by Peter Grist
“So you actually found her, Grace I mean?”
“Well I found someone, I hope it’s Grace”.
“And you have never had anything like this happen to you before?” she asked. He shook his head slowly. Eventually, he said “I should go, I knew you would think I was a nutcase but I wanted to tell you the truth. Thanks for the meal”. He began to rise from the chair but she put her hand up to him.
“No! Stop! I do believe you, I believe every word. Sit down, please”. He dropped back down in the comfy seat.
“How can you believe a crazy story like that, even I don’t believe it, and I was there!”
“Well if it hadn’t been for what happened at the library this morning I doubt that I would have believed you”. He looked at her astonished.
“What do you mean? I just flaked out is all.”
“No Ed, you didn’t. When you were lying on the floor in front of me, you were moaning and kicking out like you were in a bad dream, but that’s not it. It’s the cuts, on your arms and face. When you fell through the door you didn’t have them. When I was kneeling beside you, they just….well, I saw them appear…from nowhere. They just came! It was like, oh what do Christians call it?”
“Stigmata?”
“Yes! That’s it, just like stigmata!”
twelve
“Will you find your way back okay?” They were standing on the front porch, the only light coming from inside the house, silhouetting Linda in the doorway and giving her an angelic look. They had talked for another hour about what to do about the missing girl and the strange dreams. They could think of no logical conclusions, especially for the small tears in Ed’s skin that Linda had seen appear. Linda would make some subtle enquiries about the disappearance while he finished the last of his meetings in the morning, then they would get together at lunchtime to see what she had uncovered.
“Yes, I’ll be fine. I’m pretty good with directions and I’ve got a map if I get really lost. Well…good night then, and thank you again”.
Reluctantly he turned to go.
“Ed?”
He turned back around towards her and as he did, she leant forwards, put both arms around his neck and kissed him, ever so briefly on the lips. “Be careful”, she said then turned and went inside, closing the door behind her. He stood there, quite stunned, the stupidest of smiles painted on his face. He almost floated back to his car, the Sable’s built-in security approach lamps illuminating the ground around the Mercury. He leant heavily against the hood of the car, looked back at the farmhouse then lifted his eyes up to the clear night sky. He took in a deep pine-scented breath of fresh country air. He had hoped that she liked him, as he liked her, but he had never expected that. Wow! Looking up at the star-filled night he pondered at how minute his place was in the cosmos, but more importantly how quickly he had gathered feelings for Linda; being with her tonight seemed so natural and comfortable as if he had known her for years. A trio of shooting stars sped across the vast heavens and he wondered if he should make a wish on them. He smiled to himself, unlocked the car and slipped inside. Ed started the engine and drove back down the track, the missing girl far from his thoughts, and blissfully unaware of the furious eyes watching him from the shadows.
What on earth was she doing? She leant heavily against the old oak door, listening to Ed start his car and driving away. She hadn’t looked at another man, let alone kissed one since Ben had died, and now, after meeting this strange man only two days ago, she was bringing him home and cooking for him, even kissed him for heaven’s sake. What on earth was going on? But she felt something already for him, she couldn’t deny that and she couldn’t help that kiss either. She had felt something in that brief contact that had gone straight through her body like a bolt of lightning, a feeling she hadn’t felt for many years, something she never imagined she would ever feel again. Did he feel it too she wondered? The pessimistic devil in her head started to wonder if there was any point to any of this, there was no future to be had; he was a travelling salesman for Christ sake. She stopped the negative thought almost as soon as it had formed. Still, the moment had passed, she returned to her normal practical self. Although she rarely locked the doors on her house, all the talk of graves and murder had unnerved her some so she wandered around the ground floor, latching and locking doors and windows. When she felt that everything was secure she quietly took the stairs, stopping at Joshua’s room to make sure he was sound asleep. His Buzz Lightyear side light was still on. She pulled the covers up, kissed him on the forehead and doused the light. She stared at him for a while longer in the half-light offered from the landing. He was so much like his father in many ways; his looks, the way he spoke, even some of his mannerisms; like the way he twitched his eyes when he was really tired, little things, but maybe that was why she hadn’t looked at another man since Ben’s death, he was still very much here. She left Joshua’s door partly open then carried on down the hall to her own room. As she lay under her covers looking out of her window at the dark sky, she thought about Grace Benjamin, laying out there somewhere in the forest and wondered how she could help find the little girl’s body. She finally drifted off to sleep with images of Ed Saunders tending crops behind the farm and Josh playing in the yard while she fed corn to the chickens. She had no way of knowing that this would be the last sweet dream she would have for a while.
