Sara picked up the napkin, keeping a straight face. “What were you saying about the pinnacle of adulthood? I’m not so sure you’ve reached it yet.”
“Patience,” David retorted. “The day is still young…”
Laughing, Sara packed up her laptop. If only he weren’t so easy to get along with.
They walked over to Margaret’s house, and David let them in.
“Mom!” he yelled from the doorway. “We’re here, Sara and me. Are you home?”
“Yes, dear boy, I’m home, and not quite deaf yet, thank you.” Margaret walked in, shaking her head. She gave David a kiss and Sara a hug.
“How’s the patient?” David asked.
“He’s less grouchy, but still, I’d pity the poor nurses if he ever has to go to the hospital. It’s like taking care of a toddler. Good thing I’m so fond of him.”
David smirked. “My family is so loving,” he whispered to Sara.
They really are, she thought. They loved each other dearly, despite all the sarcastic bantering. It was like a warm blanket.
In the living room, Henry was sitting in his usual armchair, nibbling on a cookie. His color was better today, and his eyes looked clearer. “A toddler, huh?” he said, looking at Margaret. “Your mother runs her own little fiefdom here, David. It’s like having a prison guard. You should look into that, Margaret—you could start a new career.”
“Yes, I could,” Margaret responded dryly, “if I wasn’t so busy taking care of you.” She kissed his forehead. “I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
Henry grumbled something, then said, “All right, all right, that’s enough… why don’t you take some time off, get some rest.” He coughed. “I have the kids here now.”
“Don’t mind if I do,” Margaret said. “Let me know when you’re leaving, will you, David?”
David nodded.
“What’s this?” Henry asked, his eyes twinkling. He still talked slowly, but his breathing seemed more comfortable, despite the coughing. “I thought Sara was coming to visit. Now I’ve got to share her with you? Don’t you… have to work or something?”
David chuckled. “I do, later. I can stay for a while. I wanted to sit in on your conversation. I thought it might be interesting.”
“Very well. You can stay… I don’t have more on Charlene… if that’s what you came for.” Henry coughed again. “But maybe you had more questions.”
“I do,” Sara said eagerly. “Do you remember Charlene’s little sister?”
“Sister? No, did she have one? I didn’t know the family that well. Charlene… was just hard to miss, that’s all.”
“Hmmm. Okay, well, how about a guy missing his two front teeth? Benny, perhaps?”
“Benny? Good gracious! Ha! Now you’re stirring up memories!” This exclamation produced another coughing fit, after which he paused to catch his breath. “Benny,” he mumbled, shaking his head.
Sara and David both leaned closer. So Benny wasn’t just a figment of my imagination, Sara thought. Not that I’d believed he was, but still…
When Harry had recovered enough, he said, “Benny, yes. Ben Stevens. We were the same age, him and me.” He paused. “His father… was a lumberjack. Big man. An older man too, with a young wife. Drank too much, which made him a nasty… sonuvabitch. My mother, she used to point out… Ben’s mother had too many unfortunate accidents. If you know what I mean. Back then, those things… were private matters.”
He shook his head again, looking repulsed, before continuing. “Ben, he was a big guy. Big and strong. Bit of a loner. One day when we were twelve or so—and he was six feet tall, mind you—he showed up at school… with his two front teeth missing.” He paused again. “The story was… that he had protected his mother. And lost his front teeth.”
“That’s awful!” Sara exclaimed. “What a horrible way to grow up.”
“There’s more. And most of it bad.” Henry leaned back. David got up to get him a glass of juice, and Henry gladly took a few sips. “That’s better,” he said, sighing. “Yes, he lost his front teeth… but how exactly… you wouldn’t hear it from Ben. See… he had this awful… just awful stutter. He barely spoke. His parents… they just let it go. Not sure how many options there were… back then.”
“So he just wouldn’t talk at all?” Sara asked.
“Not in class. He just… couldn’t manage. Everyone looking at him… He spoke to his mother, I think. But she died… when he was about fourteen. After that…” Henry shrugged.
