by David Horne
"A quiet stroll?" Agent Harrelson repeated.
"Yeah," Gina cut in. "See, you can tell it wasn't running or charging or anything like that. The tracks are too shallow and too close together."
"Plus, they aren't heading anywhere near the lake," Branch finished.
The five of them walked on, dried brown pine needles crunching under their feet. The further they went, the more on edge they all became. They knew they'd have to head back soon and were disappointed not to have seen any sign of anyone. They fell into a deep silence, each studying the forest intensely, until they suddenly heard a sound that wasn't pine needles.
John, the agent who'd driven them up to Grand Arbré, stopped abruptly and lifted his foot. He kicked away some leaves and something white appeared. He reached down and carefully picked it up, revealing what looked to be a newspaper. He glanced at his fellow agents and then unfolded it to the front page.
"Well?" Geoff asked.
"It's from Grand Arbré," he answered and then his eyes widened as he looked closer. "It's from nineteen ninety-five!"
Branch and Gina slowly glanced over at one another and then quickly looked away when the agents started talking again.
"Should we bag it?" Agent Harrelson asked.
Branch snorted. "I can't imagine it has anything to do with our missing persons."
"But it's so pristine," John breathed, still looking the paper over. It was white and crisp, like it had barely weathered at all. "It looks like it was printed yesterday. How could it have been out here in the woods all this time?"
Geoff's gaze slowly slid toward Branch and a slight frown wrinkled his brow. He noticed that the Sheriff and his deputy were trying very hard to put on their best poker faces. Then he turned back to Agent Harrelson and said, "It's probably nothing, but we should take it with us anyway."
They bagged the newspaper and then agreed that it was probably time to head back and regroup at the command tent. If the couple had been found, they should have been notified on the radio, but as Branch had pointed out, radios and phones were notoriously unreliable in the area, especially on the southern ridge. The hike back out was faster, though they were still careful to watch their footing and looked here and there to see if they'd missed something on the way up. By the time they got down, though, it was far into the afternoon.
Lucille had kept the leftovers hot for stragglers like them or those who needed seconds. Most of the teams were back, and the Sheriff rounded everyone up before grabbing a bowl of warm chili and leading a debriefing.
Dwayne, the former Sheriff, took the floor first, so to speak. "As you might imagine, we were able to pick up their trail at the lake." Everyone's heart skipped a beat, but then they let out sighs as he added, "It looks like they hiked in from the next valley over. The trail leads right to the shore and the area where the packs were and then nothing."
Branch quickly swallowed his bite of chili and said, "You mean no one's found anything?"
Dwayne shook his head as did many of the other searchers and a murmur went through the tent. The FBI agents had been content to eat their late lunch and watch, but now Geoff stood.
Before he could say anything though, Dwayne added, "Does that really surprise you that much, Branch?"
The statement didn't seem to surprise any of the locals, but it made the FBI agents turn and look at one another curiously. Geoff put off what he'd been about to say and instead asked, "Have people gone missing at this lake before?"
Most of the townspeople grew quiet, but there were a few murmurs of "It's the lake."
"Yes, so I've heard," Geoff grumbled and then looked pointedly at Branch to answer the question.
Branch shrugged. "It's a forest, Agent Holden, a big one. There are bears, mountain lions, exposure...any number of things that might happen to someone." He could tell by the man's expression that he knew that wasn't an explanation, but he didn't offer anything else.
There were only a couple of hours of daylight left so Branch decided to call off the search until the next day. He directed everyone to head back to town and let them know that tomorrow they'd search the woods around Grand Arbré in case the campers were just lost and had made it down that far.
When they got back down the mountain, Gina and the Sheriff locked up the office, having already sent Dale home. Then they headed out to The Pale Horse, Grand Arbré's only bar, while the FBI agents went to their motel for the night.
The motel was small, the town tucked so far away in the woods that there weren't many tourists who actually found it. The rooms were decorated as if they hadn't been updated since the heyday of road tripping. Nineteen sixties wallpaper lined the walls and the bathrooms were painted in pastel pinks and blues. The two men shared a room, giving Agent Harrelson one to herself. After settling in a bit, they inevitably ended up in the same one, sitting at the small motel table, one of them having to take a seat on the nearest bed. They all had gloves on and were carefully looking over the newspaper John had found.
It was the old rag and ink newspaper from the time and as Agent Harrelson leaned forward and opened it with a long pair of tweezers, Geoff couldn't help but wonder how it possibly could have survived.
"The ink isn't even smudged," he mumbled, as much to himself as anyone else.
The others had been thinking the same thing and didn't reply. Instead, they started looking over the articles. Geoff let his agents take charge, letting his mind wander to the strange little town while they read the paper. While he meant to try and work out the mysteries of the case, his thoughts kept going back to the look Sheriff Fouche had been giving him.
"I didn't think this town would be big enough to have a local paper," Agent Harrelson commented.
"I think every village has a local paper," John replied. "It seems to be a requirement."
As they suspected, much of the reporting was on the local high school sports teams, obituaries, of which there seemed to be an inordinate amount for a town that size, and local business advertisements. However, tucked away a few pages in was a short follow-up to what sounded like a major local scandal.
