Tangled in Climbing Nightshade
()
About this ebook
We've all seen several news stories telling of the tragic tale of some prominent member of the family going crazy and then destroying the family before they destroy themselves.
But what do we know of these stories? We know what the mainstream media conveys, but that's all. We know there was someone in the family who came undone and murdered the family and then committed suicide.
There are too many variables and details missing.
Tangled in Climbing Nightshade explores this issue through the tragedies occurring in the Sealy family.
The Sealy family seems like the picture-perfect bunch when first seen, but getting behind the scenes reveals a reality completely different. Sheriff Keven Sealy is a respected County Sheriff with numerous responsibilities. He is among the most popular law enforcement officers in the region, in fact. Then, his lovely wife is also well known and respected in the community, and their children are considered beloved by all who know and meet them.
But a family is not unlike the pretty Climbing Nightshade. This popular plant is well known and loved, but the berries, while lovely, are highly poisonous. So, getting too involved in a family just might reveal details that are never to be known. But then, these details might grow to such a tragic reality that before long, everyone will hear of it.
But there will always be details unknown, mainly because all the perpetrators and witnesses are dead. What happened and why? We can assume, but assumptions only go so far.
In Tangled in Climbing Nightshade, we'll know for sure, and without doubt. Oh yes, the entire Sealy family is wiped out; there are no surprises there. But once you're among the flies on the wall and see it all unfold before your eyes, you'll never look at the world in the same way again.
Roddy J Dryer
Roddy J Dryer is a professional truck driver as well as a prolific writer. He lives in Groveland, Florida. Make sure you check out his books available here at Smashwords. The Art of Roddyism is FREE! Sure, some find it wretched, but what do they know? Also, be sure to check out his website to discover more.
Related to Tangled in Climbing Nightshade
Related ebooks
The Burning Cauldron and Working Towards Death Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Creature's Cookbook Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Black Static #60 (September-October 2017) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhy I Hate Everything Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Black Static #64 (July-August 2018) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOnce a Shooter: Redemption of a High School Gunman Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Silent Soliloquy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsI Wear the Black Hat: Grappling with Villains (Real and Imagined) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Black Static #68 (March-April 2019) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Absurdity of Doing You: Rebel Elegance for the Evolving Soul Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBlack Static #66 (November-December 2018) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsExacerbate; From Victim to Killer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSelf-Inflicted Wounds: Heartwarming Tales of Epic Humiliation Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The 3 Indispensible Rules for Taking Charge: A Reptilian Guide to Personal Finance and World Domination Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Therefore, I Think: (Science and Philosophy Poetry) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDark Ruminations Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings602: Form of Futility Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLife in the Fringes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Mirror Darkly Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Reluctant Sex Tourist Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUnidentified Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Fear of Butterflies: My Autism vs Capitalism Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe World Without Racism: A Self- Help Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBorn on the Wrong Planet Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTilting Shattered Dolls Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNever Say You Can't Survive: How to Get Through Hard Times by Making Up Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5**** Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAd Radicem: To the root! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Dream Catcher Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHumanity X. Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Thrillers For You
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cryptonomicon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blindness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pretty Girls: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Yellowface: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finn Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Girl Who Was Taken: A Gripping Psychological Thriller Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Flight: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Guest List Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Am Pilgrim: A Thriller Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Thing He Told Me: Now a major Apple TV series starring Jennifer Garner and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fairy Tale Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shantaram: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Winners: From the New York Times bestselling author of TikTok phenomenon Anxious People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Paris Apartment: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Have the Right to Destroy Myself Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Book of Illusions: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Foucault's Pendulum Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Wizard of the Kremlin Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You Like It Darker: Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Paris Apartment Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Secret Adversary & And Then There Were None Bundle: Two Bestselling Agatha Christie Mysteries Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Institute: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hunting Party: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Holly Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5If We Were Villains: The sensational TikTok Book Club pick Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Brief History of Seven Killings: Special 10th Anniversary Edition of the Booker Prizewinner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bird Box Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for Tangled in Climbing Nightshade
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Tangled in Climbing Nightshade - Roddy J Dryer
Tangled in Climbing Nightshade
By Roddy J Dryer
Copyright 2012 by Roddy J Dryer
Smashwords Edition
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Introduction to Tangled in Climbing Nightshade
Well, hello there, ladies and gentlemen. Please, come on in and make yourselves comfortable. There’s additional seating within the mezzanine should you not find something suitable closer to the stage. I can assure you the upper level seating is just fine, as the acoustics in here are quite lovely and the view is marvelous. Besides, sitting a bit further away often prevents blood splatter from staining brightly colored fabrics and minimizes bone fragments from finding their way into unprotected eyes. The only sacrifice in quality is it’s a bit more difficult to see the facial expressions from up there, but the screams come in with such an attractive echo. I hope you considered bringing binoculars and a fine camera with a zoom lens.
