Coming Home (Norris Lake Series)

by Koresdoski, Amy

  The Sheriff’s office stood on the square in a white brick two story building wedged between the town newspaper and an attorney’s office. It was a stone’s throw from the SugarLand Ice Creamery, Thompson’s Books and the Old Tyme Hardware, three of his favorite places. When he wasn’t working, which was rare, he indulged himself with either a book and dish of French vanilla ice cream in front of the SugarLand or puttered around his old cottage using discount items from the hardware store.

  Two years ago, he’d purchased a cottage just off the square at the edge of the park when he took the job in Norris. The rundown 2-bed room house, though perfect for his needs, still needed a lot of work. Currently, he was working to replace the hardwood crown molding throughout and then was planning to steam off a hideous bright orange flowered wall paper harassing him from the bathroom. The cottage was within walking distance of his office which he liked since gave him immediate access to town in case there were any issues, not that many issues arose.

  The most recent problem had been a mysterious disappearance which the paper was terming murder. There hadn’t been any murders thus far within Norris proper or the surrounding county, but a few young women had gone missing. Jenny still occupied his thoughts. It was a puzzle with a capital P in his world. He wasn’t a man who liked ambiguity or the unknown especially when it had to do with his responsibilities. Hadn’t Caitlyn mentioned her doctoral degree was in forensics? He sure could use some help from her. Evidence had to surface first though. Speculation wouldn’t help Jenny. He sincerely hoped she was just another runaway.

  There was also this issue with Caitlyn. He’d gone by to pick up her dog only to find her at home. Irritated with her pigheadedness to stay put, he’d put a deputy on an hourly drive by and called Dominic Lawson’s work only to find out that the General Manager of Daybreak Pontiac GMC was at work at the time of Caitlyn’s accident. He mused, putting one hand to his thick reddish hair, that didn’t mean he didn’t plan it or put someone else up to the deed, but it did mean he wasn’t crazy enough to do it himself.

  He’d have to take his fishing pole out this evening and sit for a while on the bank of the river below Norris dam, fish for rockfish and think. Most of his revelations came when he was doing mindless relaxing tasks like fishing.

  Standing there in the sunshine, he watched the mid-day crowd hurrying through their daily routines. He turned to the sound of the adjoining building’s door as the bell signaled its opening. A familiar figure stepped out of the building and smiling strolled toward him. Jesse stood in front of Ben holding out her hand. Ben grasped it in a friendly shake and they stood for a moment’s exchange.

  “Hey Sheriff”.

  “Good afternoon, Jesse. “

  “How’s your day going? “

  “Can’t complain. You? “

  “I am up to my elbows in research for my new book. “

  “What’s your book about? “

  “It’s going to be about a mystical people from this area and the creation of Norris by TVA. It should be interesting; a mix between fiction and non-fiction like a historical fiction novel. I would like to add some local color so have also been looking into the mysterious disappearances over the years. “

  “I’d be interested in hearing what you found, Jess.”

  “How about we go take a table at SugarLand and swap stories, sheriff? “

  Ben hitched his thumbs in his belt loops and thought for a moment. “I guess I could spend a minute with one of our new citizens especially if it includes a warm slice of apple pie topped with vanilla ice cream.“

  “Sounds good to me, young man. “

  “Come on then, I’m buying. “

  They walked to the corner and then two blocks to SugarLand Ice Creamery, stopping a table just inside the door where they could watch the passersby. Ben took a seat with his back to the wall and a good view of the street. Ben was cautious by nature, but every police officer Jesse knew practiced this custom so they could not be surprised behind by an attacker. Jesse took a spot across from him.

  “So tell me about these mysterious people and your research.“ the sheriff asked.

  “You know I was left a house in this region a couple years ago. As it turns out, it wasn’t a house but rather just a chimney and basement. The house burned down years ago. When I came to see the house, I fell in love with the town and bought my home over on the lake near Point 19.

  When I was looking through the basement of the house, I found several boxes full of pictures and books. One of books was a diary from a girl, Carol Ann. The journal her day to day life.

