by Mara Webb
“Okay, well we should speak to that guy Shaun Kaye that Cindy was sharing a tent with,” I explained.
“Shaun Kaye?” Ryder repeated. “He’s an adventure consultant, runs a small company that takes beginners on climbing trips on the cliffs. I think he’s been to Everest so he’s normally hanging around the café on the other side of the island talking all about it with Jerry. It’s where he picks up a lot of his clients.”
“Alright, well then let’s go and find him,” I said. Before I had the chance to step away in the direction that we needed to head, Miller grabbed my right hand and pulled me to him, kissing me in a collision that felt like the rest of the world fell away for a moment. I forgot that Ryder and Mabel were right there until Mable coughed to remind me.
“Tonight,” Miller said. It was just one word, but it was full of so much potential and excitement. I felt myself blush, then became suddenly aware that it wasn’t quite as coded as Miller may have thought. Anyone with half a brain cell could figure out what he was referring to. Ryder’s body tensed as he processed the thought.
“Okay, let’s get a cab to the café then,” I smiled, hoping we could quickly put the awkwardness behind us. Clearly the thought was enough, as Wes rolled his taxi to a halt in front of us, his music making the car bounce along to the bass. “How do you do that?” I asked him.
“First rule of business, man. You gotta know what your customers want, and I know that you want a ride someplace,” Wes grinned. Occasionally I thought about whether it would be worth it for me to get a car so that I could go around the main island by myself, but I quite liked being driven around.
Ryder held open the door and I slid into the back seat. I was in a strange position of feeling like I had done something wrong, flirting with my boyfriend in front of him felt like I’d crossed a line somehow, but I knew that was just the crazy part of my brain talking.
The journey seemed short, perhaps because Wes had forgotten to pack one of his cassette tapes and was forced to listen to the radio instead. It seemed that Dr. Gloria was still talking. One quick glance at the clock on the dash informed me that she had been on the air for almost three hours. It seemed that she was now discussing the topic of forgiveness.
“I would like you to think of the person that has wronged you, imagine how they feel when thinking about the incident. What do you think is a more potent emotion, guilt or anger?” Gloria asked.
“He cheated on me with the lady from the bank, she is twenty-seven and her body is more silicone than human. I’m pretty sure there is no guilt from either of them,” the caller replied.
“I see. Perhaps your husband is dealing with something difficult, and it is manifesting itself as infidelity,” Gloria suggested.
“Then maybe he should be the one calling you!” the woman shouted, hanging up the phone and letting the dial tone play over the radio for three full seconds before it was shut off.
“W— well therapy is a process. There is no final destination with it, it is ongoing and—” Gloria began. Wes had parked outside the café and switched off the car before she could finish.
“These psychiatrist types have got it all wrong, man,” Wes chuckled. He turned in his seat to face us, an outstretched palm waiting to be paid.
“Oh?” I asked, handing him some cash.
“Yeah, there are people in Hallow Haven that can work a little magic to get rid of your problems like that!” he said, snapping his fingers. “Most of the witches that offer those services charge a heavy price, man. But hey, if you’re husband’s doing you dirty and he ain’t feeling guilty about it, I say go for it!”
“Wes, a lot of those places have been closed down,” Ryder mumbled. What places? “After that guy ended up—”
“Dead, yeah I know,” Wes shrugged, shaking his head in disappointment. “Just drove the operation underground is all, but that’s a story for another time…” It very much felt like a story for right now, but Ryder was already climbing out of the car.
“Are you alright to wait? We will need a ride back,” I asked.
“Can do! I kinda want to hear what this doctor is telling everybody; I’ve been listening to this show on and off all morning and she’s had half the callers hang up. She ain’t winning a popularity contest, that’s for sure,” Wes laughed.
We stepped toward the door to the café and Ryder looked back over his shoulder to see if we were out of earshot. “I probably should have mentioned at some point, but I do have a car that we could be using. It’s a little beaten up but, you know,” he paused.