The intruder saw the lights go off one by one in the librarian’s house, first on the ground floor then he watched her work her way upstairs, the lights extinguishing as she moved nearer to her own bedroom. He pondered his next move. He would just love to burst in there right this second and take the bitch while he slowly throttled the life from her, but he was a patient man, and until he knew what those two love birds were up to and how much they knew he could keep his cool. He turned away from the now dark dwelling, reached into a breast pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He slipped a cigarette between his lips, struck a match and sucked deeply on the nicotine. He blew out the match, snapped it almost in half and flicked it into the night. He walked purposefully away from the house back to the pick-up truck parked hidden in the treeline, a cold smile broadening across his face.
thirteen
For the first time in months, Ed woke with a true sense of purpose. He felt rested after a nightmare-free sleep and happy about how last night had finished, the feel of Linda’s full soft lips still causing an uncontrollable grin on his face. He sprung out of bed and ran through his morning routine, showered, shaved and dressed for the day in his normal work clothes; cream stay-press pants, a plain long-sleeved khaki cotton shirt and chocolate brown suede shoes. He had his laptop bag over his shoulder and was heading out of his room by 7.45. As he bustled out of the door he stumbled straight into the path of the motel owner, Sam Ryan who looked like he was on his way to another room with a stack of fresh linen.
“Whoa, easy fella!” he said, deftly keeping hold of the pile of sheets like a well-trained waiter.
“Oh sorry Mr Ryan, didn’t see you coming” Ed quickly apologised.
“Well, you’re a busy man I can tell,” Ryan replied. “Guess you’ll be checking out today, huh?”
“Well, no actually, things are going a little slower than I figured, I might be here a couple of days longer to tie up some loose ends. That’s not a problem….with the room, is it?”
The look of suspicion only crossed Ryan’s rotund face for a moment and was replaced by a beaming smile, but Ed saw it.
“Hell no!” exclaimed the stout manager, “glad to have you here, longer the better for me of course. Let me know if you need anything won’t you?” Ed thought about mentioning the missing newspaper article from his room but the motel manager had already turned and waddled away quickly back the way he had come, towards his office. Ed shrugged, unlocked his car and slipped behind the wheel. As he drove out of the lot and turned towards the diner he could see the motel manager sta
nding at the reception desk, talking animatedly on the phone to someone. Ed paused, and then drove towards his breakfast.
For a dying town, the diner was fairly bustling when Ed walked in. He spotted an empty booth away from the door and slid in next to the window, his back to the wall, facing into the diner. Old habits again; he always liked to face the door to see who was coming and going. Army training sir! Betty brought him a mug of steaming coffee and a jug of cream without being asked. She nodded, said “Mornin’ dear” and bustled off again. He had enjoyed the pancakes so much the day before he had a repeat order this morning. By the time he was finishing the last few mouthfuls of pancake the diner was almost empty again. Betty checked to make sure the short-order cook was not in earshot then sat down opposite Ed.
“You’re the guy who’s been asking about Gracie Benjamin aren’t you?” She didn’t wait for a reply from her surprised customer; she just nodded to herself and carried on.
“I shouldn’t be telling you this but I think you ought to know, it wasn’t just her, there were others”. Ed laid down his fork and spoon.
“Others?” he repeated.
“Fur sure, not lately, no. But before, before little Gracie went, there had been others taken, never found. She was the last one though….from around these parts anyhow.” She looked around constantly to make sure she wasn’t being watched.
“How do you know this, and why are you telling me?” he asked.
“I know ‘cos I hear things. I been doin’ this job best part of 37 years, you get to knowin’ what’s goin’ on. Which is how I know you been askin’ questions too! And I’m tellin’ ya because I can read people, you know what I’m saying hone? My mother and her mother too, they could read people almost just by looking at ‘em. Let me tell ya, I can read you like a book”.
Her voice dropped even lower as she leaned further forwards. Ed was stunned by what she was saying but he couldn’t help leaning in to catch her next sentence.
“You’re troubled aren’t you hone? But you’re a decent man and I can see you want to do something to right a wrong and you think you can’t. Well I’m telling you straight mister, it’s not too late to make amends”.
“What….” was all Ed could manage.
The clang of the bell above the door broke their attention as new customers bustled in. She jumped up and started to step away towards the couple that was heading for a booth on the other side of the diner, then halted, turned back to Ed and finished, “Look for the other kids too mister, but be warned, there are some bad, bad folks in this town. Mind your back!”
She hesitated a second longer then added with a smile, “But Linda, well she’s one of the good guys, no doubt about it”. And with a wink, she turned and saw to her new customers. Ed sat there, quite unsettled by the brief discussion. The women’s insight was breathtakingly accurate but scary. Being a born sceptic he had never believed in anything like fortune tellers, ghosts, the paranormal or the after-life, but this crazy town and the crazy people in it were hard to ignore. He left cash under his coffee cup with a large tip and made for the door. Betty looked up from her new customers just long enough to give a knowing nod towards Ed as he left the diner, making the bell above the door jingle once more. As he walked the few steps to his Mercury his mind was preoccupied with what the waitress had said. He blipped the key-fob to unlock the driver’s door and slipped in. Ed never saw the tall man across the street step back into the shadows between the hardware store and a thrift shop. The man in the shadows watched as Ed started his car and pulled away from the diner, then like a ghost disappeared backward into the gloom.
