by R E Swirsky
CHAPTER 23
Sunday 14:34 Near Okotoks, Alberta, Canada
“Your story doesn’t make any sense, Michael,” Richard said.
Michael swallowed and stomped his foot once. “I’m telling you the truth! Why won’t you believe me?”
Michelle raised her eyebrows at Richard.
“Then we call the police,” Richard said. He had said the same thing a half dozen times already to Michael.
“We can’t! Haven’t you been listening?”
Richard shook his head and ran one hand through his hair.
“If what you are saying is true and she really has been kidnapped, then we have to go to the police.”
“Jesus, Dad! Johnny is still out there and I seem to be the only one connected to her disappearance. None of Lucy’s friends or my friends even knew we were dating. If I go to the police.…”
Michelle put her arm on Richards’s arm. “I know it sounds farfetched, Richard, but why would Michael lie about this?”
He paused a moment and attempted to read more from Michael. “Yeah. Why would you lie about this?” he asked inquisitively. He continued to stare at Michael—to study him. Was Michael overly nervous, frantic almost to a state of hysteria? He waved his finger at him gently. “You say no one knew about you two?”
“No one.”
“Not one single person? You really never mentioned your relationship with Lucy to anyone?”
Michael rolled his eyes in frustration.
“I hope you’re not suggesting Michael had a hand in this?”
“I’m not suggesting anything.” He continued to stare at his son. “But what Michael is saying.…”
“What?” Michael threw his arms out to his sides before pointing back at himself. “Me? Really, Dad? You think I could have done something to her? And now I’m just making this up to cover myself?” He shook his head madly. “Shhh…just shut up!” Michael’s eyes darted about. “I could never hurt her!”
“And this Johnny character is behind all of this?”
“Yes! I’m certain of it. You should have heard him. He was polite to start with and when she told him to leave he turned angry. Then a few minutes later she’s gagged and hauled off somewhere.”
“Hmm.” Richard was very puzzled. He wanted to mention the conflicting fact that Michael had arranged to be picked up next Friday from the dorm. He studied Michael again—watching his movements, listening to his words. “You were hiding under her bed when all of this happened?”
“Yes! How many times do I have to say it?”
“Michael wouldn’t lie about this,” Michelle offered again.
“I’m not lying about any of it.” His eyes shifted back and forth between Richard and Michelle. “Shhh!” he whispered and swung one arm out across the air at nothing and then looked at his father. “We have to do something. Soon.”
Richard acknowledged Michael with another “Hmm,” while Michelle frowned at his odd behaviour. The sudden “shhh” to no one set off an alarm. He didn’t like it. It brought back images of Michael during the turmoil throughout the divorce.
Michelle left for a moment and returned with a notepad. “What we need to do is to write all of this down.”
Richard would normally have chuckled as Michelle sat, opened the notepad, and readied her pen like this. It was instinct for her to record facts this way. Her focus was intense and it was aimed straight at Michael. But he couldn’t chuckle. Michael’s behaviour concerned him and that could not be ignored.
Michelle looked up at Richard. “Maybe we should all just hop in the truck and take a drive up to Lucy’s place to see for ourselves.”
“No!” Michael shouted. “What if they come back, or what if the police are there?”
“Michelle’s suggestion is worth considering. Maybe we should all go up and see,” Richard said.
“I’ve been through it over and over in my head,” Michael said. “There’s nothing more to see up there. I don’t see any point in.…”
“There’s always more,” Michelle interrupted. “You just don’t see it because you’re too caught up in the middle of all of this.” She shot a glance up at Richard. “Let’s just slow down a bit. Michael needs a beer and I need a G & T, please, Richard.”
Richard frowned at her request. “It’s barely noon.”
“Richard,” she commanded with force. “Just go do as I asked. We are going to help Michael, and we are going to start by taking a short breather and then start off with some common-sense approach to all of this. A beer for Michael is a good start.”
“Okay, okay,” Richard conceded reluctantly. He left the room, keeping his ears tuned to Michelle as he fussed in the kitchen with the drinks. A beer was the last thing Michael needed. He couldn’t help but think back over the years of Michael’s problems.
“Start with this Johnny friend of Lucy,” she said. “I want you to tell me everything you know about him. And I want every detail you can think of. Description, height, weight, moles, what he does, who he hangs with, what her wears and what he eats.”
Michael hesitated for a moment before he agreed to offer what he could, reminding her he’d only met Johnny once.
“Then just tell me what you know.”
Richard returned with a beer for Michael and a G & T for Michelle. He’d just set Michelle’s drink down beside her when his cell phone rang in the kitchen. He excused himself and scrambled across the room to catch the call before it was shunted to his voicemail. He hated calling his voicemail to retrieve messages.
“Hello,” he said without checking the number first.
“Dad, it was a woman.”
It was Tawnie.
“What was a woman?” He was still thinking about Michelle’s approach to helping Michael.
“The person who fell off the mountain. It was a woman. I’m reading it in the newspaper right now.”
“Oh?” Richard replied. Of course he suspected all along that it was a woman by the high-pitched scream, but neither he nor Tawnie had actually said it aloud until now.
“They said there was no foul play and they were still trying to identify who she was.”
“Um.…” He was distracted. Michelle continued to probe Michael for details about Johnny in the next room and he desperately wanted to hear what Michael had to say.
“Are you listening to me, Dad?”
“Yeah, yeah, sure. I’m listening.”
“It says that she had no identification and no cell phone. Doesn’t that sound odd to you?”
“Maybe so, but sometimes people don’t take their wallets and phone when they go hiking. They were probably both in her vehicle.”
Tawnie sighed into the phone, annoyed at her father.
“I’m sure that was her car in the parking lot we saw with the policeman standing next to it. They would have found her ID in the car. Why wasn’t she carrying her ID?”
“I don’t know,” he replied quickly. “Look, Tawnie. We’re, uh…kind of in the middle of something here right now.” He hated shrugging her off.
Richard heard Tawnie sigh again.
“It’s nothing to do with Michelle,” he added. “It’s your brother. Michael’s come home and he’s very upset right now.”
“Oh no. What’s happened?” Her voice rose in pitch. “I’m sorry for interrupting. Is he okay?”
He knew she was sincere. When it came to Michael, Tawnie would always part waters for her little brother.
“No, Tawnie. I don’t think he is. We just got back a while ago and we’re still trying to sort out what’s going on with him.”
Tawnie hesitated and Richard knew what she was going to say even before she said it.
“It’s not…uh…you know…the thing?”
“I don’t know,” he said. He hoped it wasn’t.
“Should I come down?”
“No, not yet. Let’s just leave it for now. I’ll call you back in a while once things settle down here and I really know what’s going on. I’m sure we’ll sort it o
ut.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes, Tawnie. I’m sure. I’ll call you in a while.”
“Okay, Dad. I love you.”
“I love you too,” he said. “And we’ll talk about that girl later as well.”
“And be sure to tell Michael I love him,” she added.
“I will, Tawnie.”
Richard hung up the phone. Tawnie always walked with both feet firmly planted on the ground whenever her younger brother was in distress. It was clear Michael was once again deep into something, and Tawnie was ready to help if needed.
He hated cutting her off, and he promised himself he’d follow up online about the girl that fell from the mountain before he called her back.
