Sandy

by Deb Stratton

  I decided to text Liam. I usually put that last on my idea list, but it was necessary.

  Me: - Hey it’s Lily, what is up with Junior?

  Waiting. Nothing. What to do. I had no idea.

  So, I decided to call his number. I cringed. I never called him.

  “Hello, Liam? I’m calling about Junior. Piper messaged me and said he is missing. .... ….um what? I’ll be right there.” I hung up.

  I ran out to the living room and grabbed my shoes. I was texting Piper and running through the house at the same time. I asked and told my mom while I was leaving. I left her no choice to say no.

  “Mom, everyone is looking for Junior. He never made it home from school. I am going to go to help.” I shouted.

  She looked at me like I was crazy.

  “I will call the other parents on this street! GO! GO!” she shouted back.

  I had never heard my mom yell like that. She seemed very concerned right away. I was not old enough to really understand or take it very seriously. It was scary to think of anyone being missing and it didn’t really seem real.

  I ran out of the front door and hit the sidewalk quickly. I saved fast running for escaping trouble not for going to look for it. But that is exactly what I did. I ran down to Liam’s house and we then went to Piper’s. We all gathered together and walked towards Junior’s Mom’s house.

  There were several police officers at Junior’s house. We stood on the sidewalk watching his mother give a report to a local deputy. She was crying very quietly while talking. His dad was also there and talking to a different group of police officers.

  Another officer led a detective to them. He pulled a little recorder out of his pocket instead of a notebook. He spoke into it and looked around. He also looked my way. I don’t know why that made me feel guilty. I wasn’t guilty of anything, but he made me feel that way immediately.

  The situation didn’t seem terribly dire to me. I really had no feeling that would lead me to believe that Junior wasn’t OK.

  Junior’s Mom lifted her head up and saw us standing there. I could see the sadness in her eyes. I could sense that she was talking about us.

  The Officer looked back and spoke again to her. He then motioned for us to come over. I wasn’t sure what help we could offer but maybe something might give a clue as to his whereabouts.

  The immediate thought I had was to decide quickly whether one of us would slip and tell about the broken window down at Sandy’s house or skip that part.

  “Junior seemed fine today at school.” I said.

  “Yes, he wasn’t having a bad day or anything. We walked home from school and everyone went their own way…. Just like every other day.” Liam said to the officer.

  I had no way to confirm Liam’s story or to try to come up with a complicated version with my nervousness in full force.

  “We all walked home together, and he went his own way. Just like Liam said.” I whispered.

  My voice just wouldn’t come out the way it usually did. I felt guilty and looked guilty. Maybe it was my own imagination. I knew we hadn’t done anything wrong. I guess we assumed that they thought we were guilty or involved in some way.

  We all continued to stand there. They kept talking and we kept listening. Something was up. I had no idea what it was but really wasn’t sure I wanted to find out.

  Eventually everyone in Hannibal would hear the news. I headed back home and waited for a message that he was found.

  The message never came, and I couldn’t sleep. I just kept looking at my phone.

  That night, the wind came in hard with the storms. It was so dark outside, and the rain was pouring down.

  I worried about Junior and where he could be. I thought about the series that I had been watching. Maybe he was abducted. Maybe he ran away. I had no clues. It would just be a waiting game. I did

  know he would never intentionally worry his family or friends. It just wasn’t the way he was.

  I looked towards the window from my bed and watched the lightning flash. The streetlights went on and off. I had a vision of Junior in wet clothing.

  Maybe he was out in the storm.

  The weather appeared dangerous from a distance, reminding me that some things weren’t always as peaceful as it seemed.

  Chapter Two

  Early on the morning of the next school day everyone was talking about Junior. There were multiple police in the area and nothing to go on. It was hard to stay calm and go to school like nothing had happened.

  My mom was worried about us walking alone and asked me to use caution. This told me that she believed someone took Junior. She offered a ride, but I declined and went on with my usual walk. I would’ve taken her up on it if the weather

  was cold or rainy. The morning was clear and sunny, so I wanted to walk and look for clues.

  The storm on the previous night had blown down some limbs and everything looked clean. The air smelled fresh. I loved the smell left behind after a good rain.

  We walked together past Sandy’s house in silence. She was outside cutting down a vine near her porch. She didn’t look at us directly, but she stood still when she heard our voices.

  I felt bad for her. It had only been a few months since her husband had passed away. The kids started their games with her when her husband became ill. They were all scared of him before his passing. He was quiet and quick to act on his temper. Sandy was sentenced to a life of

  punishment after marrying him.

