Missing in Cottonwood Springs

by Dianne Harman

  “So you didn’t really tell him anything,” Brigid surmised.

  “No,” he said chuckling. “Not that I didn’t want to, but I’ve learned that sometimes it’s best to give ‘em less information in the beginnin’. Otherwise, people tend to do their own investigation and sometimes that can really mess everythin’ up. Course it was a little harder in this case, him bein’ my best friend and all.”

  Brigid gave him a pointed look. “Are you trying to say something here?” she teased.

  “Yer’ different. I know ya’ got a good head on your shoulders, although ya’ do have a habit of going off halfcocked, but ya’ still cover yerself’ when ya’ do. Like this afternoon. Ya’ knew ya’ had people watchin’ your back in case somethin’ were to happen. Not everyone’s that smart or quick witted. Ya’ saw an opportunity, and ya’ seized it.” Although he seemed impressed, it was obvious he wasn’t completely in agreement with her earlier actions.

  “I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or an insult,” she said laughing.

  “To tell ya’ the truth, Brigid, I ain’t real sure, either,” he said laughing. “Let’s jes’ say it’s a compliment and let it go at that.”

  The two of them continued to chat while they waited. Sheriff Davis told her how things were going for him, and she did the same. Eventually, Brigid spotted something.

  “There they are,” she said when she saw the white van pull into the same spot where it had been earlier.

  “Good eye,” he said as he pulled out a pair of binoculars. “Looks like one guy’s gettin’ out of the van. I think it’s still runnin’.” He watched for a moment before turning to her and saying, “There’s a camera with a decent lens under the seat. See if ya’ can get a few photos.”

  Thankfully, there was a light nearby making it fairly easy for Brigid to see the man as she held the camera up and began to focus.

  “That one of ‘em?” Corey asked as they both watched.

  “Yes,” Brigid said, as both men walked to the back of the van with a box. “Those are the two men I saw earlier.”

  “Good,” Sheriff Davis said. “At least there’s only two of ‘em fer now. Watch ‘em as long as you can. I’m gonna’ keep my eye on the exit. Looks to me like their gettin’ ready to leave again. There’s only one way for ‘em to come out. We jes’ need to see which way they go.”

  Corey put the binoculars away and started the car. Just then the van backed out of the parking space and drove out of sight behind the building.

  “I can’t see them anymore,” she said.

  Corey backed his car out of the space, lights off, and then slowly crept to the exit. Brigid watched as the van appeared at the exit and turned in their direction.

  “Lucky break,” Corey said as he waited for them to drive past. Brigid snapped a couple of photos as they drove by, making sure to get the front damage as well as the license number. After waiting for a few moments, Corey pulled out, following the van at a reasonable distance.

  “There’s not much out this way,” Brigid pointed out. “Any idea where they could be going?”

  Sheriff Davis shook his head as he kept his eye on the van. “Not really. There’s a lotta’ places they could be usin’. We bust a lot of drug dealers out in this area.” While Brigid watched the van, she couldn’t help but feel sad as she looked at the darkened buildings they were passing. Every town had its less desirable areas, and Cottonwood Springs was no exception, no matter how much Brigid wished it was.

  After a few miles, the buildings got fewer and farther in between, and now they were on an older blacktop road that used to be the main highway before the new interstate had been built.

  “There ain’t much out this way ‘cept farms, forest, and fields,” Corey observed. “Maybe we’re gonna’ get lucky.”

  “What do you mean?” Brigid asked. The taillights of the van were much farther ahead than she was comfortable with, but Corey didn’t seem too concerned.

  “Well, sometimes when people are taken, they’re held somewhere else. Usually somewhere that no one’ll notice ‘em comin’ and goin’ or hear the captives. After all, someone would have probably noticed if they’d dragged Olivia into their hotel room.”