First, I would like to introduce myself to those who don’t know me. My name is Roddy J Dryer. I’m so glad to be here with you today, as I love being a part of anything pulling the pretty veils from the so-called true version of humanity in order to demonstrate what humanity really is, rather than what it pretends to be. I find such a sense of tumescence in highlighting the functioning nature of humanity, mainly because this aspect is so well hidden under a thin veneer of genteel film. Yes, yes, there are those who assert I aim low by only exposing humanity’s lower realm, but I must claim this is simply not true. I am not merely comfortable with highlighting humanity’s darkest levels; I desire in exposing the bulk of the creature. The meat and bones along with the vital organs. That which truly makes the creature function and get this far is what we desire to showcase, not merely the base demeanor. There are plenty of other authors out there illuminating the base of the human condition, so there’s no need for me to do so. Rather, I seek to highlight not what makes up the foundation, but fills the majority of space under the Martha Stewart decorations and Ty Pennington-inspired window treatments. Or, simply the creature without the makeup and at least twenty four hours without a shower. This is where most of the working parts are, and we want to hear the hum of the machinery, not the cheesy music in the lobby.
Now that the more squeamish among us (and those who are too embarrassed to have what comprises their inner nature exposed to the audience) have excused themselves with coy statements alluding to I’ll be back in a few minutes when those of us still here know they won’t be back at all, but will merely scorn us from the lobby or perhaps the parking lot, we can begin with why we have gathered here. We have gathered here today to explore my second novel, which is entitled Tangled in Climbing Nightshade.
This is my second novel, both in count and subject matter. My very first novel was written because I’d always wanted to write a novel and had to start somewhere, but also because I desired to confront a subject our world of decent people largely chooses to ignore. Sure, this subject is addressed by some, but most of the world does ignore it and there is an enormous percentage of the world’s people who know next to nothing about it. My first novel was The Egocentric Predicament, published by Publish America, which addressed the subject of Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation through a dark yet festive thriller.
Because the subject matter is lurid and ugly, that story was lurid and ugly. However, unlike in the real world, where Human Trafficking enjoys tremendous success and freedom to pursue its goals because hardly anyone cares (well, Dr. Oz once brought it up for a few minutes), within the pages of The Egocentric Predicament the good guys actually score some points. I chose the difficult subject because it needed addressing and because I, a person used to living on the periphery of society, saw something there I could point out to the world in a way never seen before.
Now, while I should be honest enough to admit that, yes, I like to watch people trip, I’m not one to yell out, Hey, your fly is open!
in a polite setting. However, I am one to take notice when those within this refined gathering sneak off to catch a buzz and get it on in a vacant room when they think nobody else knows. But that doesn’t matter to me in the slightest and a part of me is rather jealous. What I’m more likely to give better attention to is those who find a quiet place to argue about what should be done to eradicate the evidence and just where around here is a good place to dispose of a body.
You see, these two novels are similar in that they reach out to otherwise difficult subjects. To be more specific, difficult subjects most people choose to ignore. There are numerous difficult subjects people choose to ignore (why, I have no clue) and because I’ve been largely marginalized and shunned by just about everyone I’ve ever met (particularly by blood) and passionately disliked by far more, I have somehow developed this unique perspective on things. You see, when people are comfortable within the social framework, anything existing beyond this framework is seen as distracting, disturbing, disgusting, and particularly distasteful. This is why there are millions of starving children, bloated and fly-covered, despite how much money (in cups-of-coffee increments) is donated to combat it. This is also why millions of human beings exist only so they can be sold into slavery, sexual or forced labor. Oh, in the event you weren’t aware, human slavery (called human trafficking, or trafficking in persons in order to please the verbose) is more prevalent today than ever before. In fact, it is the single greatest industry driving the global economy, and while you may not be overtly aware, you can bet the farm your elected officials are, and they absolutely love it for several reasons.
I remained within the theme of difficult subjects throughout this second dark novel, here in your hands. Tangled in Climbing Nightshade is yet another novel addressing a difficult issue next to nobody out there addresses, although it still occasionally spikes in popularity. The issue is what I’ve come to call Familial Suicide. I should explain. Oh, I should also tell you now that this work also addresses the issue of Human Trafficking, too, but mainly as a part of the backdrop.
