The Ruth Valley Missing

by Amber West

  “No, that’s not what I’m upset about. Andy wouldn’t stand me up without a reason. I haven’t heard from him all morning. I’m worried about him.”

  I stopped sipping my tomato soup. “Wait, did you say Andy?”

  She nodded, sniffling.

  I paused, putting down the soup and sliding closer to her. “Emma, the good news is that Andy is going to be fine.”

  “Going to be?” Her voice was high and shaky, her already wet eyes filling with more tears.

  “He was out hunting alone last night, far as anyone can tell, and he got hurt. I only know because Jack came by and got me in the middle of the night to help. I left him at the hospital this morning and he was doing alright. He’ll take a little time to heal, but really, it wasn’t that bad.”

  “Oh, thank the Lord!” She threw herself at me, wrapping me in a hug, nearly knocking me backwards. The tears were flowing, but at least she seemed happier. “James, I can’t tell you how relieved I am.”

  She released me from the hug, then grabbed for a French fry. “Will he be home soon?”

  I shrugged, curling my legs under me on the couch, holding half of my sandwich. “I imagine so. Doc Matthews is taking care of him now.”

  Emma leaned back in the couch, eating another fry and shook her head with a little laugh.

  “What is it?”

  “Oh,” she said absently, “just poor Andy. He finally decides to go hunting and this happens.”

  “Finally?”

  “Yeah, the guys have been trying to convince him to go hunting for forever.”

  I hid a puzzled look as Emma continued eating.

  Chapter 17

  “Thanks for the brownies, Miss Quinn. And stitching me up. That’s real nice of you.” Andy wasn’t much for eye contact, but his gratitude was sincere. He took a bite of brownie and shifted on the couch, grimacing as he did.

  “Still hurts pretty badly?”

  He nodded.

  “Are you taking anything for the pain?”

  He pointed to the bottle of aspirin on the table in front of him, while taking another big bite of brownie.

  “Maybe I’ll see if I can get Doc Matthews to send something stronger over.”

  “I don’t want to be any trouble, Miss Quinn.”

  “Nonsense. It’s no trouble at all. Speaking of trouble, what happened the other night?”

  Andy stopped mid-bite and stared at me. “Nothing.”

  “Well, obviously not nothing. I didn’t spend the better part of my night fixing you up because nothing happened to you.”

  “I just—”

  The knock at the door broke into his sentence. I hopped up. “Are you expecting visitors?”

  Andy shook his head, looking pale as I opened the door.

  “Jameson?”

  “Hi, Father Mike, come in.”

  He stepped inside, a look of concern on his face. “I’m here to see Andy.”

  “Makes sense. This is his house.” My attempt at some light humor landed flat.

  We walked into the living room and sat down.

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to come by the hospital when I heard you were hurt, Andy. How are you feeling?”

  Andy’s eyes were wide and his voice was shaky as he answered. “I’m fine, Father. A little scraped up.”

  “Hunting in those woods alone is pretty dangerous. I’m glad that nothing worse happened.”

  Andy nodded, staring at Father Mike. Mike continued, “Has anyone from town been visiting?”

  Andy’s eyes darted to me, then to Father Mike. “Just Miss Quinn. She brought me some brownies.”

  “That is awfully nice. I heard she stitched you up, too.”

  Again, a silent nod.

  “Well, I can’t stay, but I am glad to see you are doing alright. You’ll be sure to let me know if you need anything.” Father Mike stood up and turned towards me. “Miss Quinn, I think we should let Andy get some rest.”

  I didn’t like being told it was time to go, but I didn’t think Andy needed any drama or conflict around him, so I stood up. “Of course. Andy, I’ll try to come by with something for the pain. Don’t eat too many of those brownies at once.”

  More nodding.

  Once we were a few steps away from the door, Father Mike spoke up. “It was very kind of you to check in on him, Jameson, but you should probably let Doc Matthews take care of getting him his pain meds.”

  “I don’t mind.”