  Brigid could see his point. It made more sense for them to keep her out here in this remote area. Brigid was glad she had her jacket on, because her blood felt as though it had turned to ice. She couldn’t imagine being taken out to the middle of nowhere and locked up in a place so far away from things that you could scream until your voice was gone, and no one would ever hear you.

  “Look, they’re turnin’,” Corey said very quietly, as if the men in the van could hear him.

  The road they turned onto was a gravel one, the rocks crunching under the tires. Thankfully there was a slight breeze out of the south, which pushed the dust off the road. Otherwise, as far ahead as they were, Brigid was afraid they would have lost them.

  “Do you know where we are?” she asked, suddenly concerned they could be lost. The van turned another corner, and its taillights disappeared.

  “Sure do,” he said. “Know these roads like the back of my hand.” He slowed as the road dipped down, and they went over an old bridge that crossed a small creek. Once they climbed back up on the other side, the van’s taillights reappeared.

  “Just what is out this way?” she asked.

  “Like I said, purty much nothin’ ‘cept farms, forest, and fields. Most of this is all private land. We won’t be able to follow ‘em if they turn in somewhere.” Brigid could see in the light from the dash that Corey’s face was pinched with concentration.

  After another couple of miles, the van’s brake lights lit up.

  “They’re slowin’ down,” he said. “We’ll have to drive by when they pull in. It looks like they’re drivin’ into a field. See if ya’ can take any pictures or see anythin’ when we go by. Need to find out what they’re doin’.”

  “Got it,” Brigid said as she sat up in her seat. She watched as the van pulled off the road ahead of them. There were trees lining the road, but as they drew closer, she saw an opening leading into a field. She began to take photo after photo. She didn’t know if any of it would help, but she had to try.

  “Looks like an old storage container,” she said as she strained her eyes in the darkness. “I can just make it out from their headlights. I think they parked by it.”

  “Yer’ right. That’s old man Simmon’s property. He’ll be in bed by now.” Corey drove a bit farther past where the van had turned in before pulling over to the side of the road and shutting off the lights. “Let me see the camera.”

  Brigid handed it over and he began to cycle through the pictures.

  “Yer’ right. They’re doing somethin’ near that storage container.”

  “Can’t we go back there and question them?” Brigid asked. “If it’s not their property, then they’re trespassing.”

  “It’s not that simple, Brigid,” he sighed. “We don’t know if they got permission to be there. If they do, and we pull in there, we’re the ones trespassin’.”

  Brigid sat back in her seat and sighed. “So now what?”

  “I’ll talk to old man Simmons and show him these pictures. If he didn’t give ‘em permission to be out there, we got probable cause to arrest ‘em,” he said as he handed the camera back, turned on the headlights, and began to drive.

  “And then we come back out here and see what’s in the container?” she asked.

  “Not quite,” he said. “We wanna’ catch ‘em out here, too. That way there’s overwhelmin’ evidence against ‘em. Ya’ also don’t want ‘em to run if they see us out here. No, we gotta’ wait until they come back out here, but when they do, we’ll be waitin’.”

  CHAPTER 15

  Shortly after Brigid left with Sheriff Davis, Linc turned on the television. He propped his feet up on the coffee table, leaned back, and settled in. It was the only way he knew how to deal with the current situation. He felt anxious about
Brigid leaving with Sheriff Davis to hunt down the kidnappers or whatever you wanted to call them, but he also knew she’d be okay.

  Sheriff Davis was a good man, and Linc knew he’d do all he could to keep Brigid safe. She was a strong, brave woman, and he had no intention of trying to change that. It was one of the things he loved most about her. She wouldn’t change her mind to fit in with what was popular. Instead, she’d voice her opinion and do what she could to make things right. Something his ex-wife had never done.

  The house was quiet, and he heard Holly’s door when it squeaked open. Apparently, Jett did as well, because his head came up and his tail started thumping. Although her footsteps were muffled, Linc heard her when she entered the room behind where he was sitting. He didn’t turn towards her, instead, he chose to let her come to him. He had a feeling something was wrong, but he didn’t want to push it.