  Oh, he was kind. He was nice to many people he talked to. Most people really liked being around him. But there was something that just did not mesh well between them. It brought out the worst in him and most of the neighbors had heard the fighting before.

  The window was covered with clear plastic and I felt bad immediately. The window wouldn’t be inexpensive to fix. I really did. She was in her late 50’s, I would say if I had to guess. To me that was really old. To my mom it wasn’t. They were both about the same age.

  Sandy seemed older to me though. She looked older. Like a hagged old woman that had a stressful life.

  We walked and talked about Junior. None of us really had anything to say about what could’ve happened to him. He went to look for his phone and that is all we knew. We told the police that he walked home with us and left it at that. I was afraid to look back at her when we got further down the sidewalk.

  I was scared to tell the truth. I wanted to tell but knew that it would cause more trouble with Junior’s mom and dad.

  After we made it past Sandy’s we walked to school with a few thoughts about what could have happened to him but none of it made sense. I turned, and then wished I hadn’t. Three men stood beside her garage with new glass for her window. Neither of them was looking at me. They both were staring at the house.

  I thought about Junior all day. I couldn’t focus on my homework or classes. I just couldn’t put it together in my head.

  What did I believe happened? I really wasn’t sure. I could make up creepy stories in my head all day long but that wouldn’t bring him home.

  Liam announced at lunch that he would do his own search of the neighborhood after we got out of school. I made a decision to tag along but only if he would behave himself. No more broken windows. I would never participate in that again.

  The day lasted forever. It felt like two days. I had never wanted to leave school so badly before. I spent time in my last class thinking about it non-stop. My head hurt from thinking so hard.

  Finally, the last bell rang, and we all met outside to start the long walk home. All except Junior. I felt a desperate need to find him. He was the first person that had ever been missing in our area.

  The news had stories like this daily in the big cities. In St. Louis and Kansas City it was common. But not here. Not in Hannibal. The biggest news of the week was the announcement of a Scrabble Club at the library. This kind of news story just never happened in our town.

  As we walked down the street the news trucks w
ere all at his house. We could see them in the distance. My heart sank into my stomach when I realized that he was still missing.

  And there she was. Sandy stood next to the fence by the tree. As we walked closer, she could almost touch us.

  Her face was something I would never forget. A wrinkled old woman with green eyes that made me feel extremely bare. I tried not to make eye contact with her but did. I smiled but did not speak. I looked and kept walking with my books held tight to my chest. I wondered why she never spoke or greeted anyone.

  Her long brown hair blew in the wind. I felt bad for her in many ways but also sensed my own fear as well. She really made me nervous and she was also a bit creepy.

  The others were talking and never even looked her way.

  She snapped her fingers for her orange cat as I turned around and they went towards the front door. The window was replaced and looked strange to me. All the other windows were old and yellow. The

  repairman replaced it while we were at school. I wondered if she had told anyone how it broke.

  I texted Junior’s phone and called it twice while we walked. I wanted to keep trying to reach him. For a moment, I thought I heard the phone message tones go off. I looked around and saw nothing, but it seemed so close. There were so many people in the area now that it could’ve been anyone’s phone going off.

  Well, that was wishful thinking on my part. I slowed down and walked behind the others. I spun in a circle looking in all directions. I messaged again and nothing.

  Liam was texting a few friends while we walked. We stopped in front of Junior’s house with the media hovering around it. I will never forget the feeling I had.

  “Piper, if the last time anyone saw Junior was when he went to get his phone, something had to happen right after that.” I said.

  “Yes, so he went back towards the old house and looked for his phone. He never made it home and it has been almost twenty-four hours. That is definitely all we know.” Piper said.

  “Maybe we should go back and look after the old lady goes to bed.” I said.

  “Should we tell Liam? I think he would want in on it.” She said.

  “I guess. He is just so loud, and I really don’t want to draw attention to us after dark.” I said.

  “Alright. I won’t say anything to him.” She said.

  We had a plan. After I checked in at home and finished homework we would go back to the area near Sandy’s and look around.

  I felt the anxiety coming. I would have to lie to my Mother to get out of the house on a school night. Especially if it was going to be after dark.

  I carefully slid past the news crews. I tried to listen to what they were saying. They had big antennas in the air and were all telling their own stories. There were no leads in the disappearance of Junior. I was so sad about this.

  I ran inside the house and did the usual. Tossed my things on the bed and hunted down some food. Mom was cleaning the bathroom and the food was already in the crockpot. I loved it when she made

  goulash. It was my favorite. There were never enough mushrooms and too many green peppers. It was also nice to have it ready.