Ed was well on his way to his first meeting when he remembered the Laundromat, the LED clock on the dash said it was 8.47am so it should be open by now. He took several right turns and got back onto Main Street and drove back the way he came. He glanced up into his rear-view mirror and saw a dark sedan a few hundred yards back keeping the same speed as he was. Another two right turns and the car was still behind him. He didn’t think he had ever been tailed before but he had seen enough cop shows on TV to know that he was being followed. He still couldn’t be positive so he added a burst of gas then took the next left on to a road that was mostly automotive repair and parts shops. As soon as he turned he pulled over and waited. He didn’t have to wait long as a shiny black Chrysler 300 whipped around the car at speed, swerving a little on to the other side of the road. The driver was hidden behind tinted windows but he must have done a double take when he saw Ed’s car stopped at the roadside as the 300 braked hard then settled then almost as quickly accelerated away up the road. ‘Got you!’ The 300 driver’s reaction was all the evidence Ed needed. The road was wide enough for a U-turn so as soon as the Chrysler was a block ahead, Ed turned his car around in a tire screeching movement that left smoke hanging in the air and headed back the way he had come.
He pulled up outside the laundromat just behind a beat up little white Honda hatchback. As he left his car he looked up and down the street for the Chrysler but didn’t see anything suspicious, but he blipped the door locks closed just in case. Ed pushed the door open to the laundry and stepped inside. Molly was at the back of the place leaning over an ironing board pressing a pastel yellow polo shirt with the monogram of a gator on the breast. She looked up as he walked across the dark red-tiled floor towards her, his rubber-soled shoes squeaking on the tiles, not masked this time by the noise of washers and dryers, all the machine lay quiet.
“Oh hi, it’s you! I’m just doing the last one.”
“Good morning. Well that’s great.”
She finished pressing the shirt, folded it and slipped it in with his other clean washing into a clear plastic carrier. She gave him the bill and he dug his company credit card out of his wallet and handed it over. As she swiped the card in a payment machine he said, “Molly, do you know much about cars?”
“Oh sure, I got my own wheels right outside, that cute little Honda out front!”
“Fantastic, you wouldn’t happen to know what a Chrysler 300 is would you, looks a bit like a gangster’s car?”
“Yeah I know the 300s, came with a Hemi right?”
“Yep, that’s right. Do you know of any around these parts?”
“Ummm let me think……well yeah, there’s a couple maybe. Old Mister Brandon has got one I’m pretty sure.”
“What color is it do you know?”
“Yep, it’s fire engine red, he used to be the fire chief here years ago and only buys red cars.” She looked pretty pleased with herself but Ed couldn’t hide the look of disappointment on his face.
“Oh, not the right one?”
“No, the one I’m looking for is black with blacked-out windows.”
“Oh yeah, of course! I know that one, and it has got a Hemi!” She was beaming now, pleased with herself that she could help.
“Do you know who owns it?”
“Uh huh, sure, it’s the guy that runs the junkyard east side of town. Mister Barrett, he a friend of yours?”
“No, never met the man but I’d like to talk to him though.”
“Oh, that’s good, ‘cos he ain’t a very nice guy, be careful if you go out to see him.”
“I will, thanks Molly, for the laundry and the info.” As Ed took the bag he handed Molly a ten dollar note as a tip.
“Gee thank you, have a nice day!” she said in response.
“You too Molly.” As he left the building he did another intense look up the boulevard but saw nothing untoward. He placed the clean clothes neatly on the back seat then slipped in the front behind the steering wheel, after a quick check of the address he turned the ignition on and drove to his first meeting.
Ed got through his two meetings with successful results, signing contracts for the installation of new computers including the set-up of networks for two small companies on the outskirts of the town and the all-important contract for mai
ntenance and network support. He was a seasoned salesman so went through the dance of sales in almost a trance-like state, quelling any misgivings his customers had and explaining again how the new technology would help their companies be more profitable and efficient but his mind was on other matters. He was finished by 11.30 so he headed back towards town to the library. Traffic was very light with the only memorable event being two fire trucks hurtling towards him going in the opposite direction, swiftly followed by a Police cruiser, lights flashing and sirens wailing. He worried that the sound of the sirens might start another mental episode but there was no white light or headache, nothing at all. Getting into town he turned onto the main square and pulled into his now regular slot behind Linda’s tired Nissan and switched off. As he emerged from his car he looked around for any two-wheeled newspaper delivery boys and was relieved to see nothing. When he walked into the library he was glad to get out of the heat of the day, the air conditioning inside was cool and quiet. Linda and her colleague were both leaning over a computer screen as Ed walked towards them. His feeling of well-being and purpose dissolved when he saw the looks of dismay on both their faces. “What’s happened, what’s wrong Linda?” Linda and her elderly co-worker looked up together, both startled by Ed’s quiet entrance. “Oh, you gave me a fright.” Although she was obviously concerned about something, he was pleased to see a warmth come into her eyes as they looked at each other. “Ed, you might be able to help us out here, you know about computers don’t you?” “Well, a little, I only sell the things really but I know some stuff, what’s the problem?”