Secrets of a Small Town

by Adele M Cooper

  “This is my office,” Jack answered, standing and waving a hand absently around him. “Has been for some time.”

  “You’re the sheriff here?”

  “Don’t sound so surprised,” Jack said, rolling his eyes. “Just because I stayed in this—What was it?—‘backwater, nothing of a town,’ it doesn’t mean I couldn’t make something of myself.”

  Paige at least had the decency to flush at the reminder of her barbed parting words to him. Jack smiled slightly; it had been a long time since those words had upset him, and it was far easier now to think fondly of the happier times they had spent together. Seeing her in person was unexpected, but he couldn’t say he was unhappy with the reunion.

  “It’s been a long time,” he continued when she failed to speak. “We should go for a drink sometime and catch up.”

  His offer sparked something in her, however, and he watched as the fire return to her eyes and she slammed her hands down on his desk.

  “No time,” Paige declared. “There are more important things to think about. Like the disappearance of Cynthia Johnson.”

  Why was that name familiar? Jack recalled the report that had hit his desk last week regarding the woman. An officer had tried to get in contact with her family but hadn’t been able. That was the end of it until the family decided to file a report.

  “What do you have to do with Cynthia Johnson?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

  “Cynthia’s my client,” Paige explained. “She missed an appointment with me last week, which was highly unusual, and I’ve been unable to get in contact with her since.” She stared at him accusingly. “Why haven’t I heard anything about it?”

  “Unfortunately, nothing came of the report you filed,” Jack shrugged, running a hand through his hair. “We tried to contact her family, but, as I’m sure you’ve already been told, we haven’t heard any news from them at all. As such, there’s very little we can do.”

  The familiar betrayal in her eyes made him wince. No doubt she had come in here expecting him to resolve the situation, but he could only work within the letter of the law. At this point, he could do nothing.

  “I understand,” she said icily, drawing back. “I’ll see you later, Sheriff.”

  She turned and marched out. The way the door slammed behind her told him exactly how she felt right now.

  Jack sighed and leaned back in his chair. He wasn’t much for premonitions of fate… but he felt, all of a sudden, that his life was about to get a lot more complicated.

  If Paige stopped and thought about it, part of her pointed out, she would see, rationally, where Jack was coming from. The rest of her, however, was indignant and angry; she knew something was wrong, and it seemed like she was being pushed aside and told to ignore it.

  Seeing Jack again, in all honestly, hadn’t helped. It had been a long time since she had seen her old school friend, but she still remembered the way her heart had thumped every time he had smiled at her. She also remembered the fiery betrayal that had raced through her upon realizing that he intended to stay in Otter Rock after school when she had been certain he could make so much more of himself.

  Not that she was the poster child for leaving Otter Rock for the outside world. Paige had tried and failed and facing him knowing that had been nothing short of embarrassing. His mention, however fond, of the harsh words she had said to him so long ago had only made her mortification worse.

  But his dismissal hurt. Once, she and Jack had shared everything and had believed in each other utterly. While she knew Jack had legal concerns to worry about, his flippancy meant he didn’t consider her concerns to have merit. He hadn’t wanted to hear what she had to say.

  Slamming her car door shut behind her, Paige revved the engine a little harder than necessary and roared away, uncaring of anyone who might be watching. Frustration thrummed through her, although she was unsure whether it was at Jack or at the situation. Possibly both.

  It didn’t matter, anyway. What did matter was doing something about Cynthia. The police couldn’t do anything? Fine. So be it. There were ways to get things done that didn’t involve either the police or their dismissive sheriff. Otter Rock might be a tiny town with very few people, but one of the perks of such a small place was the close-knit community. All Paige had to do was spread the word that one of their own was missing, and the streets would be brimming with people looking for Cynthia.

  Skidding to a stop in her rocky driveway and sending up a cloud of dust that hadn’t fully settled when she exited the car, Paige raced into her apartment and dived for the phone book. Naturally, she didn’t know the names and numbers of everyone in town, but she didn’t need to. She just needed to alert a few key people, and word would spread like wildfire.

