by Tracy Krauss
“She is definitely very strange,” he confirmed.
“What’s it like having her for a neighbor?” Faye asked. “Do you think she holds séances and stuff?”
“I’m not sure this is at all appropriate,” Pastor Todd reiterated.
“You know what I find really weird?” Suzie continued thoughtfully.
“What’s that?” Carol asked.
“You never see those two together.”
“Who?” Billy asked.
“Miss Marni and Miss Mirna,” Suzie replied. “You always see one or the other, but never together.”
“Do you blame them?” Billy laughed. “If I had a twin like that, I wouldn’t want to be seen with them either.”
“Let’s be careful, now,” Todd warned.
“Sorry,” Billy apologized. “But you must admit she is a bit strange.”
“Eccentric,” Faye supplied.
“Strange,” Billy corrected. “They both are.”
“And you never see them together,” Suzie repeated. She turned to Ryder. “You’re Mirna’s neighbor. Have you ever seen them together? Does Marni ever go to visit her sister?”
Ryder scrunched his brow in thought. “Yeah, I think I have seen her come out of the house once or twice, so I guess so. They look a lot alike, though, except for the clothes. Sometimes it’s hard to tell.”
“What if there’s only one of them?” Suzie suggested, wide-eyed, obviously enjoying her rabbit trail.
“Now what are you talking about?” Billy asked.
“What if Mirna murdered her sister and is just pretending to be both?”
“Okay, I think that is quite enough speculation,” Todd said, his voice commanding for once. All the young people looked over at him in surprise. He usually didn’t speak so forcefully. “We are definitely going to end in prayer and have our snack. There’s a storm brewing outside and I want to drive you kids home before you all end up storm-stayed at my house for the night.”
****
A gust of icy wind greeted them as they stepped out of the restaurant onto the street. With her head down, Rachel almost bumped into another couple just heading into the restaurant. “Sorry,” she said, the words whisked away by the wind.
There was a mumbled reply as the couple scurried to the entrance.
Rachel blinked in surprise as she recognized the two backs, now disappearing inside. She turned to Con. “Was that Mr. Roust and Miss Thompson?” she asked. What would the principal and the disdainful English teacher be doing out together?
“I didn’t hear you. The wind’s picked up,” Con yelled in reply.
Rachel’s hair whipped about her face and she steadied herself against Con’s frame as another gust of wind threatened to knock her over. He put an arm protectively around her waist. “Come on,” he said maneuvering toward the truck.
Con started the engine and turned up the heater. “I guess I should have warmed it up a bit first. Sorry.”
Rachel blew on her hands and huddled closer into her jacket. “It is a bit nippy, isn’t it?”
“Now what was it you were saying?” Con asked.
“I just thought it strange that Mr. Roust and Miss Thompson were out together. I mean, I thought he was married.”
“He is. But you know what they say about small towns. It’s a real life soap opera.”
“Oh.”
“Hey,” Con said in a low voice. “Forget about them.” Rachel looked over at him and felt warmth suddenly race through her formerly chilled bones. “Come closer to keep warm.”
She slid across the seat and allowed him to open up his jacket and half envelope her in the warmth from inside.
“That’s better,” he said. “Gotta keep warm until the truck warms a bit.”
She liked the excuse and hoped it would take a long time.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t stay that way forever. Con finally had to put the truck into gear and they started for home. He reached over and took Rachel’s hand as they pulled out onto the highway.
“The roads sure got icy,” he commented. “Hope the kids are okay.”
“The kids?”
“The youth group kids,” he clarified. “I took the night off. I needed a break.”
“Oh, really?” She stole a glance at his handsome profile. She knew how much working with the youth meant to him, so if he’d taken a night off to be with her, it must mean something.
She was about to say something else. Something witty or provocative when, as if on cue, they hit an icy patch. The truck swerved, but Con was able to steady the vehicle within seconds.
“Maybe I’d better drive with both hands. But don’t go too far away,” he teased, giving her one of his disarming grins.
“Look! A deer!” Rachel gasped as something darted across the highway. Con swerved to miss the animal, but ended up sending the truck into a tailspin. It came to a halt, but was facing the wrong direction and one back tire hung over the fairly steep ditch.
“Are you all right?” Conrad asked.
“I’m okay.” Although she had been wearing her seat belt, she’d hit the side of her head against the passenger window. She reached up to rub the spot near her temple.
Con undid his own belt and took her face in his hands. He examined her carefully, and apparently satisfied, he sat back in his own seat with a sigh. “Lucky no other cars were coming. We might have had a head-on.”
“Are we stuck?”
“No, I don’t think so. I’ve got four-wheel-drive, so we should be okay. I guess I should have been using it.” He shifted gears then glanced at Rachel again. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Sure. Just a bump. I’ll be fine.”
He placed a kiss on her forehead. “Okay. I’d better get you home before Mrs. Beatry calls out the RCMP.” They both laughed at that and he maneuvered the truck back onto the highway and into the right lane.
The next few miles sped by uneventfully, even though Con was traveling at a slower pace than normal. They could see the twinkling lights of Marshdale from quite a distance away and were only a mile or two from town when Con noticed something else on the side of the road up ahead.