“What did she die of?” David asked.
Henry waved it off. “Who knows, some illness… This was the early forties.”
“So then he was alone with that horrible man who knocked his teeth out?” Sara asked.
“Hmmm, yeah. But two years later… one night… his father didn’t make it home from the bar. Drunk. It was very cold that night.”
“What happened?” David’s brow creased.
“Tripped. Fell. Or maybe just too tired or too drunk to get home.” Henry coughed again. “No one really cared, though. The cold did him in.”
“Ben lived in the house near the waterfall?” Sara asked.
Henry nodded. “After that he did odd jobs for people in the village. He was good with his hands. He managed.”
“What happened to him?”
“I don’t know, my dear girl. He left… like most everyone else. Probably got drafted for the Korean War. After that… who knows… if he survived.”
“Was he nice?”
“Nice? Yes. I think… he wasn’t mean. No bully. But… if you made him mad, oh boy. Ben had a temper. And he was very strong.” He paused again. “Not being able to speak… it frustrated him. Understandably so. He dropped out of school… early on.”
“I see.”
“He had a much older sister, who lived… somewhere around the area. But she had her own family.”
“Did he have any girlfriends?”
“Girlfriends?” Henry scratched his cheek. “There you got me. I don’t know… He was a handsome fellow. But very quiet. Not sure he ever got anywhere.” He laughed. “He looked at girls, though. Like all of us.”
Sara’s forehead creased as she contemplated what more to ask.
David took over. “Do you know why his house is considered haunted?”
“Haunted?” Henry coughed. “Haunted? No, never heard that. Is it?”
David shrugged. “Maybe that was just my generation,” he said to Sara.
“Maybe. But I think something might have happened,” she told Henry. “Something involving Charlene and Benny. I’ve tried to find out more about them, but I wasn’t successful. Now that I know Benny’s last name, maybe it’ll make a difference in my search. The newspaper here wasn’t very active in those days.”
“No, probably not,” Henry said. “But you could try Witherton… they may have archives of their newspaper. If what happened—whatever it is you’re looking for—was actual news, it would have been… covered by their paper.”
“That’s a good idea,” David said, nodding. “I could take you tomorrow morning.”
“I thought you wanted me to leave it alone?”
“I do, but since I know you’re not going to, I might as well tag along.”
“Fair enough. I’d like some company.”
“You’re welcome.” David looked smug.
“What about Taylor?” Sara asked.
“She can come too if she wants. I’ll talk to her tonight.”
Sara gave him a vapid smile. Somehow she had built up a little hope that maybe, just maybe... Don’t be silly. You should know better.
David got up. “I’ve got to get to my appointment. I don’t want to be late. Let me call mom.” He stepped outside.
“I have to go too,” Sara said apologetically. “I also have some work to do. But I’ll come visit again soon, if you like.” She grabbed Henry’s hand and held it.
“That would be lovely, my dear.” He squeezed her hand.
&nb
sp; “Oh, and before I forget. Does the name Jo ring a bell?”
“Jo? Lots of girls are named Jo-something… I think the baker’s girl was named Joanna… There might have been more. I don’t think I can help you with that one, sweetheart.”
“Never mind. It’s not important. Thank you for all your stories. I hope you get better soon.”
The next morning, David was at Sara’s cabin at ten a.m. sharp, as promised. With some satisfaction, Sara noticed that Taylor wasn’t with him.
“Taylor didn’t want to come along?” she asked casually.
“Oh, no, she had some stuff to sort out. Something to do with her furniture.” David shrugged.
“I see.”
“Did you find out anything regarding the local newspapers?”
Sara grinned triumphantly. “Yes, actually! The local public library has those years archived. We can look through them and see if we find anything. Here… I have the address.”
David nodded slowly, eyeing the piece of paper. “Excellent. I know where that is. Let’s go.”
