Rosemary Run Box Set

by Kelly Utt

  “Nope. Everything I brought is right here.” She gestured to the bags, seeming proud of her own efficiency. “Let’s sleep,” Margaret continued. “I can’t imagine what we could do to help in the middle of the night, anyway. We’ll reconvene first thing in the morning. Maybe the police will have a lead by then. Maybe Tim and Eve will be home...”

  The Blackburns reluctantly agreed. They knew Margaret was right. And they had said much the same to the rest of the family. They all needed rest.

  Slowly, they walked with Margaret out of the airport, then they helped her climb into the passenger seat of Holden’s SUV.

  Margaret seemed frail under the moonlight, pained by years of loneliness and regret. It was sad to witness. Her knuckles were enlarged from arthritis. Her skin wrinkled and thin. And the lines on her face seemed deep and burdensome.

  Phoebe wondered if Margaret could handle what might come. She wondered the same about herself.

  Holden drove, taking Margaret to Tim and Eve’s house. He got her inside and comfortable, then took his parents home. It all felt surreal, like they were part of a bad movie that they hadn’t asked to star in. They certainly couldn’t have predicted this end to the day when they had woken up that morning, tending to business as usual.

  Finally, Holden returned to his own house. He curled up beside Lorelei in bed and wrapped his arms tightly around her.

  No one slept much, though they tried. They tucked into their beds and closed their eyes, waiting for a new day and hoping it would bring them good news.

  17

  The sun peeked above the horizon when the family gathered at Tim and Eve’s house to start the next day. They were scheduled to meet with Detectives Fredericks and Hemming at the police station at eight. They intended to formulate plans of their own before then. They were determined that today would be a productive one.

  “I had a dream,” Phoebe announced when everyone was gathered in the living room.

  Wilder was by her side, clasping her hand tightly. He apparently knew his wife would make the announcement, because he didn’t look surprised.

  “Tell us,” Marcus said eagerly.

  He and Ty had dropped Bethany off to spend the day at Lorelei and Holden’s house. Lorelei and Imogen had promised to keep all the little ones fed and happy so the other adults in the bunch could focus on finding Tim and Eve.

  “Yeah,” Jake echoed. “What was it, Mom?”

  Victoria had stayed home this morning, promising to join them later in the day. She had promised to keep a careful watch on Eve’s social media accounts.

  Margaret looked surprisingly refreshed. The Blackburns thought she must be a morning person. They were impressed by how quickly she revived.

  “I think the dream meant something,” Phoebe continued. “It was… heavy.”

  “Well, spill it,” Margaret said. “With all due respect, Phoebe, this isn’t time for sugarcoating.”

  Phoebe nodded. “It was Tim.”

  The statement took Margaret by surprise. Tears sprang to her eyes. “What about Tim?”

  Holden nodded, encouraging his mom to continue.

  “It wasn’t about Tim… as much as it was Tim. He came to me in a dream,” Phoebe claimed. “And… he told me Eve was in grave danger.”

  “What?” Jake said, rattled.

  “I know,” Phoebe replied. “It was short and simple. He said we must find Eve. That she’s in danger. I got the idea that time is running out.”

  Tension was heavy in the room. It was as if everyone was suddenly spooked.

  “But…” Margaret began. “What about Tim? What does that mean for him? For my… my boy.”

  Phoebe looked down at the floor, choking back tears.

  Wilder took over. “It’s a dream. That’s all.”

  Phoebe raised a hand, stopping her husband from discounting it so quickly. She knew he believed in her intuition. But she also knew he was trying to ease Margaret’s mind.

  “I don’t care,” Margaret said, her voice rising. “Phoebe, what do you think that means about Tim? Is he in danger too?”

  Phoebe leaned against the back of the sofa she was sitting on, almost shaking.

  “Mom,” Holden began, offering an out. “We could talk more about your dream later. We have logistics to go over and not a lot of time before we need to be at the police station.”

