by Cindy Bell
As Ally drove towards the address she felt a little uneasy. As she crossed the border from Blue River to Mainbry she entered a part of Mainbry that she had never been to before or at least didn’t remember going to. It never occurred to her that it even existed, probably because her grandmother kept her away from it. It wasn't a slum as she had seen in the city, it was an abandoned property with overgrown land. Nature was wild. Even the road she drove on was littered with leaves and fallen tree limbs. It was clear that someone had been driving on it however, because the limbs were pushed to the side.
Ally continued down the road towards the blip on the GPS. It was hard for her to believe that there was anything to drive towards with such barren landscape around her. Had Connor really driven this way without realizing that he was lost? Then she noticed that there wasn't really a safe way to turn around. The sides of the road were lined with ditches. Maneuvering a delivery van into a U-turn would be nearly impossible. Maybe Connor had been looking for a driveway, or maybe he had just been determined to get to the address.
“You will reach your destination in point two miles.”
The ghostly voice made Ally feel even more uneasy. She wasn't sure she wanted to reach her destination. She nearly passed the driveway as it was set back from the road and covered in brush. There was an opening just wide enough to squeeze the van through. She hesitated to actually drive into it. Was it safe? She knew that she would have to get turned around somehow. Cautiously she nudged the van onto the driveway. She heard a few snaps of branches as she ran over them. Before her appeared an old building that looked like a factory. It had broken windows and crumbling brick. It was quite obviously no longer in use. However, the driveway beyond the entrance had been completely cleared. Though the grass that lined the driveway was still quite tall, it was clear that it had been cut back. Someone had taken the time to do minimal maintenance on the property.
“Maybe they're trying to sell it?” Ally drove all the way to the end of the driveway. She didn't see any other cars, or any other signs of life. The entire area had such a desolate feeling, as if a deep sadness lingered there. Ally turned off the engine and stepped out of the van. She had come this far, she thought it was worth it to take a closer look. As she stepped out of the van she noticed that there was a small, shiny puddle on the pavement of the driveway. It looked like it had dripped from the bottom of a vehicle. She studied it for a moment and then looked up at the building again.
“Were you here, Connor?”
Her voice carried louder than she expected in the emptiness. She walked up to the front of the building just to see what it might be like inside. When she peered through one of the broken windows she was confronted by a large, plastic curtain. It was black, blocking the view of anything that might be beyond it. However, it did not block the smell. It was thick and took her breath away. She couldn't quite place what it was, but she knew that she had smelled it somewhere before. She felt an urge to go inside and investigate, but she resisted. Something didn't feel right. Her heart began to pound, though she had no idea why she was afraid.
“Chill out, Ally, it's just an old building.” She shook her head and walked back to the van. As she walked away from the window she thought she heard a flutter of the plastic curtain. When she turned back it was still. She shook her head again and climbed into the cab of the van. As she made her way back down the driveway she wondered who would have been out there and why. She decided that she would find out what she could about the property. Maybe that would put her mind at ease. She knew that there was a good chance that Connor had not been there at all. He might have realized the address was wrong before he ever reached the old factory. Still, she thought it was worth looking into.
***
Ally drove back to the shop with thoughts of the dilapidated building weighing on her mind. She wanted to put it out of her head, but every time she tried to treat it as nothing to be concerned about, it would pop back up. Had Connor been there? She wished there was a way she could know for sure. In order to put her mind at ease she knew that she was going to have to find out more about the building. When she arrived at the shop, her grandmother was standing outside talking to another woman. It took Ally a moment but she recognized the woman as an old teacher of hers, Gina Kiery.
“Ally!” Gina smiled at her as she stepped out of the van. “I was just talking about you.”
“Me?” Ally looked between the two women. “Why?”
“Well, you were one of my favorite students. I'm glad to see you back home.”
“I'm just visiting, but thank you.” It meant a lot to Ally that she would consider her to be a favorite student.
“Your grandmother was telling me how you're single now.” Gina winked at Ally. “I guess that won't be true for long since Brent is single, too.”
Just then she remembered that Gina was her teacher when she was briefly dating Brent. She tried to hide a blush as she remembered the teacher once catching the two of them behind the building. They were just sharing playful kisses, but it was still an embarrassing moment.
“I don't know about that. I'm sure Brent has moved on.” Ally smiled politely. “I'm really just here to help in the shop.”
“Of course you are. Especially after what happened to poor Connor. He was such a good, young man. This town has lost a real gem.”
Ally nodded. She could agree with that. What she didn't know, was why. It seemed so impossible to her for someone to be murdered for no reason at all. She knew that it happened all of the time, every day in fact, but not in her little town, and not to someone she knew.
“Gina was just telling me about the plans for Connor's service.” Charlotte tilted her head towards the shop. “Why don't we all go inside?”
“Oh, I would love to but I can't. I have to get to the florist and make sure the flowers are lined up for the service. I've been trying to help out Marla. It's just such a shame. Connor was her only child you know.” She sighed. “It's good you're here, Ally.” She smiled at Ally once more and then walked away.
