The Talbot Family

The Talbot Family

In the small southern town of Cidercrest Hollow were a powerful and rich family named the Talbot's. The family own most of the businesses and the mining areas in the state of Minnesota. There had been over ten mysterious deaths that had happened over the past fifteen years. The local sheriff department refuse to investigate thoroughly and stated all the deaths happened as accidental. Most of the men killed were migrant workers looking to make a better life for their families. A reporter named Melvin Chandler had come to town to try to find answers when several family members wanted to know what had happened to their loved ones. When Melvin tried to interview Sheriff JD Walker, he was told by the receptionist that he had no comment about the deaths. Melvin encounter unpleasantness from the towns people and even threaten by local law enforcement about him trying to find out information. When one of their news vans exploded one night at the hotel, Melvin and his crew left the town in fear for their lives. It bothered him so badly that he couldn't get the answers he need to bring some closure and peace to the families of the victims. One afternoon while Melvin was having dinner, he got a call from someone who lived in Cidercrest Hollow. The woman did not give her name but told Melvin that there had been another death that happened earlier that morning. This time it was a man named Raymond Brock who was a local mechanic that worked for Oliver Talbot.

“This ain't right,” said the woman. “You got to help us.”

“What is your name ma'am?” asked Melvin. “Hello?”

The woman on the other end of the phone hung up. Melvin called the operator and tried to have her to trace the number of the caller. The operator traced to number back to a Blanch Minor. When Melvin tried to call Ms. Minor back, he only got a busy signal from her phone. He put the telephone back on the receiver. He went back to the kitchen table to finish his steak, but it was too cold for him to eat.

“I'll be got damn!” exclaimed Melvin.

As he slammed down his fork and went over to the microwave to warm his dinner. That night, Melvin couldn't fall asleep. He laid in his bed looking up in the ceiling of his bedroom and wondered what happened to Ms. Minor. Did someone find out that she had made the call to him and did harm come to her?. Melvin looked at the radio clock watch on his nightstand table. The clock said 3:00 am. It was too early to make a call to his niece Simone Riley. Simone was fresh out of journalism school and he hired to work for him. He decided that he would call her later that morning. Melvin turned over on his side to try to get a couple of hours of sleep before the sun came up.

The next morning Melvin was awaken by a clasp of thunder. It was raining cats and dogs. He slowly sat upon on the side of his bed and wiped his eyes. He got up to looked out his window. It was raining so hard that he could barely see his neighbor Mrs. Caldwell house across the street. There was a knock at his front door.

“Who could this be?” asked Melvin. “Coming here in this weather so early.”

He slipped on his house shoes and robe and headed downstairs to the front door. He slipped back the curtains by the door. It was his niece Simone. She was soaking wet shaking rain water off her umbrella. Melvin opened the door for his niece.

“What are you doing here?” asked Melvin.

“I had to see you uncle,” said Simone.

“I guess great minds think alike,” said Melvin. “I was thinking about calling you early this morning.”

“Is everything alright?” asked Simone.

“Just something weary on my mind,” said Melvin.

Melvin went into his steady and picked up a box from the corner of the room. The box contained some paperwork from him traveling Cidercrest Hollow. He showed Simone all the information that he had collected about the town and the Talbot family. Melvin took out a yellow folder and opened it up. Inside the folder were articles that he had collected about the mysterious deaths happening over a fifteen year span in the town. The Talbot family were very powerful and the people in Cidercrest feared them. He told Simone of their news van exploding one night and how they ended up getting the hell out of town for fear of their lives. The police was no help to them in fact Melvin believed that the police was in on whatever was happening there. Simone took all the articles and spread them across the desk. She pulled out the chair from the desk and took a seat.

“What are we going to do?” asked Simone. “We have to do something.”

“We'll have to go back there,” said Melvin. “I'm concerned about Mrs. Minor.

“Whose Mrs. Minor?” asked Simone.

“A lady that lives in Cidercrest,” said Melvin. “I'm worried about her well being.”

Melvin went into the kitchen to find the number he had written on a notepad with Mrs. Minors number. The operator had given him the number the night before. Melvin picked up his phone and called the number. All that he could hear on the the other line was a busy signal.

“Something isn't right,” said Melvin. “We have to go back to Cidercrest.”

“Alright Uncle, “ said Simone. “I got to get out of these wet clothes first.”

“I'll meet you at your house,” said Melvin.

“Okay,” said Simone.