  “I’ll be a little clearer then. It’s not your job to check in on him, and the town has opinions about these sorts of things. It would be in your best interest to stay away from Andy’s place for now.”

  “That sounds a little threatening, Mike.”

  “Look at that,” he smiled, “you remembered to call me Mike.”

  “Well, you aren’t sounding terribly Fatherly at the moment.”

  He stopped walking and turned to face me. “I’m not threatening you. I just know this town. I’m trying to keep you out of trouble.”

  “Of course. My apologies for implying anything else.” I tried to rein in the sarcastic tone I was sure had already escaped my mouth.

  “Don’t worry about it. It’s already forgiven. Speaking of forgiveness, you haven’t been to confession since you got to town. You should come by tomorrow. You’d be surprised how good you feel afterwards.”

  He stared at me, his tone even and steady. Something about his calm was disturbing mine. As many questions as his presence brought to mind, it seemed like ending the conversation might be the best option.

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “Great. I have to get going. Lovely seeing you as always.”

  I nodded as he walked off, wondering what really happened to Andy and what the Father knew about it.

  Chapter 18

  “Are you ready?”

  Jack was standing downstairs waiting on me. He made regular runs into town for a few things you couldn’t find in the local shops for himself and a few of the townspeople. I was in need of a new memory card for my camera, so he suggested I tag along.

  I didn’t mind the suggestion. Aside from Emma, Jack was pretty much the only person in town I had really made friends with, and it would be lying if I said I didn’t have at least a little crush on him.

  He was the opposite of Dylan in just about every way. Dylan was tall and attractive, slim and meticulously groomed. When we would go anywhere, I was usually waiting on him to be ready. He watched foreign films, bought me obscure poetry, subscribed to The Economist; all things I liked about him when we met.

  Jack was tall and attractive too, but in an entirely different way. He had the build of a lumberjack, or at least what I would imagine a lumberjack’s build was, broad shouldered and strong. It was unlikely he spent more than five minutes getting ready to go anywhere, as his wardrobe varied only between flannel, sweatshirts and tees. He seemed well read, but classic fare adorned his bookcase; Swiss Family Robinson, Moby Dick, The Old Man and the Sea.

  The biggest difference was how Jack treated me. Dylan was always big on giving me my space, making sure I maintained my independence in our relationship. In the beginning I thought that was very progressive of him. Over time, I realized that it was an excuse for never putting my needs ahead of his, or even showing me basic consideration. Jack, even in a non-boyfriend role, was a constant gentleman. Even the simplest act of opening a door never escaped him.

  It was a welcome change, even if he was just a friend.

  I headed down the stairs, tossing on the coat I had hanging over the stairwell, and sliding a few rolls of film from the old rummage sale camera into my pocket. “Sorry, I’m ready.”

  “I was beginning to think I was going to have to come up after you.”

  He gave me that same boyish grin he flashed the first day we met. I wondered if the chilly air as we walked out would mask the blush color of my cheeks. Once we were both in the Jeep, he turned towards me.

  “I almost forgot,” he sa
id leaning in close. I held my breath as he sat inches from me, his arm behind my seat. He moved away, a padded envelope in his hand. “This came in the mail for you yesterday.”

  “Oh.” I looked down and tore open the envelope. “These are some of the photos I took around town. I told Emma I’d bring some of the diner ones for her. There’s one of her I took that came out so cute. Remind me when we’re shopping to see if I can find a frame. I want to give it to her as a gift.”

  “Sure thing.” Jack glanced over as he drove. “Hey, those are real nice.”

  “Thanks. They’re ok.”

  “No, James, I mean it. That one there, with the truck? I have a spot in my living room where I’d hang that.”

  “Well, then, I’ll have to get you a frame too.”

  “Sounds like a plan. I may have to look through the rest of those and pick out a few more.”

  “Sure.” I smiled, feeling flattered and awkward at the same time. Dylan never paid any attention to my photography. He always said it lacked ‘a statement’.

