Under the Willows

by Pamela McCord

  There was no answer right away. Maybe the question put her off.

  I looked at Rob, then back at the Dot.

  No.

  I squeezed his hand, my heart clenching for the poor dead child.

  “Oh, Emma.” I couldn’t keep the sadness out of my voice. “You need to help us find you. Can you help us?”

  I’ll try.

  “Maybe it will help if you can describe where you are, what you see around you.”

  It’s dark. I can’t see.

  “Where’s Marilee,” Rob asked.

  She’s here but she’s sleeping. That’s all she can do. I don’t think it will take long.

  “What won’t take long?” Rob’s voice reflected his anxiety.

  I think Marilee will be dead soon.

  “Why do you think that, Emma?”

  He stopped coming here and she’s so hungry. I think he means for her to be hungry until it’s over.

  “Emma, please,” I said. “There must be something you can tell us about where you are. Are you outside, or in a house?”

  The bars keep her in.

  Tears streamed down my cheeks, and I used the hand not held by Rob to brush them away.

  “You can get out of the bars, can’t you?”

  I can go in and out, but I don’t want to leave my friend.

  “She’s lucky to have you there. She must be so afraid.”

  I glanced to Rob for help.

  “Emma, can you go outside and see what’s around the house, or the . . . cage . . . or whatever is holding you and Marilee? If you can give us a clue, we might be able to figure out where to look.”

  I remember what it felt like when there wasn’t food anymore. I didn’t like it.

  “Oh, my God,” I said, unable to stop the flow of tears. Rob let go of my hand and pulled me to him, his arm holding me against his chest.

  I buried my face in his shoulder. “What kind of monster could do that to a child?”

  He smoothed my hair and gave me a moment to pull myself together. I sniffed and sat up again.

  “Who did this to you, Emma?”

  A man. He brought Marilee.

  “The same man took you both?” Rob asked.

  He looked the same but old.

  “Can you tell us where we should look for you, Emma?” I asked.

  “Is it a neighborhood, in the woods, something like that?” Rob added.

  There’s trees. And water.

  “It sounds like the woods. Does that sound right?” Rob asked.

  The trees are crying.

  “Crying? What do you mean?”

  I have to go now.

  The room warmed up quickly, and I knew she was gone. The three of us exchanged glances. It had been an unbelievable experience.

  “Mom,” TJ said, tears clinging to his eyelashes, “I’m so scared for her.”

  “Me, too, honey.” I pulled away from the safety of Rob’s arms and stood.

  “I need coffee,” I said. “Anyone want to join me?”

  “I get coffee?” TJ asked, his eyes wide.

  “No, honey, but you can have hot chocolate. Will that be okay?”

  “Sure.” He clambered out of bed and followed me out the door, Rob bringing up the rear.

  I started the coffee brewing and heated milk in a saucepan for the chocolate. Rob seemed to catch the drift that we’d talk about Emma after we were settled at the table with our beverages.

  I poured the milk in a mug and stirred in some Hershey’s cocoa and slid the mug to TJ.

  “Can I have whipped cream on it?” he asked, sliding it back.

  I found the can of whipped cream in the refrigerator and squirted it on the steaming hot chocolate and slid it back to him. Given that it was still the middle of the night, I wasn’t surprised to see TJ rubbing his eyes. When he noticed me watching, he flashed a tired grin. I put a gentle hand on his shoulder and smiled back.

  “Okay now?”

  “Just the way I like it,” he said, grinning.

  I filled two more mugs with coffee and set them, along with half ’n’ half and sugar, on the table. On a whim, I squirted whipped cream on top of my coffee.

  No one knew quite what to say, so we concentrated on our drinks.

  Rob finally piped up. “That was insane.”

  “I think I’d be freaking out if you weren’t here. I’d have probably packed up TJ again and headed for the motel.”

  “I get it. I’d hate to experience that alone, too.”

  “Do you think it could really be happening? Did we imagine it?”

  “Mom, it really happened. Emma’s our ghost.”