  Aside from that, this group was driven out of the Tennessee valley, long before it was Norris, when TVA flooded the valley to building of Norris dam. It seems the entire group died. They refused to move and their homes were flooded. The high priest of the sect put a curse put on the people who settled Norris as he died. The curse says there will be a plague on the perpetrators of the crimes against this sect with the loss of their family line which I interpret to mean children.

  “There aren’t too many original settlers of Norris left, but there are some lines that have continued. For instance, the Tarlington’s were an original family line. If you look back through all of the historical documents which include TVA documents, Norris newspapers, books, and so forth, you can see a pattern of disappearances which was alarmingly high at first but now has dwindled. Maybe someone is trying to make the curse come true or maybe you have a true supernatural phenomenon on your hands.“

  “So why are you so interested in all of these disappearances?” Ben asked.

  Jesse leaned back in her chair, pensive. “You know I had family at one time here in this area, but am not sure what happened to them. Maybe by searching through the missing, I will be able to locate someone close to me.”

  “Okay that makes sense, but how does this tie in to the disappearances we’ve seen lately?“

  “I don’t know that yet. If you go back further you’ll find Beth Kane was a member of an old family line and she mysteriously went missing as well.“

  “Curses, mystical religious sects seems like a far stretch from reality in my book. My job dictates that we use forensics and fact, not psychics and tarot cards. Those supernatural investigations only work on TV where media moguls try to boost ratings,” Ben argued.

  “Well no harm in probing around. It may not be fact but it is great fodder for my new novel and it gives me a chance to look into my own past,“ Jesse smiled.

  “Jesse, you heard about the incident with Caitlyn, I assume?“

  “Yes, I did. Did you find out who tried to force her off the road?”

  “Still investigating. Tell me about her husband. He’s a natural choice in my book. No pun intended.”

  Ben put his menu aside and nodded to the waitress who came over and took their order; a banana split for Ben and a hot fudge sundae with marshmallow and nuts for Jesse. The waitress scribbled on her pad and then left.

  Jesse, put her napkin in her lap with the anticipation of her upcoming treat. “I’ve not met Caitlyn’s husband and she doesn’t talk about their break up. She gets quiet whenever I have probed for more information.

  I do know that they had a falling out and that she finally took matters into her own hands and left him so they could both have time to think of what they want out of life. I know she was very wealthy but wasn’t happy and hadn’t been for a long time. Based on what I have heard from other townspeople and what little I have learned from her, he may be an arrogant prick, excuse my French, but wouldn’t try to kill her. She’s very much in love with him but not sure what to do to get his attention. He’s all about work.”

  “Well, we’ll see. There are too many coincidences here. It could be that Dominic is behind the fire at the condo project and when that didn’t scare his wife into coming home, he pushed it a little farther to have someone try to run her off the road. In the end, maybe if she were too afraid to stay in Norris, she might decide to go home,” Ben
said thoughtfully.

  “Perhaps. I’ll have to leave those investigations up to you. I am concerned about Caitlyn though so if I can be of any help, just let me know. But right now, help me unravel the story behind the disappearance of the girl, Beth Kane. It seems to be the most recent mystery that I have happened upon in my research.”

  They stopped their conversation as the waitress set a sundae in front of each of them.

  “Do you need anything else?” the server asked.

  “No that will be all. You can leave me the check,” Ben smiled up at the young girl. “And tell your dad that I will take him up on that fishing trip soon”.

  “Yes, sheriff, I will.” The teenager grinned, cheeks flushing pink.

  Ben continued taking a mouthful of strawberry topped ice cream. “I have to tell you that Caitlyn’s brother was an integral part of the mystery, as was a young man named Stephen. And at the time she went missing Caitlyn’s brother, Michael, was dating Beth.

