an octave with excitement.

  As Ron’s SUV wound its way up the volcanic mountain Little Jimmy could barely contain himself. He rattled off a long list of questions about the many legends and rumors of the mountain- answering most of the questions himself, as Ron laughed.

  Ron had always thoroughly enjoyed

  Jimmy’s enthusiasm. But even more so lately due to the fact that he and Kat, his wife of about a year, had made the decision to try and adopt the boy.

  Kat Simmons was a Lake County Social Worker and had researched Little Jimmy’s background. She was already very fond of Little Jimmy but after reading the report she was amazed at his resilience; and her desire to adopt him with her husband Ron grew stronger and more urgent.

  Jimmy Muldoon was the result of two junkies coming together over their common addictions. They dropped the newborn off at a firehouse before disappearing back into the night of their world. It was not known if they had given their real names; but Jimmy Muldoon was the name put on his birth certificate and his parents were listed as James and Jessica Muldoon.

  Little Jimmy had spent the first few months in a hospital as doctors treated him for an addiction that he was born with, along with other problems resulting from the mother being malnourish during pregnancy. Though full term, Jimmy was an under weight baby and had always been small for his age. Nurses had started calling him Little Jimmy from the start.

  After the long stay in the hospital there had been no fewer than eight foster homes by the time Little Jimmy was walking. Running is more appropriate. His attention deficit hyper activity became apparent early on as he ran from one thing to another. “Like a little wind up toy- he just runs until he finally falls,” one foster mother had remarked trying to explain his many visits to the ER.

  Few foster mothers were willing to put out the effort to keep up with Jimmy, so the number of foster homes multiplied by the time he started school. He was eight when he landed in Mrs. Capra’s home where he had been for almost two years. The longest he had been in one place his entire ten years of life.

  Mrs. Capra was probably the most loved and respected foster mother in the county. Kat was going to drop in on her that morning.

  Kat already knew her from the Children’s Museum of Art and Science. Mrs. Capra and her foster children were regulars there. Since Kat had been a volunteer at CMAS she had spoken with Mrs. Capra a few times.

  Kat chuckled as she recalled the first time she saw Mrs. Capra chasing Little Jimmy at CMAS. “He’s a handful for her, that’s for sure!” Kat chuckled again.

  Besides knowing her from the museum, Mrs. Capra was also a guest at Ron and Kat’s wedding last year; since Little Jimmy was the ring barer. And of course Ron had gotten to know Mrs. Capra very well since he became Little Jimmy’s friend through a county program for fatherless boys.

  Kat and Ron had been especially worried about Mrs. Capra being able to continue caring for the child ever since their wedding. Mrs. Capra had been more than just tired that day. She was exhausted and Little Jimmy was obviously getting to be too much for her.

  Kat and Ron were not the only ones who were aware of Mrs. Capra failing health; others had made mention of the fact that she couldn’t keep up the pace much longer.

  “She must be worried sick about what will happen to Little Jimmy,” thought Kat. She wanted to get closer to Mrs. Capra not only because she knew she needed to remain in Jimmy’s life; but also she wanted to get an idea of how open she would be to the planned adoption. For it to go smoothly and for Little Jimmy’s best interest Mrs. Capra needed to be agreeable to the adoption.

  Mrs. Capra was still asleep when Kat rang her bell, and it took a couple moments for her to gather her wits and get to the door. While waiting, Kat admired her garden. Most people had flower gardens in the front and kept their vegetable ga
rden in the back yard. But Mrs. Capra had both flowers and vegetables in her neat and pretty front yard. Kat liked it and started thinking of perhaps doing the same in the side yard next to their driveway. “The deer would probably…”

  Kat’s thoughts were interrupted by Mrs. Capra’s voice, “Hello, may I help you… oh Kat! What a pleasant surprise!” Mrs. Capra seemed genuinely happy to see Kat and invited her in. “Would you like coffee, or perhaps some tea? Come into my kitchen and let’s get caught up!” she called over her shoulder already heading towards the little kitchen. Kat smiled as she noticed the daisies everywhere. Kat, too loved daisies, but Mrs. Capra perhaps overdid it. Besides the daisy curtains with matching tablecloth, daisy dishtowels hung from the fridge, daisy pot holders hung from the oven, and a daisy canister set lined the counter. There was even a daisy floor mat spread out on the floor in front of the sink.