“Another deer?” Rachel asked, squinting into the darkness.
“Not sure,” Con said, slowing down.
Rachel watched the hunching form scamper into the ditch as they passed. It didn’t look like any wildlife she’d ever seen.
“That almost looked like a person.” His brows descended uncertainly. “Did that look like a person to you?”
“I’m not sure. Should we check and see?”
“I think we’d better. What kind of a fool would be out on the highway on a night like this? They could freeze to death.” Con checked his mirrors, then backed up slowly to where they had seen the figure. He turned the vehicle slightly so that the headlights shone into the ditch.
“What?” Con exhaled in disbelief.
Rachel gasped. Con had his answer. The fool was her missing student, Brandi Lane.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“She’s still asleep?” Con asked as Rachel inched her bedroom door closed.
Rachel nodded, sinking down wearily on the couch beside Con. They had bundled Brandi into the truck as soon as they’d found her. She was so cold, that there was little protest on her part. Apparently, she had been running away from home and was about to try hitchhiking when she saw their vehicle approaching. At the last minute, she’d chickened out, afraid it might be someone she knew. Her fears had been correct. However, when Con and Rachel saw how adamant she was about not going home, they took her to Rachel’s apartment first to try to calm her down.
They were both more than glad they had made that decision once inside the warmth of the little basement suite. In the brighter light it was evident that Brandi had been beaten. She sported a black eye, and a bruised and swollen lip. She remained closed-mouthed about who had done it, but Rachel had a pretty accurate idea who the perpetrator was.
“I hope we don’t get in trouble for keep
ing her here,” Rachel worried.
“What else would you suggest? The roads are too bad to take her back to Silver Creek, and now that they’ve closed the RCMP detachment here in town we can’t do much else but wait.”
“And we’re not taking her back home, that’s for sure.”
“Exactly.” He paused for a moment and put his arm around her shoulders. “Some date. Sorry,” he apologized with a weary smile.
“I just feel so terrible for poor Brandi.” Con nodded. “Pretty sad.” They sat that way for a time, enveloped in their own thoughts; gaining strength from the warmth that the other provided.
The police finally arrived and Rachel let the two officers in.
“Jeff,” Con greeted the male officer with a nod.
“Hello, Con,” the other man responded with a surprised look.
“This is Constable Pottier,” Con introduced. “He used to be stationed here in Marshdale before they closed the detachment down. You’re enjoying your new posting?”
“Yes, for sure. The territory is a bit larger, though, so it makes it a challenge. This is Constable Rufus,” he introduced the female officer. She nodded curtly. “And the girl?”
“She fell asleep, poor thing,” Rachel replied. “She’s in my bedroom over there.”
Officer Pottier nodded. “Okay. We’ll take your statements first before we disturb her.”
“You have to wake her up?” Rachel asked.
“I’m afraid so. It’s best if she’s in the care of the proper authorities, not only for her own safety, but for yours as well.”
She hadn’t really considered that. “Oh, I see.”
They spent several minutes going over the events of the night. When they were finished giving their statements, Rachel led both officers to her closed bedroom door. “She’s right in here.”
As soon as she opened the door and felt the rush of cold air she knew something was wrong. The bed was empty; the curtain flapping wildly in the breeze.
Jeff was already speaking into his radio as Constable Rufus asked, “Do you notice anything missing?”
Rachel glanced around before going to her dresser. Sure enough, her camera and some money were gone from her top drawer, and her jewelry box had been emptied.
“It shouldn’t be hard to track her in the snow,” Pottier noted.
With little other ceremony, the two RCMP officers left the apartment.
“This is just terrible,” Rachel wailed. “I can’t believe she would just take off like that. What are we going to do?”
“Maybe I should go see if they need any help,” Con said. “Not much you can do about it tonight, though, other than get some rest.”
“As if.”
“I mean it. You need to try and get some sleep.” He surveyed her stricken face for a moment. “As long as you think you’ll be okay. I could stay for a while if you want.”
“You’ve been here long enough as it is. What is Mrs. Beatry going to say?”
“That should be the least of your worries. Now get some rest. I’ll call you first thing tomorrow with any news.” He bent to kiss her and then held her in his arms for a few minutes extra before taking his leave.
What horrors would drive a young girl out on a night like this? Rachel didn’t even want to think about it.
****
A fresh white blanket covered the town the next morning, erasing all the trauma of the night before. Suzie Chang stood outside the Lone Wolf residence, hands shoved deep in her pockets for warmth as she waited for someone to answer.
“Well, hello. Suzie, right?” Thomas greeted as he swung the door open. “Come inside. It’s a bit nippy out there today.”
“Thanks. Is Ryder up yet?”
“I’ll go see. He usually tries to sleep in on Saturday.”
Thomas disappeared down the narrow hallway in search of his son. He came back a few minutes later. “He’ll just be a minute.”
Suzie nodded and waited. When Ryder appeared, he looked decidedly groggy. His hair was standing on end, his eyes were bleary and his feet were bare. “Oh. Hi, Suzie. What’s up?” He squinted. “Isn’t it kind of early?”