Melvin walked Simone to the door and watched her as she pulled off in her car. He ran up the stairs to change his clothes and packed a few more for his trip. Melvin and Simone ended up driving her van to Cidercrest Hollow. The Pelican Ridge was the only hotel in the small town. Melvin couldn't help thinking about the night of the explosion because it happened at this hotel. Melvin hesitated before he opened the car door.

“Are you okay ?” asked Simone.

“I'm fine,” said Melvin. “Let's get our rooms.”

As they went inside, Melvin could see that some changes had been made to the hotel since his last visit. The owners were a nice African American older couple. Melvin gave the couple their information and they were both handed keys to their rooms.

“I hope y'all enjoy staying with us,” said the Woman.

“Thank you,” said Melvin.

There was a changed that had come about in the town since September of 1983 the last time Melvin and his crew was there. The atmosphere seemed friendlier and there were not many black owned businesses in Cidercrest Hollow in those days. Mr. Ronald Davis was the only black man back then with his TV repair business that he and his son owned. That had been over twenty three years ago. After putting his bags into his hotel room, Melvin went back into the hotel room. He wanted to ask the woman at the front desk if she knew Mrs. Blanch Minor.

“Yes, I know her,” said the Woman. “She lives with her son Allen three blocks from here.

“Thank you,” said Melvin. “I'll pay her a visit.”

“By the way,” said the Woman. “My name is Trina Browne.”

“Nice to meet you,” said Melvin. My name is Melvin Chandler.”

Simone came into the hotel looking for her uncle.

“Where do you want to go next?” asked Simone.

“I found out where Mrs. Minor lives, "said Melvin. “Let's go see the lady.”

“Okay,” said Simone.

As they pulled into the drive way, there was a middle aged man sweeping off the front porch.

“Hello," said Melvin. “Is this the home of Mrs. Blanch Minor?”

“Yes, it is,” said Allen. “I'm her son.”

“Is she home?” asked Melvin.

“No,” said Allen. “Would you like to come inside.”

“ Sure,” said Melvin.

Allen opened the door to let Melvin and Simone inside his house.

“have a seat,” said Allen, “ Can I get you both something to drink?”

“No,” said Melvin.

Melvin began asking Allen about his mom. Allen told them that about ago his mother started acting really peculiar. After coming home for work, Allen said his mother was saying that Oliver Talbot killed his mechanic Mr. Brock. He asked her how dis she know this and she said she had seem him do it from looking out of their kitchen window. His mother couldn't possibly see Mr. Talbot kill his mechanic out of their window. She must have seen something happen over twenty year ago and remembering it like it just happened yesterday. Allen went on explaining how corrupt things were back in the day while the Talbot family and Sheriff Walker were running the town. Since the firing of Sheriff Walker, things had changed tremendously. Oliver Talbot and his son Oliver Jr. were arrested and charged with the murders of over ten people. Sheriff walker was had charges of corruption and murders and tampering with evidence. Allen sadly had to put his mother in a nursing home. Mrs. Minor has started wondering off at night and talking about things that happened years ago getting time confused with what's going on today. She had worked as a caregiver for their grandfather Dalton Talbot since March of 1976.

“I blame that awful family,” said Allen. “All the things she much have seen working for those people.”

“Mrs. Minor called me,” said Melvin. “Two nights ago and hung up.”

“How did she get your number?” asked Allen.

“I don't know,” said Melvin.

Melvin remembered when he and his crew were doing interviews he had left his cards with several people in the town. Mrs. Minor must have been one of those people and kept his card all those years. Allen walked into his mother's room and right next to her bible and reading glasses on her end table, was Melvin's card with is phone number. Allen brought the car out of her room and showed it to Melvin.

“That sweet old dear,” said Melvin.

“I'm sorry about this,” said Allen. “You coming all out your way.”

“No problem,” said Melvin. “I'm just glad to hear she's doing alright.”

“She's doing much better now,” said Allen.

“It was nice meeting you,” said Melvin. “Tell your mother I said hello.”

Allen shook Melvin's hand and Simone's. As they drove away from the Minor's house, Melvin was intrigues how many things about the town had changed. There were a lot of new business and even a welcome center. The town had one movie theater and now they had three. They drove past the old Talbot mansion that towered over the whole town. The old white mansion looked disheveled and over run by ivy veins and had cracks all along the banisters and windows. The whole town seemed a lot at peace today and Melvin was glad that he got the chance to come back for a visit.