All of us have heard numerous news stories highlighting some crazed family member, usually the husband and father, going on a rampage and killing everyone in the family and then committing suicide. This is a maddening issue on so many levels because we all want to know what drives someone to such a level of insanity. Yet, we don’t really want to know, do we? After all, how much work is done to investigate the cause of such a horrific phenomenon, and how often is the result of this work revealed to the world at large? This particular author might be running in circles tighter than most, but I’ve heard very little concern about it. It appears that the incidences are treated as isolated incidences perpetrated by nutcases who popped that one last mental spring and just went bonkers.
I’ve come to title the subject Familial Suicide because this is what I think this is. My theory is that there’s a family member, often the one who harbors a significant percentage of the household responsibilities, who is driven insane slowly over time by a world intentionally driving people crazy. This individual reaches a point where they simply want out and find suicide the only remaining answer. However, because they do love their family in a twisted sort of way, they cannot find the inner strength to leave their family in a world too heinous for their existence, prompting them to bring the family with them. Or, to put it another way, it would be too cruel to leave an innocent life existing rather than snuffed because this is a world far too cruel for good people. Living is not living to some; it’s just dying too slow. This may seem like a simplified explanation and it may not apply to every case, but this concerned citizen sees this as the most likely cause of this awful mystery. Does it boil down to batshit insanity? Of course it does. But insanity is not a withdrawal from reality, but a mere perversion of it. The simple equation is truly simple: failure to cope + mercy killing of family members = familial suicide.
One of the reasons I wanted to write on this is because there’s so much about this subject that is largely ignored, and that is something I find bizarre in and of itself. This is one of the reasons I wrote The Egocentric Predicament; one would think a race of civilized beings would come together to battle something that preys on their kind and particularly their kind’s most vulnerable. But no, more than 25 to 30 million people are victimized by Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation annually and the world doesn’t even pretend to care, except a scant few. One might assume a civilized mind would see such evil as one of the greatest threats to our kind (largely since our kind is the evildoer), but our kind would rather focus on celebrity gossip and misbehavior rather than confront what makes us look monstrous as a species.
Perhaps it’s because we’re predators and made it this far through bloodthirsty predation. Perhaps since this is a world where it’s survival of the fittest, kidnapping innocent people’s children and then selling those children into forced prostitution to people who find the bigger thrill in torture and mutilation of their purchase rather than the pedestrian act of simple rape is enormously profitable and therefore justified and acceptable because of the cha-ching factor. Perhaps our violent and predatory nature prompts us to look away from those who lack the strength and power of self defense, so we just ignore those who desire to proliferate the self-predatory genetic construct within the gene pool and leave it strong enough to chase terrified and screaming toddlers into the dark of the night in an endless pursuit of thrills and profit.
That guy over there shot and drowned his wife and kids, and then took himself out? That guy’s wife is still missing and then he hacked his kids with an axe before dying in a fire? Sure, you can place the story on the news if it makes you feel better, but never assume humanity has the capacity to give a rat’s ass. Not when J Lo has yet another wedding date coming up…
Is that who and what we are?
So, Tangled in Climbing Nightshade is as much an exposure of the subject of familial suicide as it is humanity’s wide-sweeping inability to care about its own kind. The Egocentric Predicament exposed humanity’s lack of concern of itself being such a voracious predator that it feels compelled to prey on itself, and Tangled in Climbing Nightshade highlights humanity’s inability to recognize there are those among us who are spinning out of control.
Also, Tangled in Climbing Nightshade illustrates an analysis of what potentially causes such tragedies. What in the hell goes through someone’s head before they commit such evil? What drives someone who otherwise appears largely normal to fly off the rails in such a dramatic fashion? What could possibly take place that causes one to kill their own spouse and children (or any child, for that matter), annihilate their gene pool, and then, what bizarre condition is in place allowing such evil to become a fad?
I mean, we all know life can suck at times, but it seems to me that humanity intentionally makes life harder than it has to be. Our economic, monetary and financial systems are designed to limit humanity’s progress and ensure only a minute percentage of our kind achieves genuine peace and happiness. This may also be an aspect of our predatory nature. Humanity somehow naturally culls itself through war and subjugation of itself, perhaps because being at the top of the food chain requires a natural form of population control. Nothing hunts and eats us to keep our numbers in check, so we hunt and eat ourselves to limit bubbling over. Ah, so we’re little more than lemmings with gizmos.
Could that be it? Being the big kahuna means the big kahuna has to be its own predator and prey? Lemmings simply swim out and drown when their numbers get out of check. It seems rather lazy when compared to how humanity maintains its population.