“Sorry,” Suzie apologized. “I have to work this afternoon, so I thought I’d come over this morning instead.” She smiled.
“Oh. Okay.”
“I thought today might be a good day for some random acts of kindness. With all the new snowfall and everything.”
Ryder frowned. “I guess.” He didn’t appear to be too enthused.
“What’s this?” Thomas asked.
“Just something we talked about at youth group last night,” Suzie explained. “We’re supposed to do something nice for people just out of the blue.”
“Interesting. Well, you kids have fun. I’ve got some work to do, now.”
Suzie watched as Ryder’s dad refilled his coffee cup, and then sauntered ever so slowly down the hall to his office. She waited until he was out of earshot. “Hurry up! I want to get started.”
“Kind of gung-ho for a Saturday morning, don’t you think?” Ryder complained. “I mean, I’m all for doing good deeds, but…”
“Are you kidding? Think! What we talked about last night. You know, about Mirna Hyde. This is our chance to see what really goes on over there.”
Understanding dawned on Ryder’s face. “Gotcha. I’ll get dressed.”
****
“Good news,” Con said. “Brandi’s been found and they’ve taken her to a foster home in Silver Creek for the time being.”
Rachel clutched the telephone and breathed a sigh of relief. “That is good news. What about her father? Is he going to get charged?”
“I have no news about that yet,” Con replied. “But you’ll be happy to know they found your camera and other stuff. She didn’t get far enough to do anything with it.”
“Oh. Well, that’s good. Not that I cared about it much, anyway. I was more worried about Brandi’s safety, than anything.”
“I know. There is something else you might be interested in, though.”
“What’s that?”
“Did you hear about the robbery at the Senior’s Corner on Halloween night?”
“How could I not?” Rachel laughed. “Mrs. Beatry was quite excited to share all the details.”
“Seems those details came in useful, after all. The police found some hard candies, cookies, and sugar cubes in Brandi’s backpack. After a bit of questioning, she admitted to breaking into the Center.”
“So that’s one mystery solved.”
“You could say that. Listen, I have to go. Ivor and I have a busy day lined up. I wish I could come into town and see you, but…”
“That’s okay.”
“The roads are kind of a mess anyway after last night. But I’ll be there bright and early to pick you up tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” A sudden feeling of panic enveloped her. Was he talking about church? She remembered him inviting her and tomorrow was Sunday.
“Rachel? You still there?” Con asked.
“Yes, I’m here,” she responded, trying to sound less nervous.
“So about tomorrow—”
She cut him off. “What was going on again? I forgot.”
“Grandma Minnie’s birthday,” Con reminded. “Remember I told you? We’re having her one-hundredth party celebration down at the home and I want you to come.”
Relief flooded over Rachel’s body. “Of course! Although I don’t remember you asking if I wanted to go, exactly,” she teased.
“Oh. Well I meant to if I didn’t. Can you?’
“Of course.”
“Good. Then I’ll pick you up. And wear a dress. Grandma Minnie likes pretty dresses.”
“Will do.”
****
“Hey, check this out,” Ryder whispered to Suzie. They had been shoveling a path to Mirna Hyde’s garbage cans.
Suzie surveyed the dark spots on the snow around the cans. “Looks like blood.”
“You really t
hink so?” Ryder asked, wide-eyed.
Some thudding sounds came from the interior of the house. “Come on,” Suzie urged. “Let’s go around to the side, out of sight.” They scurried around the bungalow, crouching low and knelt beside one of the slits that constituted the basement windows. “I hear something. Do you hear it?”
Ryder nodded. They strained their ears for more. “I think it’s coming from down there.” He peeked in through the slit. It was filthy from years of dust and grime and barely penetrable with the eye.
“Let me see,” Suzie said. She peered through the crack. “Looks like she’s down there. She’s on her hands and knees scrubbing the floor or something.”
“Scrubbing?” Ryder asked. “My dad said it’s probably just a dirt crawl space down there.”
“No wait, she’s digging with one of those little garden shovels.” Suzie sat back on her haunches, wide-eyed while Ryder took his turn.
“What do you suppose she’s doing?”
“Burying something?” Suzie suggested.
“Should we tell someone?”
“I don’t know yet. Let’s finish her sidewalk so it doesn’t look suspicious. I’ll ask Billy what he thinks.”
****
“Are you sure?” Billy Chang asked. The group had congregated at the restaurant and was sitting together in a booth.
“Absolutely,” Suzie Chang affirmed. “I think we should go over there again and investigate. Maybe tomorrow.”
“It was pretty creepy,” Ryder offered.
“It might be worth a closer look,” Billy agreed. He didn’t sound one hundred percent convinced.
“She could have her poor sister buried under her house, for all we know,” Suzie exclaimed.
“This isn’t a spy movie, sis,” Billy cautioned. “This is Marshdale.”
“I know but—”
“But I did say it might be worth a closer look,” Billy interrupted. “If we don’t actually find anything, we’ll just drop it, okay?”
“This is going to be so much fun!” Suzie squealed.
“As long as we don’t get caught,” Ryder put in his two cents. “I have to live next door to her and I don’t want her putting a curse on me.”