The Road to Sampson's Quarry (A Sampson's Quarry Mystery - Book One)

by Sophie Tucker

  Lucas seemed to take that in. "What happened at your job that made you quit?"

  "Well, honestly, it was a long time coming. But oddly enough, what made me quit was this trip."

  "This trip? What do you mean?"

  We got a new manager and she canceled my vacation." Haley shrugged. "I had already asked for it off and got it approved. She said everything had to be submitted again but she had already scheduled me to work this week. I don't know. It just pissed me off and I quit."

  "You didn't even give two weeks’ notice?" Lucas covered his mouth in mock shock.

  "No." She rolled her eyes at him and said, "I literally said, ‘fine, if that’s how you want to be. I quit.’ I took off my smock and dropped it on her chair. I retrieved my purse and left. I haven’t been back."

  "Good job, Gardner," Lucas said enthusiastically.

  "It was not one of my finest moments," Haley said, cringing a little bit at the memory. "I should have been slightly more professional, but I guess I just had enough of all the last minute schedule changes and working late. I worked my butt off and nobody really appreciated it."

  "Well, I for one am glad that you quit. You deserve to be someplace where they appreciate you."

  “Thanks. Hopefully, I will be able to find something when I get back. It’s not like I can ask my former manager for a reference.” Haley was trying to be funny but what she said wasn’t all that far from the truth.

  “That manager sounds like a real…uhmmm… piece of work,” Lucas told her. “Where were you working?"

  Haley pointed at the sign on the side of the road. "Oh, there's our exit."

  Thankful for the opportunity to change the subject since she was still hesitant to tell him where she had been working, she exited off the freeway and followed the signs to a small general store that sat on the corner of a small intersection. Pulling into the parking lot, she drove towards the gas station pumps when she noticed a bright yellow sign that read:

  STORE OPEN – GAS STATION CLOSED THRU NEXT WEEK

  Haley let out a sigh. "Wonderful. I don’t even know why I’m surprised."

  It was stupid of her to be so upset, but Haley felt like she was about to burst into tears. Talking about their shared worry about Bri, along with her anxiety about losing her job, seeing that the gas station was closed was just one more thing to upset her. It really felt like absolutely nothing was going her way and Haley was entirely done with it all.

  Lucas put a hand on her arm. "It's going to be okay. Like you said, there’s nearly half a tank of gas left. We have plenty of time to find another gas station. I'm sure there's got to be one between here and Sampson's Quarry."

  "I certainly hope we find it much sooner than Sampson’s Quarry or we better be prepared for some walking. I’m fairly sure that we wouldn’t make it that far."

  "How about this? Let’s go inside. We can each use the restroom, walk around, buy some snacks and drinks. When we get back in the car, I will use the GPS to look for another gas station. All right?" He squeezed her arm lightly as he waited for her response.

  "Yes. That is a good idea," Haley conceded. A few minutes out of the car was probably a good idea. Haley got out of the car, grabbed her bag, and locked the door. She paused for a moment by the car, taking a moment to breathe in the cool air. She had been so intent on her worries that she had nearly missed that the temperature had dropped nearly twenty degrees since they had left Fairview.

  "I am so glad that I found this place.” Lucas opened the door for her. “I'm starving."

  Haley rolled her eyes. "How can you possibly be starving? You ate enough three hours ago to feed a small family."

  "What can I say? I just have a ridiculous metabolism."

  Haley grumbled to herself. "Well, ridiculous is right, but I don't know if it's your metabolism we are talking about."

  Once they were in the store, Haley scanned the inside of the small building until she saw the sign indicating the location of the restrooms. She had wanted to wash her face and hands ever since they had gotten back in the car after Lucas had checked the damage. It was a relief to find the ladies’ room empty when she pushed through the door. She went to the sink and washed her hands and then splashed water on her face. Her hands were shaking, and when she looked at her reflection, she could see the stress etched on her face. She took a deep breath and slowly blew it out, reminding herself that she was calm, confident, and independent. She refused to let fear and anxiety control her.

  Not wanting Lucas to have to wait, she stepped into a stall. A moment later she heard the outer door open. When she opened the stall door, there was a blonde woman waiting against the far wall. Haley nodded politely and went to the sink to wash her hands. When Haley looked up at the mirror, she realized the woman was still standing against the wall instead of going into one of the stalls. The woman glanced at the door and then back at Haley, apparently unaware that her strange behavior was clearly visible in the mirror. The woman stood there for another moment and then hurried into one of the stalls. Haley grabbed some paper towels and left the restroom, drying her hands after leaving.

  The woman seemed upset and maybe a little scared. Haley looked back at the restroom wondering if perhaps the woman was in need of help. Perhaps she had been waiting to ask Haley a question but changed her mind at the last minute. The woman had looked at the door several times before entering the stall, as though she was expecting someone to come in. Haley took her time picking out snacks and something to drink. The blonde woman wandered through the store, paying no further attention to Haley, but it was quite obvious that she had not chosen anything to buy either.

  Finally, Haley took her purchases to the counter. She had barely gotten into line when the blonde woman suddenly got in line behind her holding a single toothbrush and a bottle of water.