  “Music?” Jack motioned towards the radio dial and I nodded. The twang of bluegrass spilled from the speakers and I leaned back, watching the forest and mountain scenery whizz by. Every once in a while I’d catch Jack singing along and laugh when he’d pause knowing he was caught, then continue on anyway.

  Before I knew it, we were slowing down and entering town.

  ~~~

  “Who knew shopping at Walmart was so great?”

  I was tossing a rubber ball up and down as we walked down an aisle looking for a special brand of tea for the little old woman who ran the bakery.

  “Great? I don’t know if I would say that.”

  “I found hot pink fuzzy socks for a dollar ninety seven and, in the same trip, a ten pound bag of lemon cooler cookies, cookies I didn’t even know still existed. How is that not great?”

  “Ahhh, sarcasm. I got it. City girl poking fun at the humble small town folk.”

  For a brief second I was worried he actually thought I was making fun, but when he broke into a smile that told me he didn’t, I relaxed.

  “I’m only being a little sarcastic. I really am excited about the fuzzy socks.”

  “I see. Well, I’m headed over to the automotive section and some other boring stuff. Did you want to go look at frames and whatever else and meet me at the Jeep in fifteen?”

  “Divide and conquer. Got it.”

  We headed in opposite directions, and I quickly picked out a few suitable frames, then remembered the film in my pocket. I headed to the front of the store, searching for their photo department.

  Behind the counter sat a young guy, lanky, with short hair, save a wispy rat tail traveling down his neck.

  “I was wondering if I could drop these off to be developed.”

  “Just fill out that envelope and drop it in there,” said the clerk, barely looking up from his phone. “They pick up in the afternoon and it should be here in about four days.”

  “Oh. You don’t have one-hour service?”

  The clerk smirked. “Nope. No one is really in that much of a rush around here.”

  “Okay. I don’t really make it out here often—”

  “If you put your address information and check the ‘home delivery’ option, our photo service will mail them to you directly. There is an extra charge for it, and it will be about a week, give or take.”

  Taking digital photos for so long made me impatient, but I didn’t have a whole lot of options, so I followed the clerk’s instructions, looked around a little while longer, then checked out and headed to the Jeep.

  “Looks like I beat you here.”

  Jack was emptying the cart when I arrived, and immediately went to work emptying mine. Once inside, we drove a few minutes up the road. “One stop before we head home. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Ruth Valley is a dry town.”

  “I noticed. I just wasn’t sure if noticing would give anyone the wrong idea.”

  Jack laughed. “Smart. With some folks, it might have. I like to keep a little something at the house myself.”

  We pulled into the liquor store parking lot and headed in. I hadn’t had a glass of wine since I left New York, so the mere thought of it made me giddy. I started loading bottles into the cart and Jack laughed again. “Ok, I take it back. You keep loading the cart at that pace, I’m definitely going to get the wrong idea.”

  I shrugged, “Hey, I am just stocking up to last until the next trip.”

  He raised an eyebrow and looked down at the cart, counting the bottles. “Not counting on another trip for about six months then.”

  I rolled my eyes and pointed to the whiskey bottles in the cart. “And are you planning on drinking that in your coffee every morning?”

  He laughed again. I liked making him laugh. His whole face smiled when he did, eyes crinkling in the corners. “Alright, I think we both have enough. Let’s get going.”

  As he unloaded the cart, the woman behind the counter looked over at me and back at Jack. “I’ll need to see her ID before I can ring ya’ll up.”

  Jack looked over at me and covered his mouth, unsuccessfully hiding a large grin. I dug in my pocket and turned over my ID. As she handed it back, he intercepted it, looked at the ID, then up at me. “That might be the most unfortunate driver’s license picture I’ve ever seen. If I pulled you over, I think I’d have to let you go without a ticket. Out of pity.”

  I slapped his arm playfully and swiped at my license, returning it to my pocket. He wasn’t wrong. At the time of the photo my dark red hair was cut in a very short bob with a severe straight bang, and my usually fair skin was pale. My stylist was convinced that this look was edgy and made me look older. This photo was evidence that I was clearly not meant for edgy.

  We loaded up and headed back, listening to the radio along the way. After a while, Jack turned down the music. “How are you feeling about living in our little town? Are you getting along any better?”

  “Good,” I paused, “for the most part.”

  “There was something going on in that silence of yours. Everything alright?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You sure? If you need to talk about anything, I’ve been told I’m quite the listener.” He raised an eyebrow and smiled.

  I returned the smile then asked, “Do you go to confession? At the church?”

  “Sure. Once a week.”

  “Really? I didn’t know you were such a sinner.”

  “You joke, but we all are. Most of us make excuses for the little things we do, a mean comment, a little white lie, what goes on inside our heads or the privacy of our homes, whatever it is, we tend to reason it away. Confession makes me think about those things honestly. It’s not so much about admitting it to someone else as it is about admitting it to myself.”

  “I hadn’t thought of it that way.”

  “Why the interest?”

  “Oh, Father Mike was telling me I should go to confession.”

  Jack’s brow furrowed. “When was this?”

  “The other day at Andy’s. I went by to check on him and Father Mike showed up.”

  “Hm.”

  “What?’

  “Oh, it’s nothing.” Jack’s face relaxed as he waved his hand. “Usually the Sisters visit the sick or laid up. How’s Andy?”

  “He’s not great. I mean, physically he seems well enough, but he is still pretty shook up about the accident. He barely wants to talk about it.”

  “I would imagine. Whatever he came across got him good. It was good of you to go see him.”

  I shrugged. “Glad you think so. I don’t know that I was very helpful.”

  Jack grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. “We all do the best we can, that’s all. I’m sure he appreciated you being there.”

  My face felt hot as his hand continued holding mine. I looked out the window and saw the little sign ahead for Ruth Valley as his grip loosened and his hand slid away.

