Fatal Intuition

by Makenzi Fisk

  Finally, Allie had gotten out of bed and watched a classic movie on TV. Katharine Hepburn dressed as a man in 1935’s Sylvia Scarlett did the trick and she fell asleep for two glorious hours on the sofa.

  “I missed you a lot, Auntie Allie.” Erin’s nephew Jimmy came though the door and, as usual, headed straight for the dog’s special cupboard. “You’re the only one who understands me when I talk about my drone.” He rolled his eyes. “Mom doesn’t even know what GPS is.”

  The dog nipped the treat from his fingers before he had a chance to react. He frowned at the domineering Chihuahua. “Doppler, you’re being a naughty boy. When did you start doing that?”

  Allie had been letting Doppler get away with a great deal of questionable behavior in Erin’s absence. It was giving him big dog attitude. Nipping a little boy’s fingers was unquestionably over the line. She turned to intervene but stopped when she saw Jimmy’s determined face.

  After a series of hand signals, the dog sat and waited patiently for his treat. He got a belly rub for his obedience. “I think he’s bored, Auntie Allie. He needs more kid time. Can I take him home this weekend?”

  She raised her eyebrows. Doppler was keeping her anchored right now. “Not today, but you can walk him if you’d like.”

  Jimmy’s older sister, Victoria, joined them in the kitchen. “Can we have pancakes?”

  Her twin, Sophie, with Wrong-Way Rachel draped over her shoulder, wasn’t far behind. “Mmm, pancakes. Kitty loves pancakes, don’t you kitty?” The cat, a string of fake pearls dangling from her neck, stretched out a lazy paw to poke at the beads. Her purring could probably be heard on the moon.

  “Didn’t your mother feed you this morning?” Allie knew what the kids were up to. They’d pretended to eat breakfast at home so they could save room for another one here.

  “We’re absolutely starving for pancakes.” Victoria batted her eyelashes. It might have worked if she’d been five years younger, maybe it still did.

  “Are you hungry too, Jimmy?” Allie put her hands on her hips.

  “Actually, I am, and I really do enjoy your pancakes. They are nice and fluffy. Not at all like the hard ones mom makes.” He wrinkled his nose.

  “I’m sure she wouldn’t appreciate your honesty the way I do. Okay, kids. I’ll make pancakes—” Allie was drowned out by cheering from all three. Not to be outdone, Doppler hopped on his hind legs. “On one condition, that you give me two whole hours to work. No interruptions, unless the house is on fire, or there’s an alien invasion.”

  “Aliens.” Jimmy chuckled. “We promise.”

  Allie watched her spoon go round and round in the bowl while she mixed the batter. The swirls divided and blended, almost forming discrete shapes before they were gone again. Lily. The boy.

  Doppler’s paws on her knee snapped her away from the thought as it was materializing. She leaned down to pat him. “Hey Chorizo. You need to go out?”

  Jimmy waggled his finger at her. “We really should talk about why you and Auntie Erin keep calling him a sausage. You’re going to hurt his feelings.”

  Allie laughed. “I would think a dog might be pleased about that.”

  He frowned with one eyebrow and went to find the leash. “I’ll take him. I don’t want to delay your special pancakes.”

  A prickle of fear sent a shiver along her spine. “Around the block. No farther.” She turned on the griddle and finished mixing the batter. There was nothing special about her pancakes, nothing more special than the box they came in. Kids thought things tasted better at someone else’s house, and truth be told, she liked cooking for them. Maybe they’d roll hot dogs in dough and make pigs-in-a-blanket for lunch. This home was becoming more and more like the one she’d grown up in, and she was surprised that having children around made her so happy.

  The kids ate every pancake Allie made, except for one snuck under the table to the dog. She left them playing a board game and settled into her office chair for the promised two hours of uninterrupted work time. She smiled. She couldn’t love those kids more if they’d been hers by blood. Even the opinionated cat had decided they were worth it.

  She initiated a video call and Ciara’s face appeared on the central monitor. The others continued to refresh a variety of network statistics and logs, the numbers scrolling by at dizzying speed.