  It was Haley’s turn at the counter.

  “Good afternoon,” the young woman behind the counter greeted her.

  “Hello,” Haley said smiling at her, noting her nametag said, Julie. “How are you today?”

  “Oh good, as usual,” Julie replied.

  “I don’t doubt that. It’s a beautiful day out.”

  “It is, although a storm is moving in. I expect we will have quite the downpour here in not too long.” She finished ringing up Haley’s items. “That’ll be $8.49.”

  “Okay,” Haley replied, annoyed at herself for chatting instead of finding her wallet. Haley set her phone down on the counter while she dug through her bag. When Lucas had shown up that morning, she had just thrown everything in her bag promising herself that she would sort it all out later.

  She was still digging around when the blonde woman reached past her to pick up a magazine that was displayed on a countertop display. Haley stepped slightly to the side to give the woman some room when there was a large crash as the magazine rack and the chip display in front of the counter went crashing to the ground.

  “Oh no!” the woman cried out.

  Haley had just found her wallet and reached out to pick up her phone only to find it gone. The blonde woman was bent over gathering chip bags. Haley spied her phone next the woman’s foot.

  “Oh! My phone,” Haley said pointing.

  “What?” The woman stood up and, taking a step as she turned to Haley, the was a loud cracking sound as she stepped on Haley’s phone.

  “Oh, heavens,” she exclaimed and picked up the phone. “I am so sorry!”

  The screen was shattered and Haley stared in complete shock at her broken phone.

  6

  Haley gathered her items and walked out the door to the parking lot. Lucas had been leaning against the passenger door but stood up straight when he saw Haley’s face.

  “Hey, everything okay?”

  Haley held up her phone. “It got knocked off the counter; it’s completely broken.”

  "Oh man, Haley, I am sorry." Lucas gave her a quick hug. “This just has not been your day.”

  Haley sniffled and shook her
head, trying to stave off the tears. “No, it really hasn’t.”

  Lucas held her at arm’s length, reaching up to wipe the one tear that got away. "We have the GPS and as soon as we get to Sampson’s Quarry we’ll get you a new phone, I promise."

  Haley looked up at him and wanted to step into his arms and let him comfort her. As much as she wanted him to do so, she knew it would be the quickest way of breaking her heart again. "It’s a nice thought, but I can’t really afford a new phone right now," she grumbled at him, stepping away from him to get into the car.

  "Can you really afford to be without a phone?"

  "No." Haley knew she was being obstinate but she wasn't lying either.

  "I tell you what. When we get to Sampson’s Quarry, I will buy you a new phone myself."

  "You don't have to do that." Haley felt bad that she was being so difficult.

  "No, I have messed up your relaxing trip.” Lucas put on his seat belt and pointed a thumb at the store. “And you never would have stopped here if it hadn't been for me anyway."

  "That’s true. So much for you and your amazing metabolism."

  "Exactly."

  "Fine." Haley glanced over at him. “How long until we reach Sampson’s Quarry?”

  “I am guessing about four hours.” Lucas leaned forward, peering up at the sky through the windshield. "Boy those clouds are sure building up. It looks like we're going to see some rain in the next few miles."

  "Yes, the cashier at the store mentioned that a storm was moving in this afternoon. I had hoped her prediction that it will be a good downpour would be inaccurate. " Haley had enough to worry about. She didn’t need stressing about a storm while she drove the mountain roads.

  "I'm sure it won't be too bad. They didn’t even mention it on the radio,” Lucas reminded her.

  Haley hoped that he was right, not pointing out that they had only listened to the radio for about a minute or so. Storm or no storm, she was not sure if she could take much more. Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself that everything would seem less overwhelming if she looked at each problem on its own instead of lumping them all together.

  It was stressful knowing that she didn't have a job to go back to, but once her vacation was over, she would concentrate on finding a new job. Soon she would get to see Bri and get to the bottom of what's been bothering her. While the incident with the crazy driver was upsetting, the car was not damaged and she would be fine. Once they reached Sampson’s Quarry, she would be rid of Lucas. It was much easier once she could see that each problem could be broken down into more manageable steps. This was why she made lists; preparation and organization were the keys to life running smoothly. She could do anything as long as she could formulate a plan.

  Her only remaining worry was that neither one of them had a working phone. Over the last few years, Haley had developed a bit of an anxiety complex about not having her phone charged or forgetting it at home. It was her mother’s fault. A day, or phone call, did not go by without her mother asking if her phone was charged or if her charger cord needed to be replaced. Her mother was so concerned about her phone cord that she had sent one nearly every month or so, to the point that Haley had a drawer full of extra charge cords. She knew her mother worried about her, especially since Haley’s father had passed away. It had been a little worse as her mother had decided to move to Florida a year ago. She had made several trips, finalizing different aspects of the move, and she was always worried about Haley and whether her phone was working properly. In her mother’s mind, not having a working phone was almost equal to being stranded somewhere with no hope of rescue.

  She looked over at Lucas, suddenly irritated. "Thought you said you were going to look for a gas station on the GPS."