  One evening, the group was out on a houseboat near the caves at Point 19 and there developed an argument between Michael and Beth. She simply dove into the lake. Supposedly, Beth went ashore and then disappeared off the face of the earth. There was a huge search for her but nothing was ever found. It was only a short swim to shore. All three boys searched and came up empty. All the kids were excellent swimmers too.

  I guess the blame for the incident turned to Beth’s boyfriend, Michael Tarlington. With the support of Robert Tarlington a very powerful, politically connected individual, which you know is Caitlyn’s father, Beth’s disappearance was pinned on Stephen, Beth’s brother. Then Beth’s second younger brother, Jeremy, ran away.

  You should ask Caitlyn for the details and by the way Stephen wasn’t really Beth’s brother; he was adopted by the Kane family when he was very young. From what I hear, Stephen was odd in looks and mannerisms, so was the target of a good deal of criticism and innuendo. Stephen was tried and convicted by the public, he never stood a chance.

  To get away from the public scorn and insinuations about his son’s involvement in the disappearance, Sheriff Kane moved his family from Norris to Johnson City. I hear it was a tragedy all around. Stephen was hospitalized, in an asylum of some sort. He was pretty broken up about his sister. The sheriff’s youngest son ran off and his wife died of a broken heart. I’ve never asked Caitlyn about her recollection of the incident. She was there, as were a couple of others who are now upstanding townsfolk.”

  “Give me their names and I will do some more digging. Maybe the disappearances are related, maybe not. Maybe I’ll turn up a connection and tie that into the book as well.”

  “Leave me your email address and I will send you their names and contact information,” Ben agreed.

  Chapter 21

  "The Romulans have to be stopped, Number One. Mr. Data, engage." Picard’s voice echoed against the wood hewn walls. The television provided a comforting background sound to keep her company in the huge empty house.

  "Brrrrrinnnnng. Brrrrrinnnnng," the phone hummed insistently waking her from a shallow sleep. She rubbed her eyes as she reached for the phone on the end table next to her. Pulling the comforter around her shoulders, she snuggled deeper into the Lazy boy.

  "Hello?" she said stifling a yawn. "Mom, hi how are you doing," she paused grateful to hear a caring voice. "Yes, everything is fine. I am okay." She paused and listened to her mother update her on her sister’s latest activities. Her sister, Lynn Marie, and her husband, John, owned a thriving furniture business in a little town in West Tennessee. They were doing well and Caitlyn liked to hear about their latest exploits as new parents. They had a precocious two year old named Shelby, but could have just as easily been named "Speedy". Looking away for a split second was enough time for that toddler to be into all kinds of trouble.

  Once Caitlyn had babysitting duty and had left Shelby to get a diet coke out of the refrigerator, only to find Shelby, who supposedly couldn’t walk yet, standing on two legs opening the door of her china cabinet. Caitlyn had babysat for her sister and brother-in-law on two occasions after that and breathed a sigh of relief when her sister appeared to collect Shelby. She adored the child but was worn out and held a whole new respect for anyone that had the energy to be a parent.

  “Dom is looking for you, honey,” her mother explained.

  "He is? Well don’t give him my number mom. You know how he can be." she warned her mother.

  "Yes, I’ll keep my eyes open for her. Tell her to call me if she gets lost looking for the house. And mom, I love you too,” she said as she hung up the phone. "Well, Pattydog, Lynn Marie’s coming to visit us on her way to the furniture market in North Carolina. Isn’t that good news?" she said talking to the dog as if she could understand every word. Pattycake watched her hang up the phone cocking her head from one side to the other, brown eyes intense, as Caitlyn rambled on "She also said that Dominic was looking for us and is pretty angry that we left. That’s a surprise isn’t it." she continued as tears welled up threatening to erupt in a river of unchecked emotion. "He’s so horrible. I hate him!" her hand on the phone she was tempted to call Dominic’s number just to hear his voice. "No I won’t call him....I won’t. Don’t do it Caitlyn. You’ll regret it." she admonished herself. Anyway, she knew that Dominic had caller id and would know it was her if she called his number.