  Phoebe’s boys knew her well enough to understand her interpretation of the dream. She didn’t have to spell it out for them. They knew she’d had several dreams over the years where people who had recently passed away came back to communicate with her. No one still alive ever had. Even Marcus knew, having been filled in by his husband.

  Margaret was the only one in the dark.

  Poor Margaret.

  “No!” she said forcefully. “I won’t be coddled. I buried a husband and raised our son alone. I’m tougher than I look. Now tell me what you mean to say, Phoebe.”

  “Okay, Margaret,” the Blackburn matriarch said, acquiescing. “I think it means that Tim has passed.”

  “Passed?” Margaret blurted. “As in… he’s dead?”

  “I’m so sorry,” Phoebe replied. “Yes.”

  Margaret scooted to the front edge of her armchair, her face twisted up, her finger pointing. She looked angry and sad all at the same time. “How…? Why… I…?”

  “She’s had these dreams over the years,” Holden explained. “Mom has dreamed of people who have passed away. Several of them. She seems to have a sixth sense about that kind of thing.”

  “An open line of communication, if you will,” Wilder added.

  Margaret leaned her head down into her hands. She sat silently like that for what felt to the others like an eternity. They didn’t want to disturb her. They didn’t know what she was doing. Finally, she raised her head and sat up stick straight in her chair, her hands gripping the armrests.

  “I’m sorry,” Phoebe repeated. “You have to know… we love Tim like a son. I don’t take this lightly. I’m devastated.”

  “Stop,” Margaret said. “Don’t go there. I know how you feel about my son. He’s told me how wonderful you all are.”

  “He’s the best,” Holden added.

  “We couldn’t have asked for a better husband for our Eve,” Wilder confirmed. “What a guy.”

  Margaret nodded, her face brave. “How did he look?” she asked Phoebe.

  “You mean…?”

  “In your dream. How did my boy look?”

  Phoebe sniffled, emotion full on her face. “He looked good. He was whole. And safe… if that’s what you mean. He was very worried about Eve. Adamant that we had to find her.”

  “Did he give you any clues as to how we could do that?” Margaret asked.

  “No.”

  Margaret laced her fingers together, twisting a ring around one arthritic finger as she worked to hold her hurt inside. “Did he say… what happened to him?” She barely got the words out before devolving into a puddle of tears.

  Holden handed Margaret a tissue from his chair near hers. He had a pocket full of them, expecting to need them today.

  “He didn’t,” Phoebe explained. “In my experience though, I often have a series of dreams when someone comes to me like this. Maybe he’ll come back again.”

  Margaret eyed her curiously.

  “Maybe we’ll learn something when we meet with the detectives,” Holden offered. “I’m sure they have new information to share by now.”

  “You mean, maybe they’ll confirm that my son’s dead?” Margaret said.

  She was raw, blunt and without tact. No one blamed her.

  “Maybe,” Holden confirmed. “I sure hope not. But I know we all want answers. Not knowing is the worst.”

  Margaret stood up, then plodded her way across the living room towards the guest room where she had spent the night, stepping over people as she went. “Excuse me,” she said. “I need a few minutes.”

  “Of course,” Wilder said. “Take your time.”
/>   “Please, let us know if we can do anything at all for you, Mrs. Fischer,” Ty said.

  “It’s Margaret,” she mumbled, then closed and locked the door behind her.

  The mood was heavy amongst the others. Assuming Phoebe’s dream was right, they mourned for Tim, and they feared that Eve didn’t have much time.

  “Holden,” Jake began. “You’re our leader. Mom and Dad are in too much pain to think straight. Tell us what to do.”

  “Yeah,” Ty confirmed. “How can we help?”

  “Count me in,” Marcus added. “I’m at your service. I want to help.”

  Phoebe and Wilder were touched as they watched their boys in action. Even without their parental input, the boys functioned like a well-oiled machine, all doing their part.

  If only they could somehow help Eve. Maybe they still could.

  “Do your best, Holden,” Wilder said. “If you’re up to the task, we believe in you. Give us our marching orders.”

  Holden nodded. “I’m up for it,” he confirmed. “I appreciate your faith in me. All of you… It’s an honor.”