  “Did Brigid leave?” she asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

  Linc put the television on mute and turned to face Holly. “Yeah, just a little while ago. Why don’t you sit down with me and keep me company?”

  Holly slowly walked around the couch and flopped down in an armchair next to the couch. “Is she mad at me?” Her voice was so quiet that Linc could barely hear her. He straightened up and clicked the television off. He wanted to give her his full attention. The movement on the screen was distracting, and he thought this seemed like something that he needed to be fully focused on.

  “I don’t think so. Why would she be?” he asked gently. He’d never seen Holly look so unsure of herself. It was surprising. He and Holly were usually joking around and having fun, so he wasn’t familiar with this part of her.

  Holly was hiding her face behind her hair, wringing her hands before she finally started to pick at her nails. “Because I didn’t do what she asked me to do. I didn’t call her, and she couldn’t find me.”

  Linc heard her sniffle softly and was fairly sure he saw a teardrop fall onto her arm. His heart ached for her. The poor girl had already been through so much. It was no wonder she was worried.

  “I think she was more worried than mad, Holly,” he said easily. “She’s been under a lot of stress lately.”

  “I know,” Holly sighed. “I didn’t do it to be a pain.” Her voice wobbled as it grew thick with emotion.

  “I never thought you did, and I don’t think Brigid did, either.” Linc was feeling a little out of his depth talking to Holly like this. But then he remembered, this girl was going to be living with him soon. Sure, they got along great, much like an uncle and a niece, but he realized that his role in her life would soon become a little more important than that.

  “You know how it is. Sometimes being really worried about someone can make you look like you’re mad when in reality, you aren’t.” He was struggling to think of just the right words to say when Holly broke the silence.

  “My mom hit me once,” she said, her voice still shaking. She began to pick an almost invisible piece of lint off her pants. “I wasn’t home when she expected me to be there. Honestly, I didn’t really expect her to be there, either. I guess she’d been sitting at home for a while waiting for me. She was drunk or high or most likely both. I’d gone to the library because it was one of those nights when they show a cartoon for the little kids. It seemed like that was something better to do than sit around all night by myself watching the mice run across the kitchen counter.”

  Linc started to open his mouth, but on second thought, closed it. He had a feeling Holly needed to get this off her chest. Sometimes the best thing to do for someone is to just listen. Let them get out whatever it is that’s weighing them down.

  “When I finally got home, she was really worked up. She started screaming at me, asking me where I’d been. I tried explaining to her where I’d been, but I started getting angry too.” Holly finally lifted her eyes to meet Linc’s. He saw the pain and sadness that was still raw and now on the surface. He realized that the situation earlier that evening had stirred something up in the young girl.

  “I yelled at her. I told her if she wasn’t such a worthless person, she would have known where her daughter was. That’s when she slapped me. Hard. After that she took off again. It was another day or so before I saw her. She didn’t even remember coming home,” Holly sighed. “She asked me where the bruise came from, so I told her. She shook her head and didn’t believe me. She thought I was just kidding or something.” Tears welled up in her eyes and slid down her cheeks. “I wasn’t lying.”

  “Come here, Holly,” Linc said soothingly. He held his arms out to her, and she rushed over to him. Snuggling up beside him, she began to sob. Linc made soft, calming sounds to her as he slowly rocked her back and forth.

  “I didn’t mean to upset Brigid,” Holly hiccupped.

  “I know you didn’t. Brigid was just worried, that’s all. I’m sure your mom was, too. Sometimes, when people get emotional, they do and say things they don’t mean. I’m not saying it was right for your mom to hit you, but you know that doesn’t mean she didn’t love you, right?” Linc asked as he rubbed her back.

  “Yes,” she said softly. “Just like I didn’t mean to tell her she was a bad mom. She wasn’t a great one, by any means, but she still had her good side.”