“Wes can be a lot first thing in the morning, I get it,” I smiled.
“As soon as that psychiatrist started a show on the radio, I sensed that, at some point, I would have to hear Wes complain about it. I’m almost nervous to get back in his car after this,” he smirked.
“Oh, so you don’t think that the woman that called in should have used dark, underground magic to inflict some horrible curse on her husband because he was cheating on her?” I teased.
“Sometimes the heart wanders, maybe you pick one person and think that will be the only person you want forever, then someone else comes along and draws you away,” he replied. Okay, so we weren’t talking about the radio show anymore, got it.
“Yo, Ryder!” a voice yelled. I looked up to see a muscular guy, built in a very similar way to Ryder but with larger biceps – not that I was staring – and waving at the two of us. “What are the chances, man? How are ya?”
“Good, Brett,” Ryder replied. “Shaun with you?” Oh. This must be one of the ‘guys’ that Cindy’s assistant was talking about.
“Shaun!” Brett yelled. An equally beautiful man bounded around the corner, adjusting the straps of a large backpack as he ran. They looked like models from the cover of a men’s health magazine, bronzed skin over well-exercised bodies and shaggy, just-rolled-out-of-bed hair. With looks like that, I’m sure they could get even the most acrophobic person repelling down the cliffs.
“Hey, Ryder!” Shaun shouted. “Who is this fine looking—” Shaun was walking towards me, a hand stretched out to shake mine in greeting, but Ryder pushed his hand away before we made contact.
“This is Sadie, she’s the peacekeeper on the island and I’m her guardian,” Ryder replied. He said the peacekeeper, it felt like an important distinction.
“What? Guardian? That’s sick man, how’d you land a gig like that?” Shaun asked. “I think it would be cool to play one of those?”
“Play…?” I muttered.
“You’re thinking of accordion, aren’t you,” Ryder sighed. Shaun and Brett looked at each other, their dumb, beautiful faces trying to work out what Ryder had just said. Ah. The lights are on, but no one’s home. These two were as dumb as a box of rocks.
“We have some questions about Cindy, is there somewhere we could talk?” I asked.
“We have a group leaving the back of this café in like, ten minutes, man!” Brett said, seeming almost panicked.
“Just tell them we had to check the weather first, for safety, chicks dig it when you talk about weather,” Shaun nodded sagely. Do we? Do we love it when guys talk about weather? I must have missed that class at college.
“There’s a free picnic bench over there,” Ryder said, pointing at an outdoor eating space at the side of the building. Any hope I had of these two answering our questions in a way that provided new evidence to the investigation was dissolving rapidly. Could either of them tie their own shoelaces?
14
The picnic table was, fortunately, fitted with a large umbrella so that we weren’t under the direct glare of the sun. Shaun and Brett looked like they had already spent a lifetime tanning, and now that I was sat across from them, I was able to see how that had affected their faces. The sun can age you, deepening the lines around the eyes. They were still both smoking hot, obviously, but both would have benefitted from better SPF coverage.
“What’s up, man? Is Cindy okay?” Brett asked. My phone in my pocke
t buzzed and I pulled it out enough to see the screen. It was Miller.
‘Fiancé didn’t know about other guys but suspected. Has alibi for the whole week.’ I read it again just to be sure, then put my phone away.
“Can you tell me about the last time you saw Cindy? Her assistant said she was working with you and a couple of climbers. Was that you guys?” Ryder replied, elegantly dodging the question.
“Yeah, she wanted to hit the rocks, you know?” Shaun replied. Poor choice of words.
“Did you know she took pictures of stuff?” Brett asked. We both nodded. “Well, she wanted to take pictures of stuff when she was on the cliffs, which I don’t think has ever been done before.”
“It definitely has,” Ryder sighed. “Did she tell you what she was trying to photograph? What was on the cliffs that she wanted to see?”
“I dunno, man. Something good, that’s all I know,” Brett replied. I noticed that Shaun was keeping quiet on the matter. “She wanted to go down the side of the cliff by Wyatt’s house, but he owns that part at low tide.”