  She wouldn’t be sucked into that old trick again. Caitlyn knew that Dominic was smarter than anyone thought. When it suited his needs, he could be the good ole boy

  "Come on let’s go outside for a walk," she whispered intent to get away from the phone and temptation to call the man she thought had loved her. Pulling on a faded jean jacket, she and Patty walked out the door, down the steps and down towards the lake. As she walked towards the water she realized that there was no sound, no sound at all. No crickets. No birds. No frogs. Just silence as the world slept. A bright glow from a nearby cabin spread a faint light over the water. The waxing moon shone brightly through the clouds painting a white stripe on the black ripples pushed along by the wind. A cool breeze touched her cheeks stilling the tears and reminding her that her world was just beginning.

  "Hey little lady," a masculine voice called from the porch of the cabin. "Chilly out here isn’t it?"

  She started in surprise. "Yes, it is." backing away from the cabin towards the safety of the lake house.

  "Don’t be scared. I am only an old man and no threat to anyone anymore," the voice said. Holding one hand over her brow, she peered through the darkness towards the cabin blinded briefly by the motion sensor lights.

  "My name is George, but my friends call me Jo-Jo. I saw you staying in Bob Hill’s lake house, your godfather. He called me and told me to keep an eye on you. Bob and I spent many a weekend up here on this lake just passing the time. Hell, I taught Bob how to fish. That city slicker didn’t know a thing before he met me. Tried fishing with some four-pound yellow floating frog first time I saw him. It was funny as could be. You should have seen it," he chuckled. "Come on. Get up here and let me look at you." She paused a moment and then walked toward the cabin. Behind the light she saw the figure of a stooped old man. He had a white beard and piercing blue eyes filled with the wisdom only age can bring. "Want some coffee?" the old man asked.

  "Please, it is kind of chilly."

  He appeared in a moment carrying a steaming cup.

  "Thank you,” she said as she sat next to him on a matching white plastic lawn chair.

  "And who is this?" he asked as the little dog put her forelegs on the old man’s knees.

  "That is Pattycake. She is my best friend."

  "I can understand that. I used to have an old cat. That danged mangy old animal used to come and meow at me all the time nagging me to keep her bowl filled. Boy, am I glad she’s gone. Died one Christmas morning she did." He paused shaking his head. "Hated that old cat I did. Sure do miss her though."

  Patty jumped into his lap, turned around twice and lay down.

 
"My name is Caitlyn and I am glad to know one of my neighbors,” she said.

  "I hear that you left your husband at least that is what Bob says," the old man continued.

  "That’s true,” she agreed quietly twisting Patty’s leash in her hands.

  "Nothing to be ashamed of child. I knowed your momma too at one time. She brung you up good, I am sure of it. I am also sure that the Lord didn’t mean you to live with a man who treats you less than what any human being deserves."

  "Thank you, George."

  "You come by again. Don’t you be bothering me too early. I sleep late you know, now that I ain’t working any more. But you come by all the same and make sure I know that you are doing okay,” he said running his rough hands across the little dogs head. He set Pattycake on the ground.

  "You keep out of trouble and Caitlyn," he said as he watched her walk away, "stay away from the caves around the lake they can be really dangerous these days, with all the blasting going on".

  “Goodnight," she called over her shoulder as she made her way back towards to the lake house.

  Tap. Tap. Tap. Large, heavy rain drops pummeled the glass panes of the French doors as if knocking to come in. A blaze of light crossed the sky creating a blue arch from the sky to the ground. Seven seconds later a loud crack of thunder exploded and rumbled across the valley and echoed off the hills.

  "Rrrrr. Arfff. Rrrrrr. Arf." Patty growled backing away from the edge of the bed and up onto Caitlyn’s pillow. She scurried between Caitlyn’s head and the heavy wooden headboard shivering in fear. There was another flash of lightning. One. two. three..four..five...six and again the thunder reverberated against the low hanging blanket of clouds. Caitlyn rolled her head over towards Patty and blearily opened her eyes trying to focus in the darkness.