The Bend

by Terri Tiffany

  “Do you mind if I take your picture?” Kate directed Amy to sit and pose for several shots and then she wandered off to take pictures of the building, leaving him alone with Amy.

  “What brought you all the way from New York to a place like the Bend?” She pulled her chair closer. Deep, blue eyes.

  “My daddy used to fish along that river when he was a boy with his father. He always told me about this place. How special it was back then.” Her eyes took on a faraway look. “I always promised myself that someday I would visit. I did last year for a week. I fell in love with the area. Since then I have been working on finding the right building to start a business here.” She smiled and looked at him with raised brows. “Good enough reason?”

  Seth clicked off his recorder. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  “Why aren’t you sweet. Of course I do. I always do.” She leaned closer to inspect his face. “Looks like I need to give you lessons.”

  ###

  “Okay, Romeo, are we going back to the office or take a ride past Debbie’s? Neither of us checked on her yesterday.” Kate wrestled with her seat belt after they left the theater.

  “I was predisposed yesterday by going to the city for a new laptop. And if you recall, you were romancing Earl’s brother.” He shot her what he hoped was a pointed smirk.

  Her cheeks turned pink. “I wasn’t romancing him any more than you were that woman just now. I probably should have left you two alone.”

  Had he been that obvious? He was out of practice. Well, to be truthful he was never in practice. Something about Amy, though, hit him hard. Her looks? Her determination? He gripped the steering wheel with one hand and rammed the gear shift into drive. “We’re going to Debbie’s.” He turned left and drove over the river bridge in the direction they traveled the other day. His decision seemed to appease Kate because she strummed her fingers lightly on her knee as though plucking a tune.

  The back of his head still ached. A stop at Doc Brown’s might not be a bad idea, too. They could swing in on their way back.

  Debbie’s sunny cottage came into view. Or maybe that was a bad description. Especially after what they found.

  The first change he noticed as they approached was the car in the driveway. It was gone.

  “Where’s her car?” Kate pointed as he pulled into the empty driveway.

  “Stay here.” He got out of the Jeep and surveyed the ground in front of him. It hadn’t rained in a few days so the mud was dried and hard.

  “Are you Sherlock Holmes as well?” She stood next to him.

  “Didn’t I tell you to stay put?” He led them to the front door. Jiggled the knob. It wouldn’t budge. Someone had locked the house.

  “Maybe she came back, packed up and left again.”

  Her suggestions sounded plausible if it weren’t for the way they had seen her house before. No, he’d more likely think someone else returned to do a clean-up.

  “There’s nothing more we can do here. If we hang around, someone will catch us and turn us in for trespassing. I don’t know about you, but I like the fresh air.” He noted her sullen expression. “You don’t agree?”

  She nodded. “I do. It’s just hard to let it go. Something happened here and now we’re supposed to walk away?” Her eyes hardened. He should drag her back to the Jeep. But his head pounded and he had better things to do, like write his story rather than stand around debating the what ifs of nothing.

  He ground his jaw, stepped around her, and trekked toward his vehicle. Either she would come with him or walk back to town.

  She followed.

  Guess she wasn’t quite clueless.

  Once settled in the Jeep, he told her he wanted to stop at Doctor Brown’s before returning to the office. His news made her smile. “You’ve met him?”

  “He changed my flat tire this past week. He’s nice. I want to meet his wife.”

  She wanted to meet Mary. Now that would be a memorable moment.

  CHAPTER 31

  Seth could be such a mule at times. Kate nibbled on her bottom lip and watched the passing scenery. He’d taken to the new owner of the theater. Like a boy to a dog. Amy had seemed nice—almost too nice—to both of them. She hoped the woman realized how different life was in the Bend. It hadn’t taken Kate that many days to figure out that Brother Earl kept his fingers in everything. David had alluded to that last night, too.

  He told her he would call her later to arrange another date. Another date meant a future. Could she afford to do that here? Her forehead creased.