  “Leave it to the child,” I said, shooting TJ a smile. “I know, honey. Besides, we’re experienced now. Were you scared?”

  “Heck, no. Emma’s just a kid, like me.”

  “Yes, she is.” I reached over and patted his leg.

  “What’s going to happen to her?” he asked, his little forehead creased in worry.

  “I hope we’re going to be able to find her,” I said.

  “But, if we find her . . . what will we do then?”

  “We’ll tell the police.”

  “Like Rob?” TJ’s worried glance turned to Rob.

  “Like me,” Rob said. “We just have to get there in time to save Marilee.”

  “But what about Emma?” TJ asked, not ready to let it go. “We have to save her.”

  I sighed and put my hand over his. “We want to save both of them.” Wearily, I turned to my cup of coffee and took a couple of sips before setting it down again.

  “Finish your hot chocolate so you can get some rest,” I said to TJ. “You can sleep in my room.”

  “Aw, Mom.” TJ glared at me then attempted to down his remaining hot chocolate in one gulp, and ended up with his face and pajamas drenched in chocolate. “Oops.”

  “Oops is right.” I shook my head as I grabbed a kitchen towel and mopped at his wet face and pajamas. I gently swatted him on the butt. “Go on upstairs and wash your face and put on clean pajamas. I’ll be up in a little while. Mr. Porter and I need to talk.”

  “Okay. I’m sorry, Mom.”

  “I know, honey. It’s okay.”

  I watched him slink off toward the stairs, head hanging, then turned to Rob. “Where were we?”

  “I think we need to go back over what she told us. If she’s right, Marilee might not have much time left.”

  “I know. I’m horrified by that. You’re much more familiar with this area than I am. Did anything she said stick out?”

  “Not really. Woods and water are everywhere around here. The town backs up to a forest; there are miles of woodland. And more than one body of water.”

  “What do you think she meant about crying trees?” I asked.

  “Weeping willows, maybe? That’s all I can think of”

  “She said bars, Rob. Like Marilee’s in a cage. It’s too awful to think about.” My eyes started to fill and he reached over and squeezed my hand.

  “It’s not good. But it makes sense. I’ve read about cases where abducted kids were kept in all kinds of terrible conditions. Closets, trunks, sheds. The stuff of nightmares. The ones found alive . . . well, let’s just say it really messes them up.”

  “My heart hurts. Knowing there are monsters out there who prey on children. If something happened to TJ, I don’t know if I could survive.”

  His face was grim, his mouth set in a tight line. “Yeah,” was all he said.

  “Should we search the woods tomorrow?”

  “Too many miles of woods and shoreline.”

  “But at least it’s something. Do you remember seeing any bodies of water with weeping willows growing on the banks?”

  “I can think of a few places I could check out.”

  “I’ll come with you,” I said.

  “Absolutely not. If we’re dealing with a predator, I don’t want you anywhere n
ear him.”

  “But I—”

  “It’s a police matter. You don’t have the training or experience to deal with a dangerous situation.”

  “It may be a police matter, but you only have this lead because of me. Or, because of my Alexa. If you don’t want to take me with you, I’ll see if Jen wants to go hiking.”

  “That’s a bad idea.”

  “Look, whoever he is, he has no idea we’re on to him. People probably hike around those woods all the time. There’s no reason for him to think we’re a threat.”

  “I think you should let the police investigate.”

  “Are you going to tell them a ghost told you to look for weeping willows?”

  “Obviously not.” He blew out a breath and ran his hand through his hair.

  I grabbed my phone off the coffee table. “I’m going to text Jen and see if she has plans for today. It would help if you gave me an idea of the areas with the weeping willows.”

  “It would help if I went with you. You don’t have to ask Jen.”

  “So, what time do we leave?”

  Chapter 22

  O

  W

  hen it was a decent hour to phone without worrying about waking her up, I called Kevin’s mom, Melissa, to see if she’d mind watching TJ for a few hours. She came through for me. She said I could drop TJ off around nine, assuring me Kevin was going to be thrilled.