Whatever it is, this writer is intrigued by watching a species capable of being all this, but this writer is horrified and terrified by being forced to go through life amidst all this. I find it amazing how humanity likes to tout itself as being sentient and civilized, all the while demonstrating through endless drama and violence that it, out of all species alive on this planet, is the furthest from it. No other creature great and small demonstrates the predation and destruction of itself with the verve demonstrated by humanity.
So, congratulations! Everybody, how about a round of applause…
But please don’t assume I want you to stop, my fellow creatures. Please, continue in your quest to prove to Mother Nature and God that humanity just might be the greatest single mistake ever created, and that it’s taken the reigns in pursuit of its annihilation. Through less verbose language- I am tirelessly entertained by humanity’s quest to destroy itself and then take the credit for doing the universe the favor.
Hell, I don’t have anything better going on.
So, I hope you enjoy Tangled in Climbing Nightshade, since it is an honest and intrusive look into what we really are in humanity. Also, if you had not already done so, please find the time to read The Egocentric Predicament in order to see so much of what makes humanity human, but the sort of humanity we pretend isn’t there. To those of you who have read my prior novel before reading this one, rest assured that I have removed all possible filters in my perceptions of humanity for this novel in the same way I did the other. I’d like both of you to know that.
So please, take my hand and join me as we traverse this dark passageway. No, leave your flashlights and lanterns behind, as the light causes those we want to see most scurry away. Feel free to point and comment, but there’s no point in getting involved. Come on now; it’s just the innocent and the future of our kind at stake, so it isn’t as if it truly matters.
Come on; this’ll be fun…
Oh, and for those among you who discover the occasional mention of a fellow named Peter Volans, rest assured the mystery revolving about his place in the lives of those within the story is easily solved by reading a short story entitled, Left Hanging. This story is available to read on the Associated Content (Now, Yahoo Voices or Voices Yahoo or something) website. Within that story, you’ll find several characters who also reside within this novel. I chose those characters for this novel because I’ve been occasionally criticized for leaving an open ending within Left Hanging, which is an ending I find suitable at times, but others apparently find troubling. Well, I have your closure right here…
http://voices.yahoo.com/left-hanging-2529609.html?cat=9
Salutations and Dedications
Mostly, I would like to dedicate this novel to the Human race, mainly because you’re such a disgusting, bloodthirsty, vile and cowardly monster who mainly thrives through the persecution, vilification and victimization of your own kind, and mostly your children. Please don’t find my descriptive phrasing as a hint that I want you to stop. No, don’t see it that way; the fact that humanity’s primary function, the decimation of itself, done openly, helps ensure intelligent life from other worlds avoids this despicable rock, ensuring the freaks from here don’t end up elsewhere (unless there’s some sort of intergalactic zoo, which would be just hunky dory).
Secondly, I would like to dedicate this work to the scant percentage of humanity that is good and decent, and doesn’t find humanity’s self-predation as a form of exquisite entertainment (although I hope you’ll have the courage, some sunny day, to recognize this is humanity’s primary form of employment), but would rather see humanity become the sentient and civilized creature it claims to be.
Lastly, I dedicate this work to those who are smart enough to recognize this will never occur.
For those of you who are smart enough to recognize humanity will only continue in becoming more evil, more sinister, and eventually the most heinous thing ever to exist, ever, take the time to note that innumerable innocent people the world over exist only so their organs can be sold on the black market. Take the time to note that literally millions of children and very young women are forced into prostitution for the benefit of their captors, and that the representative governments of the world are forever grateful for the ambitious economic stimulus resulting from it. Take the time to note that Africa adores slavery and the forcing of little boys to become drug-addled, murderous soldiers.
For those of you who are smart enough to recognize the evil of female mutilation and subjugation for the benefit of male cowards existing throughout so many prominent cultures and faiths of this planet’s monkey-freak monstrosity, please take the time to stand and applaud to the legal accomplishment of recognizing a man should be able to boff his dead wife for the six hours before her body ends up too ripe and the rigor mortis prevents the best in festive posing.
Now, take the time to recognize humanity is created in the image of God.
Sleep tight, sweetie pie…
Chapter One
Few things excite a journalist more than hearing on the police scanner reports of criminal activity coming from the home of the most vilified County Sheriff in the recent history of New York State, and perhaps the country. But fewer things pump the adrenaline of that reporter like the report of actual gunfire shouting over the scanner’s grainy speaker, particularly when it’s coming from the sheriff’s home. Reporter Judy Kidde and her cameraman, Lloyd, have been staking out Sheriff Kevin Sealy’s house, merely for an interview, really, since the latest newsworthy shock came from the Sealy home, and this time from one of the brood.
