Or at least that was the plan. My mother had other ideas. As a matter of fact, Elizabeth just bolted into my office without even knocking.
“I’m glad you’re sitting down,” Elizabeth said.
My mother looked like she had seen a ghost. She was completely out of sorts. It wasn’t like her at all.
Concern filled my voice as I replied, “Why? What’s going on? Are you okay?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Why not?” I asked. “What happened?”
“You’re not going to believe this.”
I squinted. “What are you talking about?”
“There’s no easy way to say this, so I’ll just come out with it. Your father is back in town.”
My mother was taken completely by surprise when my jaw didn’t drop.
Instead, I replied calmly. “I know.”
Elizabeth’s eyebrows raised. “Wait. You do?”
I nodded.
A befuddled expression came to her face. “But how?”
“He showed up at my house yesterday.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that?”
“I was going to. I just hadn’t gotten around to it yet. Ever since I talked to him, I’ve been wrestling with all kinds of different emotions.”
“I can imagine,” she said. “So, what did he say to you?”
I got up from my desk and pulled up a chair for my mother. “You’re going to want to sit down for this.”
***
After going over all the details with my mom, I expected her to need a few moments of silence to process the news. That was not the case.
She replied immediately after I finished speaking. “That man has a lot of nerve. What does he expect, that you’re just going to welcome him back into your life after all these years like nothing happened?”
“He said he wants to make up for lost time. To try and repair the damage that he’s done.”
“Let me tell you something about your father. You can’t believe anything he says. After all, he told me he was going to love, honor and cherish me. He also told me he’d always be there for you and your sister. He’s a professional liar.”
I held my hand up. “He was, at least. I don’t know if that’s true now.”
“Do you really believe he’s changed?”
I bit the corner of my lip. “I don’t know what to believe.”
“Don’t get me wrong. He knows how to say the right things. But just because he tells you what you want to hear doesn’t mean it’s the truth. Remember, actions speak much louder than words. And the fact he has been gone for decades is pretty telling.”
If I wasn’t stressed out enough already, this conversation could throw me over the edge. I could feel my muscles tense up as my pulse quickened. Right then, I just wanted to take a breather, but my mother didn’t seem like she was going to let up.
“Mom, I understand how you feel,” I said. “And I can’t disagree with anything you’ve said. At the same time, I can’t talk about this right now.”
“Right. Of course. You have work to do.”
“Exactly.”
“I’ll let you get back to it then.”
“Good.”
My mother got up to walk away. Before she took a single step, she gritted her teeth. “I still can’t believe he’s back in town. Just seeing his face again makes me so angry.”
“Mom, can we talk about this some other time?”
“Of course.”
Just as I went to breathe a sigh of relief, my mother opened her mouth again.
“I’m sorry. I just have to say one more thing. It’s amazing how much nerve he has.”
“Mom, I’m begging you to stop. I’m under so much stress right now that I feel like I could explode.”
“Sorry for getting all worked up. It’s just that I’ve been keeping these feelings bottled up for decades and they are all coming out at once.”
“Trust me. I understand. Why do you think I’m so stressed out? No matter what I do, I can’t seem to control my emotions. But I need to try. After all, there’s work to be done.”
“I hear you. And I’ll leave you alone.”
“Good.”
Before my mother entered the doorway, she put her hand up. “Just one more thing before I go.”
I tensed up. “What is it?”
“When you are ready to talk, just know that I’m here for you.”
“Thanks,” I said.
“Of course,” she said. “That’s what being a mother is all about.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Luckily, the rest of the day went by without any further incidents. As the morning gave way to afternoon, I finished up my work at the coffee shop and was able to try and sort out my emotions. Ultimately, that proved to be a harder task than I thought it would be. If my mind was a weather forecast, the local meteorologist would be warning me about storm clouds rolling into town that weren’t showing signs of dissipating anytime soon.
That said, I did manage to make a big decision about one aspect of my life. So, when David came home from work that evening, I got ready to share this new development with him.
Before I could get a word out, my focus completely shifted when I saw the look on David’s face. He appeared to be in really rough shape.
“Let me guess. Claire Blakely is still no closer to being found,” I said.
Surprisingly, my husband didn’t want to talk about the case. “Forget about Claire for a second.”
“Why? Because the case is going so poorly?”
He looked deep into my eyes. “That’s one reason.”
Clearly, David saw something interesting when he gazed at me.
But I was just as fascinated by the look in his eyes as he was by the expression on my face.
“Why do I feel like there’s a second reason?” I replied.
Rather than answering my question, David changed the subject. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on?”
I shrugged. “What makes you think something is going on?”
“It’s just an instinct I have.”
I became playful with him. “What are you, a detective or something?”
He laughed. “You could say that.” The look on his face then turned serious. “I’m right, though, aren’t I?”
I nodded.
“So, what’s going on?”