  The first name on her list: the biggest gossip in town.

  “Paige?” her mother asked, puzzled, picking up after only one ring. “You didn’t answer my message. Is everything all right?”

  “Yeah, sorry, I’ve just been busy,” Paige said, already flipping through the phone book in search of the numbers she needed. “Look, Mom, something’s come up and I need your help.”

  “With what?” her mother asked, even more confused.

  “Remember that client I told you about, the one I can’t get ahold of?” With a pencil, Paige put a star next to a name. “I think something’s seriously wrong and I want to get a search going for her.”

  “Have you spoken to the police?”

  Paige huffed. “The sheriff says there’s nothing they can do until they hear from the family.”

  Her mother went sheepishly quiet, recognizing the silent admonishment for not telling Paige about the sheriff’s identity sooner. Paige barely noticed; a fire had been lit under her, and nothing would quell it now.

  “I’ll call some people,” her mother said. “Who are we looking for, Paige?”

  “Cynthia Johnson,” Paige said. “We need to find her.”

  “We will,” her mother promised.

  As she hung up, Paige drew in a deep breath. There. It had started. She didn’t know what was going to happen next, but it no longer mattered. Something was wrong—she just knew it. They had to find Cynthia, and soon.

  She hoped that they weren’t too late.

  3

  Beverly Beach State Park

  The turnout of those willing to look for Cynthia was even more impressive than Paige expected. Everywhere she looked, someone searched around paddocks and out along the coast. It was inspiring.

  Unfortunately, when Friday morning arrived, they still hadn’t found anything. All they knew for sure was that Cynthia was nowhere close to town.

  As she woke that morning, though, Paige overflowed with new determination. Searching the town had proven futile, but there was somewhere else that they could look; the last conversation she had with her client had contained what might be a lead.

  “Beverly Beach State Park?” Paige asked, frowning. “Why are you heading out that way?”

  “To think,” Cynthia said with a small smile, picking up her handbag. “It’s quiet out there; just me and nature. It’s somewhere I can go when I want to get away for a little while. Have you ever had somewhere like that?”

  “My parent’s home, probably,” Paige said thoughtfully. “I’ll see you on Wednesday, then, Cynthia.”

  She doubted it was common knowledge that the well-to-do woman liked to traipse around nature when she needed a break from life, but it meant that there was every possibility that she could be there. Of course, there was always the chance that Cynthia had just gotten tired of it all and run away, which would explain why her family was so quiet… but, somehow, that explanation didn’t sit well with Paige. She couldn’t see Cynthia having put in all that effort into a divorce only to run away in the final stages.

  As such, she wasted no time. She got into her car and drove out to the state park, alerting the volunteers to the new search area along the way.

  Beverly Beach State Park, a beautiful
expanse of land that was barely a two-minute drive from Otter Rock, featured exquisite scenery and a fully equipped campground. There were many places to see and explore, which drew campers all year round.

  Unfortunately, it was also huge, which would make searching it, even with as many people as they had, an arduous task. Paige found somewhere to park near the campground, unsurprised to see several cars already there. The lack of success yesterday had whipped the town into a frenzy of searching, and a determination to succeed.

  “Dad!” she called, seeing a familiar figure among a few unfamiliar ones. “You got here quickly.”

  “Your mother and I started moving as soon as you called this morning,” Patrick said, smiling at his daughter. “I’ve been speaking to some of the campers, and they’re spreading the word that we’re looking for a missing woman here; more eyes should speed up the search a little.”

  “That’s great!” Paige exclaimed. “With any luck, we should find her soon.”

  Movement nearby caught her attention, and she drifted away from her father as he turned back to the campers. She frowned as she noticed a young redheaded woman who stood a little apart from everyone else other than a woman with dark, flyaway hair. She looked strangely out of place in her immaculate dress and high heels, seemingly dressed to attend a social function rather than a search for a missing woman. The dark-haired woman eyed Paige cautiously as she approached.