For hours, nothing went on to indicate anyone was home other than a few tell-tale signs, such as the cars in the driveway and the occasional flicker from a TV. Aside from that, everyone in the house had been conspicuously reclusive. Any definite signs would have been worthy of some attention, but indications of impending death and gloom would be closely watched. Both Judy and Lloyd were ready to catch and report just about anything, but they weren’t so shallow as to hope for the worst.
Well, damn it,
Judy said as she scrambled to get out of the van. There isn’t shit going on since yesterday, and now they stir things up with gunfire? I mean, I love a good story, but there are kids in there.
Let’s see if we can see what’s going on,
Lloyd said as he grabbed his equipment, but keep your head down.
They kept their distance since exiting the van, maintaining a low profile. Since this was a rural area, the driveway was quite long, almost a hundred yards in length, with gravelly white stones glistening with dew stirred by the sun rising behind the reporters.
The sun in the eyes of whoever is up there might be to our advantage, Judy thought.
Lloyd and her would accept any advantage available, what with this being private property and Sheriff Kevin Sealy enjoying a reputation of being a crack shot long before enduring the accusation of being a sex slave smuggler. The early autumn morning was cool and crisp, spattered with hints of fall colors hesitant on making a decision.
Judy and Lloyd both jumped to the sound of more shots, obviously shotgun blasts now that they’re both out of the van and awake. Shrill screams made them forget about romantic details such as the weather, prompting them to realize this would make national news and beyond. They kneeled close to the ground near the front of the van, watching and waiting.
Damn, Judy. We need to stay back. Look there.
They saw the morning sun revealed the madness of a skinny and frightened boy running for his life and from a house where there’s too much gunfire. They both knew enough about the Sealy family to know this is Jeremy, the quiet and autistic son of Kevin and Erin Sealy; surely one of the innocent bystanders of a news story gone badly. They witnessed him screaming frantically as he ran, running more on sheer instinct and not sure of where to go. Quickly, it became obvious the boy didn’t know where to go, because rather than run for cover or just away, Jeremy chose to hide within the sparse overgrowth of Climbing Nightshade growing alongside the small barn sitting just shy of being awkwardly close to the house. The newsies in Judy and Lloyd wanted to see everything happening, but the humanity in them felt fear grip when they saw a shirtless and much bloodied Kevin Sealy roar from the house with a shiny shotgun clutched in his hands.
At the sight of that both Judy and Lloyd fell to the ground, and Judy said, For Christ’s sake, what in the hell is going on around here?
County Sheriff Kevin Sealy, a man who was once one of the most respected sheriffs in New York history, looked menacing and gory as he raced from the house splattered with so much blood while sporting a smoking shotgun. Judy and Lloyd turned their heads towards the sound of approaching sirens, both caught with the irony of how those sirens blazed towards one who used to lead the charge but was now the subject of concern. Irony or no, there was only abject horror coming from the Sealy home, and Judy was afraid. Not since years earlier when Judy witnessed Sealy, unknown to one another then, cope with a mysterious stranger named Peter Volans has she seen anything so unbelievable. That scenario was fantastic even right before everyone’s eyes, but what was going on here was difficult to deny; it seemed this man was busy murdering his family and wasn’t quite done yet.
Lloyd, please tell me you’re getting all this.
Yeah, I’m getting it, but I hope to Jesus they get here before that poor kid is killed. Dear God, but this is so insane.
Judy reached down and pulled her cell phone from her pocket, and dialed 911. It was just when she placed the phone to her ear and was asked to state the nature of her emergency that she wondered what prompted the approach of the authorities. Who called the cops?
This is Judy Kidde. I know the authorities are on the way to the Sealy home now, but please inform them that Sheriff Sealy is outside, armed and dangerous. He is pursuing who appears to be his young son, and doing so with a shotgun. Please let them know what they’re coming into.
The relayed information was welcomed, but Judy doubted it was in time. They both watched in horror as Sheriff Sealy walked directly to where they saw Jeremy seek refuge. Not only was the overgrowth alongside the barn far too meager to provide effective cover, but the shrill screams coming from under the overgrowth gave away the panic-stricken boy with no doubt.
Judy and Lloyd both tried yelling at what they saw, but the fast approaching sirens competed with the decibel levels of Jeremy’s screams. It was unlikely anyone heard them but each other. In fact, they saw Sheriff Sealy stretch and look back to spot the approaching authorities, and that’s when he noticed them. That spiked their heart rates considerably, making them think he may take aim at them, but Sealy just turned back to the shrieking boy hiding under the dew-moistened Climbing Nightshade.
Leave him alone!
was what Judy yelled as they both were horrified to see Sealy