***
Over at The Pale Horse, Branch and Gina sat at the bar, nursing bottles of beer. They'd been quiet for a while, watching the locals trudge in from a hard day of hiking. The place was bustling, which wasn't unusual given there weren't a whole lot of entertainment choices in Grand Arbré, but tonight it seemed like half the village was there. It had become standing room only and Gina looked the place over.
"We might have to call the fire chief in," she quipped.
"He's already here," Branch retorted and gestured with his bottle toward a man playing pool at the back of the room. He was the only volunteer fire chief and spent the vast majority of his time running the local grocery store.
Gina chuckled, but then noticed that her boss didn't seem nearly as amused. She took a sip from her bottle and said, "You're thinking about that newspaper, aren't you?"
Branch slowly turned his head to look at her. He had his elbows up on the bar, though he could barely reach comfortably with his stature. After a moment, he took his own sip and gave her a shrug. The truth was, while he had been thinking, vaguely, about the newspaper, he’d also been thinking about Agent Holden. He knew it wasn’t really an appropriate time for it, but he couldn’t help but like the man, in more ways than one.
"You were a deputy in nineteen ninety-five," she continued to prompt.
"I was twenty-three," he said by way of answering her. "I wasn't quite as young as Dale, but I was just as green. I'd piddled around for a few years, trying to figure out what to make of my life, but I eventually settled on the Sheriff's office because I liked the mysteries. You know, finding clues, putting the puzzle together." He waited for Gina to nod and then noticed that her face had become curious and expectant. She wanted more of the story. Unfortunately, she wasn't going to get it. "Everyone knows the rest," was all he said.
It was late by the time Branch got home again. Luckily, he'd
stopped by his house before meeting Gina at the bar and let the dog out. His cabin was still a bit of a disaster though.
"Sorry Buddy," he said and scratched the excited beagle's ears. "I know I'm not home enough." He felt a twinge of selfish guilt, but the truth was, he was lonely… had been for a long time. He smiled down at Buddy again and then the two of them went back into the house.
The evening was too chilly to sleep out on the porch, a touch of autumn in the air. In fact, it was cool enough that he decided to light the stove to warm up the place before going to bed. He was exhausted, but his mind was racing too much to go to sleep right away. He fixed himself a cup of coffee, knowing that it wouldn't help him sleep, either, but he didn't care. The dark, smooth liquid tasted good and helped warm him in the chilly air. Eventually, he turned the lights out, but still didn't go to bed. Instead, he simply sat in his chair and looked through the glass door at the forest beyond the back of his house. His mind flashed back to the summer of 1995 and the bodies, he and the Sheriff had pulled from the lake. He quickly shook his head, though, trying to push the memories back down. This situation was different, and the present dilemma didn't have anything to do with that, or so he tried to convince himself.
Chapter Four
The next morning, the FBI agents decided to set off on their own, much to the Sheriff's chagrin. They figured they couldn't get into too much trouble simply searching the area around the town. Besides, it might give them a chance to talk to some of the local townsfolk. Agent Holden couldn't help but have the distinct impression that these people knew more than they were letting on, about something anyway. Despite his better judgment, he was starting to trust Sheriff Fouche, and he felt it was better to get away from the man and investigate on their own.
Most of the searchers decided to go back up the mountain with the Sheriff and his deputies, leaving the town feeling quiet and somewhat eerie. The motel was in the center of town, along with most of the businesses like the grocery store, post office, and the three restaurants. Most of the residents' homes, though, were scattered in wooded areas on the outskirts of town. Geoff decided it would be best to search the same way they had on the ridge, on foot. He picked a direction, north in the same direction as the mountain, and the three of them started walking.
"Is everyone on the mountain?" Agent Harrelson asked. It was so quiet that it seemed like her shoes echoed all the way through town.
"I suppose," Geoff answered. He glanced around and noticed a few cars parked at the grocery store. "They must be open. Who knows, maybe this town is always this quiet. Maybe they're hiding something."
Harrelson and John glanced at one another, surprised by their boss' unusual admission. They didn't press him though, knowing that that was probably all they were going to get out of him. They eyeballed him now and then as he mulled over the mystery that was Grand Arbré. It didn't take long to get to the first stand of woods, and their minds turned to the work they had to do.
"Do you wanna start knocking on doors?" John asked.
"We might as well," Geoff answered. "We'll search the woods and talk to the residents as we come across them."
From there, they fell quiet, following the same procedures as they had the day before. The hike was a lot easier, the ground relatively flat and the trees a lot thinner. They knew there was still a chance of running into wildlife, though, so they kept their guard up as they searched for clues and the missing couple. It was slow going because the area saw a lot more foot traffic than the mountain did, which meant more footprints and litter to investigate. They saw no signs of any recent activity, but kept searching anyway.
