Cry Baby Hollow

by Love, Aimee

  Aubrey reached into her glove box and pulled out the little leather portfolio the dealership had given her when she bought the car. She flipped through and showed him her bill of sale, warranty information, and a dozen other pieces of paper with her name and the cars vin number on them.”

  “Yes ma’am, that’s very compelling, but I’m still gonna need to impound the car until I can get a verification from the proper authorities.”

  Aubrey ground her teeth, but she knew that if she argued he’d just come up with something else to ticket her on. She climbed out of the car and went around to let Drake out. He hopped down wagged his tail happily, sniffing around the gravel lot.

  “You know you’re still in the city limits here. We have a leash law.”

  Aubrey closed her eyes and counted to ten. She walked around to the hatch and popped it, reaching in for the leash.

  “I’m afraid I can’t let you remove anything from the vehicle until we determine its ownership.”

  Aubrey sighed. If she fought him on it would he tell her that Drake would have to stay with the car too? How long would the dog last in the August heat? Her purse… Her cell phone… How much of it would still be there when she got the car back? How much harassment was she going to endure before she put a stop to it?

  “I want a complete inventory of the cars contents made by an independent source before you take possession,” she told him finally. “I’ll call my lawyer and I’m sure he’ll be able to meet us here very quickly. His office is right down town.”

  The sheriff narrowed his eyes.

  Drake seemed to sense the tension. He came over and sat at Aubrey’s side, letting out a low, dangerous, rumbling growl.

  “Has he had his rabies shot?” The sheriff asked. “I don’t see a tag on him.”

  “He has a sub-dermal tracking tag that has his immunization information and an id code identifying him as mine. I know Charlie has a reader if you need to confirm it. His tags and collar are in the trunk with his leash.”

  “Don’t do much good if they aren’t on the dog.”

  “He had a bath this morning before we left Knoxville. I was just letting him dry off before putting it back on.”

  “You got a smart answer for everything, don’t ya?”

  Aubrey ignored him and reached in the open passenger side window to grab her cell phone and call her lawyer. He specialized in family law, but she and Vina had paid him enough in the course of the guardian business that she knew he’d rush over as soon as she called.

  “You’ll have to find another phone, ma’am,” the sheriff told her smugly. “I wouldn’t be a very good lawman if I let you run up someone else’s cell phone bill, now would I?”

  Aubrey wondered if Broad’s was open this early. There weren’t any cars in the lot besides hers and the sheriff’s. She was on the verge of walking up and knocking when a gold Buick came skidding into the lot and slammed on its breaks, sending up a shower of gravel.

  Vina hopped out and waved at Aubrey. Drake trotted over to her warily, hackles raised.

  “She’s a friend, Drake.”

  Vina looked down at the big dog, completely unperturbed in spite of the fact that he outweighed her by forty pounds. She held out her hand for a sniff and then ruffled his ears.

  “Mo is on his way,” Vina told Aubrey without sparing the sheriff so much as a glance. Mo Campbell was their lawyer and a distant relation of Lettie’s. Aubrey said a silent thank you to the local rumor mill that had undoubtedly informed Vina of where she was and that she was in trouble. One of the dozen cars that had driven by since she’d been standing here with the sheriff must have been one of Vina’s informants.

  “Is she under arrest?” Vina asked, finally looking at the sheriff.

  “Not at the moment,” he informed her.

  Vina got back in her Buick and cranked the engine. She reached over and opened the passenger door.

  “Might as well wait in the cool,” she called to Aubrey. “Put the dog in the back.”

  Aubrey let Drake into the car and got in herself, careful not to slam the door. Ice cold air blasted them from the vents and she sank down into the plush seat comfortably. She watched the clock tick off the minutes.

  “I wonder what’s keeping him?” She wondered aloud after fifteen minutes had passed. His office was only a few minutes away, even if he went twenty-five over the bridge.

  “I told him to take his time,” Vina told her with a smile. “His nephew is dating one of the secretaries at the sheriff’s office. He’ll find out what’s going on, get it cleared up, and come along then.”

  Aubrey looked out at the sheriff, sweating in the heat, and smiled.

  “Perfect.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Aubrey got home around two, grateful that she had been able to salvage at least a partial victory from the incident. She had citations for speeding and failing to update her license and registration in a timely manner, but she also had her car. She got Drake settled and went straight to her computer. Her inbox was fu

  ll, but she ignored it, accessing the network and pulling up the security system. She looked at the little icons of manila file folders in disbelief. Everything from the day they found Noah’s body back was missing. She checked and double checked. She pulled up the external hard drive that held the files and checked it. It wasn’t even close to being full. She checked the security system logs and confirmed that it had only been breached once, the afternoon they found the body. That had been Joe, looking for a beer.

  She called Matt and explained the situation. She meant to be as brief as possible but ended up having to tell him about the mailbox incident and how badly Celestine Wynn had wanted the pictures she’d threatened them with. That led to an explanation of who Celestine was and a great deal of speculation about why she wanted the footage. When she got to the part where the security system had only been triggered once and it was Joe, Matt’s voice went cold and professional. She assured him that it couldn’t have been Joe who erased the photos and hoped he would leave it at that, but of course he didn’t.

