Cry Wolf

by Romy Lockhart

  Only time will tell. We wait at the pub for the police to come out. My nerves disappeared when we found her. Fergus has been freaking out ever since, unable to keep still.

  “I feel like I’m going to throw up,” he murmurs.

  “Go to the bathroom, Fergus. Don’t worry about the police. We’ll talk to them. They’ll understand why this was all my idea.”

  He dashes off and we hear it when he loses his dinner into the toilet bowl.

  “Poor kid,” Lukas comments, his arm around me.

  “I can’t believe we found that,” I tell him. “I mean, I wanted to. I hoped to, but... I don’t know.”

  “You expected to be disappointed?”

  “Kind of, yeah.” Funny how that’s what life’s like to me. One disappointment after the next. Can’t quite believe it when something good actually happens. Though I guess this is a little grisly to call it a good thing. I don’t blame Fergus for not doing too well with being the one to actually uncover the body.

  “Probably shouldn’t have let Fergus do the digging,” I murmur.

  Blondie shrugs when I look at him. “He seemed keen enough to do it.”

  “He’s so young. I shouldn’t have let him come with us. I thought he could handle it.”

  The door to the bar creaks open and a voice calls out, “Hello?”

  I go over there and pull the door open all the way. “Hi, officers. We’re the ones who made the call.”

  These two are young. I don’t recognise them. The men who processed me as a child are probably retired now. I’m a little disappointed again, but really, finding what I did is the main thing. Everything else comes second to that.

  The male officer does the talking. “I’m Officer Black, this is Officer McManus. What we’re going to do here is take statements, and then one of you need to take us to the crime scene so we can secure it and wait for forensics to get out here in the morning.”

  “In the morning?” I ask, feeling another stab of disappointment.

  “It’s not an emergency,” they say, glancing at each other. “What you believe you’ve found is a decades old body. Correct?”

  I nod. Still, this is not an emergency? “That woman’s family have waited twenty years for justice to be served. How is this not an emergency?”

  “Ma’am, please. Can we take your statements?”

  Fergus comes back from the bathroom, looking white as a sheet. Guilt washes over me when I look at him. He only ended up seeing what I did because he became a friend of mine. I feel terrible. He shouldn’t have had to see that.

  “Fergus Kelly?” Officer Black asks, checking his notepad. “You were the one who dug up the skull?”

  He nods, swallowing. “I did. That was me.”

  “Okay, let’s start.”

  “He’s not feeling so good,” I start, but Fergus waves at me.

  “It’s fine. I just felt sick after. I’m... I’ll be okay.”

  We sit at one of the tables with the police. They begin their questions.

  “So, how did you find this body? What was it you were doing?” Officer Black asks, with his pen poised to take notes.

  “Oh, um...” Fergus looks at me.

  “We had heard about a cow being attacked by a wild animal on Lance Peterson’s farm,” I tell them. “Apparently the cow had been found behind the barn and he’d been cut to pieces. They couldn’t understand it because the cow had to have been dragged there but there was no evidence of him being dragged.”

  “Couldn’t he have just walked there,” Officer McManus asks, earning a glare from what must be her superior officer.

  “No,” I tell them, clearing my throat. “There’s a closed off part of the farm. He doesn’t use that barn anymore. He doesn’t touch that part of the field.”

  “So, then what? You heard about this and...?”

  We look at each other and I sigh. “When I was a kid, I saw a woman mauled by some weird animal out in the cornfield. I ran away and by the time the police got out here, there was no evidence. They wrote it off as me making it up.”

  The cops look at each other. “You’re that girl? Maggie O’Brien?”

  I nod. “I didn’t make it up. They tried to get me to retract my statement but I refused. In the end, my parents had to make a statement labelling me as a compulsive liar.”

  “And?”

  “And I wasn’t lying. Telling people you know some famous actor is one thing, telling them you just saw a woman die horribly is quite another. I would never lie about something like that.”

  They look at each other again. Office Black nods. “Okay. So what did you do once you found out about this cow?”

