What am I Doing Here?

A Sweet Ending

A Sweet Ending


My partner, Sargent William Wildoats and I Jerry Justin Sones or 'JJ' were coming home from a workshop on clue detection in a forest. Will, as I finally decided to call him, used to live in a country side near the US-Canadian border. He would tell stories of his family trapping animals for fur, fishing, and making maple syrup. His mother always started to prepare early in the season by buying special jars to put her well known syrup. The orders had already been received for the finished product. His sisters, all 6 of them, were learning to help and follow the recipe to the letter. If it was not done right, then don't work or bother the others at all.
We had been out of town for one week since we had put a few days of R and R vacation to be included in out absence from work. I enjoyed the old take a picture and send it to my relatives to prove that I had not been goofing off as they assumed and teased me about.'
As we were driving south, we saw a few unmarked trucks in a 3 vehicle caravan going north. They turned off the highway onto a dirt road. Some of the regular trees were laying on that road but looked as is they had been moved.
"Hm I wonder where they are going?"mumbled Will.
"Don't know," as we kept on driving until we saw a truck pulled over to the side of he road. "Let's see if there is a problem." whispered Will.
"Yes. I don't think this one truck would have been left by itself. " I said as I nodded. "It feels odd to me."
We pulled over.
"Truck problem?" I asked the man at the back of the truck, who seemed to be fixing a hose.
"Just a small.....oh no not really officer."
"Well my grandpa used to drive a truck. "said Will. "I'll take a look and ...oh this smells like..."
The driver started to walk backwards, turned around and started running.
"Hey JJ. We have a syrup thief!" He started to run after that man. "Call HQ with location and this license plate number. " Will ran a few more steps and then said, "Tell them that we have one truck broken down and three headed to Muskrat Forest. They are probably those robbers we were warned about."
The highway patrol sent a few cars and two helicopters to the location and found the whole operation beginning to take out raw maple syrup and equipment from the site indicated. The family who owned the property and trees were tied up in a shed and were dehydrated and sick from no food and the cold. They were very thankful to the two officers who followed their instincts. Then also promised to send a big jar of refined maple syrup for the next 25 years. They included maple candy and other items that would make a nice breakfast treat.