  She pointed out that Joe had been with her when she saw the person on the dock and Matt countered that an alibi for that night was worthless, since they had no real idea when Noah had been killed. She told him that Joe lacked the technical expertise to go in and erase files and Matt pointed out that he was a college professor and probably had at least a cursory knowledge of computers. Was hers password protected?

  Well, it sure as hell is now, she thought with a grimace.

  Joe had called over to Vina’s as soon as the alarm went off and she’d given him the code over the phone and gone right over. How long had he been in the cabin alone? Surely not long enough to figure out the system and erase the files. Matt said he would send over a technician to see if the perpetrator had left any trace behind and hung up. Probably to go run a background check on Joe, Aubrey thought with a sigh.

  She caught up on work and then went and got changed for a run. She’d promised not to run in the woods anymore, but did that promise hold if he’d rifled her computer files? She decided it probably did, at least until she had some proof. She clipped Drake to his leash and set out around the lake road.

  Drake was as good as Joe had said. He ran right beside her, never tired, never straying from her side to chase a squirrel. Mosley looked up from his garage when she ran past but the sight of a hundred and thirty pound dog at her side must have dissuaded him, because he didn’t even stir from his couch. She ran past Vina’s and then made a point of stopping to chat with every single resident on the road who came out to greet her. She introduced them all as friends and made sure Drake understood. The last thing she needed was Rose stopping by for a cup of sugar and getting mauled.

  When they arrived back, she took her phone out onto the dock and sat on the end, pulling o
ff her shoes and letting her feet dangle in the deliciously cool water. Drake glanced from her to the water and back, a look of abject longing written plainly on his face.

  “Sure,” she told him.

  He looked at her harder, as if not believing it could be that easy.

  “Go on,” she told him, reaching her hand in and splashing him playfully. “It’s hot and you’re wearing a fur coat.”

  He needed no further encouragement. He dove off the dock, sending a deluge of icy water cascading over Aubrey. She sputtered, but took it in stride. She was hot enough herself and it would help to have a cool head for the call she was about to make.

  She dialed Joe’s number, still unsure of what she was going to say to him.

  “Hey!” He answered cheerfully. “How’s our boy?”

  “He’s doing laps around the lake,” Aubrey told him.

  “Awesome. I bet if we get some tennis balls, we can play a mean game of fetch with him between our docks. You doin’ anything this weekend?”

  “I don’t have anything planned.”

  “You okay? You sound a bit out a sorts,” he said, his voice suddenly serious and concerned.

  “I went to look at the security pictures today…”

  “Shit fire! I forgot all about those. You get anything?”

  Aubrey hesitated. He sounded sincere enough, but she decided she had to know.

  “They’re missing. They were all erased.”

  “I thought you said that thing could hold a month’s worth. It hasn’t been anything like that long…”

  “No, I mean someone erased them.”

  “Aw, hell. Somebody hacked into your network?”

  “I have to physically connect the security system to the network to access it, its wireless to the cameras but not my laptop. I think they had to have access to the house to do it.”

  “Has your system gone off?”

  “Only the once.”

  He made a groaning noise. “My ears are still ringin’ from that. You could a warned me. Wait...” He paused. “You don’t mean you think that I…?”

  “You’re the only other person who knows the code, Joe.”

  “I wouldn’t know where to start, and why would I even if I did?”

  “I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking you about it.”

  Drake came up on the shore beside the dock and gave a mighty shake, sending water everywhere. He ran back up onto the dock and dove in again.

  “I can get someone from my department to call you and swear I can’t even check my email without one of the grad student’s help. I think you should have a professional look at your system,” Joe told her. “Surely there’s a way they can tell it wasn’t me.”

  “There’s someone coming tomorrow.”

  “Well, there you go then,” he said, sounding relieved. They chatted for a while about trivialities and then Aubrey said she needed to get Drake dry and hung up, feeling like she had betrayed him by asking about it and yet still suspicious.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  The day was creeping toward evening and Aubrey realized she hadn’t eaten since breakfast at Joe’s and was starving. There was nothing in her fridge and she knew that if she drove to the Food Lion or Sonic she was likely to get another slew of tickets. She decided mooching a sandwich off Vina would be less stressful. She called Drake in and took a shower.

  Gathering up her stun gun, maglight, and cell phone, she put on Drake’s leash and

  headed out. It was a beautiful evening. Even though the sky was still light, a crescent moon hung low above the hills and the stars had already begun to come out. Wayne ignored her as she passed his place and she could hear an announcer for some sporting event booming out a blustery commentary. She listened while she was in range and decided it must be wrestling or one of those cage fighting things that men seemed to enjoy so much.

  She arrived at Vina’s, rang the doorbell, and pulled Drake to the side so he wouldn’t get smacked. Vina opened the door and looked down at the dog.

  “He looks wet,” she told Aubrey.

  “He had a swim but he’s mostly dry now.”

