Little Owl
Page 30
Sixty-Eight
Cache Rushner
Saturday, November 20th
Boxes sat near the front door, and trees arched over the house. Cache clung to his girls’ hands and stared at the place that was meant to be their new home but only held nightmares and remorse. The place Adaline never wanted to come to but did to save their marriage, even though he never saw that until now. Stepping into the house only brought back memories of him not believing his wife and losing her for good.
A truck pulled up to the driveway, and Abbott got out and nodded at him.
“Aspen’s here, girls. Why don’t you go play for a bit?” he said.
The girls hesitated.
“It’s okay to be with your friend.”
“Mommy’s sad though. We can’t be happy,” Eliza said.
Cache bent down and touched her nose. “I’m sad too, monkey. It’s okay to be happy. Mommy would want you to find joy in your life.”
“Maybe she’s flying with owls now. I bet she has giant wings,” Eliza said. “I’m going to be an owl, too.” She extended her arms and ran toward Aspen.
He smiled and continued to hold Leora’s hand.
“Do you want to go play?”
She shook her head, clutching her journal and the note he promised his wife he’d give the girls. “I’m going to go take some pictures.”
Cache peered at her face that held sorrow and long nights of no sleep. He hugged her. “I love you.”
“I know, Dad.” She let go of his hand and walked to the front door. A piece of paper fell from her journal.
Gripping the base of his neck, he grabbed the fallen paper from the ground and stood. Abbott walked toward him, holding a folder in his hand.
“Is your oldest struggling?” Abbott asked.
“She doesn’t sleep. Lots of night terrors. I just gave them a letter from their mom,” he said. “The girls have been through a lot, and losing Adaline—”
Abbott patted his back. “This might not be the best time, but here’s the information you wanted.”
Cache grabbed the folder from him. “Thanks, man.”
“Where are you guys going to go?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know yet. We can’t stay here. You sticking around?”
“I need to stay and see that justice is served with Lieutenant Stalk,” Abbott said. “Are you sure you want that? Digging for information only leads to more pain.”
“We know Adaline’s mother was behind all this. She tried to set up Seth as a copycat killer, and she had Arlene pretend to be a real estate agent to get us here so she could toy with us.” Cache put his fingers through his hair. “Stalk confessed to killing Dr. Lynchester and kidnapping the girls.”
“Isn’t that good enough to close this case?”
“I need to know,” Cache said.
He pulled out a death certificate from the folder and stared at the signature.
Edwin Stagg.
“Who is he?”
Abbott glanced at Eliza and Aspen chasing each other in the front yard. “No one knows who he is. He’s a ghost.”
“Yet, he signed the coroner’s report and faked the girls’ death,” Cache said. “Which means our girls may still be in danger.”
“I’ll help you find him, and then we close this once and for all.”
Cache nodded. “And the bodies. Who did they belong to?”
“Branxton Wheeler was John Doe. The girls’ names were Ali and Devon,” Abbott said, rubbing his head. “The parents are grateful to have some closure now. I’ll catch you later.”
Cache nodded. He stared at the paper in his hand and read the entry.
Dear diary,
Four funerals happened today.
One for a family friend. His name was Sam. I hear he was a good guy.
Another was for a man people called Seth, but Mommy called him her friend and the Owl Keeper. I think I like Owl Keeper best. I miss Mommy so much. I wore a daisy in my hair today. I think she would’ve liked it. She left and broke her promise, but Daddy says she’s a hero and saved us all.
We got to see Aspen at Mommy’s funeral, and we wore our owl necklaces.
I died today too, as they put Mommy in the ground. I can’t sleep. I keep seeing blood. Lots of it, and it reminds me of what I did. A part of me left with Mommy. I feel empty.
I miss Mommy so much.
Leora V.R
Cache stared up at the house. Leora placed her hand on her bedroom window and peered out at the sky. Her blonde hair and distressed face gazed at him for a minute, but she didn’t seem to see him—more like she saw something that wasn’t even there, and in that moment, he saw Adaline. Someone who didn’t want to leave her home and would wait for her mother forever to come back.
He held his hand up to wave, and Leora closed her blinds.
Acknowledgments
Many people had a hand in supporting me through this ten-year journey, taking an ambitious idea about a woman’s worst fears and turning it into a multiple-pov psychological thriller as my first attempt at novel writing.
A huge thank you to Michelle Jefferies, Jourdan Amerson, and Kathy Jenkins Oveson that saw magic in my words and stories from the very beginning and pushed me to continue to follow my dreams as a writer. Joani Lovell, your belief in me and my road trips to come to see you in Delta, Utah, inspired the whole setting of Owling.
To the Sweet Tooth Critique Group, the League of Utah Writers, and Night Owl Sprint Group, our gatherings motivated me to keep progressing and growing in my craft. Deepest gratitude goes to my lovely beta readers: Jenny Gamboa, Alice Beesley, Kimberly VanderHorst, Tara Mayoros, Eliza Crosby, Kate Palmer, Tiffani Clark, Maggie Fangmann, Jennifer Wolfe, and Jodi Milner. I appreciated the much-needed constructive criticism that prompted a new spin, which created the beef of this story. Much appreciation goes to my review readers who jumped in with excitement and waited with anticipation. Thank you, Cindy Hogan, Amber Schoenfeld, Karen Hoover, Cindy Christiansen, Susan Knight, Jen Wilks, Crystal Hopkins, Marlena Cahill, Anna Marasco, Judy Casper, Caylie Skeen, Tammy Theriault, Cary Kreitzer, and Cheryl Christensen.
I had powerhouse editors over the past few years, and each one of them pointed out the things that I couldn’t see. You each taught me so much. Thank you, Michelle Jefferies, Cindy Bennett, Crystal Liechty, and Lindsay Flanagan.
Thank you goes out to many who helped in answering research questions. Alexandra Ringwood, I greatly appreciated your multiple voice clips and articles, answering all my questions as we neared the end of deadline time.
To Rebecca Lamoreaux, the best critique buddy ever, thank you for reading my chapters every single week and catching all my favorite words and adoring my characters almost as much as I do.
To my team of shining supporters who rallied around me and lifted me over the years, you’re remarkable! Your texts, phone calls, treats at my door, funny writer or owl memes, constant love and belief in me, and LITTLE OWL made all the difference. It got me through some of the most challenging moments when the negative internal dialogue got way too loud. Thank you so much, Jenny Gamboa, Alice Beesley, Emily King, Jennifer Gordon, Allison Hubbard, Sammie Trinidad, Skylar J. Wynter, Brooke Heym, Robin Glassey, and Lacey Roberts.
So much love and appreciation go to Candace Thomas and the Shadesilk Team for all your hard work, seeing my vision, and putting together this beautiful book. I can’t thank you enough!!! Candie, you’ve been a huge support for years. This was by far one of my best decisions. You’re amazing.
And, to the biggest cheerleaders of all, thank you to my husband, Andy, and my three amazing kids, Belle, Lucy, and Peter, who’ve continually reminded me that the sky isn't the limit and to reach higher. I love you so much!
Lauri Schoenfeld
Lauri Schoenfeld currently resides in Utah with her husband, three kids, and dog, Jack Wyatt Wolverine. She’s a child abuse advocate, a Nancy Drew enthusiast, and is part cyborg. Teaching creative writing classes to her community is o
ne of her favorite things to do when she’s not having long conversations with her characters. Visit her at www.laurischoenfeld.com
Photo copyright 2018 Brooke Maneotis.