“Honestly, with everything that has happened in the last week, I’m really rattled.”
“Of course you are. I mean, who wouldn’t be?”
“That’s a good question. One of many that I don’t have an answer to.”
“It sounds like someone could use a good shoulder rub.”
My eyes lit up. “I’m never going to turn one of those down.”
“That’s what I figured.”
“David, you’re so good to me.”
“You’ve done the same for me plenty of times in the past. The way I see it, I’m just returning the favor.”
“The thing is, as nice as a shoulder rub happens to be, it’s not going to solve my problem.”
“What will then? A shoulder rub and some ice cream?”
“I wish.”
“Help me out here. I’m running out of ideas.”
“I’ve actually been thinking of heading out to our cabin.”
“Really?”
I nodded. “If I’m right, then spending a few relaxing days by the lake might be what I need to screw my head on straight again.”
“It definitely couldn’t hurt,” he said.
“That’s what I was thinking. In fact, my instincts are telling me that this is the absolute best thing for me right now.”
“If your gut is telling you to drive out to the lake, do it.”
“Do you really mean that?”
“Of course. When was the last time your instincts were wrong?”
“It doesn’t happen very often.”
“Exactly.”
“It’s settled then.”
I held my hand up. “Not so fast. Are you sure you’re okay with me just taking off? I mean, you’re in the middle of a case.”
“Trust me. I’ll be fine,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong. I’ll miss you like crazy. But I think this little trip might do wonders for you.”
“It’s settled then. Jessica and I will head out tomorrow,” I said.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The drive up to the lake was so pretty. It was a two-lane road that was surrounded on both sides by forest. I loved how scenic it was. The word picturesque always came to my mind when I described the area.
In fact, the beautiful setting was one of the main reasons that David and I bought a place on Lake Ashford in the first place. It was like having our own little retreat.
Gazing at the foliage was always a soothing experience for me. To the point where I instantly began feeling better once I left Treasure Cove city limits.
By the time Jessica and I arrived in the town of Ashford an hour later, a sense of calm had washed over me.
Before we headed over to our cabin, my daughter and I stopped at a nearby general store to pick up some groceries and supplies. It was a weekday morning during the offseason, so there weren’t many people around.
By my count, there were only three people in the store. I recognized the elderly store clerk who stood behind the counter. His name was Walter Gibson. Every time I saw Walter, he was wearing overalls. He was also fond of fishing hats. He was wearing a beige-colored hat that morning.
While Walter was a familiar face, I didn’t recognize the other two people in the store. They were both customers. One was a tall and muscular man in his late thirties who had a goatee and an angular face. He wore a work uniform from a local hunting and fishing supply store. There was a name tag pinned to uniform that read “Garrett Walker.” Garrett stood in the snack aisle with an energy drink in one hand and a bag of potato chips in the other.
Finally, there was a short, pudgy, bespectacled man standing by the register. He had greasy black hair that looked like it hadn’t been washed in days. The thirtysomething man was staring at a flyer that was posted near the front counter.
It wasn’t just an ordinary flyer, however. The paper was actually a missing person’s notice relating to Claire Blakely. So, the fact that the greasy-haired man was staring at the flyer so intensely gave me pause. Why was he so focused on the flyer?
If he was just a regular-looking guy, I probably wouldn’t have been so bothered. But there was something creepy about the greasy-haired man. I couldn’t quite pinpoint why I felt so uncomfortable when I looked at him, but being near him was just unsettling.
That said, I tried to go about my business. It turned out that would be more difficult than I thought. When the greasy-haired man spotted Jessica and me, he took an interest in us.
“You’re not from around here, are you?” the greasy-haired customer asked.
I shook my head. “No.”
The greasy-haired customer then smiled as he looked at my daughter. “Cute kid.”
“Thanks,” I said.
Even though I replied courteously, my smile was forced. Honestly, deep down, I felt really unnerved. I just wanted to get everything on my shopping list and leave.
I got a feeling that the retail clerk behind the cash register sensed that. Walter Gibson cleared his throat and then spoke up.
“Bobby, you going to pay for your soda and peanuts?” Walter asked.
Apparently, the greasy-haired man’s name was Bobby. As I glanced at him again, that name seemed to fit him perfectly.
Bobby turned toward the register and replied to Walter. “Uh…yeah.”
Bobby then paid for his items. Once he got his change, Bobby grabbed his soda and peanuts before taking another glance at the missing person’s flyer.
Finally, he turned his attention to me once more. “Have a good vacation.”
“I’ll try,” I said.
Much to my relief, Bobby walked by me and headed out to the parking lot. He then got into a bright red pickup truck.
As he backed out of his parking spot and pulled onto the road, I couldn’t help but notice that the back of his truck was plastered with an absurd amount of bumper stickers. I didn’t have time to count them all, but there were probably at least twenty of them.
When Bobby drove away, I took a deep breath.