The drive was uneventful, and much shorter than Sara expected. David asked about her stay in Seattle, and knowing the city as well as he did, it was easy to fill the time with talk of mutual places of interest.
When they arrived in Witherton, Sara was slightly underwhelmed. Somehow she had thought it would be much larger, or at least more attractive.
David chuckled when she mentioned it. “Not every town is like San Francisco or Seattle, city girl,” he remarked.
The library was a newer building, at least. A lady behind the desk helped them to a computer. “You’re lucky,” she said. “We’ve been expanding the years we have on our intranet, and the 1950s should be on there, so you can easily browse through them. The reading quality is not superb, but it’ll do. But you’ll be able to find what you’re looking for, if it’s in there.”
They began going through the Witherton Daily, starting at the beginning of 1950. It was onerous work; the print was small and the quality was subpar. Sara, who was operating the mouse, had to keep squinting, and her eyes quickly got fatigued.
Sara was also painfully aware of how close David was to her as they shared the screen. It was almost impossible not to touch him, and every time her arm inadvertently brushed his, it gave her goose bumps. When she reached the end of January of 1950, she suggested they switch off.
He did February, then she plugged through March, after which David took over again. He fought his way through April and June without any success. Getting impatient, Sara started with July. “This could take all day,” she grumbled. “Or more.” Gritting her teeth, she clicked through the pages. Then, on page three of Monday, July 24, she found what she was looking for. As she read and reread the first few lines, her chest tightened, making it hard to breathe.
“David?” Her voice trembled. “I think I’ve found it.”
David turned from looking out the window and sat down quickly, leaning toward the screen.
Sara started reading aloud in a low voice.
Dunnhill girl missing, man apprehended
Yesterday afternoon, five-year-old Josephine Becket from Dunnhill disappeared during a walk with her nineteen-year-old sister, Charlene Becket. The pair were returning from their visit to Sawyer Falls, a short distance from Dunnhill. According to their mother, Augusta Becket, Charlene took her eyes off Josephine for just a few seconds, and the girl was “simply gone.” After searching and calling for her for a while, Charlene ran back to Dunnhill, where she alerted her mother. “She was in such distress,” a tearful Mrs. Becket said. “She kept saying, ‘She’s gone, I can’t find her.’ And then she said the name of that disgusting young man who lives near the falls—Benny, his name is—over and over again.”
According to village residents, Mr. Stevens lives alone on the property near Sawyer Falls. He does not have a steady job, but occasionally takes odd jobs for neighbors. He has been described as “a quiet man, a loner, and slightly awkward—especially around women.”
Mrs. Becket acknowledged that she had hired Mr. Stevens on several occasions, until she had to “let him go.”
“I had to tell him off,” she explained. “He was looking at my girls the wrong way, if you know what I mean.”
Local law enforcement, with the help of a group of Dunnhill residents, have been out searching for the missing girl. Benjamin Stevens has been apprehended for questioning.
Sheriff Thomas Bell has not commented on the details of the case, stating, “The investigation is still ongoing, and right now, our first priority is finding Josephine.”
Sara and David stared at each other with shocked expressions.
“Oh my God,” whispered Sara, her face going pale. “David… Josephine—Jo—it’s the name from the bracelet.”
David clenched his jaw. “That’s quite a coincidence. If… if it was hers, and you found it in the water, that’s not a good sign.” His eyes were dark. “Poor little girl,” he whispered.
“Let’s look further,” Sara said, almost choking on the big lump that had formed in her throat. “Maybe they found her. Maybe she was all right.”
She frantically clicked through more pages, her eyes blurring with tears, until she felt David’s hand on top of hers. He slowly lifted her fingers, removing them from the mouse.
“I don’t think you’ll accomplish anything this way,” he said gently, handing her a tissue. “Why don’t you let me do it?’
“Okay.” She sniffed, dabbing her eyes. Then she turned to David, a desperate look on her face. “I saw her, David. Josephine. She was such a sweet little girl. Full of life. Harmless. Innocent. Just… a little child.” Her voice broke and she began to cry openly.