  I hung around awhile and then asked to walk to Piper’s house. I told her I loaned a folder with notes in it to her. I also asked if I could stay awhile to visit. She said yes and I waited until Piper messaged me.

  I was never good at waiting. I was ready to go. Waiting was making me panic.

  I was feeling more nervous without Liam going. He may have been loud, but he was tall. His size made me feel safe. I thought about asking Piper if he could come along.

  I sat on the front porch and waited to leave. I saw Piper coming up the street to

  walk with me and waded through the grass to meet her. The yard was getting deep due to the heavy rain we had and none of my chores were getting done.

  “You ready for this?” she said.

  “I guess so. I am not thrilled about doing it but want to help. So, let’s go.” I said.

  We walked down the sidewalk together as the streetlights started coming on. The fireflies were lighting up the yards and the town became very quiet. With fall coming in the lightning bugs would be gone soon. I would miss that.

  We spent so many nights after dark playing games with them flying around. When the streetlights came on it was always time to head home.

  I had so many memories of Junior running through the yards with the hedgehogs from the trees. They were these large bumpy fruits that grew on a big tree. We would have the best time launching them at each other. My mom had told me they were osage oranges. That never made any sense to me.

  Through the bushes far ahead, I spotted Sandy looking at me with the same smile a nurse had given me a few weeks back before giving me a shot.

  This can’t be happening. I smiled back and then Piper shouted out,

  “Hey Lily, wait right here for me. I am going to run back to the stop sign and check for Liam.”

  “But there is plenty of time for him to catch up if he wants to come. Did you text him?” I said.

  She didn’t answer and did it anyway. I think she liked him. She was blind to the obnoxious entitled character he was. I thought we had agreed that he wouldn’t come with us, but she had other ideas.

  I watched her walk away and turned back towards the house. Sandy was still standing there on her step. I smiled a second time and asked her how her evening was. I really didn’t know what else to say. I found it odd that she was being so nice. It was a good chance to look around the area while she was being friendly though.

  “It has been a good day. Can I offer you some cookies while you wait for your friend to return?” She said with that crazy smile returning.

  Being kind was probably the best thing to do and of course I had to say yes. I walked through the gate for the first time in my life and sat on the steps running my hand across the cat’s long orange fur. I kept my other hand clean so I could eat the cookie I chose.

  It had a very buttery taste with a little bit of sugar and salt still on top. I kept hoping Piper would return quickly and save me from the visit on Sandy’s porch.

  Still nothing. I decided to thank her and excuse myself from the visit.

  I stood up and that was the last moment I remembered. Everything was dark and I heard nothing around me. I was asleep but awake. I stretched my fingers out to feel my way. There was nothing. I

  was being pulled across the floor by my feet.

  Then I heard her. She suddenly laughed and then it became quiet again.

  Chapter Three

  October

  For the next few days, I slept. I woke up in a dark basement tucked tightly into an old bed.

  The floor creaked softly above me and I became frightened to move. The noise became closer and I tried to lift my arms to get up.

  A light switched on and Sandy stood at the bottom of the stairs. I recognized her right away. Her dark hair was matted and a mess. She looked worse than I had

  remembered.

  She walked towards my bed and untied the shoelaces that were holding my hands to the bed frame. I felt sick to my stomach and she offered her hand to help me up.

  Several minutes passed by before I could sit on the edge of the bed without feeling faint. The dizziness was bad. I was just a kid but knew the feeling was similar to a night at the bonfire last June. I had a few drinks and felt the same way, clumsy and dizzy.

  I never told my mom. I also never did that again. I hated drinking. I tried not to ever use that word hate but I did. My dad was a drinker. I only hated that and the current situation I was in.

  She backed up a few steps, then pushed me back onto the bed. She looked into my eyes, regained her strength and held her

  hand over my mouth. I tried to push her hands away, but she used the strength behind her anger to overcome me. I was not one to look for or take on a battle but knew I had to try to get out. I screamed out while losing my breath.

  For the first time, I felt real fear, and sh
e could sense it. I was scared and confused at her reasoning. I had been the one that was kind and offered no approval in what my friends had done to her.

  I wondered what had happened to Piper. Was she looking for me? I was guessing that I was in Sandy’s house.

  She eased up as she shoved my head further down into the mattress and wrapped the shoelaces tightly back onto my wrists.

  She tiptoed across the basement and flipped on another light quickly. I was blurry eyed from the tears falling down the sides of my face. I tried to look and saw the figure of a man on a bed. It looked like a younger man or a boy. There were other rooms around me. She had me positioned in the center of the old stone walled basement. She sat on the edge of the bed quietly and kissed his forehead. I was so confused at her behavior.