  “Hi boss.” Ciara’s bare feet on the desk took up the left third of the image. Today she wore her famous Batgirl shorty pajamas, even though it was well past the time when other professionals at least wore pants. Her long hair was dyed a combination of blue and purple, but she still managed to look like a runway model on her break. In the background, her business and life partner, Raphael, thoughtfully tapped on a computer keyboard.

  “How are things with the Vista Project?” Allie turned her head to the first monitor to check the stats. “It appears up and running, and no major issues with implementation. Any more hassle at the GSM base station?”

  “Are you talking about Mr. Franklin? That old raisin wouldn’t let Dale and Sammy onto the roof to access the antenna. We pay for that office. He knows the owner signed that agreement months ago. I had to go visit him myself and eat a half dozen of his stale biscuits before he agreed to hold up his end of the bargain.”

  Allie laughed. She could imagine Ciara towering over the little old man in her fierce leather boots and candy skull T-shirt. “He’s probably a lonely building manager, waiting for a young girl to eat cookies with.”

  Raphael’s grinning face popped up. “He’ll have to fight me for you.”

  Ciara held up both hands in surrender. “Mixed martial artist versus old wrinkled man. No contest.” She turned back to the screen. “Seriously Allie. Everything here is running tickety-boo. No issues right now. Nearly everyone working on this project is local, so that makes our client very, very happy. They’re so happy that they want to see what it would take to provide free internet to a school up north.”

  “Really?” She’d never gotten the impression that the backers of the Vista Project would be interested in philanthropy. It was all about money. Money and power.

  “And computers. Those kids all share a couple of old dinosaurs and a dial-up connection.”

  “It would make a difference to their education to have better access.” Allie had seen news coverage of the conditions some children in Northern Manitoba lived in. This could be a life changer. “You tell them we’ll halve our fees for it. They know they’d recoup their cost in new projects with all that positive PR.”

  “I’m going to get them thinking about building a new school gym for next year’s project.” She wiggled her toes on the desk, giving Allie an up-close view.

  “You know you have carte blanche to do whatever you think is best. You and Raphael are pretty much running the entire company now. I’m only an advisor.”

  “Pshaw, you’re the brains of the operation.” Ciara blew her a kiss. “Gotta go, boss .” She stressed the last word. “Meeting with Vista soon.”

  “You might want to get dressed first.” Allie was still smiling when she disconnected. Ciara had been her friend since their university days, and theirs was a bond that she trusted.

  She finished her work and was done in an hour and a half, thirty minutes earlier than she’d told the kids. The house was eerily quiet, only Wrong-Way Rachel lounged on the back of the sofa, her long fluffy tail swishing as she watched something out the window. The prickle of fear crept further up Allie’s spine to lodge at the base of her skull. She hurried out the front door.

  Sophie and Jimmy sat on the step with Doppler between them. All three had the same hangdog expression.

  Allie’s heart stalled. “Where’s Victoria?”

  “She took off on her bike. Again.” Sophie shrugged.

  “It’s your fault she ran away,” Jimmy groaned. “Why do you two always have to argue? It’s stunting my growth.”

  “Don’t blame me. She’s the one with the secret boyfriend.”

  The boyfr
iend part was not news to Allie. This must be who Gina had been talking about. The boy who bought Victoria candy.

  “Is too your fault. You called her mean names.” Jimmy waggled his shoulders like a street girl with attitude. “Floozy, floozy, floozy!”

  “Grandpa says it. It can’t be that bad.” Sophie twirled the skipping rope around her wrist, her eyes bright with tears. “What if she never comes back?”

  “Where did she go? Who is this boy?” When the kids shrugged, Allie ran to the house for her keys. The sun dipped behind a cloud, and she shivered in its shadow. Lily was out there.

  She had opened the door to load the kids into the Jeep when Victoria rounded the corner. Sandaled feet pumped the pedals as she lazily wove her way down the street. Her purple bike helmet popped up when she recognized them in the driveway, and she straightened her trajectory.

  “Are you going for ice cream without me ?” Victoria’s eyes widened in confusion until she looked at Allie and dipped her head. “Oh, you were coming to look for me.”

