GRAVES FOUND!

“GRAVES FOUND!


Saturday, February 16, 2002
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"Absent But Not Dead." Ranger Miller was first on the scene. He and his staff drove all the way up from Ellijay to personally investigate. "See there, that's a clue. That Billy Dunn buried the two girls' bodies up under those gravestones!"

NOTE: The gravestones are within walking distance of Lovers Leap, where Evergreen and SmokyGirl may have spent their last night, before their mysterious disappearance nearly a week ago.

The local authorities looked over at Ranger Miller, known to his friends as 'Millipede', with disbelief. "These gravestones don't prove anything. It shows them as dying back in 1940."

"My point exactly! Billy Dunn had these gravestones manufactured, and then hauled them up here to hide the bodies of those two women under them!"

The local authorities didn't take too kindly to these special agents driving all the way up from Georgia, and telling them how to run an investigation. "All right, what do we know?"

"Me and my boys been researching that. Evergreen, real name unknown. Lives up in North Carolina somewhere. Red haired, blue eyed, works in the summer selling produce. SmokyGirl, real name Tina. Lives close to Knoxville, works in some engineering firm.

Folks remember seeing a white pickup truck parked by a green Dodge Dakota. Remember seeing the white pickup truck pull away following some dark Pontiac, maybe a Bonneville. Drove from the store, out past the bridge, then back into town.

Parked at the rangers station for a while, and then drove out 25/70 west to the rangers work house. The back end of the Appalachian Trail comes out there if you go in at Garenflo Gap. Not sure where they went next, but folks said they when back to the rangers station before driving out to Garenflo Gap in the big Pontiac."

"The local authorities were impressed, but the information that Ranger Miller and his friends had turned up still didn't tell them enough. "All right, what do we know about the morning with that other hiking club from Kingsport?"

"Evergreen, SmokyGirl and our suspect got there first. They left a note on the car, and headed up from the gap. Hiked nearly two hours before they saw anyone. The hiking club from Kingsport caught up and would have passed them except for one of the girls wanting a photo of them all. You can see SmokyGirl, and several other people we have not identified in the picture yet."

"Did they talk to any of the three? Did the women seem distressed? Like they were being pushed along against their will?"

"No, the hiking club says they were all fairly friendly, but didn't talk to them much. Those folks in the hiking club were more interested in getting back to Hot Springs, and reserving time at the Spa."

"So Evergreen, SmokyGirl and Billy walked most of the day by themselves, ate lunch and then headed up toward Lovers Leap. We know they must have gotten tired, or cold, and spent the night here."

"We have recreated the campsite using some equipment borrowed from the local Outfitter, and my son's Scooby-Doo sleeping bag. So what do you make of this toothpaste and a couple boxes of cigars?"

"We have evidence that Billy passed through here, but no evidence linking him to a possible murder. We are not digging up these gravestones."

"Maybe Billy Dunn is just using the gravestones as a cover-up, to hide the fact that he pushed them off Lovers Leap. Kerplunk, kerplunk? Other than a big splash, the French Broad River is deep enough and wide enough, it would carry them off all the way to the TVA turbines."

"Tell you what, Ranger Miller, maybe we will call Billy Dunn back in to interrogate him, and see if he cracks."

"Well, what about the oleomargarine you found? What about the maple syrup? Ask him about that! Ask him where he hid the cellophane plastic wrap also!"



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Closeup of gravestone marked with the words, "Absent But Not Dead."

Background on Ranger Miller, and his band of merry men.


Fortune from Chinese dessert cookie, as found by two kids looking for clues, and marked with the words: There's a good chance of a romantic encounter soon.”

“They've been dead since the 4O's?!?!?! Bunch-a brain-munchin' crack zombies if you ask me. Better check 'the suspect' for tooth-marks on his frontal lobes. We might be able to get a match...”