  “Good, he’s home.” Seth swerved into Doc’s driveway. His pickup was parked near the whitewashed barn.

  Doc answered the door immediately. He took one look at Seth’s face and whistled. “Get in here. I hope the other guy looks worse.” He clamped his hand on her shoulder. “Good to see you again so soon. Mary will be pleased she’ll have a chance to meet you.”

  “I was hoping she’d be home.” Kate gave a once-over to the old farm house as they passed through. It was neatly decorated and so clean it looked as though no one lived there. Doc led them to his office off to the right of the front room. This area looked a little more lived in. Stacks of paper lined the ancient oak desk. An examining table filled the rest of the area. Seth sat on the edge of it while she dropped into a nearby chair.

  “Tell me what happened.”

  Seth told him the truth. Someone broke into his house.

  Kate met his gaze. So he trusted the doctor.

  They spent the next fifteen minutes listening to Doc Brown spout off about what the world had come to. Thugs everywhere—for what—a computer? He clicked his tongue as he examined the bruise on Seth’s face and the lump on his head.

  “You’ll live. I’m going to give you something for the pain but take it only if you must.” He scribbled a prescription on a pad that he pulled from a nearby drawer. The inside of the drawer looked as jumbled as the top of his desk. Kate spotted a dozen pens, earplugs, and a gold ring.

  A gold ring?

  Both their backs were turned to her as Seth and Doc chatted about the upcoming fireman’s parade.

  She must know.

  She leaned to her right. If only she could see the front of the ring. She shot a sideways glance toward Doc. He was checking Seth’s shoulder now. Talking about fishing.

  She stretched one finger into the drawer—enough to flip the ring.

  Kate straightened like a rocket.

  Doc owned the exact same hawk ring as Brother Earl and the bowler. What did that mean?

  “So you must be our new neighbor. I’m Mary.”

  Kate’s gaze shot to the doorway.

  “I’ve been hoping to meet you.” A woman with powdery white hair pulled up into a bun extended her hand in greeting.

  She was dressed exactly like one of Brother Earl’s followers.

  ###

  Once they arrived back to the office, Seth typed his story. He told her it would be about the problems the Bend gave new businesses. How they were stopping progress with their stupid requirements. Kate plugged her camera into the computer. She hoped to be able to give Seth at least four good photos for the story.

  The pictures of the front portion of the theater came in nice and clear. No adjustments needed. The one with the workmen ripping out the chairs would work too. She clicked through a couple more and then came to the batch she’d taken of Amy.

  Her fingers froze. No. This couldn’t be happening. Again?

  What was wrong with the people in the Bend?

  A faint aura surrounded the new owner of the downtown theater.

  ###

  Fresh air, that’s what she needed. No, a fresh life. She pushed back from her desk. “I’m going over to the diner for something to eat. Do you want me to bring you back something?”

  Seth didn’t raise his head. “I’m good. You go. I’ll get something later.”

  She grabbed her purse. Almost ran to the front area where Rhonda was painting her nails f
or the third time that week.

  Two minutes later, she parked in front of the restaurant. Kate took several deep breaths. She needed to calm herself before she went in. Another deep breath. Why were all her pictures showing auras? Had her curse changed? Was everyone going to die here? No, that couldn’t be it. It had to mean something else. She wasn’t an expert on her curse. She could only go on what had occurred in the past.

  But this was the Bend.

  Nothing was normal here. Absolutely nothing.

  CHAPTER 32

  There were moments when the Trainer chose a different course. He didn’t mean for tragedy to happen to anyone. He tried to stick to his original plans. But sometimes plans didn’t always go their best way.

  Like today.

  If only she had listened to him. If only she had accepted the wisdom of his counsel. She was a strong-willed woman—the kind he admired. The kind he preferred. Yet those kind were also the most difficult to bend. Her will was exceptionally strong. So strong he had to break it another way.

  Permanently.

  Their offspring would have been so perfect. If he hadn’t upped the timing of his plan.