  “Hi, I just have some questions for the two of you,” Paige began.

  “Do I know you?” the redhead asked, forehead creasing in a frown.

  “My name is Paige Moore. I’m Cynthia’s lawyer,” Paige explained. “Did you know…?”

  She didn’t get much further than that, though, because the moment she mentioned Cynthia’s name, the woman’s eyes welled up, and then she burst into sudden tears. Startled, Paige leaned back slightly.

  “S-sorry,” the woman wailed. “I-I’m… Cynthia’s my b-best friend!”

  “Best friend?” Paige inquired, brow furrowed. She had spoken—at length—with Cynthia about the people closest to her, and she had never once mentioned a best friend.

  “From… from school,” the woman sniffled. “My name is Olivia Clark.” She turned watery, beseeching eyes on Paige. “I haven’t seen her since last Monday. We’ll find her, won’t we?”

  It seemed Paige wouldn’t get any information from Olivia. Paige nodded absently to her and turned to the second woman.

  “Did you know Cynthia too?” she asked.

  “No,” the woman said instantly, shaking her head. “I was just in the area and thought I’d help when word spread that we were looking for someone who was missing.”

  “So, you were one of the campers?” Paige guessed.

  The woman shook her head. “I live in town, but I was here this morning when everyone started turning up.”

  “Right…” Paige said slowly.

  Paige wasn’t entirely sure what it was, but something about the woman’s words didn’t ring true. Maybe it was the look in her eyes; she seemed pained for some reason, as though something had greatly upset her. Was she lying about not knowing Cynthia?

  Paige shook the thought out her mind. She was a lawyer, not a detective, and her primary purpose was to find Cynthia. Trying to find someone who could give a clue to Cynthia’s location was as far as her question needed to go right now.

  Slowly, the hours slipped away. Paige drifted among the searchers, questioning everyone present and becoming more troubled, as it seemed that it had been some time since Cynthia was last seen by anyone. It was impossible to get to everyone, of course; she didn’t see the dark-haired woman again other than from afar, and there was an oddly familiar boy in the crowd that flitted in and out, always just out of range of her questions. By the time the sun rose high in the sky, Paige had determined she wasn’t wrong in assuming something bad had happened; it was not normal for someone to disappear so completely out of the blue.

  “No luck then?”

  At the sudden, familiar voice behind her, Paige jumped and swung around. A sheepish smile on his face, Jack shifted awkwardly under her stare.

  “What are you doing here?” she snapped.

  “Let’s just say I’m here in… an unofficial capacity,” Jack replied. He eyed her carefully. “I’m sorry if you felt I was dismissing you yesterday.”

  “It’s no big deal,” Paige said with a shrug.

  It had been a big deal, in all honesty. But seeing him here, now, somehow took away the sting of it, and she couldn’t help but smile warmly at her old friend.

  “So, where have you searched?” Jack asked.

  “We’ve been spreading out from the campground,” Paige stated, waving a hand. “I’ve been trying to figure out when Cynthia was last seen around town, but everyone says that they haven’t seen her since last week.”

  “That is concerning,” Jack agreed. “Not that it wasn’t concerning before,” he hurriedly added when she gave him a dark look.

  “The longer it goes, the worse the outcome seems,” Paige sighed as they picked a direction and started to walk. “Several people suggested she just ran away, but…”

  “I knew Cynthia,” Jack said instantly, shaking his head. “She wasn’t the type. That woman was as stubborn and hard-headed as they come.” He glanced wryly at her. “Much like someone else I know.”

  “Look who’s talking,” Paige retorted, a little astonished at how easy it was to fall into the banter of their youth.

  “Either way, Cynthia wouldn’t have run away and left that boy of hers here alone,” Jack continued.

  “Avery, right?” Paige asked. “He’s seventeen?”