“That delivery took longer than I thought it would.” Charlotte held open the door to the shop. “Did everything go okay?”
“Yes, I'm sorry. I got caught up.” Ally paused a moment. She thought about telling her grandmother about the address and the factory. But she didn't want to upset her more than she already was. Ally really didn't know that much anyway.
“Caught up, how?” Charlotte pressed as the two headed for the kitchen.
“Oh, just turned around.” Ally floundered for an explanation. She wasn't accustomed to lying to her grandmother.
“Listen to me, Ally, I want the truth. What took so long?” Charlotte turned to face her granddaughter. Ally realized that she was not going to successfully lie to her grandmother.
“I found another address in the GPS. It looked like Connor might have put in the wrong address when he went to make the delivery or went to that address for some other reason. So I decided to go check it out.”
“And?” Charlotte looked at her anxiously.
“And I found an old abandoned building. It looked like a factory. But it looked like someone might have been using it recently. It is on Marietta Lane. I never even knew it existed. Did you?” Ally looked at her grandmother curiously.
Charlotte started to shake her head and then she took a sharp breath. “Oh yes, I remember now. I can't believe that it is still standing. It was built when you were little. A wealthy man was going to use Mainbry for a manufacturing hub. The locals were pretty excited about the job creation. But something went wrong and he never even opened the factory. As far as I know nothing was ever moved in. I just assumed that it had been bulldozed a long time ago.”
“Do you remember who owned it?”
“No. I'm not sure. I can make some phone calls and find out though. In the meantime, you should talk to Julian.” Charlotte met Ally's eyes. “This is information they should have. If Connor went to the factory by mistake or even on purpose
it might be a missing link in their investigation.”
“But I don't even know for sure that he was there.” Ally frowned. “I mean, Connor probably figured out that he was going in the wrong direction and turned around.”
“What if he didn't?” Charlotte pressed. “This is not the time to withhold information from the police, Ally. I really think that you need to go tell Julian as soon as possible.”
“All right,” Ally reluctantly agreed. She didn't really want to risk running into Luke, but she knew her grandmother was right. Maybe this would inspire the detectives to think outside the box a little when it came to Connor's death.
“Don't worry about the shop, I'll close it up. I'll see you at home, okay?” Charlotte smiled at her. “Don't let Luke get to you. Julian will listen to you.”
Ally nodded as if she believed her grandmother, but she had a nagging feeling that she was wrong. Luke seemed to be close enough to have a good hold on Julian. Ally wasn't sure that she would be able to break through that influence.
Chapter Nine
Ally quickly ate a piece of chocolate cake. Her grandmother had made it and it was so moist and delicious without being too sweet that she had to stop herself from having another piece. After promising herself that she would make an effort to eat healthier in future as she could not have a diet that consisted mainly of chocolate while she was in Blue River, even though she wanted it to, she headed to the police station. She enjoyed the walk there. The fresh, crisp air helped clear her mind.
The local police station was a small building. It had several large desks in one room. The remainder of the station had a few holding cells. Ally knew this because her high school would always do a tour of the police station prior to big sports events and dances. It was meant to be a reminder of the consequences of their choices. Ally pulled open the door and was greeted by the strong scent of cinnamon. She was so distracted by the smell that she didn't notice Luke at first. He stood a few feet from the door.
“Ally?”
Ally looked over at him with surprise. For the first time she didn't just notice how handsome he was, she felt a jolt of attraction. It wasn't anything she expected. She hadn't been attracted to anyone since her divorce. Certainly not to Luke, who had gone out of his way to suspect and question her.
“I'm looking for Julian.”
Luke swept his eyes over her for a moment. Then he tilted his head towards the desks. “He's out at the moment. Is there something I can help you with?”
Ally fought the urge to turn around and walk out of the police station. She didn't want to discuss anything with Luke.
“Maybe I'll just come back when Julian is here.”
“Wait.” Luke settled his eyes on hers. “Is it about the case?”
“I think I should talk to Julian.” Ally felt her stubbornness billow within her.
“That doesn't really answer the question.” Luke managed to edge his way between her and the door. “If you have some information that pertains to the case there's no reason to withhold it. I can pass it on to Julian.”
“I'm not withholding anything.” Ally took a step further into the police station in order to create some distance between them. “I just would prefer to speak to Julian.”
Luke's brows knitted as if he was about to attempt to force her, but then his expression relaxed. “He'll be back in a minute or two. Do you want to wait?”
Ally didn't want to wait. She didn't want to spend a second more around Luke. But she also didn't want to leave without telling someone about what she had found. It could be important.
“He'll be back soon?” She tried to ignore the way his very distracting eyes were attempting to bore into hers.
“Yes. And I promise not to bite.” He smiled. The expression was disturbing to Ally, who expected quite the opposite from Luke. She wasn't sure if he was making fun of her or trying to reassure her.
