Zak Tells What He Knows

The last time we saw Willie, Grace and Jasmine they had just made an alarming discovery! They had seen Mrs. Parker talking with a man who was wanted by the F.B.I. for cattle rustling! And Mrs. Parker had been telling everyone that her two prize-winning calves had been carried off by mountain lions! The kids were wondering what this all meant, and decided to go visit their friend Zak, who seemed to know more about the calf story than he was telling.

Zak worked at Beantown Hardware Store, which was owned by Willie's father. When the kids arrived, Zak was weighing some nails for a customer. After the customer paid, Zak said to him, "Thanks, and God bless you!" He looked at Willie, Grace and Jasmine. "You kids look like you're up to something!" he smiled.

"We are up to something!" replied Grace. "We have some questions to ask you."

"Uh oh! I hope they aren't too hard!" Zak chuckled.

"Zak, do you know Mrs. Parker? And do you know Horace Parker?"

"Horace!!" exclaimed Zak. "How do you kids know Horace?!"

"So you do know the Parkers, then," asked Willie. "Where do you know them from?"

Zak sighed. "Two summers ago, when I was trying to earn enough money to attend Bible College, I worked for a man named Horace Parker. He had a cattle ranch, and I took care of some of the cattle. A lot of strange things happened on that ranch."

"Like what?" asked Jasmine.

"Well, Jasmine, I'd wake up in the morning to do my chores, and I'd find new cows in the barn that weren't there the night before. Valuable, pure-bred cows, too! And when I'd ask Horace where they came from, he'd tell me to mind my own business. The county sheriff visited the ranch a few times, too, and had long conversations with Horace. Of course, I don't know what they talked about. Mrs. Parker, the lady you know, is Horace's sister. She visited the ranch a few times while I worked there, and that's how I know her."

"Do you think Horace had stolen those cows you saw?" asked Wille.

"Well, I didn't want to think that, because the Bible says to think the best of everyone. But I have to admit, I was suspicious!"

"What happened?" Grace asked.

"One day, a day after a recent visit by the Sheriff, Horace just vanished. None of the other workers on the ranch knew where he went, and I myself never saw him again."

"We just saw him about an hour ago!" exclaimed Willie excitedly. "He was in the library, talking to Mrs. Parker!"

"What shall we do now?" asked Grace.

"Let's pray and ask the Lord for guidance. That's the first thing we should do!" Zak suggested. And that's just what they did.