by Tracey Smith
Ben nodded his understanding “I’ll take you.” He informed her. It wasn’t really an offer so much as a declaration.
“That’s okay, I’m sure I can find the library without getting lost.” Cassidy laughed nervously. “Besides I’m sure you have a lot of work to do.” She added.
“Actually I’ve finished up the harvesting for now. All set for the farmer’s market which isn’t until tomorrow, so my day is free.” Ben smiled, but it was strained. There was something he wasn’t telling her.
“I doubt you want to spend your day off sitting around a dusty library with me.” Cassidy wasn’t sure why she was arguing, spending a day sitting around a dusty library with him actually sounded kind of nice. Especially if he was being nice.
“I don’t mind. I’m actually curious myself. I’ve never really looked up the records, just heard the rumors.” He shrugged as if it didn’t really matter to him, but she could see that it did.
“Ok, well I’m ready when you are.” She agreed.
It was an overcast day. Dark gray clouds swirled in the sky and wind whipped through the dense forest as they drove down the mountain. There was a chill in the air today, even though it was late summer the wind was cold.
It didn’t take long to reach the small library in town. The elderly woman at the front desk showed them down to the basement where old newspapers were kept on microfiche. There was an old dinosaur of a computer in the corner of the room that cataloged the newspaper articles.
“I’m not really sure where to start.” Cassidy admitted once the old woman had left them alone in the dim basement. The overhead fluorescent lighting was flickering, struggling to stay lit from long periods of disuse. There were cobwebs in the corners and it smelled dank and dusty. Of all the places Cassidy had been in Cedar Hollow, this place was definitely the creepiest.
“Your grandfather’s name was Curtis Miller. I think that’s probably the best place to start.” Ben suggested, turning on the old computer. Cassidy was grateful that he’d come along, partly because he knew her grandfather’s name and mostly because she wouldn’t have wanted to sit alone in this basement.
Finally after several minutes the old computer wheezed to life and Ben typed the name Curtis Miller into the search field. Several results popped up on the screen with identifying numbers for the sheets of film that contained articles about Curtis Miller. Cassidy searched through file drawers until she located the correct films.
Ben followed her to the viewer where they loaded the films and flipped through looking for the appropriate articles. The first was a wedding announcement, from which Cassidy learned that her grandmother’s name had been Elizabeth Greene and that her grandparents had married on July 14, 1953 after her grandfather had returned from fighting in the Korean War. A small picture accompanied the announcement. Her grandfather had been a tall handsome man in his twenties, he was dressed in an army uniform. Her grandmother wore a simple white knee-length 50’s-style dress with a sash tied around the waist. She held a bouquet of daisies with a lace veil draped over her long blonde hair. Cassidy was shocked at how much she looked like her grandmother, who in the picture was younger than she was now. She felt a pang of regret at never having had the chance to know them.
The next hit was a birth announcement. Kimberly Anne Miller and Janet Elaine Miller both born January 15, 1963. Cassidy recognized the name Kimberly Miller, that was her mother. Apparently she also had a twin sister named Janet, Cassidy had never even known that she had an aunt. She wrote down the names of her family before scrolling on to the next article. Seeing their names in black and white suddenly made them more real. Cassidy felt anxious as she scrolled to the next article. It was the one she’d been looking for.
Local war hero Curtis Miller was found dead at his family home in the early morning hours of Saturday May 16, 1980. His body was discovered by his brother Robert Miller. It appeared that he’d fallen from the top of the water tower, although the official cause of death has yet to be determined. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth Miller and two children, Kimberly Miller and Janet Miller, both age 17.
Cassidy sat back from the viewer and allowed herself a moment of grief for the grandfather she’d never known. He’d died a few years before she’d even been born. Ben had left her at the viewer and had crossed back over to the old reference computer.
“The first few hits under your grandmother’s name are for the same wedding and birth announcement that came up for your grandfather.” He told her. “But there’s also this one.” He said handing her a slip of paper with an identification number written on it. She took it and crossed over to the files. She located the film and carried it to the viewer. She found the article and felt her blood run cold as she read the words.
Only two weeks after the death of her husband Curtis Miller, Elizabeth Miller was found dead on Bartlett Beach, an apparent accidental drowning. She is survived by her two children Kimberly and Janet Miller, age 17. It is reported that the children will be sent to live with their maternal grandmother in Connecticut, although the children’s paternal uncle, a Mr. Robert Miller, is petitioning for custody.
“They died within two weeks of each other.” Cassidy whispered staring at the screen.
“Most people figured she killed herself out of grief.” Ben said quietly.
“And just left her children?” Cassidy asked appalled. “What happened to them?”
“From what I’ve heard they did get shipped off to Connecticut, but Kimberly came back here a year later after she’d finished high school.”
“Why would she come back?” Cassidy wondered aloud.
“Her boyfriend was here.” Ben shrugged, and Cassidy realized he was talking about her father.
“They died together in a fire.” She whispered.
“When I moved here I heard the stories about the Miller Curse, about how everyone who lived in that house died.”
“You didn’t grow up in Cedar Hollow?” Cassidy asked, surprised and momentarily distracted.
