The Bend

by Terri Tiffany

  That’s how he played his game best.

  CHAPTER 18

  They were standing in the middle of a family plot. Brother Earl’s to be exact and Seth was acting like Indiana Jones. Kate edged closer to read the dates engraved in the marble slab. “Looks like they died a long time ago.”

  Seth pointed to the dates next to the names. “On the same day.”

  “Couldn’t you have found that out in the records in town? Did we need to come all the way out here to see it for ourselves?” Her bad leg was throbbing from their trek through the overgrowth. Her hand stung where he’d grabbed it.

  Seth brushed past her. He peered at the words written out below the dates. “Let those who seek the truth find it. Let those who don’t, forever suffer.” He straightened his back. “Who puts words like that on their tombstone?”

  They were strange. Kate had requested a Bible verse for her parents’ stones.

  “Don’t you see what I see? They died on the same day. How often does that happen unless they were in a car accident or something?”

  Kate swallowed hard, remembering her parents’ death from the bombing. “It happens. Things like that happen.”

  He shot her a look. “Not in the Bend they don’t. One day they were here, the next day gone. I’ve heard different stories. They retired in Arizona. They died together and Earl didn’t want a fuss. They left and didn’t tell anyone.” He looked upward. Kate followed his gaze. A dark cloud covered the sun. It would be raining by the time they returned to town.

  “Don’t you find that strange?” Seth asked.

  She didn’t want to tell him that she found living strange. What could be more strange than having your family torn from you by a crazy bomber or seeing auras in photos around people meant to die? “I don’t know what you mean. What is it you’re looking for?”

  Seth let out a sigh. “Let’s go. There’s nothing more to see here.”

  His moods irked her. She gave one final glance to the well-maintained headstone and then clambered to follow him back to the Jeep.

  Like before, Seth spoke little on the return drive to the office. A fitful storm let loose by the time they reached the building so he let her off near her car. “See you tomorrow,” he said and peeled out onto the street.

  Early Saturday, the phone woke her. She recognized the number and held her breath. “Jackie? Is everything okay?” They hadn’t spoken since she begged her friend to take Trevor to the doctor’s.

  “Kate? I am so thankful you told me to get a second opinion. It’s cancer, Kate. Trevor has cancer.” Her voice broke.

  Kate sank back against her pillows. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t be. If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have found it. But it's treatable. Trevor will be fine. They said we caught it early enough to cure him. You don’t know how scared I was. I wish I could give you a big hug.”

  “Treatable? Oh, I don’t know what to say. I’m so relieved.” Kate threw back the covers, slapping her bare feet onto the cold floorboards. No one lived once she saw their aura. How could it be treatable? Had the doctors given Jackie false hope? Did that mean seeing the aura early meant hope?

  “Listen, I miss you like crazy and wish you were here. Any chance you’ll be coming home soon?”

  Home? Kate couldn’t remember calling any of her stopovers home. “Not yet. My aunt still needs me.”

  They talked for a few more minutes more. Finally, Jackie said she had a zillion errands to run now that Trevor would be spending so much time at the hospital.

  As soon as they hung up, Kate raced to her computer. She turned it on, opened her photo program. Where was it? Click. Click. There. Trevor’s smiling face stared up at her from the screen.

  With no glow. The photo showed only a happy player.

  She covered her mouth.

  Could it be? Was she losing her curse?

  She flipped through several past photos, the one taken of her neighbor who’d been diagnosed with a brain tumor right before she fled. The one of the man with cancer who won the award at the fair for his sheep last fall.

  Yes, the auras were all still there.

  Her fingers slid off the keyboard.

  She should have known not to get her hopes up. But yet, why Trevor? Had she looked at the photo and only imagined the faint glow? She’d been stressed about the reporter. Worried that the press had found her again. She tapped her fingers against her knee. A glitch. That’s all. A good glitch though. She needed to put her fears aside and concern herself with the present. That’s how she would survive. That’s how she always survived.