  “I got a torch and asked Fergus for a trowel. We all went there when we knew Lance would be asleep to take a look around the spot where the cow was dropped.” I pause and Lukas squeezes my hand. “We found a patch of raised ground with a lot of daisies growing. We started digging and found the skull.”

  “What next?” he asks, not looking up from his notebook.

  “Next, we came back here and called you guys. We didn’t dig any further. We didn’t want to run the risk of ruining evidence.”

  “And why didn’t you call us when you suspected you might find a body?”

  I shake my head. “I wasn’t certain we’d find something. After the last time, I didn’t want to risk being wrong.”

  “Okay. Can you take us to the body?” Officer Black asks.

  Lukas lets go of my hand and stands up.

  “I’ll take you.”

  “And you are?”

  He glances at me, as if checking what he should say. I flush a little, biting down on my lower lip.

  “He’s my fiancé.”

  “Lukas Harker,” Blondie offers.

  I can feel Fergus’ eyes on me as the three of them leave. He doesn’t say anything, but now he knows I still tell lies, even to someone who’s supposedly a friend. I clear my throat.

  “You don’t have to explain,” Fergus tells me.

  “No, I do. I’m sorry I lied about it. I just... I have more than one guy friend and I’m kind of sick of being judged for that kind of thing so I wanted to pretend to be normal for a change. He’s not my fiancé either. I just said that because otherwise the rings look weird.”

  He bursts out laughing, and I join in.

  “You’re crazy,” he tells me.

  “I know,” I tell him. “Are you feeling okay?”

  He nods. “I knew we were going to find something. I tried to prepare myself, but it’s just not the same as watching a movie or whatever, you know? What am I saying? Of course you know.”

  “I do. It’s not the same. It’s fucking awful. I’m so sorry you saw that.” I hug him and he rests his head on my shoulder for a second.

  “Maybe now people will stop calling you the girl who cried wolf,” he tells me as he moves back in his seat.

  I snort. “When I was a kid, it was Maggie Pants On Fire.”

  He laughs. “Oh. That’s funny.”

  “It’s not so funny when it’s your nickname for the next ten years until you can get the hell out of town,” I tell him. “You want a drink while we wait?”

  He nods. “Water maybe? I’m not sure if my stomach’s all the way settled.”

  I get up and pour us a pint glass each of ice cold water from the bottles in the fridge. He comes over and drinks it slowly, sighing loudly after he guzzles half the glass down.

  “That was so good.” He sets the glass down.

  I sip at my own, my nerves starting to come back with each passing second that they’re out there. What if we didn’t see what we thought we did? What if it wasn’t a human skull at all? What if someone moved it while we were gone?

  Fuck. I’m starting to have a panic attack. I can feel it coming on. I should have noticed the signs earlier. The shaking, the breathlessness. It starts up again and I sip at the water, trying to calm myself down.

  I didn’t lie about this. We found her. She’s out ther
e. This whole thing will be over soon.

  Stop freaking out.

  My heart is hammering and my arms are shaking and my vision is blurring. Shit, shit, shit.

  “Maggie, what’s wrong?” Fergus asks, reaching out to touch my arm across the bar.

  “I’m... I can’t... My breath...” I wheeze out, flashing back to the way the police treated me the first time around. They were rotten arseholes to a traumatised kid. I was petrified already and they’d shouted at me, demanded I retract my statement. I’d cried for days on end. I don’t want to ever feel like that again. I promised myself I’d never let this happen again.

  “Take in a long breath,” he tells me, holding me steady. “And another. Stop thinking. You’re safe. You’re calm. Nothing bad is happening.”

  He talks me down so easily, I actually start to laugh.

  “I can’t believe this,” I tell him, when it’s finally under control. “You know how to deal with panic attacks?”

  He shrugs. “I’ve had them for long enough.”

  “You were starting to have one earlier,” I realize out loud. “I’m so sorry I didn’t even notice.”