  “Oh Dear!” Mrs. Capra exclaimed as she noticed the daisy breakfast dishes still on the table. “I forgot about these- I should have saved my reputation and entertained you in the living room,” she laughed as she gathered up the dishes and put them in the sink. Then wiping off the daisy placemat and centering the vase of daisies she added, “Now which will it be… coffee or tea?”

  Noticing the tea pot on the stove already on warm Kat responded, “Tea would be great, thank you.”

  “Oh good- I love tea,” Mrs. Capra said cheerfully, as she busied herself with making the tea and setting pretty daisy teacup on saucers which she carried to the table on a daisy tray. “My boys always send me daisy gifts,” she chuckled sensing Kat’s thoughts. That’s the problem when you love something; you soon get an abundance of it!”

  “Well, if these are all gifts from your foster children, it just shows how much you are loved! That is wonderful! And I know you deserve all the love they have for you,” Kat said warmly and meant it.

  “Now, Kat, what brings you to my little house?” Mrs. Capra asked as she sat down.

  Caught off guard Kat forgot how she had planned to work into the conversation and stammered a bit as she replied, “I … ah… well I thought since you and I were both home alone this Saturday morning that it would be nice for us to visit a bit while the boys are off climbing mountains and exploring caves.” Kat added regaining her composure then added, “They sure have fun together, don’t they?” She studied Mrs. Capra’s smiling face, and noticed the smile lessening a bit before venturing on, “Ron just can’t seem to get enough of Little Jimmy. When he comes back from one of their adventures he talks for days about the fun they had!”

  Mrs. Capra’s expression changed and she got up and asked, “Would you like some cookies?” Kat realized that she should have eased into the subject of Jimmy a little slower. She remembered that she had planned on talking about the children’s museum a bit and how she missed volun-teering there as much as she used to. But it was too late to back peddle now.

  Mrs. Capra returned to the table and set a plate of cookies in front of Kat and apologized that they weren’t homemade. The subject had been changed so Kat thanked Mrs. Capra for the cookies and took one even though she really didn’t like gingersnaps; and chewed while wondering how to get back to talking about Jimmy. Mrs. Capra beat her to it.

  “So what is it that you are really here for? What are you wanting to discuss, Mrs. Simmons?” she asked formally. “Are you thinking that I am too old to be Jimmy’s foster mom?”

  “Mrs. Capra- No. Certainly not….” Realizing that Mrs. Capra thought she was there on official business Kat rushed on, “It’s Saturday. I’m not working today- this is just a friendly visit!” The last thing Kat wanted was to put her on the defense. But Mrs. Capra was not easily convinced.

  “I know there has been talk; and people are even speculating on Little Jimmy’s next foster home- but let me assure you I have no intention of retiring anytime soon. Besides it would be the worse possible thing for Little Jimmy to have to change homes again!” A tear sprang to her eye and she turned her face and as she said, “Poor little guy; he’s been shoved around t00 much already. He needs to put down some roots so he can start feeling secure.” Then she sat up straight and looked Kat directly in the eyes and said firmly, “I won’t let go of my boy with out a fight! Do you hear?”

  Kat was stunned. This didn’t go at all the way she had thought it would. She knew that Mrs. Capra was a wonderful foster mother and was attached to her foster children; but Kat had no idea that the foster mother really thought of herself as their ‘mom’. She sat there sipping her tea wondering what to say next. Mrs. Capra was obviously not going to help ease the situation.

  Finally Kat broke the silence with, “I can appreciate how attached you are to Little Jimmy- to all your boys. You really take the time and trouble to get to know them and their needs; and put them first. And it’s a testament to that fact by your success with them all. You are a prize. Really a treasure. And Jimmy is so blessed to have been placed with you...” Kat took a breath and bravely continued saying what she felt needed to be said, “But we all know… we all recognize just how trying Little Jimmy is. It takes a lot of energy just to keep up with him in a conversation, let alone with all his running around.” Kat locked eyes with Mrs. Capra, “Jane- may I call you Jane? Jane, it’s obvious that it has taken its toll on you. Yes, Little Jimmy needs you... he needs you in his life. He doesn’t necessarily need it to be you trying to keep up with his active lifestyle. All this running around after him is going to….” Kat lowered her voice and her eyes, “shorten the time he has with you.” She looked back up at the small woman who seemed to have shrunk in the few seconds Kat took her eyes off her. The two women sat quietly sipping tea for a few moments. Mrs. Capra finally broke the silence.