  Kate reached for her camera and plugged in the cable. She uploaded the pictures she’d taken the other day at Debbie’s house. Seth said he’d be writing the story when he had more information. What he’d write about, she didn’t know. That Brother Earl believed women should watch their own children? Stay at home and raise your own kids? Maybe a little old-fashioned but nothing criminal. Sometimes it seemed to Kate that Seth was intent on proving that Brother Earl was a bad guy when all he wanted to do was improve the community even though some of his ideas were archaic.

  She brought up her pictures, pleased with the one she’d taken of Seth crouched near Debbie. He photographed well. Then her gaze caught on a close-up of Debbie. The one where she was holding the photo of Buster.

  Kate sucked in her breath. No. She slammed the lid down and pushed off from her chair, pivoting in the tiny room. The aura. Would she ever be free from seeing it? And why poor Debbie?

  She’d visit Debbie later today. That’s what she would do. Maybe suggest that Debbie pose for a better picture. Get her to relax. Maybe then that stupid thing wouldn’t show up. Maybe Debbie’s anger caused it.

  A hot shower didn’t ease her fearful thoughts. She knew what the aura meant in the past. Any amount of reasoning on her part wouldn’t change that. But she still would go see Debbie. Maybe she could suggest she see a doctor based on her stress over her situation.

  Kate dressed in old jeans and a T-shirt, grabbed her gear and purse and headed to her car. When she caught sight of the spare still on it, she groaned. She’d need to stop at a tire place in town first before she ventured anywhere. Debbie would have to wait.

  CHAPTER 19

  A little action. That's what he needed. Weekends in the Bend reminded Seth of reruns on TV. Nothing new. Same old faces and places. Not even a good twist to rev up the plot. With few friends and no family in the area, his usual recourse was to fish or hole up in his place with a movie and pizza. This Saturday morning, he pulled on his clothing with different plans in mind.

  He was going hiking. Not just any hiking but hiking with a purpose.

  He’d stayed up last night researching the local topography. It appeared the land around Earl’s funeral home was privately held but not by the infamous funeral director. Shortly after Earl’s parents died—together—Seth still wanted to know how—Brother Earl sold a parcel of land for quite a sum to man from New Jersey.

  After a quick phone call, the owner gave Seth the go-ahead to hike his land.

  The only problem—Seth didn’t hike.

  He looked down at his sneakers, purchased over a month ago. He kicked them off and pulled on a pair of work boots he’d bought at a flea market on a whim instead. He also packed his backpack with a few essentials.

  Daisy rubbed up against his legs as he strode toward the door. “Not now, girl.” He gave her a gentle push, grabbed a hat and his keys. Already the sun made him squint. He should have gotten an earlier start but had gotten tangled in his research of Earl and his brother David. Seth wanted to know everything he could about that family before he slammed them on page one.

  After a few wrong turns, he finally parked his Jeep near the rundown cabin. The property was overgrown like the cemetery he’d visited but manageable. He hoisted his supplies onto his back, slung a pair of binoculars around his neck and took off.

  If Earl was hiding anything, he’d find it.

 
A hoard of questions peppered his brain.

  Why would Earl try to shut down every means of entertainment in the Bend? What was driving him to pressure women to leave their husbands and quit their jobs? He’d heard rumors about several incidences where wives had up and left with their children in tow, only to show up a few months later dressed in outdated garb, their hair grown long. Was Earl housing these women? When he tried to question a few, they turned mute. He’d tracked down their husbands but they had refused to speak to him, too.

  Was Earl brainwashing the women of the Bend?

  This time he’d printed off a better map than the one he used before. After dousing himself with bug spray, he headed toward the pines, clamoring along the faint path beneath his feet. Several times he tripped from jagged stones protruding from the dirt. Once he caught himself on a branch that claimed his hat. A few feet down the trail, he sloshed across a bubbling creek. The longer he walked, the more the ground rose. Soon the path inclined at a crazy angle making him rethink his plans. He pulled out a Tootsie Pop and shoved it between his lips.

