A Distant Memory

by Traci DePree

  “The police have been out looking for an hour or so,” Paul went on. “They found her car, but no Sonja. And that’s all I know.”

  Kate glanced at her watch. “Well, maybe she’ll just come home on her own, then.”

  Livvy returned with a look of dismay on her face. She was shaking her head. “That poor family.”

  “Why did the police want to talk to you?” Renee said, sounding slightly condescending.

  “Sonja’s been volunteering at the library several times a week,” Livvy said, her gaze clouded with shock at the news. “Sheriff Roberts wanted to know if I’d seen her.”

  “And have you?” Renee pressed. The look on her face told Kate that Renee was in detective mode.

  Livvy shook her head. “I was with Kate all afternoon until supper. Then it was time to come here.”

  “Did she cover for you at the library while we were out?” Kate asked.

  “No. Morty Robertson filled in for me,” she said, referring to one of the library’s most consistent volunteers. Livvy met Kate’s eyes. “Her poor kids,” Livvy echoed what she’d said before. “And Brad. He must be terrified.”

  “Do the police have any idea where she might have gone?” Renee asked as she stroked Kisses.

  “Deputy Spencer said they’re looking near where the car was found.” Livvy splayed a hand across her chest.

  Paul turned with a nod to Kate. “I think we should head over to the Weavers’ pretty soon.”

  “Is it okay if we break this off early?” Kate asked her friends, motioning to their projects.

  “Of course,” Renee said with a wave of her hand. “It’s more important to take care of the Weavers.” Kisses settled into the bottom of his bag, and Renee tugged it up onto her shoulder as she reached for her purse. “And, Kate,” she added, turning, “be sure to alert me if you need my help to solve this mystery. Kisses and I would be more than willing to assist in this matter.”

  Kate nodded to humor her, but her mind was already on the Weavers.

  They quickly cleaned up from their class, and Livvy promised to call the prayer chain with the news as soon as she got home.

  The moment Kate and Paul got into the Honda, she began to pray for the Weavers—that Sonja would come home quickly, and that this would all be a simple misunderstanding. Yet the serious expression on Paul’s face and the knot in the pit of her stomach told her that wouldn’t be the case.

  As she wondered where Sonja could have gone, Kate tried to imagine how Brad and the children were handling the emotional pain and stress of the situation.

  “I don’t get it,” she said, turning to look at Paul. “Sonja’s a grown woman. Why would Brad call the police so quickly? She could’ve simply gone shopping and lost track of the time.”

  Paul nodded, keeping his eyes trained on the winding road ahead. “It does seem like an overreaction,” he agreed, then paused in thought. “Brad lost his job a few weeks ago too,” he reminded Kate. “Maybe he’s just overwhelmed.”

  As they made their way along Mountain Laurel Road, the last rays of sunshine made the pale green leaves of the trees appear orange.

  The Weavers lived in an upscale home on the east end of town, a white two-story with crocus-filled window boxes. Tall black walnut trees grew in the expansive yard with a view of the valley. The sheriff’s SUV was parked in front of the garage on the cobblestone driveway.

  Paul stopped along the edge of the drive next to the SUV and killed the motor. When they knocked on the front door, Deputy Skip Spencer answered, looking grim. The knot in the pit of Kate’s stomach felt suddenly heavier.

  “What’s the news?” Paul asked in a low voice.

  “Not much yet.” Skip motioned to the living room just off the front entry. Kate glanced at the family, who sat hunched in a circle with Sheriff Roberts. Brad Weaver and his two teenage children, Brian and Becky, were talking to a petite blonde whom Kate recognized as Judy Connelly, the owner of Hamilton Road Florist. Judy must have been a friend of the family.

  Brad walked over to greet them, with Sheriff Roberts following right behind.

  “Thanks for coming over,” Brad said, reaching to shake Paul’s hand. There were dark bags under his blue eyes. The lines on his face sagged, and he seemed fragile.

  Kate glanced at the teens, who were still seated in the living room. Becky’s thin shoulders shook as Judy Connelly held her. Brian swiped at his blotchy cheeks and stared hard at the floor.