  “Mine usually start with vomiting. Once that happens, I talk myself down before the rest of the symptoms kick in.” He shrugs. “It usually works. Once I passed out in the middle of an exam because I thought an attack was over and it wasn’t. Someone thought I’d gone into anaphylactic shock and used their epi-pen on me. Kind of funny in the end, but at the time it was a nightmare.”

  “I can imagine. Fergus, I’m so glad you’re here. Honestly, I haven’t liked being in this town but having you as a friend has helped more than you know.”

  “I’ve liked spending time with you,” he tells me. “I was a wreck when Maria broke up with me. Since you’ve been here I started to feel normal again. Like everything’s going to work out fine. Whatever happens with Maria.”

  “I’m glad,” I tell him, as the door opens and Lukas walks back in alone. I freeze on the spot, waiting for the cops to arrive after him, when they don’t another stab of disappointment hits. “What happened?”

  “They’re cordoning off the crime scene and they’re going to try and speak to Lance tonight.”

  “So, they saw the body?”

  He nods. “They were pretty surprised when they saw the skull, like they expected it to be a prank. They need to know why Lance didn’t call in the animal attack, and they need to question him because the body’s on his land.”

  All of what’s he’s saying makes a lot of sense. I absorb it with an uncontrollable smile on my face. It’s sick, I know, but validation feels so damn good.

  “Are you feeling okay?” Lukas asks, concern in his gaze.

  “I’m fine,” I tell him. “Can I close the bar now? Or do the cops still need us?”

  “They’ll call you us in the morning,” he says. “We can go home.”

  I nod. “We should walk Fergus. It’s late.”

  “I’ll be fine, I’m just down the road,” Fergus protests, his cheeks turning pink.

  “There’s something out there,” I tell him. “We’ll be safer together.”

  He sighs as he nods. I usher them out and hit the lights. Picking the torch back up as I go. If the light doesn’t keep any disturbing creatures away from us it’s big enough to be used to smack the damn thing’s face in. This is why I shouldn’t be smiling. If I’m right, and I’ve always known I was, then there’s something dangerous out there in the dark.

  This town isn’t going to be safe until the monster is caught.

  After we walk Fergus home, Lukas takes my hand and we walk in silence back to my parent’s place. I’m lost in my thoughts as we get to the porch so much so that he seems to take it as a hint that I want to be left alone.

  “I should go,” he says, dropping my hand and shoving both of his in his pockets.

  I shake my head, my eyes widening in shock. “What? Don’t be an eejit.”

  He raises his eyebrows. “I thought...”

  “Whatever you thought, I don’t want you out here walking around while there’s something that rips people and livestock to shreds roaming the town,” I tell him, grabbing his arm and pulling him closer.

  “I’m sure I’d be fine,” he tells me, though his gaze is already drifting to my lips.

  “Well, I don’t want to take that kind of chance,” I tell him, moving back to unlock the door.

  I let him in and lock up with shaking fingers. The locked door doesn’t really make me feel that safe. I’m not sure what would right now.

  I keep the lights low, only turning on lamps. I lead Lukas into the living room and tell him to sit while I make us drinks. I check the back door in the kitchen. Locked. Then I put the kettle on, and pick through my purse for the pill I brought back earlier in the day. I can’t believe it slipped my mind.

  I’d only intended to keep it for later to avoid Theo asking questions.

  “Shit,” I murmur as I tip my bag upside down an empty the contents onto the table.

  It’s not there. I try to think back to lunch-time. It couldn’t have fallen out, could it?

  I wince as I realize it probably could have. I remembered seeing it when I attempted to pay for the bill. I curse under my breath as I make hot chocolate with marshmallows.

  I’ll have to go further out to get another pharmacy. There’s no way I can go back to the same one. Embarrassment aside, I think they’d give me a serious talking to about safety if I asked for another morning after pill a day after the first one. I’d probably have to buy up half their supply of johnnies to feel better about it after that. If Blondie thinks he’s getting in my pants again tonight, he’s had it.