  “I’m sure she did,” Linc reassured. “We all have good sides and bad sides. Unfortunately, I think your mom carried a lot of hurt around inside her, and she tried to numb it with alcohol and drugs. A lot of people do that, actually. They can’t handle certain things in their life, so they try to shut them away.”

  “You think?” Holly asked as she sat up and wiped her eyes.

  “I’m sure of it. You’d be surprised. Now, that doesn’t give them a right to do what they do. After all, everyone has problems, but sometimes people don’t understand they need to face them rather than hide from them. Then, when they try to quit all those things they’ve been trying to hide from, they come at them full force. That’s when they relapse.”

  Linc hadn’t known Holly’s mother personally, but he did have a few friends in his life that he’d lost to addiction. He knew that addicts were just people like everyone else, a little lost and broken, feeling like they had nothing to live for, and overwhelmed by their past actions.

  “Do you think my mom would have relapsed?” she asked, her eyes wide.

  In that moment, Linc was struck by just how young Holly was. Sure, she was a bright teenage girl who had seen and lived with so much in her short life. But she also was just a young girl with all the insecurities and struggles of a typical teenager.

  “No, I don’t think she would have,” he said after a moment.

  “Why?” she asked curiously.

  “Because she had a good reason not to,” he explained. “She had you.”

  “She had me before and that didn’t stop her,” Holly said, her face becoming dark.

  “That’s true. But Brigid told me about her and how determined she was to make things right between the two of you. I think that’s got to count for something.” Linc watched as a thread of hope brightened Holly’s face. They lapsed into silence. Linc allowed her time to think, knowing she was probably working through some important stuff in her head at that moment.

  “If Brigid isn’t mad at me, then why did she leave? Why are you here?”

  Linc suddenly realized what had triggered all of this. She thought Brigid left just like her mother did the night she hit her.

  “She left because they think they may have found the people who took Olivia. You know how Brigid is, she likes to be involved. When Sheriff Davis said he was going to go stake out the van that took Olivia, she volunteered to go with him. Did you know she went and knocked on their motel room door and was face to face with those guys?”

  Linc was still in shock over the whole thing. When he’d heard what she’d done, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to strangle her or hold her. Not that he would ever lay a hand on her, but it had terrified him so much he’d had the urge to shake
some sense into her. Of course, that still probably wouldn’t stop her.

  “Are you serious? She could have gotten hurt!” Holly exclaimed.

  “I know. But do you want to know why I think she did it?” he asked.

  Holly didn’t say anything, just listened intently.

  “I think she did it because she wants to make sure you, and everyone else, is safe. She may not fully realize that’s why she’s doing it, but I’d bet that’s the reason behind it. Brigid likes to take care of people. That’s who she is. She’d give someone the shirt off her back if she thought they needed it. There’s no way she can just sit back and not help when she knows something needs to be done. It’s one of the things I love about her.” Linc couldn’t help but smile as he felt the love he had for Brigid expand in his chest.

  “She is pretty amazing,” Holly finally said. “So you don’t think she’s going to make me leave? She’s not going to make me move to Missouri or go into foster care?”

  “Never,” Linc said. “She loves you like family. Just because you two aren’t blood related doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you like you are. Things will get bumpy once in a while, but that’s life. Just always try to communicate, and I think all three of us will do alright together.”

  Holly nodded. “Okay, I can do that. And I promise I’ll take what she says to heart a little more next time. I wasn’t thinking, that’s all. I didn’t realize she’d get so upset.”

  “I know, and I’m sure she does, too. But I think when you get a chance, you should tell her so yourself. Just to clear the air and make sure everyone’s on the same page.”

  “I will. When do you think she’ll get back?” she asked.

  “I’m not sure. That’s why I was hanging out here with you. I didn’t want you to be all by yourself.” He leaned over and bumped her shoulder with his.

  “Thanks, Linc. I appreciate it,” she said softly.

  “Hey, you want to make some peanut butter cookies?” he asked.

  “Do you even need to ask? You know how I love those cookies of yours. I love late night snacks,” she said grinning.