“When did you last take her there?” I asked.
“A few days ago,” Brett said. “But I ain’t seen her since.”
“Shaun?” Ryder pressed.
“Huh?” he grunted, as if he had been daydreaming and was startled to realize we were still there.
“Do you have anything to add?” I said.
“Cindy was a photographer,” he shrugged. “So, I guess she went to do more photographer stuff somewhere else.”
“She’s dead, guys,” I said bluntly. “I have records from the campsite behind Drew and Beth’s house that has you both camping there over the past week, it says you were sharing a tent with her, Shaun.”
“Wh—?” Shaun stuttered. “She didn’t use her real name.”
“But you were sleeping together?” I continued.
“Cindy was a ten, people like that and people like me just run in the same circles, you know?” he replied. Isn’t it funny how quickly someone can become less attractive when they open their mouth and reveal just what a douchebag they are? I could have guessed that he would be conceited, but it still surprised me.
“Did you know she was engaged?” Ryder asked.
“She had a ring, but girls buy themselves rings now so maybe she just liked it,” Shaun said.
“She was engaged, and you were sleeping with her, and now she is dead,” Ryder summarized. “It seems like you might have been one of the last people to see her so I’m sure you can see how bad this looks for you.” Oh, there was no way these two knuckleheads could connect those dots.
“Did you kill her?” I asked. No point dancing around the subject.
“No!” Brett gasped.
“Nah, I don’t do that. If I want to break up with a girl, I just stop taking her calls, man,” Shaun replied. What a gentleman. My phone buzzed again.
‘Headed to see Wyatt, ask him why he lied about seeing Cindy a few days ago. Meet you there?’ Miller said.
I replied with ‘yeah’ and put my phone away. What was our next move? Shaun was obviously hiding something, and I didn’t know how to proceed with questioning, this was why Miller was better at these things than me.
“Where are you guys taking your travel group?” Ryder asked.
“There,” Brett said, pointing at a peak that stretched up into the sky. “Probably be there all day then back to the campsite after dark.”
“Alright,” Ryder said, standing up from the table to signify that the conversation was over, at least for now.
Brett and Shaun stood up and prepared to swing their backpacks onto their shoulders, and I watched in quiet admiration of their physiques. I don’t think I could spend more than two minutes talking to these people ever again, but they sure were nice to look at.
“Miller said he’s headed over to Wyatt’s house, he wants us to meet him there,” I said to Ryder. “I really need the bathroom though, and there’s no way I’ll be allowed to use the one in Wyatt’s house. His wife is very guest-averse on account of people being covered in germs.”
“Oh, I know,” Ryder nodded. “Word gets around. They don’t have a bathroom inside the café, it’s a separate building round the back.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Jerry is a trail angel, Sadie. The café shuts at night, but the bathrooms are still available whenever someone needs to use it,” he explained. It made sense, but I had visions of some sort of festival porta potty situation, and I wished I had another option.
“I’ll be back in a second,” I said, taking a deep breath as I braced myself for what I anticipated was going to be an unpleasant experience. As I circled the building, I looked around to see the group that would be joining Shaun and Brett on their hiking adventure. There was no one behind the café except for me and a few seagulls, so maybe everyone else was running late.
The brick building looked surprisingly modern from the outside, and when I stepped inside, I was relieved to see clean white walls, light pouring in from strip-windows near the ceiling and large, unscratched mirrors. Color me impressed. The only sound was the cawing of the birds outside, I was alone in here. It was why it caught me so off guard.
I stepped towards the closest stall door, my back to the entrance of the bathroom, and heard a sudden flurry of footsteps behind me. Someone was running. I didn’t get the chance to turn around. I felt something hit my back, then I was on the ground. Had I been shot? Was it a taser? I couldn’t move, wave after wave of pain radiated through my body. It had to be a taser.