  No turning back now.

  The last time he hiked anyplace, he’d been eleven. His older sister, Marie, and he had gone to this playground near their house. His mother worked that summer and his father was deployed overseas. So that left his sister to watch him. They’d packed peanut butter sandwiches, swung on the swings for five minutes and then she announced that she wanted to walk up the hill behind them.

  “It’ll take all day,” he said. Marie threw him one of her long-suffering looks before pulling on his arm.

  “Stop being a wimp. It won’t take long.”

  It had taken hours. By the time they reached the summit, it was almost dark. He could see the lights coming on in the houses and he was shivering from the cooler air. His smarty pants sister acted as though she was a queen surveying her kingdom until he told her that their mother would beat her butt if she didn’t get him down. She did but both ended up with no dinner and a mountain of chores to do the next day.

  His sister died when she turned eighteen. Why he thought about her as he pushed his way through brush made no sense to him. She’d run away from home when she turned seventeen. The man she lived with had promised her the world. Instead, she lost her life living like an animal in the hills of Kentucky. The police said she hadn’t eaten in weeks.

  She was also five months pregnant.

  CHAPTER 20

  The auto shop mechanic showed Kate where a roofing nail had punctured her tire. He applied a $22 fix to her original tire and asked for her number. She politely declined.

  Didn’t need to go there.

  She slipped into the Mom and Pop diner near the theater where she could have a good view of town. Famished, she ordered a ham and cheese omelet and home fries.

  “New here? I don’t think I’ve seen you before and I know everyone in the Bend.” A willowy waitress with the darkest hair Kate had ever seen slid her order in front of her. “I’m Becky Place.” Becky’s eyes were rimmed with black mascara and a hummingbird tattoo peeked from her neckline.

  “Kate Song. I just started at the paper.”

  Becky took the seat across from her. “Then you work with that cute reporter, Seth. I can’t seem to get him to even take notice of me. He’s a hard case for sure. What’s he like?” She propped her elbows beneath her chin as though Kate were going to tell her a long story.

  “Sorry. I hardly know him. He’s quiet. Say, maybe you know David Foreman. Can you tell me what he’s like?”

  Becky’s smile flattened. She glanced over her shoulder. “He’s one I tried to set my sights on but it went no place. He’s polite but I can’t get him to bite. I heard he moved away to college and returned about a year ago. An accountant or something.” She glanced to the street. “Speaking of the devil.” Her eyes flickered.

  Kate followed her gaze. David was striding across Main Street headed in their direction.

  ###

  “We meet again. May I?” He dropped across from her in the seat vacated by Becky and raised a finger toward the waitress. Becky set a cup of steaming coffee in front of him as though she did it every day. She shot Kate a pointed look from behind David’s back before shuffling over to the counter.

  “Running errands?” Kate asked, although she preferred to ask about his brother.

  “A few. And you? Isn’t it early for someone as attractive as you to be out and about?”

  She choked on her water. Attractive? No wonder Becky had set her sights on him. The man oozed personality.

  “Thank you but no.”

  His smile grew. Kate found herself staring into his dark brown eyes. What was his appeal? She hadn’t been this attracted to anyone in awhile. She pulled her gaze away.

  “It’s true you know. You’re going to have a line out the door of men wanting to ask you out. We don’t get that many pretty girls here in the Bend. For that matter, we don’t get that many outsiders. Kind of town where you’ve lived here all your life and everyone knows everyone.” He took a long sip of his coffee, keeping his sight fixed on her face.

  “Outsiders. Is that what you call me?”

  He had the grace to blush. “It’s a term. Nothing more.”

  “Is that how your brother feels as well?” She pushed her plate away, her appetite gone.

  He looked down. “So you’ve heard the nasty rumors. My brother means well. He just gets a little passionate about saving the town. I don’t always agree but that’s not new.”

