Rosemary Run Box Set

by Kelly Utt

  “Go ahead, Marcus,” Holden prompted. “Let’s hear from our Director of Food and Beverage. What do you know?”

  Marcus had attended culinary school in Paris, then returned to his native California for the same hospitality management graduate program Jake attended. It was through a friendship with Jake that Marcus met and fell in love with Ty, the younger Blackburn brother.

  It all seemed genuinely meant to be.

  Marcus cleared his throat before he began. He was an outstanding Director of Food and Beverage, but he wasn’t as confident as the Blackburns when it came to speaking up in a business meeting.

  “I heard from some of my food suppliers, then I checked the local news. Meteorologists are predicting a rare snowfall overnight tomorrow. If it happens, things will come to a halt around here. Wine country people don’t much know what to do about the white stuff.”

  “I hear that,” Holden remarked. “This isn’t New York City, that’s for sure.”

  Everyone chuckled nervously.

  Any disruption to the routine would throw a wrench in the works. It could mean delays, unhappy guests, bad reviews, and a slew of other unfortunate events that might set the family business back in a big way.

  “That’s what I’m hearing, too,” Jake confirmed. “I don’t know how much stock I should put in the weather report. Snow is so rare this low.”

  “This low?” Jake’s assistant asked, for clarification.

  “Yeah, buddy. It’s rare at this low elevation. It happens often enough at higher elevation in the mountains.”

  Ty piped up, adding his perspective as Wine Director. “Surprisingly enough, snow is great for grapevines, as long as it doesn’t last into spring.”

  “Huh,” Holden said, intrigued. “It’s been so long since we had snow around here that I scarcely remember.”

  “You were a kid!” Phoebe said. “Of course you don’t remember much. But it happens sometimes.”

  Holden smiled politely, reserving his comment. He wanted to stick to business and avoid mention of his childhood. “So, it sounds like the biggest concern is disruption to our usual routines, specifically disruptions with our suppliers. Do I have that right?” he asked.

  Jake, Marcus, and Ty agreed.

  “Well then, that’s our challenge this week,” Holden confirmed. “We prepare ahead as much as we can. And then we work hard to take good care of our guests if the storm comes our way. Just like we always do.”

  Reassured, the team continued their meeting, launching into specifics about what they were working on and strategizing on how to cope with a potential disruption.

  Holden didn’t even hear his phone ding when the text came in. It was from Victoria Baker, Eve’s longtime best friend.

  4

  “Something’s wrong.” Victoria was breathless as she said it.

  Holden had stepped outside to call her in response to her 9-1-1 text. Victoria hadn’t provided any more detail.

  Holden hated to leave the meeting. What else was he supposed to do? He knew that Victoria was prone to dramatics, but she was a good friend to his sister. She had earned the Blackburn family’s respect over the years.

  “What do you mean? What is it?” Holden asked, talking quietly so as not to be overheard.

  The conference room had mostly glass walls. Phoebe peered out at her son, her face a mix of surprise and knowing. It was sometimes eerie how much Phoebe understood without being told. She had an intuition that none of the rest of them understood. Only Lorelei’s mom, Imogen, claimed to grasp Phoebe’s apparent extrasensory perception. Imogen claimed that such powers were respected in Jamaican culture.

  “It’s Eve,” Victoria confirmed, her voice insistent.

  “What about Eve?” Holden asked. He was quickly growing impatient. If something was wrong with his sister, he didn’t want Victoria to beat around the bush.

  “I don’t know, exactly,” the young woman said. “But something is wrong.”

  Holden rolled his eyes, frustrated.

  “Okay,” he said slowly. “What makes you think so?”

  Victoria sighed heavily into the phone.

  “I can’t reach her. And that’s just for starters. Have you seen her social media accounts the past few days?”

  “No,” Holden said. With a wife, a live-in mother-in-law recovering from surgery, four young kids, and a resort to run, he didn’t spend a lot of time on social media… A fact lost on Victoria. “I’ll look now.”