My sense of calmness didn’t last very long, though.
As I stood by the register, I heard a voice coming from behind me.
“Miss, are you in line?”
At first, I was startled. When I turned around, I realized that it was just Garrett Walker behind me. He still had an energy drink in one hand and a bag of potato chips in the other.
I shook my head and pointed at the register.
“No. I’m still shopping,” I said.
Garrett stepped up to the register and put his items down on the counter. He then turned to me with a concerned look in his eyes.
“Are you okay?” Garrett asked.
“I’ll be fine. I’m just a little rattled,” I said.
He chuckled. “You’re not used to the local color, are you?”
“That’s one way of putting it,” I said.
Walter spoke up from behind the counter. “There are a lot of weirdos around here.”
“And you’re one of them, Walter,” Garrett joked.
Walter smiled. “Guilty as charged.”
“By the way, how’s your bottle cap collection these days?” Garrett asked.
“It’s coming along nicely,” Walter said.
“I figured as much,” Garrett said.
“Bottle caps aside, Bobby is a whole different level of weird,” Walter said.
“I can’t disagree with that,” Garrett said. He then turned his attention to me. “Although, I wouldn’t let him spoil you on this town. There’s a lot of good people in Ashford. I promise.”
Garrett then paid for his snacks and left the general store.
Once Garrett was gone, I approached Walter at the register.
“Can I ask you something?” I said.
Walter squinted. “That depends. What do you want to know?”
“When you said that Bobby was a whole different level of weird, what did you mean?” I asked.
“Bobby is a paranoid conspiracy theory type. He thinks the government is out to get him.”
“Oh.”
Walter’s nose scrunched. “Why do you care?”
“I just noticed that he spent a really long time staring at this missing-persons flyer.”
Walter nodded. “He’s been doing that a lot lately.”
My eyes widened. “Is that so?”
“Uh-huh,” Walter said. “As a matter of fact, every morning when he comes in to buy a soda, he looks at that flyer.”
“Does he ever say anything about it?”
“No. He just stares at it.”
“Doesn’t that seem odd to you?” I asked.
“Are you kidding?” Walter replied. “In my mind, there’s nothing normal about Bobby. I’ve given up on trying to make sense of that man.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
After paying for my groceries, I headed out into the parking lot with Jessica. By the time we reached our sedan, my daughter had already switched gears. She was busy thinking about swimming in the lake.
My brain refused to transition that quickly. I found myself still thinking about Bobby’s odd behavior inside the general store. My instincts were telling me that something very peculiar was going on with him. I would keep that in mind if I ran into him again during this time.
When I pulled out of the parking lot, I had every intention of heading straight to my cabin. As I drove down Pine Avenue, those plans changed slightly when I came up to a red stoplight at Acorn Drive. While I waited for the light to turn green, I ended up looking around at the scenery.
That was when I spotted a familiar red pickup truck parked in the driveway of a nearby house. The crazy
amount of bumper stickers that were plastered on the back of the truck were a dead giveaway of who the vehicle belonged to. Without intending to, I had stumbled upon Bobby’s house.
Before I could really get a good look at the place, the stoplight turned green. Rather than continue down Pine Avenue, I got the urge to pull over to the side of the road. My gut was telling me to focus on Bobby’s house for a moment. That was exactly what I did.
At first, I wondered why I was getting such strong instincts. After all, the house itself was pretty unremarkable. It was an old wooden home that desperately needed a paint job. When I looked at Bobby’s living room window, however, an alarm went off inside of me.
It was one thing to have the curtains shut for privacy reasons. Bobby had gone one step further. He had covered every inch of the window with aluminum foil. Talk about going the extra mile. He was determined to not let a single ray of sunlight into his house.
The question became, why? There were a number of possible explanations. Perhaps he was just a little nutty when it came to privacy. Or maybe he owned a snake. He also could be growing marijuana in there. Finally, there was also a chance that he was keeping someone captive in his home.
Then again, maybe I was just jumping to wild conclusions. All I really knew was that his window was covered up. Everything else was pure speculation. And it wasn’t like I was going to walk up there to find out. Especially not since my daughter was in the passenger seat of my car. The last thing I wanted to do was put myself or her in danger.
Strangely enough, just as I went over that point in my head, I saw movement coming from Bobby’s property. Bobby exited a shed that was situated in his backyard. He then began walking back to the front of his house.
When he spotted my car parked on the side of the road in front of his home, he began to stare at me. As he made eye contact with me, a shiver went down my spine. There was something about the way he looked at me that gave me the chills.
Right then, I wanted to get out of there. I immediately switched my car out of park and drove away.
***
A few minutes later, Jessica and I arrived at our cabin. As I grabbed our luggage from the car and brought it into the cabin, I tried my best to calm down. After all, we had come up to Lake Ashford to relax.
Cookies with a Side of Danger Page 7