  “Why doesn’t he run for mayor if he’s so adamant to prevent change?”

  “Have you met our mayor? He’ll die in the position. Earl can get more done with his rallies than the Mayor can in his entire term. But that’s not why I sat with you.” He reached across the space and grasped her hand in his. Kate inhaled.

  “Why did you sit with me?”

  “How else am I going to ask you out?” He squeezed gently. So gently she wondered if she’d imagined it.

  She swallowed and then glanced at Becky who swooped past with a tray. “I’d love to go out with you,” she said in a voice so unlike herself. It wasn’t until David promised to pick her up tomorrow for dinner that she found herself wondering why she’d agreed so quickly.

  CHAPTER 21

  Seth stopped to catch his breath. Would he ever get to the top? He’d been hiking for over an hour. Maybe longer. Why hadn’t he brought two bottles of water instead of one? He kicked a nearby tree, angry that he’d rushed out of his cabin so ill-prepared. First thing he’d do when he got back to town would buy a thermos. Who knew when he’d need one again? He pushed forward into a slight clearing. Finally, the top. He propped his backpack against a stump. Then he dropped to the ground himself, taking in the expansive view.

  The owner told him he would be able to see for miles once he gained the crest. He hadn’t lied. Squinting in the bright sunlight, Seth scanned the horizon to get his bearings. If his map was correct, due south would be Earl’s land. He put his binoculars to his eyes.

  Trees and more trees. A speck of white and then his gaze caught on something. What was that? He adjusted the lens. He should have brought a high powered telescope but lugging that all the way up here would have been a joke. Instead, he blinked and tried again.

  What were those buildings? Cabins? One, two, three… He stopped counting. From what he could tell, someone had built a regular village behind the main house. The trees blocked most of them but definitely there were cleared patches in front of each cabin. From this distance he couldn’t make out much more. Were they sheds for storage? Why so many?

  And were there people?

  His binoculars fell to his chest.

  Why did Earl need so many buildings behind a funeral home? What did it have to do with the Bend, if anything? Seth raised his binoculars again. He stumbled backward.

  Women. Women dressed in long garbs.

  His gut twisted.

  What were they doing on Earl’s property? He lowered the binocula
rs, and took a swig from his water bottle.

  The only way he’d find out what Earl was doing was to get closer.

  And the only way he’d manage that was by using Kate. She already had been invited to dinner once. With a little encouragement, maybe she could arrange a second visit.

  With him as her escort.

  CHAPTER 22

  Kate waved Becky over as she left the restaurant. The waitress dropped her stack of menus and met her at the exit. “I saw the way David looked at you. He’d be a real catch.”

  “I’m not looking for a catch. He’s an acquaintance. That’s all.”

  “Tell him that. Drop back in and let me know how it goes, okay?” She gave Kate a warm smile, patted her arm and left her at the door.

  Was she that transparent? Romance. Fat chance. She’d be more vigilant. Guard her emotions. Especially with David. Especially with him. One date. That would be all.

  She set off to her car, thoughts of Debbie prodding her.

  In no time at all, she pulled up in front of the yellow cottage, proud of finding it without getting lost or with Seth’s help. The place still looked deserted. She cut across the littered yard rethinking her decision to check on a woman she hardly knew.

  Buster’s picture intruded on her thoughts. She’d owned a dog, too. Sheena. When she died, Kate had died a little too. The least she could do was offer Debbie condolences again.

  She rapped her knuckles on the door. The latch popped free—swinging the door open. Kate stuck her head inside. “Debbie? Hello? It’s Kate from the paper.” She stepped over the threshold hoping she wouldn’t scare the poor woman.

  The living room was empty.

  Her gaze dropped to the chair where Debbie had interviewed with Seth. A light green sweater dangled from the arm.

  Stepping further into the room, she called again. “Hello?” No answer. A few more steps.

  A nasty odor rushed at her from the next room. She pinched her nose. Despite all her senses warning her to leave, she followed the smell into the kitchen.