  I met Rob at the Old Miner trailhead, where he was waiting for me, leaning against his truck. He looked . . . appropriate. Okay, he looked good. A loose-fitting tank top exposed his muscular arms, and dark jeans and hiking boots completed his attire. I caught myself staring and coughed to cover my embarrassment. I’d been prescient enough to wear jeans and boots myself, in spite of the heat and humidity I was sure the day would bring, and the red tank I wore ensured he wouldn’t lose me.

  “Where to, pardner?” I asked in my best faux western accent.

  “We’re going to follow that trail for a bit. I’m glad you wore protective clothing, as parts of the trail are rough, a lot of rocks and underbrush once we leave the trail. Some of the areas I’m thinking of line the banks of Bluebird Lake. That’s where some of the weeping willows grow down to the edge of the water.” He shifted his backpack up on his shoulders. “Did you bring water?”

  “Yeah. I have a couple in my backpack.”

  “Me, too. I guess we’re ready to go.” He started up the trail and I hurried to catch up.

  We stuck to the trail for twenty minutes. The beech and oaks lent a serenity to the woods that felt incongruous with our reason for being there. The pines towering overhead provided sparse shade, not enough to make a difference in the humid heat. We veered off the trail and crossed a footbridge over a swiftly flowing creek. Rob offered his hand to help steady me on the bridge. My breath caught, but I shrugged off the feeling of my hand in his. Now wasn’t the time.

  The overgrown footpath angled down, and the gurgling sound of water ahead of us was growing louder. Embedded rocks littering the path made walking tricky. My foot slipped off one of them and I was afraid I’d twisted it, but I was lucky and other than a twinge didn’t have trouble walking. Tomorrow might be a different story.

  “You okay?” Rob asked coming back to where I was testing my ankle. “Want to rest awhile?”

  “I’m okay. I can walk and I’m not tired yet, so let’s keep going.”

  “If you’re sure,” he said, watching me for a minute before turning back to the path.

  My first few steps felt a little off but, after those, I had no further problem.

  We broke through the trees, and the lake spread out in front of us. For a moment, I savored the fragrance of the dense foliage. If color had a smell, then I smelled green.

  There was a short drop from the forest edge to the shoreline, which I tried to navigate on my own. When my feet slid out from under me on the loose limestone I let out a shriek. Rob, following behind, was close enough to catch me before I did any damage to myself, and I found myself gazing up into his eyes as he lifted me down to the shore.

  I glanced away before it got awkward. For me. I don’t think he thought anything about it. He asked if I was all right, then let me go.

  Scanning the shoreline, Rob pointed to willows a dozen yards to the left. He offered me his hand, but I declined and followed him as we picked our way along the rocky shore. I watched him, his steps sure, probably from a lifetime spent around these woods and lakes, as I did my best not to trip or stumble.

  Drawing near, I wondered what, exactly, we were looking for. The tips of willow branches trailed in the water and insects buzzed in the still air. I stepped into a cloud of gnats and frantically waved my arms and ducked below them as I rushed to Rob’s side. His good-natured grin kind of pissed me off.

  I narrowed my eyes at him in irritation, but my large dark glasses totally diffused the glare.

  “How do we search around here?” I asked. “Do we crawl under the branches or what?” I didn’t see anything that looked like a structure or hiding place, and wondered if it was my inexperience that kept me from noticing clues.

  “A little of that. I’ve been scanning the banks and up into the tree line as we approached, but there’s nothing. I’ll check under the willow. You wait out here.” His arm parted the willowy branches and he glanced over his shoulder at me. “Don’t let the bugs get you.” The branches closed behind him before I could sputter out a proper response. Then I laughed. Oh, lighten up, I admonished myself.

  It didn’t take long before he reemerged. “Nothing here. Let’s move on.”

  Rob was up the bank in two steps, while I sort of clambered up, relying on my hands to help, not quite as sure-footed as my guide. On flatter ground, I wiped my hands together to dislodge the fine gravel imbedded in the heels of my hands, then tromped after him.