  “Of course,” Kate said to Brad, offering a reassuring smile.

  “The sheriff seems to think that since they found Sonja’s Bible by Copper Mill Creek, somehow she might’ve fallen in the water,” Brad said.

  “Fallen in the water?” Kate said, surprised that Sheriff Roberts would jump to such an extreme conclusion. She turned her gaze to him and asked, “Why do you think that? Could she just have left her Bible behind at the creek?”

  “It’s possible.” The sheriff nodded. “But there’s more evidence too—footprints and such. Plus, in her confused state, it’s just more likely that she would’ve done something or that something could’ve happened to her.”

  “Confused state?” Kate said, looking from him to Brad. There was a moment’s hesitation. Kate saw the sheriff’s brow wrinkle and Brad’s lips form a thin white line.

  Finally Brad took a deep breath and gave an answer Kate never would have suspected: “Sonja has Alzheimer’s.”

  Chapter Four

  Alzheimer’s?” Kate said, shocked by the news. How could the vibrant woman possibly be struggling with the disease that, from everything Kate knew, targeted the elderly? “But she’s in her forties, isn’t she?”

  “It’s early-onset Alzheimer’s,” Brad said, his shoulders drooping. “It’s rare, but she’d just been diagnosed.”

  Kate’s mind was reeling. Whenever she had spoken with Sonja, the younger woman had seemed lucid, hardly someone struggling with Alzheimer’s.

  Understanding suddenly hit Kate. “Is that why you’re investigating so soon? Because she has Alzheimer’s?”

  The sheriff nodded.

  Kate shook her head, still trying to wrap her mind around the implications this could have.

  “We assume it’s the cause of her disappearance,” the sheriff said.

  “She’s been having more and more episodes where she’s been agitated and confused,” Brad confirmed.

  By then, Judy joined them in the tiled foyer. She held out a hand to Kate. “I’m Judy Connelly, a friend of Sonja’s from way back, when we lived in Berry Hill and she was still Sonja Russell.” A dimple formed in her left cheek when she spoke.

  “Nice to meet you, Judy,” Kate said, smiling. “I recognize you from Hamilton Road Florist.”

  “That’s right.” Judy nodded. “I know of you too, Kate. Sonja has spoken so highly of you,” she said. “She’s really been enjoying your church, how welcoming you’ve been to her and the family.”

  Brad agreed. “We certainly do appreciate the Faith Briar family.” Judy’s hazel eyes met Brad’s for a moment and seemed to linger. Kate glanced between the two, and her curiosity about this woman’s relationship with the Weavers deepened.

  “Why don’t we sit down?” Brad said, gesturing toward the adjoining room.

  “Well,” the sheriff interjected, looking at his watch, then at his deputy, “we need to check with the search crew. I’ll get back to you as soon as I know what’s going on.”

  “Thank you, Sheriff,” Brad mumbled as he reached to shake the officer’s hand.

  “Hopefully we’ll have good news soon,” Skip added, compassion in his tone as he followed his boss out the door.

  Brad nodded, though Kate saw in his gaze that he was afraid the news wouldn’t be good at all. Then he led Judy, Kate, and Paul into the beautifully decorated living room, where the two Weaver children were talking in subdued voices. Becky’s face was blotched in redness, and a wadded tissue filled her right hand. Brian straightened and rubbed his hands on the tops of his d
enim-clad thighs.

  The room was a mixture of floral prints in shades of rose and moss green. China plates hung on the wall above a piano. The wall-to-wall carpeting was white, making it look to Kate like a room used only for company.

  Brian and Becky shifted in their places as the adults entered. They were good-looking kids, Kate thought, decked in the latest fashions. Several weeks before, Sonja had told Kate that Brian was a track star, or had been in his prior school before moving to Copper Mill. Becky had been editor of the school paper, a bright girl with an equally bright future.

  Brad took a chair adjacent to two stuffed couches, as did Judy, while Kate and Paul took places on the larger of the couches.

  Kate was still struggling with the idea that Sonja had Alzheimer’s. If she’d exhibited more of the trademark symptoms of the illness, perhaps this would have made sense. But then again, how well did Kate know the younger woman?