  “That’s still the plan. I just wanted to make sure we were heading in the right direction before I commandeered the GPS."

  "So what? Do you think I don't know where I'm going?"

  Lucas turned to her, a questioning look on his face. "Hey, hey. What's going on? I'm not trying to hassle you. I seriously wanted to make sure we didn’t get turned around when we left the store. It's happened to me a number of times. I get talking and distracted when I’m getting off the highway, usually focusing on getting to the restroom. Then when I am getting back on the highway, I end up going the wrong way. I just wanted to make sure we were going in the right direction.”

  Haley groaned, hating that she had taken out her frustrations on Lucas. "Yeah, sorry. I guess I'm just a little frazzled by everything that's happened."

  "Yeah, it's definitely been weird,” Lucas took the GPS and started hitting buttons. “It looks like there is a gas station about an hour away, not far from the highway either.”

  “Great. I think that should work.” Haley smiled at him. “Thanks for looking.”

  “Hey, I invited myself along,” he reminded her with a grin. “I have to earn my keep.”

  "What exactly happened in the store anyway?"

  "It was so strange, I am not even sure where to start. Everything was fine until I went into the restroom."

  "What happened in the restroom?" He ducked his head. “Do I even want to know?”

  "When I came out of the stall, there was a blonde woman waiting, which wasn't the weird part. But when I was washing my hands, I realized that she was still just standing there. I could see her in the mirror and her eyes were darting between the door and me."

  "Well, that's not creepy at all."

  "I know, right? I finished washing my hands and left without even drying them first. By that point, she had gone into the stall, but I was not going to wait around for her." Haley paused, wondering if she should even mention her concern about the woman herself. "It occurred to me later that maybe she was trying to ask for help, like maybe she was in a troubled relationship or some other situation. I don't know; maybe I'm just trying to put a positive spin on her weird behavior."

  "No, I can totally see what you're saying. You would hate to dismiss somebody as being creepy or threatening when it's entirely possible that they are in need of help."

  Haley was glad that she had talked to him. It helped a lot knowing he understood what she had been thinking. "I saw her in the store later, but she was alone the whole time. Although she was walking around looking, she didn't seem to be shopping for anything. I still felt kind of creeped out so I hurried up and got what I needed. Then when I went to the front counter to buy everything, it seemed like the blonde woman rushed to be in line behind me."

  "Which kind of marched her back into the 'you are totally creeping me out' category."

  "Absolutely. The cashier gave me my total and I put my phone on the counter to get my wallet out of my bag. The woman leans past me to get a magazine on the counter. The magazine gets caught in the display, which she drags across the counter until it falls to the ground, taking the chip display with it. Everything crashes to the floor. There are magazines and chip bags all over the floor in front of the counter. I reach for my phone but it's not on the counter anymore."

  "Geez. She knocked your phone to the floor and broke it?”

  "No idea. I don't know if it broke when it hit the floor or when she stepped on it."

  "Wait," Lucas held up his hands. "You are saying that she literally stepped on your phone? How did that happen?"

  "Yes, she did. I had stepped back from the counter when everything came crashing down. I mean, the woman was already creeping me out. When I couldn’t find my phone, I looked on the floor with everything else that had fallen and saw it on the floor. I point to it and said something like 'oh no! my phone!' and she looks at me in surprise and then steps right on it."

  "Do you think it was an accident?"

  "You think it wasn't an accident?" Haley asked, surprised by the question.

  Lucas tilted his head. "I don't know it just seems like a crazy coincidence that she knocked it off and ended up stepping on it."

  "I know, it really is," Haley admitted. "I just don't understand w
hy though. I mean, what purpose would that serve?"

  "Maybe she was trying to steal it?"

  "That's possible." Haley didn't think that was the case. "But why destroy it when she got caught."

  "I don't know. Maybe she broke it out of spite. She couldn't have it then you couldn't have it either." Lucas added. "I suppose we will never really know what was going on."

  Haley had to agree with Lucas. "I can't tell you how done I am with all of these weird occurrences. It's bad enough not having a working phone between us. It really makes me uneasy."

  "I'm really sorry about that," Lucas told her. "I did try to find a cord for my charger in the general store. They had ones for your phone but not mine. I even asked the cashier about it."

  "It's not your fault. Who would think that my phone would end up getting broken?" Haley shook her head. “So, far luck hasn’t seemed to be on our side.”

  "My dad used to always say 'if it weren't for bad luck we'd have no luck at all'."

  Haley knew that Lucas was trying to lighten the mood, and with everything that had happened so far, she was more than ready to agree with Mr. Caldwell's opinion.

  "As much as I hate to admit it, I…" Haley stopped talking a second before there was a deafening crunching sound. Screaming when her car lurched to the right as another car slammed into the driver’s side back fender, she fought to keep the car on the road.

  "What the heck is going on?" Lucas shouted, turning around in his seat to look behind them. Haley looked in her mirror, seeing a black car that hung back in the other lane. She looked back at the road in front of them, and as she checked her mirror again, she noticed the car jump forward.

  "Lucas!"

  "Watch out! I think he's going to take another go at us."

  "What do I do?" Haley asked, already accelerating.