  “It’s bizarre,” Victoria continued. “None of it seems right. I think she’s off her meds again.”

  Victoria was a patient coordinator at the drug and alcohol rehab unit in the local hospital. She was still in school part time to earn a degree in counseling so that she could do more than schedule appointments. She was a bright girl, but she knew just enough to think she was better informed than she actually was. Holden often thought that Victoria needed five or six years to mature, and then would be a solid resource. As of right now, she just wasn’t developed enough. She was green. Most of all, Victoria wasn’t qualified to truly understand Eve’s condition. Not as a professional, anyway.

  Holden put his mobile phone on speaker while he flipped through his sister’s Facebook feed, then Instagram.

  “Wow,” he muttered. “I think you may be right.”

  “You don’t have to sound so surprised,” Victoria replied.

  “I don’t mean it like that,” he said.

  As the oldest of the Blackburn siblings, Holden often ended up an enforcer. He was the one who had to tell Eve and Victoria to go to sleep when they tried to stay up too late at middle school slumber parties. He was the one who had to intercept them when they tried to sneak out of the house the weekend in high school that Wilder and Phoebe were out of town. And he was the one who had to pick them up when Eve got out of sorts and Victoria didn’t know how to handle her.

  “Have you tried Tim?” he asked.

  “Of course, I did. No answer. His phone goes right to voicemail.”

  “Huh,” Holden mused. “That’s strange. He’s the reliable one.”

  “I know,” Victoria agreed. “I think his phone is turned off.”

  Holden continued to look through Instagram, trying to make sense out of what he was seeing. Eve had posted vacation photos from the Keys up until four days ago. Then she went silent for two days, which was highly unusual for her. Especially since she had been on vacation.

  It had seemed like she was enjoying Florida, based on all the bikini-clad pictures she had shared. Both Eve and Tim were shown smiling from ear to ear as they fed iguanas, swam in the ocean, and rode bikes around the islands.

  After two days of social-media silence, Eve had posted a flurry of quotes about life being unfair. That was the strangest part of it all. Holden knew his sister sometimes got down on herself, but he’d never seen her post her negative self-talk online.

  “What do you make of this?” he asked Victoria.

  Holden glanced back at the conference room, and could see Phoebe’s level of alarm rising. It looked like she was about to get up and come out into the hall to find out what was happening.

  He wasn’t sure what he’d tell his parents. There wasn’t anything to tell... yet.

  Victoria sighed again, more distressed. “I don’t know, Holden. That’s why I got in touch. But I’m telling you… Something is wrong. I think it might be something bad.”

  “Okay,” he replied simply.

  “I think we need to find her,” Victoria continued. “Like, right away.”

  Holden glanced back at the conference room and looked into his mom’s eyes. He scolded himself for not listening to her earlier. Nothing at the resort mattered. Not really. Not if Eve was in danger.

  “Give me a little while,” he said. “I’ll see what I can figure out.”

  “What should I do in the meantime?” Victoria asked.

  “Keep trying to reach Sis. And watch social media for clues. Otherwise, wait for me to get back to yo
u. I promise I’ll let you know as soon as I hear something.”

  Victoria agreed, then hung up the phone, just as Phoebe arrived to confirm her suspicions about her daughter.

  “Holden,” Phoebe began, getting right to the point. “I know it’s Eve. Something is wrong, isn’t it? Who was on the phone?”

  Holden put a hand on his mom’s shoulder, looking her in the eye. He thought her face looked weathered, suddenly more sunken and tired than usual. He knew it was a great burden to parent a child who could never be completely on their own. A child who would always need looked after. He said a silent prayer of thanks that all four of his kids had avoided whatever misguided gene Eve had been dealt. Though he couldn’t be sure that it wouldn’t rear its ugly head when they grew older.

  “Mom,” Holden began. “Let’s not jump to conclusions.”

  “Boy,” Phoebe scolded. “You may be in charge at the resort, but don’t you forget who you’re talking to. Don’t you try to manage me.”