I didn’t pass out. As the electricity stopped coursing through me, I felt someone kneel on my back and bind my hands together. I could hear tape rip, a section of it fastened across my mouth. Then darkness.
I was being carried somewhere; muffled voices were unrecognizable though. My hearing had suffered when the taser had hit me, everything sounded like a dull ringing, and I ached from where I had hit the floor. I had been face down on the floor of a public bathroom and it wasn’t the worst thing to have happened today, who knew?
The bindings on my wrist were tight and when I tried to pull against them, they rubbed painfully, likely cutting the skin. I felt too out of it to focus enough on any sort of magic that would help me, I just needed a few minutes to de-scramble my brain and then I could blast my way free, right?
I wasn’t being dragged, and I didn’t think someone had me over their shoulder, so that had to mean there was more than one person carrying me. Shaun and Brett, it had to be. We had asked enough questions to alert them to the fact that we knew Cindy had been with them, and then within minutes I’m face down on the floor of a public bathroom. I’m just really struggling with that specific element of my kidnap experience.
I could hear a muffled, ‘one, two, three!’ and then I was thrown. I had less than a second of airtime, landing almost immediately on something cold and hard. That was going to hurt tomorrow, providing that I had a tomorrow. The cold surface beneath me started to vibrate. I was on the back of a flatbed truck; a regular trunk wouldn’t be big enough to allow me to be lying flat like this.
“Sadie?” The truck was moving now, and though the engine was loud and my ears were still struggling, I knew that voice.
“Ryder!” I gasped. “What happened?”
“Taser,” he replied. I could feel him moving around on the bed of the truck beside me, then felt his body against mine. “Hikers sometimes take tasers up the mountains in case they see bears, or coyotes. It’s not illegal, but I hate it.” He thought it was hikers, so did he think it was Shaun and Brett too?
“Are you hurt?” I asked.
“I’m pretty sure one of them kicked me,” he groaned. “My ribs took a hit, that’s for sure. Can you get us out of here?”
I tried to spread my fingers, hoping to conjure something, but felt the sparks on my hands splutter and die out. “I need a minute,” I said.
“It’s just shock, but you’re okay. I’m here,” he said back, almost in a
whisper. He was close to me; his face was inches from mine. I wasn’t sure what he was planning to do about our situation, he had a little magic that Greta had taught him, but it was all weather magic as far as I knew. I doubted that our chances of survival would improve if he made it rain.
His presence was comforting though, I had to admit. I wondered how far this would all go before Miller realized that we weren’t coming to Wyatt’s house. Did these two hiker guys know that my boyfriend, the Sheriff, was a werewolf? A werewolf that had a gun? Obviously, he wouldn’t use the gun in his wolf form. How hard did I hit my head when I fell to the floor? The floor of a public bathroom!
The engine stopped and interrupted my downward spiral of thinking. Two car doors opened and then closed, footsteps walked around the outside of the truck and approached the back. I swallowed hard. Why was my magic failing me? The body pressed against me, Ryder’s body, moved away as he was dragged off the truck and the thud that followed suggested he had fallen onto the ground. I heard him cry out in pain.
Someone grabbed my shoulders and pulled, dragging me in the same direction. I squirmed, trying to resist the movement, pressing the soles of my shoes down against the bed of the truck to keep me in place. They hadn’t tied my ankles together. If I had the chance, I was going to flail my legs around and land a kick on one of them.
I fell the few feet onto the ground and then felt hands under my arms dragging me across the dirt. The grit and twigs beneath me were sharp enough to scratch at my legs, despite my efforts to try and stand. It seemed that the taser had zapped me of much of my physical strength. How long until it came back?
Through the fabric over my head, I could see a silhouette against the brightness of the sky, then darkness as we entered a building. Maybe some sort of outhouse or a cabin. I couldn’t tell. Ryder was there. I heard a punch land and his voice cry out. He was being hurt and I felt a spark crackle across my left palm. I kept my hands balled up behind me, I wasn’t strong enough to use my powers yet, but when I was recovered enough, I would strike.