David put his arms around her, pulling her close. “I can’t imagine how that feels,” he said. “Having this connection, with people long gone. It’s hard enough to grieve over the people you love during your own lifetime. But maybe…” He cupped her face in his hands and stared into her eyes. “Maybe there’s a purpose for this, even though it’s hard for you. Maybe you’re capable of providing closure. For someone. Who knows—we haven’t found all the pieces yet.” He grabbed another tissue and wiped her cheeks. “Let’s keep looking. Let’s finish this.”
Sara shook her head. “I wouldn’t be seeing her,” she said, “unless something happened.” She hung her head. “So far I’ve only seen people who have died, I think…”
“Let’s see what else there is to find.” David turned back to the computer. They both remained quiet while David clicked through the pages. It seemed to take an endless amount of time.
Sara hid her face in her hands, not so sure she wanted to find out more. She had expected Charlene to be involved, not the little sister. But somehow it all made sense. It was the bracelet that had set everything in motion. Jo’s bracelet.
“Sara?” David’s voice brought her back to the present. “I found more. You want to hear it?”
Sara nodded, not looking up.
“This was Thursday, October 28, 1950.”
Man convicted in case of missing Josephine Becket
In local court today, twenty-two-year-old Ben Stevens from Dunnhill was convicted of murder in the case of five-year-old Josephine Becket, who disappeared while walking close to his residence. She was accompanied by her older sister, nineteen-year-old Charlene Becket, who claimed her little sister simply vanished on their way back from Sawyer Falls, during a few seconds when she had not been paying attention.
During the trial, Charlene testified that she had seen Benjamin Stevens, also known as Benny, from a distance during her walk. She also testified that earlier this year, while Mr. Stevens was doing some work around her family’s property, that he had paid special attention to Josephine and given her a present. Charlene stated that it had appeared odd to her that a grown man would so interested in a little girl. She said Josephine seemed fond of him, however, and said, “She would not have been afraid to go up to him.”
Accordin
g to Sheriff Thomas Bell, Mr. Stevens was found in possession of Josephine’s doll, which she had carried with her on the walk.
“He was holding the doll. If anything, he was the last one to see poor Josephine alive,” Sheriff Bell said. “Mr. Stevens has been completely uncooperative during the investigation. To me, that’s just not natural. If he saw her, and nothing happened, wouldn’t he have wanted to help find her?”
According to Charlene Becket and her mother, Augusta Becket, Josephine would never have willingly left her doll behind, as she brought her doll with her wherever she went. “He would have no reason to have that doll,” Mrs. Becket stated, “unless he took it from her. Or kept it, after…”
Mr. Stevens would not speak during the trial, claiming a severe stutter prevented him from doing so, and refused to take the stand. His lawyer stated that the defendant, although near his house that day, was innocent and did not know what happened to Josephine Becket or how the doll ended up on his property.
Local law enforcement and town residents searched the area and riverbanks extensively, but no body has been recovered. The search was recently called off, as it would be highly unlikely for the girl to be found alive after so much time.
David stopped reading. “That’s it,” he said. “He was convicted. We can look further to see if—if she was ever found?”
“Something tells me she never was.”
“I guess we could ask the local police,” David suggested. “They may have records of cases like this. They would certainly know if a little girl’s body was found.”
“Probably. It’s not a bad idea.” Sara rubbed her eyes. “I just… I hadn’t expected this, you know? Not the little girl. She seemed fond of him.”
David shrugged. “That might have been the problem. People are not always what they appear to be. You know that.”
“Yeah, I know.” Sara sighed.
“You saw him giving her a gift. He was being kind, but for a reason. Chilling. Poor little girl.”
Sara shuddered. “You’re right…” She bit her lip. “But there’s something else I don’t understand. What’s the purpose of me finding all this out? He was convicted. Case closed, right? What am I supposed to do with this information?”
The Charm of Lost Chances Page 5