  “Fine,” Holden said. “I’m sorry.”

  He didn’t mean any disrespect to his mom. Eve’s situation was difficult. None of them really knew how to help. They each tried in their own way, to the best of their abilities. But they often fell short.

  “Who was on the phone?” Phoebe asked insistently, her head angled forward with interest.

  “Victoria.”

  Phoebe took a breath to steady herself. “And what did she say?”

  “That she can’t reach Sis.”

  “And?”

  “And what?” Holden tried.

  “That was an awful long conversation to say only that she couldn’t reach Eve, Holden. What else?”

  Holden sighed now, glancing back and the conference room. Several team members had caught on to what was happening in the hall. They looked worried, too.

  “And she thinks Sis’ behavior on social media seems odd.”

  “How so?”

  Holden proceeded to explain what was strange about Eve’s posts, then he handed over his phone to show her.

  Phoebe took one look at Eve’s Instagram feed, then motioned for Wilder to step out of the meeting and join her. He did, followed by Jake, Ty, and Marcus.

  If a family emergency was occurring, they all wanted to do their part.

  “What?” Wilder said as the six of them huddled together, eyes wide.

  They knew without saying that it was probably about Eve. It was almost always about Eve.

  “She’s in trouble,” Phoebe said. “I knew it. I felt it earlier.”

  “What do you know?” Wilder asked, aiming his question at Holden. He knew he could count on his eldest son to keep a level head.

  Holden repeated the explanation he had provided Phoebe, then they each pulled out their own smartphones to get a look at Eve’s social media. They agreed that something was up.

  Holden and Wilder looked at each other. They shared the same personality type, one that hinged on logic and process. Theirs was completely different than Phoebe’s intuition-based tendencies. Jake, Ty, and Marcus knew to hang back and wait for one of the others to take the lead. They were ready to do their parts, but didn’t want to overstep.

  “Mom,” Holden said, deferring to the matriarch of the family. “What do you want to do?”

  Phoebe nodded, glad for the chance to do things her way. “We start with the basics. Wilder, call the phone carrier and see if they’ll give you information on its last known whereabouts.”

  “On it,” he said. “I’m glad Eve is still on our family plan. I’m not sure they would talk to me otherwise.”

  “Holden,” Phoebe continued. “Call Tim’s mom, Margaret, in Phoenix. Find out when she last heard from them.”

  “But…” Holden blurted. “I don’t think Tim keeps in touch…”

  “I know, and I don’t care,” Phoebe continued. “Find out what she knows.”

  “Fine, done.”

  “Jake,” Phoebe continued. “Call Tim’s boss at the environmental advocacy firm. Find out if they’ve heard from him, and when they expect him back in the office.”

  “Okay, got it,” Jake replied, marching to a quiet area to make the inquiry.

  “And... Everyone,” Phoebe called out loudly. “See if you can get their flight number. They were scheduled to return on a direct flight from Miami to San Francisco.”

  Ty and Marcus hugged each other, rattled by the fear for Ty’s little sister.

  “Mom, what can we do?” Ty asked.

  Phoebe put her hand on her head as she paced, thinking.

  “Um…” she said, uncertain. “I know. Go to their house. See if it looks like anyone has been there. Talk to their neighbors. Find any clues you can as to their whereabouts.”

  “Will do,” Ty said.

  “And the meeting?” Marcus asked reluctantly.

  “Forget the meeting,” Phoebe replied. “We have to get our girl. She needs us. Now go!”

  They scattered along with the others, all following instructions as they worked to find Eve.

  Phoebe leaned her back against a wooden wall, then let her body slide down into a sitting position. She was overwhelmed. Her legs threatened to fail her. But she was determined. The Blackburns looked out for one another.

  They would find Eve and bring her home safely. Just like they had done before.

  5

  Eve’s vision was grainy, but functional as it began to come back. Her mind whirled. She was unsure of everything.

  Where am I?