  He hammered the last nail in the coffin. Already the pungent odor of death seeped through the cracks. He’d have to hurry. Bury her before someone noticed. He washed his hands in a nearby bucket. Dried blood. Always hard to remove.

  Like his mother—she had fought at the bitter end. No, he didn’t like to go there. His father told him that sometimes force became a necessary option. He glanced down at his hands—still dripping with water and blood.

  He understood options.

  He glanced at the woman’s final resting place. He’d built this box out of oak. It would be heavy to move. Unlike the last one—pine. He’d wait until the cover of darkness.

  The Trainer gave a final kick to the box, sighed. Harlot.

  CHAPTER 33

  The cafe overflowed with customers. Kate slid into a booth in the far corner. After five minutes, a pretty waitress placed a well-worn menu in front of her. “We’re busy today. Give me ten and I’ll return for your order.”

  Kate studied the menu for only a moment. She already knew what she wanted. A huge burger, fries, and a chocolate shake. Comfort food.

  The waitress returned as promised, took her order, and left Kate to watch the other diners.

  A teen wearing a baseball cap sat at the counter. A worn-out mother with a crying child sulked in a corner booth. Two elderly women, dressed in long garb, talked at a nearby table while sipping soda from straws.

  She didn’t know anyone.

  They didn’t know her.

  That’s the way her life had mostly gone for her the past twenty years until Jackie.

  She scanned the area again. It would have been nice to run into Becky again. They seemed to have made a connection the other day. Hadn’t they? Becky was outgoing and determined. Like the new owner of the theater. Confident.

  Unlike herself.

  She considered that picture of Amy. The aura. It had been years since the bombing. Surely whatever happened to her brain would return to normal. Wouldn’t it?

  Then there was the doctor’s wife. Mary had been friendly, sending Kate away with another piece of apple pie after giving her a quick tour of their home. The neat den. The cozy kitchen. The good parlor. Kate couldn’t find a spec of dirt anywhere. Next she showed Kate the pictures. An entire wall covered with photos of children at various ages. Mary said she gave birth to ten children. Seven survived. She wanted more but her body didn’t.

  She had fingered each frame gently. Reverently.

  “Where are they now?” Kate asked.

  Mary dabbed her eyes with an embroidered handkerchief she pulled from her apron pocket. “They left the Bend.”

  She hadn’t known how to answer. So she hadn’t. She waited for Mary to compose herself, raise her chin and continue the tour. Like a trooper. A real, live trooper.

  Kate didn’t believe it though. Something seemed off.

  She drew in a mouthful of chocolate shake. All seven of Mary’s children had left the Bend. That in itself seemed unusual considering the large farm and history. Mary had stopped talking when Doc and Seth joined them. Lowered her head. Like she’d discovered a spec of dirt on the floor. Unlikely.

  “Can I get you anything else?” Her waitress swayed near her table.

  “Can you tell Becky I stopped by to see her?”

  The waitress’s smile slipped. “She don’t work here no more. Up and left a day or so ago and hasn’t showed up for any of her shifts.” She leaned down. “I think she ran away with a man. I don’t blame her. If there was some way for me to get out of this town, I’d run too.”

  Ran away? After the way she spoke about Seth and David?

  “Do you happen to know where she lives? Maybe I can stop by and leave a note.” Kate flashed a quick smile hoping the waitress thought she and Becky were more than acquaintances.

  The girl scribbled on the back of a blank check. “If you find her, tell her thanks a lot. She stuck me with the late shift.” She dropped the paper on the table.

  After Kate paid, she studied the directions to Becky’s house. Another place in the country. She checked her watch. Still time to run out and make it back to the office to finish her story.

  Fifteen minutes later, she pulled up in front of a rundown shack. A couple of bare-boned hounds sniffed the perimeter. A scruffy, yellow cat perched on the porch railing licking her paws.

  Kate considered honking her horn.