  I bring the drinks through and he brings out his psycho smile.

  “Hot chocolate?” he asks. “When you said drinks...”

  “I work in a bar, I’m not an alkie,” I tell him, sitting down close and setting the drinks down on the coffee table in front of us.

  “I haven’t had hot chocolate since I was like ten,” he tells me, sounding amused as he puts his arm around me.

  “Well, coffee seemed like a bad idea given the hour,” I defend my choice of beverage as I get comfy against him. He feels so good, and smells so good, I could easily fall asleep on him right now.

  He picks up his mug and takes a sip, makes an ‘mmm’ noise and puts it back down.

  I yawn as I slouch against him. My eyelids flutter closed. I’ll just rest against his shoulder for a bit before I drink mine.

  “Maggie?”

  “Hmm?” I murmur, snuggling into him.

  I drift off to sleep before I hear his question. I’m sure it wasn’t more important than sleep.

  I wake up on the couch, covered by a blanket and with my head on a pillow. The sun is streaming through the window behind me and I can’t see any trace of Lukas in the room.

  “Lukas?” I call out, as I sit up.

  The mugs are gone from the coffee table so I guess he tidied up before he disappeared. I stand up and stretch. Yawn a bit more and curse the bastarding morning.

  It’s too early. It’s always too early.

  I walk into the kitchen and see he washed the mugs and left them on the draining board. My bag is still lying on the table, contents scattered around. I pick it up and start throwing things back into it. Purse, tissues, lipstick. Hand cream, car keys, mints. I’m about to chuck my nearly useless phone inside too, when I see there’s a missed call. It’s not a number I recognise.

  I have a voicemail. I check and see I have one bar of signal where I’m standing. Must be the only place in the whole house if not the whole town. I call my voice mail and listen.

  “Hi, Maggie, it’s Sebastian McCloud from your lawyer’s office. I’m stuck in the town over from Widow’s Walk for another few days and there’s been a development I need to talk to you about so I’d like to meet with you again. Call me back when you get this.” He rhymes off his number and hangs up.

  I put the phone in m
y bag. I guess I need to go get another pill. I could meet him afterwards.

  Probably shouldn’t ask him to come back here. He’s too hot and I’m too horny.

  I move through the living room to the hall, still expecting to find some trace of Lukas. It seems weird that he’d just leave. Without even a note, or something. He really didn’t seem like an early riser. Maybe he didn’t sleep.

  That’s when I hear it. Voices, murmuring, low voices. Coming from... my basement! What the fecking hell? I open the door quietly, frowning when it pushes inward so easily. It’s supposed to be locked.

  This is my da’s old workshop. It’s creepy and I hate it down there. But apparently Lukas is chewing Theo out in this creepy-ass room.

  “I can’t believe you,” Lukas snaps. “This is where you’ve been this whole fucking time?”

  “We can’t protect her from a distance,” Theo says, his tone neutral. “This was the easiest option.”

  “You need to get out of here,” Lukas tells him. “Right now.”

  I step back from the door, not sure how I want to play this. The insanity of it hasn’t quite hit me. I like Theo and I’m not as freaked out as I should be that he’s been hiding out in my basement. It does make me wonder if there’s a broken window though. I don’t like the idea of that.

  “I’ll leave when she gives me my rings back,” Theo says.

  I tug at them gently, but I already know they won’t budge. I don’t know how much I buy into what they’re selling yet, but I know I like them both and if there was ever a time to refuse to make a choice, this feels like it.

  I take a breath and walk into the room, moving quickly.

  “Can you guys keep it down? A girl needs her beauty sleep, you know.” I watch Theo grin as Lukas glances up at me in surprise.

  “Maggie, I didn’t realize you were up,” Blondie starts.

  I shrug. “It’s cool. I have something I should tell you both.”

  I glance around, noticing my spare sheets on the sofa my dad used to take his lunch on at the weekends. Crisp packets and beer bottles litter the floor near the sofa. I didn’t think Theo seemed like the clean freak type and it looks like I was right.