Thankful (30.)

Tammy was preparing supper and I called her into the living room. Sunrise Indiana had made the National News. There he was in handcuffs. He looked a lot older...after all it was 32 years later.

He had moved to Eaton, Ohio and became a professional iron smith....a craft he had worked on since he was a boy. Two FBI Agents were walking him out of his shop...he had filthy pants on from forging the iron.

Thankful's voice came in my head,"Those dirty bitches." Vera was actually saying,"Those dirty britches!" The news man said that the case had been re-opened by Agent Mandy Englend. They had suspected the man thirty years before but could not connect him with solid evidence until DNA profiling.

It was Officer Lee Short. He was 68 years old. He had confessed to killing Martha, Doris and Rosey because Doris picked up the phone and threatened to call the FBI when he went to her for another payment. He sewed their lips to make it look like a serial killer did it.

He still had the 3 inch reel to reel tapes of Jake describing the sex acts in a shoe box hidden in a closet.

It was really mind blowing when Lee Short claimed he didn't kill Harvey Kremble. He murdered Vera but it was Detective Croze who killed Harvey Kremble. He and Detective Croze along with Vera were blackmailing the women. Lee Short killed Vera because she told him about wanting to have sex with Croze...he was enraged because he thought she was his girl.

Croze killed Harvey Kremble when Harvey's brother Harlan told the police that Thankful had evidence that would clear their father's name. Elroy Kremble was simply drunk in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Officer Lee Short quit the police department in 1971 and moved to Ohio. Detective Don Croze retired and moved to Florida in 1983. He was killed in a boating accident in 1987.

Tammy and I had our supper with the kids...oh yes...we have three kids...Freddy, Mathew and our little girl, Thankful. After we put the kids to bed...we went downstairs to the Thankful Museum...turned on the lights....cranked up Thankful's old Victrola and slow danced to Tommy Dorsey.

Tammy kissed me and said,"Well now...we have lots do do since the Mayor declared next Thursday..."Thankful Day." I twirled her around and kissed her back, saying,"Oh yes my dear...I've been thinking....I might even write a book...our old friend, Thankful Lanehart had a pretty interesting life...you know."

The End