“All right, I'll wait.” Ally stepped past him towards the nearest open chair. Luke followed after her. As he sat down across the desk from her, Ally watched him.
“I'd rather just wait by myself,” Ally muttered.
“Well, this is my desk.” Luke smiled at her again. When he smiled a small dimple was revealed in the slope of his cheek. Despite her better judgment Ally felt that jolt of attraction again. It startled her and she was a little disappointed in herself for feeling it. “But I can find something else to do.” Luke frowned. Ally guessed that he had been able to read the disappointment on her face. She didn't ask him to stay. Luke walked away from the desks and through the door that led to the holding cells.
Ally sat perfectly still for a few moments. She noticed that the remaining staff were spaced quite far from her. She was feeling a bit anxious waiting for Julian so she decided to walk around a bit and try to calm her nerves. She started pacing back and forth. She walked behind Luke’s desk and looked down to avoid a trashcan. What she saw on the top of the trashcan made her chest tighten and her blood run cold. It was a pink ribbon. The exact shade of pink that had been on the box of chocolates that Connor was to deliver the day he died. The same box of chocolates that had gone missing.
Her heart pounded against her chest, making her chest feel even worse. Had they found the chocolates? Or had Luke decided to dispose of some evidence? She stared hard at the ribbon. It crossed her mind to pluck it out and confront him with it. But she decided against it. If Luke was smart enough to get away with murder then he wasn't going to be taken down by just anyone. She had to make sure that she had all of the evidence she needed before she could confront him. She saw the door to the holding cell begin to swing open. Luke was the last person that she wanted to see. She picked up her purse off her chair and walked towards the door. She reached it just as Julian was pulling it open.
“Ally? What are you doing here?” Julian offered her a radiant smile. Ally was too nervous to even notice.
“Nothing. False alarm,” she mumbled as she walked past him. Julian caught her lightly by the inside of her elbow.
“Ally, are you okay?” He searched her eyes. “Did something happen that I should know about?”
Ally hesitated. She wondered if she should go ahead and tell him about the factory. However, she knew that she couldn't. Not if Luke was involved. She knew that Julian could be trusted, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't let information slip to his partner. She felt Julian's eyes on her as he released her elbow.
“You can always talk to me, Ally,” he spoke in a confidential tone. “If there's something you need to get off your chest.”
Ally stepped through the door and cast a brief smile over her shoulder. She was afraid that if she lingered a moment longer she would spill her entire life story to Julian so she could unburden herself and make it someone else’s problem.
Ally tried to shake off the entire experience, but she felt more confused than ever as she walked back towards the shop. In many ways she had expected Julian to solve all of her problems. She would tell him about the factory, he would check it out, and Connor's killer would be discovered. But seeing that ribbon had thrown everything off for her. Why did Luke have it? Why did he throw it away if it was evidence? He had voiced his accusations against her and her grandmother to Julian. He had also accused Brent. Was that an attempt to deflect guilt? She was worried as she walked. If Luke could eliminate Connor, he could eliminate Julian as well. Ally decided she would have to be extra careful about what she told Julian, or she might put him at great risk.
***
Ally had every intention of rushing right into her grandmother's shop and telling her what she had seen. However, when she arrived she spotted Julian standing in front of the counter. She assumed he must have driven from the police station while she walked. He leaned casually with one elbow against the counter as he talked with Charlotte. Ally felt her heart lurch. This was her chance. Julian was alone, without Luke to listen in on what she had to say. She opened the door to the shop and stepped inside. Julian turned at the sound of the
bell over the door.
“Ally, just who I hoped to see.” He smiled at her. Ally wanted to smile in return but she couldn't bring herself to. Her mind filled with memories of just how charming Julian had always been. He was one of the most popular students in school. He was voted likely to be most successful. He had a way of getting everyone to believe in him and to want to be near him. He was one of those people that commanded your attention and didn't mind basking in it. Could he really be completely ignorant about Luke being involved in the crime? Ally's teeth clenched at the very thought. She hated to suspect Julian, but how could he work one on one with Luke on the case and not see that Luke was up to something?
“Oh?” She cleared her throat.
“Yes. Luke told me that you came to the police station specifically to speak to me, and then you just disappeared. I wanted to make sure that you were okay and see what you needed. It seemed like you were in a rush to leave.” He straightened up and walked towards her. “What's going on? Did something happen? Did you find out something about Connor’s murder?”
“Uh, no not really.” Ally felt her heart beat in her throat. She could barely get her words past the thumping.
“So, you went to the police station and asked for me for no reason?” Julian raised an eyebrow. “That seems rather odd to me.”
“Well, I…” Ally met her grandmother's eyes. Charlotte gave a questioning look. “I thought I had some information, but then I realized that it probably wasn't that important.”
“Any information is important. What was it about?” Julian stepped to the side. Ally couldn't be sure if he was intentionally blocking her grandmother from view, but the movement did just that. He met her eyes with a hardness that she hadn't noticed before. “Murder is a serious crime, Ally. Anything you may know is important.”