  “I was worried to death.” Sophie reached out to her sister. “I’m sorry I called you a floozy.”

  Victoria brushed off her hand. “So much drama. You were annoying, and I needed a break. I rode my bike around the block.” She peeked sideways at Allie. “I didn’t go any further. I promised I wouldn’t.”

  Jimmy shook his head in disbelief. “You were gone an awfully long time.”

  “I rode in circles over by the McTavish’s until I was ready to come back. I’m sorry if I worried Miss Drama Princess.”

  “I think you can agree that it was unfair to punish everyone to antagonize your sister.” Allie laid a hand on Victoria’s shoulder. “We were worried that something might have happened to you.”

  Victoria rolled her bicycle to the yard and returned with her head down. “I’m really sorry, Auntie Allie. I would never do anything on purpose to make you feel bad.”

  “I know you wouldn’t, sweetie, but you should consider everyone else’s feelings too.”

  A black and white police SUV turned onto the road, curtailing the rest of Allie’s lecture.

  “It’s big Z!” Jimmy hopped up from the step and met Chris Zimmerman at the curb. The dog leaped inside as soon as the door opened.

  “Whoa! Doggie germs.” The lanky policeman froze while Doppler licked his chin. “Will someone please detach this mammal?”

  “You crack me up, bro.” Jimmy folded the excited Chihuahua into his arms and put him on the ground. “He’s not dangerous.”

  Zimmerman stepped out and brushed tiny hairs from his pants. “Remember that best man thing you did for me?”

  Jimmy nodded. “Best day of your life, you said.” The two had looked handsome in their matching suits.

  “That comes with a lifetime agreement to rescue me from all fur-bearing creatures.” His face was serious, but his eyes sparkled with mischief. “It was in your contract, dude. Didn’t you read it?”

  Jimmy chucked his arm and then dutifully pulled the dog away from Z’s uniform trousers.

  Zimmerman nodded. “That’s what I’m talking about.” He turned to the girls, who gaped up at him as if he were a true life giant. “Yes, before you say it, the weather is fine up here, and you two are looking remarkably intelligent today.”

  “We look intelligent?” Sophie and Victoria exchanged a puzzled glance.

  “It’s not about the package, girls. It’s what’s inside the package. If I complimented you on your beautiful eyes and great hair every time I saw you, you’d think that was all that was important. Gina says that would be a disservice to all women, and you better believe I listen to my wife.” He grinned, and the girls blushed as he succeeded in complimenting their looks after all.

  “Kids, would you get started on making the pigs-in-a-blanket? Everything you need is in the kitchen, and I’ll be in to supervise in a minute.” They trooped into the house and she called after them. “Don’t forget to wash your hands!”

  “You’re like the child whisperer,” Zimmerman quipped. “They listen to everything you say.”

  “Bribery helps.” Pancakes at least.

  “Ha! I’ll remember that. At a year old, Mikey is already sassing me. His favorite is Da-Da. No .”

  “How’s the new babysitter?”

  “Good, Gina has time to work and I have time to sleep on night shift, but that’s not why I’m here.” He looked over his shoulder at the closed kitchen window. “Have you, you know, seen anything lately? I understand Derek is hiding out at Gunther’s old place, I’m sure the mosquitoes will drive him out of there soon enough, but do you have any idea where Lily is?”

  The scar on Allie’s abdomen throbbed at the mere mention of her name. She cupped her hand over it until warmth radiated through the fabric. “She’s not alone.”

  “Yeah. Intel says she’s still with a boy from juvy. He’s a piece of work. Has a long record for—”

  “Stop! I don’t want to hear it.” Images rushed into her mind faster than she could block them. They spilled like muddy water into a pool of sadness. The sadness of a mother for the tarnished innocence of a little girl. She closed her eyes and focused until the images fled.

  “All I want to know is where they might be. When they get near…”

  “Lily’s already here.”

  “Where?” His eyebrows shot up. “They must have driven non-stop from the last sighting in Nebraska.”

  “I’m not sure, but it feels like the temperature dropped ten degrees since this morning.”