  “You’re right… I know you are right.” She heaved a heavy sigh and leaned back in her chair; and reached for a hanky from her pocket. She dabbed her eyes and crossed her hands on her lap in defeat, “I didn’t want to admit that. I’ve known it for some time, but just couldn’t face it… Now what?” her eyes darting around the room before landing back on Kat’s face. She sat up straight and then said almost too firmly, “Now that it’s been said- now what? I can’t take it back. It’s been said….” she heaved another sigh and then, “Little Jimmy is fragile- I know you might not see it, but I do. He tries to seem so tough, so strong… but he’s just a kid. A kid that has been subjected to more rejection than a dozen kids combined. He is still struggling to trust me… To trust that I won’t send him away too. I see it in his face each time he gets off the bus. If I’m not out working in the garden he freezes fearing that I’ve abandoned him. What is he going to do… how will he feel if I tell him he has to go somewhere else?” Her sweet eyes filled with tears again.

  “That’s what I came over for... That’s what I want to talk to you about. Well actually no- I didn’t want to talk about it yet, I just wanted to visit with you and get to know you better... And for you to get to know me. Mrs. Capra, for sometime now Ron and I have been discussing adoption. Specifically adopting Little Jimmy.” Kat paused to let this resonate with the elderly foster mother. Perhaps that was a mistake. Perhaps it was also a mistake to return to the formal and more powerful title of ‘Mrs. Capra’, because the tears stopped and the woman stood up, which made her tiny frame tower over Kat; who sat there stunned by the transformation.

  “Now you wait a minute, Missy!” Mrs. Capra said indignantly, “If you think you can come over and get me to admit that I’m old and sweet talk me into giving up my Little Jimmy when he needs me the most, you are mistaken. I will not give up without a fight, and believe me you have not fought until you’ve fought an Italian woman over her child! No one is going to take Little Jimmy from me! Not you- Not anyone!”

  “Mrs. Capra… Jane, calm down!” Kat stood up and put her hand on the foster mother’s tiny shoulder, “No one is trying to take Little Jimmy from you. We know how important you are to Jimmy. You must remain in his life; we know that and we want it.” She waited for Mrs. Capra to c
alm down. When the elderly woman finally sat down, Kat also sat back down before reminding her about the reality of the situation, “We want to work with you on this. To ease into it before it becomes necessary… umm necessary for Jimmy to be placed somewhere else. Somewhere where perhaps there might not be a willingness to keep you in Jimmy’s life.”

  Mrs. Capra stood up and walked to the back door and gazed out through the daisy framed window; while toying with the locket that hung from her neck. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” Turning around she added firmly, “But I’m not stepping aside so easily or quickly… When you said ‘ease into an adoption’ that is just how it will have to be. I am the only family that Little Jimmy has ever known. If you want Little Jimmy in your family you will have to become a part of Little Jimmy’s family. Not the other way around. Otherwise it won’t work. It would be devastating to him. And the possibility of him ever trusting someone again would be shattered…” She walked back over to the table and sat down. “I know Ron has spent a lot of time with Little Jimmy, but you have only seen him a handful of times at the museum and then at your wedding. I don’t know if you know what you would be in store for. He is a handful- and that’s putting it mildly. The worse possible thing to happen would be for Little Jimmy to think he was being adopted into a family and then have it pulled out from under him because some immature woman bit off too much for her to handle!” This last part was said as she leaned over on the table towards Kat and raising herself up as if she was ready to pounce on her.

  “Well, she sure doesn’t pull any punches,” Kat thought to herself and then to Mrs. Capra she said, “I assure you, Jane, I am well aware of what a handful Jimmy can be. And although I’ve not had the same experience that you’ve had with dealing with children with special needs- I have had training in that area as well as work experience. During college I spent time doing work study at the preschool and elementary school, assisting the teachers in the class room and on the playground. I know that it doesn’t compare to being a full time mother like you, but I feel certain that I am up to the challenge. Besides I’m counting on you being there for me as well as for Jimmy... To mentor me, if you will.”