  “It’s well deserved, son,” Wilder said, wiping a tear from his eye.

  “Okay, then,” Holden continued. “Here’s what I’m thinking…”

  The Blackburns moved forward in their seats, eager to hear what Holden had in mind. They were desperate to do something. They had waited around for far too long.

  Jake took out a notebook to take notes.

  “To begin, it’s simple,” Holden said. “We’ll go to the police department and hear what the detectives have to tell us. Then, assuming a search is still underway, we fan out and start talking to everyone we can. We’ll hit the streets with posters, we’ll hit the phones, and we’ll spread word all over the internet.”

  “I’ll handle the internet,” Jake offered. “I’ll get Victoria to help. We’ll spread their pictures far and wide, asking for any information.”

  “Good,” Holden said to his brother. The two of them worked well together at Brambleberry Fields. It made sense that they’d do so again in this setting. “The police may have generated a graphic already. If not, I’ll need you to do that. Find recent pictures of Tim and Eve to share. Be sure they’re well lit and show their faces clearly. You’ll want to make sure the information gets around town, and also around the Florida Keys and San Francisco. We want to hear from anyone who may have seen them.”

  “Understood,” Jake confirmed. “I’ll look around the house now for recent pictures that I don’t already have digital copies of.”

  “We will take care of the posters,” Ty offered. Marcus nodded his agreement.

  “Great,” Holden said. “It will be good to have two of you on that.”

  “I assume we can use the same pictures of their faces that Jake will post on the Internet, correct?” Ty asked.

  “That’s right,” Holden confirmed. “Make the posters colorful, so they stand out. I’m thinking neon colors, actually. Pink, yellow, orange, and lime green. Put ‘MISSING’ in big letters on the front with their pictures and the phone number of the Rosemary Run Police Department tip line.”

  “Got it,” Ty confirmed.

  “That reminds me,” Holden continued. “I think we should offer a reward for information leading to their whereabouts. Does anyone object to that?”

  “Not at all,” Wilder said. “I was going to mention the same thing myself. We have the means. We should use what we have.”

  “I agree,” Holden replied. “I’m happy to pitch in personal funds. Dad, how much are you thinking?”

  Wilder tilted his head to one side. “Son, I’d give up every dollar I had if it would bring Eve back to us.”

  “Damn right, you would,” Phoebe added. “But we don’t want to go overboard and turn this into a ransom situation for anyone who may find her. Perhaps we should ask the detectives for guidance.”

  “Good idea,” Wilder confirmed. “People can get crazy when there’s money involved. We don’t want somebody grabbing Eve just for the payday. Or worse yet, asking for more than we can provide. Although, granted, that would be a lot.”

  This was one of the times that the Blackburns felt fortunate to have achieved such a high level of success in business. Thanks to the fortune earned through Brambleberry Fields, they were equipped to pay a reward that could help them find Eve.

  “I guess that leaves your dad and me on the phones,” Phoebe said. “Which is fine. Maybe we could do it from here. And maybe Margaret will want to help.”

  “Sounds good, Mom,” Holden confirmed. “There’s plenty of room here. If volunteers from the community want to help, let them. This house can be the official headquarters for those working the phones.”

  “Same for the Internet,” Jake added. “I can do what I need to from here. We have enough bandwidth for several other Internet-savvy volunteers to help me. Let’s ask the community.”

  “Ask people to help distribute posters, too,” Ty added. “We will take all the help we can get.”

  “Okay then,” Holden confirmed. “Those will be the three main ways we get the word out. If there’s anything else or any more specifics to share, I’ll divvy those up as needed.”

  “Good work, Holden,” Phoebe said. “Now let’s get Margaret and head to the station. That is, if she feels up to going after what I said. I hope I haven’t offended her. It didn’t feel right to remain silent about my dream.”

  “I don’t think you had much choice, Mom,” Holden said. “We need to use every bit of insight available to us. And your dream is insightful, whether everyone wants to believe that or not.”