  “He’d be about that,” Jack confirmed. “I’m surprised you haven’t seen him; he’s been running around here, joining the search for his mother.”

  Paige recalled the school-aged boy that she never seemed to run into. She hadn’t thought much about him, but she would have put in more of an effort to catch him if she’d known he was Cynthia’s son.

  “Questioning him wouldn’t do you much good,” Jack went on, almost as though he read the thoughts on her face. “He’s a quiet kid, doesn’t speak much to anyone other than Cynthia. As to whether he knows how long his mother has been missing or not, only time will get that out of him.”

  “He’s about the only one I can talk to,” Paige grumbled. “I’d never get through to Senator Johnson, and I don’t think I can call any of her other family without her permission.”

  “I’m not sure questioning her seventeen-year-old son would get you far, either,” Jack said pointedly, reminding her that the boy was a minor.

  “Right, of course,” Paige agreed, blushing. She cleared her throat. “What about Olivia Clark? I spoke to her earlier. She said she and Cynthia were best friends.”

  “Olivia?” Jack echoed, humming in thought. “I don’t see as much of Olivia, but she is around. I don’t think she was wrong in saying they were best friends; I only ever saw Olivia with Cynthia, and Cynthia used to speak about her a lot.”

  “Used to?” Paige prodded.

  “They were having problems,” Jack said shortly.

  “Every friendship has its ups and downs,” Paige speculated, eyeing him carefully.

  Jack made a non-committal noise. Realizing she wouldn’t get much more out of him, and understanding that, while there might be things he knew, his own confidentiality rules prevented him from saying anything more (such as how, exactly, he knew Cynthia and Avery so well), Paige walked alongside him in silence. Around them, a soft breeze stirred the leaves while searchers shouted at each other in the distance.

  Despite the circumstances, walking with Jack was comfortable, familiar. It reminded her of walking into school side-by-side, heads together as they discussed what subjects they had for the day and debating topics that they had studied the day before. That easy camaraderie between them still existed, even after everything they had been through. It was… nice.

  “Just… so you know
, the worst-case scenario is becoming more and more likely,” Jack announced.

  “Sorry?” Paige said, jolted out of her thoughts.

  Jack turned to stare at her, eyes serious. The emotion in them was both compelling and dreadful.

  “According to you, and the people you’ve spoken to, nobody has seen Cynthia for over a week,” Jack observed. “People who go missing for a week don’t normally turn up fine as though nothing has happened.”

  A shiver ran down Paige’s spine. She had been avoiding thinking about it, but she was no fool. She already knew what they might find if they did find Cynthia.

  “In these cases, there are usually several possibilities,” Jack continued, tearing his gaze away from Paige. “We’ve ruled out running away for the moment. Kidnapping is a possibility, especially if the family is trying to deal with it privately. But, in the event that it isn’t either of them, then…”

  As if on cue, a scream from nearby pierced the air. Jack and Paige stared at each other, shocked, for a moment before they raced ahead. Cresting the hill, Paige winced as the full force of the setting sun hit her, and she blinked for a moment to clear her vision.

  Before she recovered, Jack disappeared from her side. Slowly, as the shadows lengthened around her, she peered ahead, seeing the sheriff push through the forming crowd. At first, she couldn’t really see anything from where she stood, but then, the people in front of her parted slightly…

  Just enough to see a single, lifeless arm lying on the ground, the wrist enclosed in a sparkling, silver bracelet.

  4

  The Body on the Beach

  People gathered in a muddled circle, some crying, others retching, but no one moving out of some morbid interest. Jack forced his way through them all, not even stopping to flash his badge; most of them recognized him, anyway.

  “Out of the way!” he barked. “Everyone move back! This is now a crime scene!”

  The ominous words made several people move back a few steps, Faces full of shock. Finally clear of the crowd, Jack took one look at the still form on the ground and his stomach lurched as he fumbled for his radio.