  “Mostly isn’t the same as dry on account of it means still a little wet. Take him around back and I’ll bring you a drink.” She slammed the door.

  Aubrey walked around the house and climbed up onto the back porch.

  “Wait here,” she told Drake, dropping his leash. She went in the back door and joined Vina in the kitchen.

  “Can I make myself a sandwich?” Aubrey asked. “I don’t have any food at my place and I was afraid to drive to town.”

  “Help yourself,” Vina told her, pouring out two drinks. “I’ll pick you up around ten and take you to the DMV in Morristown. Mo says you don’t have to pay the fine on the license and registration if you get it fixed within thirty days.”

  “Thanks,” Aubrey smiled as she slapped together a tuna on toast. Vina might not be the most affectionate person on the planet, but she certainly took care of her own.

  “How’s Joe?” Vina asked cagily.

  “He’s great,” Aubrey told her, hoping it was true. “Did you know he teaches at the university?”

  “Of course I know. You think I’d fix you up with a guy who cuts grass for a living just because he’s got a nice butt?” she scoffed. “I haven’t cut my own grass in forty years and every one of the men who’s done it for me has been hot, hot, hot. I ever encourage you to sleep with any a them?”

  “No,” Aubrey admitted.

  “Well, there you go,” Vina told her, taking the drinks out onto the porch. Aubrey followed with her sandwich and a bowl of water for Drake. As soon as she’d eaten, Vina pulled a deck of cards from some hidden pocket of her pink flowered housedress and dealt.

  “Gin?” Vina asked belatedly.

  “Sure,” Aubrey agreed.

  “I’d call Germaine to come over but she’s taken Paloma to night school to learn English on account of those migrant workers we went to see in Bybee don’t even speak Mexican. Who’d a figured on that? Apparently they’re from Texas and have been here forever. I told ‘em my people came here before the first European’s and we still speak the old language. You gotta remember your heritage.”

  “You speak Melungeon?” Aubrey asked in disbelief, arranging her cards into groups.

  “Mulungeon ain’t the old language. Mulungeons just pidgin.” Vina told her. “Bainugela non da? That’s the old language.”

  “What did you say?” Aubrey asked, certain that she’d just made the phrase up on the spot.

  “I asked where the bathroom was,” Vina told her. “At my age that’s the most important question in any language. Now we gonna chat or we gonna play cards?”

  She beat Aubrey for five straight hands and then let Aubrey win one, making sure she knew it. That was Vina’s way of making someone feel better.

  “You want a ride home?” Vina asked, looking out at the darkness.

  “I’ve got Drake and my stun-gun,” Aubrey told her. “I’ll be fine.”

  “Suit yourself,” Vina told her. “But if you get your head ripped off, don’t come crying to me.”

  “I won’t,” Aubrey promised.

  She picked up Drake’s leash and pulled out her flashlight.

  “Ten o’clock,” Vina reminded her. “I’ll pick you up.”

  Aubrey waved and set out. The evening was clear and peaceful and the sound of the frogs and crickets was soothing. Drake pranced beside her and tugged on his leash. At first Aubrey thought he wanted her to go faster, but he hadn’t behaved like this on the walk over. She realized what his problem was and reached down to unhook his leash. He trotted eagerly over to the roadside, sniffed at the weeds there, and lifted a leg.

  Aubrey waited patiently, her eyes
politely averted, until she heard his low, rumbling growl. She turned and saw him standing perfectly still, tail down, hackles raised, looking into the woods.

  “Drake, come,” she hissed, pulling her stun-gun out and pointing her flashlight at the trees.

  He backed slowly toward her, never dropping his gaze. Then Aubrey heard it too. There was crashing in the woods, like something large coming toward them.

  “Drake,” she urged. “Come!”

  He froze and bared his teeth, growling again. Aubrey lunged forward and snapped his leash on, terrified that if he decided to go after something in the woods, she’d never find him.

  Something crashed through the last of the underbrush and came out onto the road a dozen feet ahead of them. Drake ignored it, continuing to stare at the roadside, but Aubrey brought her light around and froze.

  Caught in the beam of light, wide-eyed and covered in scratches and mud, was a young girl. She was naked, Aubrey realized, and couldn’t be more than thirteen. He breasts were mere buds and she was painfully thin. Her hair was a wild tangle matted with twigs and leaves.

  “Oh my god,” Aubrey breathed. She took a step toward the girl and held out her hand. “Are you alright?”

  The girl looked at her for a moment and then seemed to see Aubrey for the first time. Aubrey thought she looked drugged.

  “Are you alright?” The girl parroted in a mocking singsong voice. Her face broke into a horrible grin. Her teeth were dark with scum and terribly crooked.

  Drake barked and Aubrey pulled her eyes away from the girl and pointed her flashlight at the woods he was watching. Standing amid the trees, she saw at least three more girls. They were all naked, all grinning like mad women. Unlike their young friend, they all had painfully white teeth that shone out like beacons from their dirt smeared faces. Aubrey judged the oldest to be sixteen.