  Instead, she pulled out her phone to call Seth. He might be interested in knowing another woman in the Bend had left town suddenly. Her fingers hung over the pad. She put her phone away. He would tell her she was overreacting.

  With renewed determination, she left her car. “Here puppy, here puppy . . .” she called to the dogs. They ignored her and continued pushing their noses into the earth in pursuit of dinner. The porch floorboards were bare and groaned when she stepped on them. Someone had set up two folding chairs with a rusty table between them to her left. A wilted rose drooped in a cheap vase.

  She knocked on the door.

  She knocked again.

  The mangy cat circled her legs. Mewed up at her.

  She twisted the knob like Seth had Debbie’s.

  It didn’t budge.

  The windows. She took two steps, cupped her hands and peered inside. A couch. Outdated TV and a TV tray with a coffee mug. Becky was short on designing skills. And Kate was short on detective skills. Better to leave this sleuthing to Seth. She turned to leave.

  “Looking for someone?”

  Her heart shot to her throat. The guy from the bowling alley. Mole stood in front of her. Cradling a rifle.

  “Becky. We’re friends but I see she’s not here.” She nibbled on her bottom lip, hoping her voice sounded more confident than her legs did right then. What was he doing here? She grasped her hands behind her.

  Mole rubbed his scraggly chin with the back of his free hand. “She ain’t home. A little nosy aren’t you? Peeking in the window like some kind of pervert?” His voice held a sneer to it. His eyes flickered from right to left. He looked a lot uglier in daylight.

  “She didn’t show up for her shifts at the cafe. I was checking to be sure she was okay.”

  He spit a wad of brown goop into the dirt by the porch. “She’s fine. You aren’t.”

  Kate inhaled. “I’m glad she’s fine.” Sweat built beneath her pits. “Are you related?”

  Mole shifted his weight. Leaned against the porch rail. “Not sure that’s your business either. What you should be concerning yourself about is keeping your nose clean around the Bend.” He leered closer. “We don’t appreciate outsiders like you.” He nodded toward the locked door.

  “I was concerned. Now I have to get back to my office before they wonder about me.” She glanced at her car. Glanced back at him. Could she run faster? Did she want to find out?

  Mole motioned with his hea
d. “Be my guest. Just remember this conversation the next time you think about breaking and entering.”

  “I wasn’t—” She started to protest but changed her mind when he shifted his rifle. She nodded, and strode past the Mole with as much confidence as she could muster.

  That’s when she noticed the mailbox.

  Stuffed full.

  CHAPTER 34

  Seth had covered for Kate long enough. Tim wanted the theater story by the end of the day. He’d tried her cell but she didn’t pick up. What was up with that woman? She’d lose her job if she kept this act up. But then what did he care? She’d leave and he’d get the cover story on Earl. No competition.

  He popped another handful of pretzels into his mouth. Lunch. It would have to do since it was already late and he needed to finish.

  He moved over to her desk. She’d pulled up the photos before she left for lunch so it was only a matter of choosing what he needed and sending them to his computer. Fortunately, he knew the passwords to all the computers. A couple of clicks later and he found her folder.

  He scrolled down. Selected one he thought might bring life to the story. He opened her email and uploaded a few. He returned to the rest and continued his scrolling.

  Maybe he’d blow the one up of Amy in her pearls to twice its usual size. Tim wouldn’t mind. Might even increase their sales.

  “What are you doing on my computer?”

  Seth’s fingers froze. He spun around. The color had drained out of Kate’s face. He rose out of her chair and waved his hand. “It’s all yours. I was getting the pictures you should have given me by now. We have a deadline.”

  She dumped a bag of Tootsie Pops on his desk. “Lunch.”

  With one click, she shut her computer down. Faced him. “Becky’s missing, too.”

  “Becky who?”

  Her eyes widened with impatience. “The waitress at the cafe. She and I talked the other day. Today she wasn’t there. I got her address and ventured out to her place. She’s gone too. Like Debbie. Something’s going on in the Bend, Seth. Something strange with the women.”