  He looked up at the clear sky. “Maybe a storm’s coming.”

  “Yes, I’d say. I’m keeping the kids close.” If she wore a sweater, she’d pull it tight to keep out the chills. “Erin will be here this evening. Are you going to be on the task force too?”

  “You bet your metaphysical tuchus. I spent all morning setting up the board room for them.” He rested his oversize hand on Allie’s shoulder. “I’m not far away. You call me if you see, or feel, anything out of the ordinary.”

  A whiff of oily smoke diverted Allie’s attention and she bolted toward the house. “I need to check the kids.”

  “See you later, supermom.” Zimmerman saluted and walked back to his car.

  She ran to the kitchen where Jimmy stood at the counter, dusted with flour to his elbows. The dog jumped on her the moment she entered the room. “Down, Doppler! What’s got into you?

  “How many cups are in a pint?” Sophie squinted at an open page in the Northern Heritage cookbook Allie hadn’t even remembered they owned, although the cover looked vaguely familiar. It had become a spacer for the bottom of the dog treat cupboard. “You don’t have any buttermilk, or baking soda.”

  “What are you doing?”

  “We’re making the dough for pigs-in-a-blanket, like you said.” Jimmy brushed flour from his hands and it drifted to the floor like snow.

  “There’s a mix in the cupboard. See?” Allie reached in for the blue and white box. She was suddenly cold again. “Where’s your sister?”

  “There was no buttermilk, so we were going to make some, but you had no vinegar either. We called Gina, and she said we could get the stuff we needed on your account.”

  “Where’s your sister?” Allie asked again, but she knew the answer.

  “Uh, she rode her bike to the store.” Jimmy shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

  “Oh, no!” The fear lodged in her spine split into shards and Doppler skittered around her legs. He whined, wanting to be picked up. Smoke whirled around her and she wondered if the kids could sense it too, or if they were frightened by her reaction.

  Sophie put down the cookbook, eyes glistening. “It’s only a few blocks away. I said we should wait, but she wanted to make you really happy, by making lunch all by ourselves, to make up for before.”

  Allie grabbed her phone and called the Stop ’N Go, trying to keep the panic from her voice after she had to wait three rings. “Is Victoria there?” she blurted before Gina
had a chance to finish her phone spiel.

  “She called, but I haven’t seen—”

  Allie disconnected and shepherded the kids to the driveway. “We have to go. Hurry.”

  Tears streaked Sophie’s face when Allie loaded them all into the back seat of the Jeep, barely giving them time to secure their safety belts before she squealed off.

  As if she peered through an enhancing filter, colors leaped out at Allie, more vivid than true. She followed them until they funneled into one dark spot on the side of the road, a black hole that consumed all light. They were not two blocks from the store when she slammed on the brakes. This was the place.

  Sophie’s tears became hiccups and Jimmy’s cheeks blanched. He wrapped his arms around the dog. “What’s wrong? Tell us what’s happening.”

  “Stay here,” Allie commanded and jumped out. Ahead, Gina hurried to meet her, a mama bear out to protect her young. Allie hadn’t even had to tell her what was going on. Her mother’s intuition must have sent her into action. Heaven forbid anything ever happen to her own child.

  “I locked the store. Is Victoria missing?” Gina was breathless from the two block dash in her flip flops.

  “Will you watch the kids?”

  Gina nodded. “I got this.” She pulled out her cell phone and waved reassuringly to the kids, who hugged the dog between them.

  Allie signaled them to stay put, and bolted into the tall grass. A small track, narrow enough for a bicycle, or one person on foot, led down the ditch and up the other side. This area was uncultivated, too rough for housing development. Here, the brush tangled thick and wild among rocky outcroppings.

  “Victoria!” she yelled. Something had happened. Something awful. Did she imagine that Lily’s oily smoke trail still wafted through the air, clinging to delicate branches like tree sap? Had Lily really been here, or was she chasing shadows and memories?

  She pushed her way through the undergrowth and doubled back along the fence line. Oblong shapes in the flattened grass betrayed where deer bedded down in the afternoons, but there was no sign of Victoria.