“We moved here after my dad lost his business. I was in high school.” Ben explained quietly, but his eyes became shrouded. He didn’t want to talk about himself. “Let’s see if we can find any articles about your parents.” Ben quickly changed the subject.
He went back over to the computer and typed in the name Kimberly Miller and waited for the results. He read off the number to Cassidy and she crossed back over to the files, locating the proper one. The result was for a wedding announcement.
“My father’s name was Billy Patterson.” Cassidy recited quietly. Ben typed the name into the search engine and it produced another file number. He gave it to Cassidy and she quietly crossed back over to the file cabinet.
“That can’t be right.” She said asking for the number again, Ben repeated it to her and she thumbed through the sheets again. “It’s missing, that entire page of microfiche. It’s not here.”
“It has to be.” Ben said joining her at the file cabinet and scanning through the pages with her.
“All the other pages are here, the ones before it and after it, but the page with the articles that mention my parents, it’s gone.” Cassidy flipped through the sheets again, frustrated.
“Maybe somebody misplaced it.” Ben suggested. “I’ll go up and ask if anyone else has been down here recently. I’ll be right back.”
Ben left her sorting through the files and jogged up the stairs. Cassidy felt deflated. She knew so little about her birth parents, and she had been hoping for any little bit of information that might give her insight into who they were. What they were like. Now that she was here, living in this little town where they had once lived she was consumed with the curiosity that she’d been able to keep at bay for the last thirty years.
She decided while she waited for Ben to come back down she might try to look up her aunt. She went to the computer and typed in the name Janet Miller. No results were found. That was odd. No announcements, no articles, it was like she’d never existed. Cassi
dy had seen her birth announcement cross-referenced with each of her grandparent’s names, but nothing was linked to the name Janet Miller. It was as if someone had tried to erase all trace of her. Cassidy wondered if maybe she was still alive somewhere, maybe they just couldn’t find her.
Just then something shifted in the room. She wasn’t exactly sure where the sound had come from but she’d heard it, and it was definitely bigger than a rat. She looked toward the stairs that Ben had gone up and she listened for his voice. Vaguely she could hear him talking with the librarian upstairs. Then she heard it again, a shuffle, something moving in the shadows.
She whipped her head around the room scanning the dark corners. Her heart began to pound, her breathing accelerated. She felt adrenaline coursing through her veins. Her fight or flight reflex had been triggered. Some instinct was telling her that she was not alone in this room, something or someone was watching her. She bolted up the stairs.
She reached the top of the staircase in two seconds flat, panting to catch her breath as she emerged into the well-lit, sedate room. The librarian and Ben both stopped abruptly and turned to face her, Ben’s expression immediately turned to one of concern.
“Are you okay?” He asked stepping away from the desk and reaching out to grasp her arm.
“I’m fine.” She said cheerfully, a little too cheerfully. “Let’s not worry about that article today. It’ll turn up. I’m starving.” She insisted pulling him toward the door. Some survival instinct was telling her to get out of here and she was going to listen.
Ben scrutinized her closely as she pulled him toward the door but he didn’t question her, he simply followed her outside.
“Mind telling me what that was about?” He asked once they were in the truck pulling away from the building.
“I don’t know, I guess I just got a little spooked. You know, sitting in a basement reading articles about how my whole family is dead, guess it kind of got to me.” She tried to shrug it off.
He nodded his understanding. “Lunch?”
They ate lunch at Jenny’s Diner. It was an interesting experience. If Cassidy thought people had stared before when she’d eaten alone it was nothing compared to eating with Ben. Everyone in the restaurant watched them with open astonishment. Even Melissa, the younger waitress who had been friendly to Cassidy on her first visit, was very reserved. Cassidy wondered if she was one of Ben’s exes too. She realized it was petty to be annoyed that he had so many exes in the immediate vicinity, but it didn’t change the fact that she was. Cassidy was all too grateful when it was time to leave. Jenny’s was not her favorite place in Cedar Hollow.
It had begun raining by the time they’d gotten back in the truck to head up the mountain. The sky was churning with black clouds and the wind whipped the rain sideways.
“Gonna be a bad one tonight.” Ben observed driving carefully up the dirt road. Water ran in rivulets down the flooded mountain road.
“Does it storm like this often?” Cassidy asked straining to see out the rain drenched windows.
“It happens. We need to get home.” Ben said tightly. He gripped the steering wheel with both hands, driving slowly, eyes locked on the road. Cassidy could feel the tension radiating off of him.
Rain poured down in sheets, making it nearly impossible to see anything beyond the hood of the truck. Suddenly a horn began blaring behind them and then bright headlights flashed in the rearview mirrors. A black car sped up alongside them on the one-lane road, swerving dangerously and holding down the horn. Ben veered to the right to avoid being side swiped as the black car nearly collided with the truck. They bounced off the dirt road as the car sped past them, close enough to clip the side mirror.
Ben pulled the wheel back to the left trying to correct and get back on the road as he pumped the brakes. The truck bounced through the uneven rocks, striking small sapling trees. Cassidy gripped the handle bar overhead trying to hold herself in her seat as the truck careened across the jagged off-road terrain. Despite Ben’s attempts to correct the vehicle’s path, it was headed directly for the edge of the cliff and it wasn’t slowing fast enough. It struck the guardrail squealing and grinding against the metal, throwing sparks. Cassidy heard herself scream.