  Resolute, the Blackburns gathered their things and got in the car, ready to hear whatever news awaited them at the police station. They felt better with a plan of action. They were growing more and more worried about Eve. But they knew missing person situations sometimes took a while. They would keep at it until she was found.

  Holden was about to knock on the door to the guest room when Margaret opened it, her purse and coat in hand.

  “Are you coming with us?” he asked. “Because you don’t have to. You could stay here and we could report back. You must be tired after the last-minute travel and late night.”

  “I’m coming with you,” she said. “I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t. Now let’s go, so we’re not late for the detectives.”

  18

  The mood was somber at the police station when they arrived. Pamela was there and offered them coffee, but she didn’t smile. Her face looked heavy under the weight of the things she’d seen. No one envied her, or any of the other individuals on the local force.

  The Blackburns could immediately tell that Neil and Luke had bad news to deliver. Given Phoebe’s dream, they suspected that it might be about Tim. Phoebe put a protective hand on Margaret’s back as they were shown into the same conference room they’d occupied the evening before.

  After Margaret was introduced to everyone, she urged them to get down to business.

  “We have news,” Luke said, the words hanging in the air. His face was emotionless. Official. “Are you ready to hear it?”

  “We’re as ready as we’ll ever be,” Holden said, speaking for the group. “We’re scared, but we have to know.”

  Luke glanced at Margaret for confirmation.

  “Go ahead,” she said.

  Luke opened the file folder in front of him and placed his palms flat on the table on either side. Neil sat next to his partner, arms hanging in his lap. His face looked official too, but like he had a harder time appearing emotionless. Neil’s eyes were narrowed and his brow was low. His bottom lip seemed like it could tremble at any moment.

  “We don’t have any news about Eve,” Luke began. “She’s still considered missing. We’re doing everything we can to find her.”

  Phoebe exhaled loudly, unable to hold the breath in any longer.

  “And Tim?” Margaret asked, her bottom lip firm.

  Neil looked down.


  Luke spoke.

  “I regret to inform you that Tim Fischer was killed in Islamorada, Florida on Thursday. It was a jet ski accident.”

  Margaret yelped and threw both hands up to her mouth, as if to hold the sound in.

  “It was reportedly a freak accident,” Luke continued. “Tim’s jet ski collided with a boat. He was killed instantly. He didn’t suffer.”

  Phoebe, Wilder, and Holden reached their hands toward Margaret, comforting her with pats on the arms and shoulders. She looked stunned.

  “Tim didn’t have identification on him when he was killed,” Luke continued. “His body was held at the office of the Monroe County, Florida medical examiner in Marathon. He was registered as a John Doe. Our inquiry yesterday led to a positive identification.”

  “Wait!” Margaret shouted. “Are you sure it’s him? Maybe it’s someone else… How?”

  “We’re sure,” Luke replied. “Confirmed with dental records. I’m sorry, Mrs. Fischer.”

  Margaret sank low into her chair. “Call me Margaret,” she mumbled. Her eyes glazed over as she stared at a random spot on the cement-block wall near the door.

  “Was the driver of the boat at fault?” Holden inquired.

  “Local police don’t think so. Alcohol and drugs were not involved. The male boat driver was tested. He was clean.”

  “Was the driver injured?” Holden asked.

  “Minor injuries,” Luke replied, glancing at a note in the file folder. “He was treated and released the same day.”

  “Wow,” Wilder said. “And Eve?”

  Neil took a deep breath. Luke looked to him for an answer.

  The two of them had split duties so Luke led the investigation into Tim’s whereabouts and Neil headed up the search for Eve.

  “We don’t know,” Neil replied. “We know she was with Tim on the beach at the resort before he boarded the jet ski. We can assume she was still in the vicinity when he was killed. She probably saw the collision from the beach. We’re still piecing together a timeline…”

  Luke jumped in. “Eve disappeared at some point after the incident and wasn’t seen again on the resort’s security cameras until Sunday morning when she checked out, as scheduled. If she was there when paramedics arrived, she didn’t identify herself. A crowd had gathered.”