  “What kind of things was Sonja doing that told you she might have Alzheimer’s?” she asked Brad.

  “Pip—sorry, Sonja—was getting more forgetful, and it wasn’t everyday things like something on a grocery list,” Brad said. “She’d forget how to write the letter N, for example.”

  “Is Pip her nickname?” Kate asked.

  A smile grew on Brad’s lips, and he dipped his head. “Yeah. I gave it to her when we first started dating. She was this petite little thing. Pip just sort of...fit.” He shrugged, pausing before his face sobered. “Anyway, she was becoming more and more forgetful, but it was other things too. Right, guys?” He turned to Brian and Becky.

  Brian glanced shyly from one adult to the next. He said “Yeah” and turned his gaze to the floor.

  “She’d be driving us to school,” Becky picked up, “and she’d ask us where we were going. Or she’d do weird things like putting her keys in the freezer.”

  “But it was more,” Judy said, “especially with her driving. I’d been wondering if she should still have her license with her forgetting where she was going.”

  “Where did they say they found her car?” Kate asked, turning to Brad.

  “Just down the road,” he said. “About four miles east of town, at the scenic overlook.”

  “The scenic overlook?” Kate repeated as a sudden chill spread through her. The overlook was on Mountain Laurel Road that wove alongside Copper Mill Creek, where she and Livvy had been hiking that afternoon. Could it have been Sonja she’d heard call out the word liar and yell for help?

  Chapter Five

  Kate’s gasp and sudden silence halted the conversation. Brad stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

  “Livvy and I were taking pictures along the creek near there today.” Kate turned to Paul. “I thought I heard a man and woman arguing...”

  “Really?” Becky sat up as her eyes darted to Kate’s. “You think it could’ve been Mom?” She turned to her father. “It could’ve been, right?”

  “Were you near the scenic overlook?” Brad asked.

  “No,” Kate admitted. “We were up the road a ways.” She paused to consider the distance. “The gravel lot...about two miles north of the road?”

  Brad and Judy exchanged a look. “Two miles,” Judy repeated slowly. “That’s kind of far away...”

  “Just the same,” Brad said, “it could be a lead. I’ll call the sheriff.” He left the room to go make the call.

  “What exactly did you hear, Kate?” Judy asked, leaning forward intently.

  Kate studied the woman for a moment, trying to get a read on her. Kate got the sense that she was asking for reasons beyond mere curiosity. What that could possibly mean, Kate wasn’t sure. But the feeling of apprehension in the pit of her stomach was only growing stronger.

  KATE AND PAUL STAYED with the Weavers until after eight o’clock that night. Skip had returned almost immediately to question Kate about the incident in the woods. Livvy had joined them as well, at the deputy’s request.

  “Did you hear shouting too?” the deputy asked Livvy in his deep voice. He lowered his pen to his notepad.

  “No, I didn’t hear anything,” Livvy confessed as she set down the steaming cup of coffee Judy had brought her.

  Brad was on the couch, with his elbows on his knees, his hair askew. Kate had noticed his habit of running his hands through his hair nervously. Brian, Becky, and Judy had gone to the family room at the rear of the large home and were watching a sitcom on TV. Kate could hear the sound of a laugh track floating down the hallway.

  The deputy tapped his pen on the pad. “Missus Jenner, you sayin’ you didn’t hear the argument...or see anything?” he asked as if trying to pull up some sort of corroboration. He looked suspiciously at Kate, then back at Livvy again. “You don’t remember any other detail?” He scratched his freckled nose and gave a sniff.

  Livvy shook her head. “I’m afraid not. That doesn’t mean Kate didn’t hear something, though. I was just distracted. The creek was loud, and birds were singing.”

  Skip pursed his lips. “Sure, I understand...Problem is, it’s just hard to prove anything without other witnesses. Plus, your story happened so far away from where her car was parked, Kate. It’s going to be hard to find a connection to Sonja. Were there other witnesses?”

  Suddenly remembering the only other person they’d seen, Kate added, “Willy Bergen was fishing. We passed him. He might’ve seen or heard something.”