Gradually the truck came to a halt. The metal guardrail was twisted and bent beneath the axle, the right front tire was precariously dangling over the edge of the mountain, and the rain continued to pour down washing away the dirt beneath the other tires.
“Don’t move.” Ben instructed as the truck teetered over the edge of the cliff. Cassidy still gripped the handle bar, white knuckled, she wasn’t sure if she could let go even if she wanted to. She couldn’t pull her eyes away from the window and the deathly drop below.
“Do you understand me, Cassidy?” Ben demanded when she didn’t look at him. “Don’t move a muscle.” She nodded slightly, still unable to pull her eyes away from her pending doom. She could see no ground out her window, no solid earth, only the steep promise of death. She was too terrified to move.
Ben shifted slowly in his seat and the truck wobbled. Cassidy sucked in a frightened breath as she felt the movement, but she didn’t move, she continued to stare out the window. She felt Ben move again, she heard the sound of his door opening and then the groaning sound of the metal bending beneath the frame. The truck slipped an inch and she let out a terrified squeal before sucking it back in and holding her breath. She was too scared to breathe.
“Cassidy, look at me.” Ben said, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the window. “Look at me.” He demanded.
Slowly she turned her head, careful not to move her body. Ben’s door was open and his legs were extended out, braced on the ground. He was lying across the bench seat of the truck, the weight of his upper body counteracting the gravity that was trying to pull them over the edge. His arm was extended toward her.
“Unbuckle your seatbelt.” He calmly instructed. She looked at him with pure fear burning in her eyes. “Cassidy, you have to unbuckle.” He told her. She took a deep breath and pressed the button slowly sliding the strap over her shoulder.
“Good. Now take my hand.” He said gently.
“I can’t.” She whispered. She was frozen in place.
“You can.” He said softly, she started to glance back toward the window. “No, Cassidy, look at me, only me. Look at my face.” She obeyed, looking into his brilliant green eyes. His eyes stared straight into hers pleading with her to trust him. “Take my hand.” He said again, his voice soft and calm.
Cassidy kept her eyes locked on his as she slowly and mechanically lifted her left arm and extended it toward him. He grasped her hand firmly and she could see the relief in his face.
“Now let go with your other hand.” He told her and she realized she was still gripping the handle bar. She had to consciously command each finger to release as she slowly pulled her right arm down.
“Now this is very important, Cassidy, are you listening to me?” Ben asked intently, his voice barely above a whisper. She nodded, unable to speak. “We are going to have to move very fast.” Her eyes widened in terror. “You can do this, just give me your right hand and I’m going to pull you from the truck.” She didn’t move for a moment. “Trust me.” He begged, his intense green eyes boring into hers.
She twisted her body slowly, reaching her right arm toward him, and the subtle movement caused the truck to teeter dangerously. She started to pull away from Ben, to reach for the handle bar that had seemed like her only lifeline.
“No, Cassidy!” He yelled and it startled her. “Take my hand! Now!” She obeyed throwing her weight toward him as he pulled her with him. They both tumbled from the truck to the wet muddy ground. She landed on top of him, his strong arms like a cage around her securing her to his chest. She heard the sound of the metal guardrail giving way and the truck plummeting over the edge. She buried her face against his neck and cried as the rain poured down on them.
He ran his hand over her back in soothing
circles. “You’re okay.” He whispered. “We’re okay.” He soothed as he allowed her to cry.
Finally she stopped crying and lifted her head to look down at his face, only inches from her own. Rain water ran down the sides of her face as she hovered over him shielding his face from the falling rain, she was completely drenched and so was he. He still held her tightly to his chest with one arm wrapped protectively around her. With the other hand he reached up and caressed the side of her face. She began to shiver, partly from her rain soaked clothes, partly from shock, and partly from his proximity and what it was doing to her.
“We should find some cover.” He said as he held her, still trembling in his arms. He sat up, adjusting her away from him as he did so. She felt ridiculously bereft. Logically she recognized that they were lying on the leaf-covered forest floor, in a torrential downpour and they needed to find cover. Illogically she didn’t want to move, but she allowed him to help her to her feet and followed him as he led the way through the woods.
He found a copse of trees dense enough to shield them from the storm, he deposited her under the thicket and then searched for fallen branches to add an additional barricade to their make-shift shelter. Finally he crawled under the branches with her to wait out the storm.
“Are you cold?” He asked as he settled in beside her.
“A little.” She admitted as she rubbed her arms. He scooted closer wrapping his arm around her and pulling her against his side. She willingly molded against him and leaned her head on his shoulder. He rubbed her arm vigorously trying to warm her, but gradually his touch became more of a caress, gliding the tips of his fingers against her skin. She turned her face toward his neck smelling his scent and feeling his body heat. Her lips brushed the skin of his neck as she leaned in toward him. He cocked his head to look down at her and she stared back up at him open and inviting. Their lips hovered mere centimeters apart, each of them breathing erratically.