  The heat was starting to get to me and, after navigating the rough footpaths for another half hour, I was ready to take a break. I pulled out a couple of water bottles and tossed one to Rob. He sat on a boulder watching me inspect my arms for bites and scratches. No doubt I’d look great tomorrow.

  I sat next to him, wiping my sweaty forehead with the back of my hand. Rob pulled a bandana out of his backpack.

  “It’s an extra one. It really helps.”

  “Thanks,” I said, wiping my face with it, then tucked it into my back pocket.

  “Where to next?” I asked.

  “Half a mile further we’ll angle back down to the lake. By the way,” he said, “you might want some of this.” He handed me a bottle of bug spray.

  “Oh, my God. Thanks! The mosquitos are getting relentless.” I spritzed the solution on my arms and neck and patted some on my face.

  “Sorry. I should have offered you some before we started out, but I sprayed it on before I left the house this morning and forgot.”

  “Oh, no problem. I’m okay. I should have done the same thing. Next time, I’ll know.”

  Pushing up off the boulder, I blew out my cheeks and followed Rob’s lead. I did my best to keep up, but had to admit I was starting to lag behind. I hadn’t done much hiking in years, and the heat and humidity were taking a toll. Up ahead, Rob stopped and waited for me, extending a hand.

  “Let me help you out there. This is grueling, especially on someone who’s not used to it.” He waited for me to accept his offer of help. “Come on. I won’t bite.”

  Trying not to look too grateful, I grabbed his hand. It did make the trek easier to have someone pulling me along. I was very aware of our clasped hands for the first few minutes, then it felt natural. I didn’t notice when that happened, but when Rob stopped and turned down a dirt path leading back toward the water, I stared at our hands in embarrassment and pulled mine away under the pretext of grabbing the bandana to wipe my face. I couldn’t look at him for a few moments as my thoughts and emotions swirled. It would be so easy, with him. But I’m not ready. I’m not, am I?

/>   I’m not. At least for now. Any thoughts I had about feelings I could have for Rob were covered over by the solemnity of our task.

  This path was short and mostly flat all the way to the water. There were willows to both our left and the right. Rob parted the branches on the trees to the left and disappeared under them. I looked after him for a second, then slipped off my backpack, squared my shoulders and picked my way through the branches of the willow on the right. This close to the lake, the branches were dense and reached all the way to the ground. It was almost cave-like inside the branches, and peaceful. A breeze caused the limbs to dance, with a soft sigh of leaves brushing together. Children would love playing in the hollow formed by the trailing branches. As a child, I would have treasured this space. It could have been a secret clubhouse for me and my friends. As a parent, however, I would not have been comfortable for my child to play here, out of my sight and so close to the water.

  It was cool and dark in the shadow of the tree, and I could hear the buzzing of insects. I found nothing under the tree but branches and dirt and water. I moved to the water’s edge for a quick peek but, when I turned to go back, my foot slipped and I toppled into the lake, letting out a yell as water rose around my head. I sputtered, flailing and coughing as water filled my mouth.

  “Hang on!” Rob was suddenly there, grabbing me under my arms and pulling me out of the water. “Are you okay?” He picked me up and carried me out from under the willow’s swaying limbs.

  He set me on a rock heated by the sun and brushed my wet hair out of my eyes, kneeling in front of me to inspect my face, then pulled off his tank and used it to wipe me down, all the time saying “I’m sorry.”

  Holding his wet tank top in one hand, he stood. “I should never have agreed to bring you along. I knew this was a bad idea.”

  I clambered to my soggy feet, hands on my hips. “Just because I wasn’t careful enough doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have brought me.”

  “Yes it does. I should have realized—”

  “There’s nothing to realize. It was one damn slip. I’m fine. See.” I glared and felt around the top of my head. “Hey, I think I lost my sunglasses.” I turned and looked back at the path leading to the lake, and started back down.