  ~~~

&n
bsp; “Emma?”

  I jumped out of the Jeep, seeing her sitting red-faced on Jack’s front porch, and ran up to see what was wrong.

  “He’s gone, James. Something happened.” Emma was sobbing, and she buried her face into my shoulder.

  Jack gently touched her shoulder. “Let’s get you inside, and you can tell us what’s going on.”

  I sat down next to her on the couch, while Jack sat opposite in the big armchair. He leaned forward and spoke gently. “Tell me what’s going on, Emma.”

  “I went to Andy’s. I was worried about him and thought I would stop in real quick to make sure he was ok. When I got there, no one answered. I knew he wasn’t up to goin’ anywhere, so I peeked in the windows. The place was a mess. Furniture turned over and everything.” Her eyes welled up as she looked at me. “Why would someone want to hurt him?”

  “We don’t know that anyone hurt him. Don’t get yourself thinking about things like that.” Jack stood up and motioned to the kitchen. “I’m gonna make a call or two and James will make you some tea. You just sit here and stay warm.”

  Emma sniffled as I hugged her. “We’ll figure out where he is. It’ll be okay.”

  “I hope so.”

  I silently hoped the same before heading to the kitchen.

  Jack was already finishing up a call when I walked in and started filling the tea kettle.

  When he hung up I turned towards him, speaking in a hushed voice. “I have a bad feeling about all of this. The whole hunting accident story never sat right with me. Did you know he’d never gone hunting before? Why would he go for the first time in the middle of the night? Something else happened to him. I tried to ask him about it last time I saw him. You should have seen the look on his face. He was obviously scared to death.”

  “I can’t imagine what he would have gotten involved in, but you’re right, that does sound off.” Jack sighed as he looked out the window, the last bit of daylight already long gone. “I’m gonna go check out Andy’s place and see where it leads.”

  “Alone?”

  His serious face broke into a grin. “Worried about me?”

  “Well, we don’t know what happened, or who made it happen. It may not be safe.”