Before long, they came to their first house. It was a small, gray looking thing, with vinyl siding and a chain link fenced in the yard. The three of them thought it odd, considering the plentiful amount of wood available in the area. The small yard was pristine, though the house looked as if it could use some work. They opened the metal gate and slowly walked up to the back door. It was a few steps up, like the house had been built to protect it from a flood. The yard had a few blooming plants and a few decorations, like bird feeders. The three agents stopped and frowned at the other decorations, though. There was what looked like a makeshift scarecrow propped up in the middle of the yard, and over to one side, under a small tree, was a child's cradle.
Clouds had been building all morning, and they finally blotted out the sun, giving the entire place a sense of gloom, as Geoff knocked on the back door. He waited a moment and then knocked again. Finally, he heard shuffling inside and the door opened a few inches to reveal an older woman with long, gray hair and sharp eyes.
"Hello, I'm Agent Holden from the FBI and these are my colleagues. We were wondering if we could ask you a few questions?"
The woman looked him and his badge over and then turned her gaze to the other agents. "Is this about those missing campers?"
"Yes, ma'am."
She hesitated, like she was mulling the idea over, and then opened the door to let them in. The back door opened on a bright, airy breakfast nook, with big windows looking out at the forest beyond. The woman nodded for the agents to sit at the table and then asked if they wanted coffee.
"No, we're—" Geoff started to say, but John had already agreed. He gave his junior agent an exasperated look and then turned back to their hostess. "Um, Missus..."
"Miss," the woman answered. "I was never much interested in marrying. Never had any use for men," she added as she turned and set a coffee pot down in front of them.
Agent Harrelson held back a snort, but it was enough that the woman heard and gave her a knowing nod. "It's Annie," the woman said and then sat down some cups before sitting down herself. She fixed herself some coffee and then shook her head. "I don't think I can be of much help. I haven't seen anyone but you lot poking around these woods."
Geoff glanced at his agents, knowing the search was a long shot anyway. What he was really after was insight. He pulled out their photographs though and showed them to Annie. "You've never seen these two around here or maybe in town?"
Annie slid the photos closer to her and pulled a pair of reading glasses out of a case she'd had in her pocket. As she looked the pair over, a muscle in her face twitched slightly. It was almost a look of surprise, but it was gone as soon as it had come. Then she shrugged and shook her head.
"Nope, never seen them," she said and pushed the photos away.
"What about your children?" Agent Harrelson asked. "Are they still around? Could we talk to them?"
Annie gave her a strange look and slowly shook her head. "I never had any children," she said, her voice was hard and suspicious.
"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that...we saw a cradle out in the yard."
Annie shook her head, but didn't elaborate. They could tell by her body language and expression though, that it was time for them to leave.
"Well, that was odd," Harrelson said as they walked away from Annie's house. "Did you see the look on her face when you showed her the pictures? She recognized those people."
"Or she thought she did," Geoff replied, a bit absently. He was thinking about it himself and couldn't quite put his finger on what he'd really seen.
"I think she's covering," Agent Harrelson went on. "I think those two came through here."
"Then why hasn't anyone else said anything?" John asked. "Why hasn't the Sheriff seen them?"
"That's a good question," Geoff admitted.
They walked on for a few minutes but found themselves in a small neighborhood of houses in the woods. They figured they might as well ask the next person, see if they had the same reaction as Annie had. Unfortunately, they never made it to the front door. As they walked up to the yard, a large dog came out of nowhere and practically jumped over the fence. The three of them backed away, shaken, as the dog growled and barked.
"Jesus," Geoff breathed, not overly fond of dogs to begin with. "Where did he come from?"
John glanced up at the house and nodded at a screen door th
at was slowly closing. "I think someone let him out on purpose."
"Wow, no one seems to want us around, do they?" Harrelson said.
"I'm not sure they want any outsiders around," Geoff answered, beginning to wonder about their missing couple.
"Should we go ahead and try to talk to these people?" John asked.
"No, there are plenty of other houses around. Besides, if they were here, we might get more help from the woods."
The three agents went back into the forest, leaving the residential area behind for now. By then, the sky had clouded over completely and the clouds had turned dark and threatening, but they would search unless it began to rain heavily.
Geoff had figured they'd run into some of the other searchers who'd stayed in town, but Grand Arbré seemed just as empty as it had when they'd set off that morning. Unlike at the lake, though, there seemed to be an abundance of birds, all the different varieties twittering together in the forest.
"You'd think the storm would put them off or something," Agent Harrelson complained as they moved deeper into the woods.
"Well, that one wasn't a bird, it was a squirrel," John informed her.
For once, Geoff let his humor show and chuckled a bit at the statement. Harrelson huffed at him, though, unamused.
"Well, excuse me. I was unaware that you were such a woodsman," she sniped.
"All right," Geoff scolded. "Let's stay focused." As they talked, the birds seemed to grow even louder and he glanced up at the treetops for signs of them. "I think they're worried about us more than the storm," he muttered.
"You think we're aggravating them?" Harrelson whispered.
"That could definitely be true with the squirrels," John answered. When she looked back at him in disbelief, he shrugged and said, "What? We have a lot of squirrels at my place, okay?"
As thunder began to rumble through the sky, the birds suddenly stopped tweeting. The forest immediately fell silent, causing the hair on the back of their necks to stand on end. One of them took a step, and the crunching beneath their feet was deafening.