  Skip scribbled the name onto his small notepad. “Thanks, y’all,” he said. “I’ll check that out.” Finally he lifted his clear hazel gaze to Kate’s. “At least it’s something to go on. Let me know if you remember anything else, Missus Hanlon, okay?”

  Then he closed his notepad and left to report to his superior.

  The sheriff returned just as darkness settled across the mist-covered valley. They all met him in the driveway, illuminated by solar-powered path lights. Sheriff Roberts held his hat in his hands and pressed his lips together.

  “So what have you found out?” Brad asked, wringing his hands together.

  “Not a whole lot,” the sheriff admitted.

  “Is it possible that she left the park?” Kate asked.

  “Sure,” he conceded. “But her car was still in the lot, so it’s unlikely that she’d have gotten very far. Skip hasn’t been able to get ahold of Willy Bergen.” He turned to Brad. “We’ll keep trying, though.”

  Brad nodded as he crossed his arms over his chest.

  The sheriff cleared his throat and went on. “Unfortunately with darkness approaching, we’re going to have to break off the search for tonight.”

  Brad’s face fell. “It’s cold; how is she supposed to survive out there?”

  The look on Sheriff Roberts’ face was dismal. Brad turned away, obviously unwilling to admit that something terrible might have happened to his wife, like a fall into the creek.

  “I’m sorry,” the sheriff said, offering a nod to the others before he added, “We’d miss too much in the dark. We could walk right past her and never see her. We’ll start again at first light.”

  “Can I join the search then?” Brad sounded desperate.

  The sheriff said, “If you want to. You’ll just need to make sure someone’s home in case she returns on her own.”

  Brad rubbed his forehead, then nodded that he understood. The sheriff climbed into his SUV to leave.

  As the SUV pulled away, Brad’s shoulders started to shake. Kate’s heart went out to him. Paul came up alongside him and placed a comforting hand on his back.

  “Brad, why don’t we pray now,” Paul said gently.

  Brad turned, wiping the moisture from his eyes. “Let’s include the kids.”

  They returned to the family room, where the TV droned on mindlessly. Brad reached for the remote and sent the room into silence.

  The adults took seats around the coffee table and bowed their heads. Paul began, “Lord, we’re deeply troubled and worried about Sonja, especially as nightfall approaches. You know where she is. If she’s confused,
clear her mind and bring her home. Take her to some place safe and warm. The Weavers need you. Help Brad, Brian, and Becky through this time, and be here as only you can. Please show search and rescue where to look for her when they begin again in the morning.”

  When they lifted their heads, Kate turned to Becky, who was seated beside her on the leather couch. Tears streamed down the teenager’s cheeks.

  “This is so hard,” Becky whispered, swiping furiously at her tears. Judy was on the other side of her. She reached for Becky’s hand and gave it a squeeze. That seemed to trigger something, and Becky broke down bawling, sobs shaking her body. Judy held her like a mother with her child.

  “They’ll find her, honey,” Judy soothed, patting her back until the girl finally gulped a breath and calmed herself.

  “I hope so,” Becky finally said.

  Kate glanced at Brian. Having parented a teenage boy herself, she could tell that he was trying to be brave, though the expression on his face betrayed the fear that he obviously felt.

  How impossible it seemed that their mother could have disappeared as she had, Kate thought. No children should have to wonder where their mother was.

  Chapter Six

  Heaviness settled on Kate when she and Paul returned home—a burden of prayer, she thought. She glanced at her watch as they entered the house. It was just after nine, though it seemed much later. Paul moved into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of orange juice.

  “You want one?” He lifted the container with the offer.

  “Sure.” Kate pulled out a chair at the table and sighed as she sat down.

  “It’s scary, isn’t it?” he said.

  Kate shook her head. “Can you imagine being Brad right now?”

  Paul said nothing, but his expression was pained.

  A moment passed before Kate broke the silence. “Did you have any inkling that Sonja had Alzheimer’s?”

  “No. I never noticed anything out of the ordinary.” He took another glass from the cupboard, poured the orange juice, and handed it to her.