  It was as if her mind had played tricks on her. It was unreliable. Defective. She silently cursed. She wondered why she couldn’t have been blessed with a healthy, in-tact brain like her older brothers. Things came easy for Holden, Jake, and Ty by comparison. Eve wondered if they knew how good they had it.

  Daylight made its way through a large glass door.

  Oh, yeah. The glass. I smacked right into it.

  Eve sat up slowly, taking stock of her surroundings. Her head hurt something awful. She had banged it good. She wondered if she needed to see a doctor.

  I’ll just get my phone and call for a doctor… Except… Oh, no.

  In a sudden jolt of terror, Eve remembered her circumstances. The strange man. The strange room. Her nakedness. The drops of blood.

  In what might have been an act of self-preservation, her mind left the details fuzzy. Eve couldn’t quite remember all that she’d perceived. She wasn’t even sure what day it was.

  Think.

  In a wave of sadness, Eve remembered Tim, and again wished he was there to help her. He’d know what to do.

  The emotion felt like a tsunami, sucking everything up only to churn it up and spit it back out in a volume that was nothing short of overwhelming. Eve felt like she was drowning underneath it. Like she was flailing and scrambling for air. But relief wouldn’t come. It was as elusive as the ocean surface.

  “I need my husband,” Eve said, to no one in particular. “Hello?”

  Silence greeted her, a cold and unforgiving reply.

  “Tim. Tim Fischer. I need to get in touch with him,” she tried, raising her head up as high as she could against the oppressive pounding.

  Still nothing. No response.

  Until a man’s voice called out from another room.

  “Are you awake?” he asked.

  “Tim?”

  “Are you okay?”

  “Tim?! Is that you?” Eve cried. “Come and get me, Tim.”

  Silence.

  “Tim? Please.” Eve became increasingly desperate. “I think I need to go to the doctor. I’m hurt.”

  A male figure appeared in the doorway. Eve could barely make out the details of his physique. He was about as tall as Tim. Something wasn’t right about him though.

  “Tim?” Eve tried again. “You look different. Are you wearing different clothes?”

  She reached a hand up against her bruised forehead, blood dried against her skin.

  “Eve? Are you okay?”

  She sta
rtled when she heard her name. Tim called her E. Never Eve. Not once. Not even in front of other people. Always E.

  Why would Tim call me that? I don’t understand.

  “Tim, you don’t call me that,” she mumbled. “Why are you acting weird? Come on, honey. I think I need a doctor. Come and get me.”

  The male figure moved closer, blocking out the sunlight. He reached a hand towards Eve. She sat still, feeling frozen in place. She still didn’t know what to do. She still wasn’t sure what was going on.

  Maybe this is a dream. Yes! That’s it. I’m dreaming. This is a bad dream.

  “I think maybe you had a bad trip,” the strange man said.

  “Oh, no, Tim,” Eve replied, shifting focus again. “We had a great trip. You remember! It was the best trip ever. Until…”

  Eve began to sob, big tears rolling out of her eyes. She pulled her knees up to her chest and rocked back and forth, curling into a fetal position.

  “What are you talking about?” the man asked. “I meant a drug trip. Did you take something last night?”

  Eve looked up at him, his face still nothing more than a dark shadow. She couldn’t make out his features.

  “What?” she asked. “I don’t…”

  “Something is wrong,” he said. “This is whack. I’ve got to call someone.”

  “Yes!” Eve replied. “Call me a doctor, Tim. I think I hurt my head. And I can’t think straight. Something is wrong. You’re right.”

  “Do you have any ID on you?” the man asked, the concern evident in his voice. “Who should I call?”

  “Tim!” Eve screamed as she continued to cry and rock, gripping her knees even tighter. “Tim! Stop acting weird. Come get me, Tim!”

  The man moved backward, and the sunlight poured in again, assaulting Eve’s senses.

  “It’s bright!” she screamed. “Too bright. Make it stop. Help me, Tim. Please.”