Now You See Her

by Paul J. Teague

  As he sped up to a steady pace, Cory thought through the events of the night before. If Reece Norman had gotten lucky, Poppy would have turned up overnight while they were all sleeping, and it would all be over by now. That outcome was unlikely; the town had been searched thoroughly the night before, so it was looking increasingly as if she'd wandered off somewhere more remote or dangerous. Or perhaps she had been taken.

  Cory felt a surge of panic wash over him as he thought of his own son disappearing like that. It was difficult enough being separated from his son and knowing that he was safe, but he couldn’t imagine how frantic Reece Norman must be.

  Now he was reaching the outer edges of the town, where the houses became less frequent and the plots of land bigger, until they were replaced by woodland. He ran by the Griffens’ large house and noticed up close how worn it was. The paint was flaking on the window frames, the wooden walls looked thirsty and dry, and there were tiles missing on the roof. It was some time since he'd seen Xander in the main street. He wondered if he was all right.

  After Xander's house, he was at Reece Norman's plot. The ruins of the burned house were still there. They'd never been cleared, serving as a constant reminder of the tragedy that had occurred there. Reece and her children had taken refuge in the trailer on the land to the side of where the house had been, and—for whatever reason—she'd never moved on.

  The plot looked like wasteland now. Some effort had been made as part of the fire investigation to clear the debris into charred piles, but they'd never been moved. The roof had completely collapsed and the walls were all but leveled, yet the front door frame had stayed in place, oddly defiant against the ravages of the flames.

  Poor Reece, what a life she'd had.

  The trailer was heavily rusted, having seen much better days. Another police car had replaced the one that was there the previous night. The other officers might have finished their shifts, but there would be no clocking off for Reece Norman, not until Poppy was found.

  There was no yard, as such, but old, rusting toys littered the area immediately around the trailer. A small red kite, weighed down by half a burned brick, had been left by the steps up to the main door. Cory had never really looked at the plot before, other than to notice the ugliness of the burned ruins. As he ran by, he noticed how far the land went back before Reece's plot ended and the woodland began.

  As he jogged past the trailer, he made sure to look straight ahead, hoping that he wouldn't be spotted if Reece was looking out one of the windows. He'd be back later, accompanied by Bianca, this time on official newspaper business.

  He was into woodland now, the overarching branches creating an umbrella from the sunshine. There was a scent of dampness from the leaves and pine needles which hadn't yet dried off after the rain. The road to Shallow Falls was undulating; he didn't particularly notice in a car, but on foot he could feel the stinging in his calf muscles, and it was harder to breathe. The birdsong and stillness of the morning air invigorated him. However terrible the events of the day before, nature had done what it always does by getting up early the next morning and carrying on as normal.

  As Cory neared Devil's Corner, he heard the first car engine of the day. Soon that road would be busy with commuters, but it was usually clear before seven o' clock. He looked behind him, trying to track which direction the vehicle was coming in, but he couldn't work it out. He switched to the other side of the road, thinking it was better to face the car from the direction it was approaching.

  He passed some bedraggled plastic flowers, all that was remaining of a makeshift shrine to the last person who'd died on that treacherous corner. There were warning signs in both directions, but the small stretch of road leading to the falls had been called Devil's Corner for as long as anybody could remember. Town legend said it had claimed more lives over the years than anything else in Shallow Falls. It was a corner that Cory treated with the utmost respect, as a sailor does the sea when heading out on a fishing trip.

  As he began to run around the outside edge of the curved road, he heard the heavy revving of a car behind him and cursed that he'd opted for the wrong side of the road. The car was upon him in moments, like a wolf leaping out from the darkness. The sturdy black SUV approached the corner too fast, forcing the driver to go wide and directly into Cory's path.

  The driver sounded the horn and Cory leapt out of the way, just in time to avoid being clipped by the vehicle's enormous bumpers. He fell to the ground hard, adrenaline pumping like a high-powered hose. The car screeched to a halt a few yards ahead.

  Cory began to push himself off the ground, aware of pine needles sticking to his palms and small grazes on his knees.

  ‘What the hell do you think you're doing, running like that out here?’

  It was Chief Tarrant, and he was livid. He wasn't the only one.

  ‘Thanks for the apology,’ Cory said, immediately thinking better of it. ‘Do you always drive round Devil's Corner at that speed?’

  ‘If you're running in the woods, you should at least be wearing some reflective clothing,’ the chief yelled at him. ‘I could have mowed you down just then—you might have ended up in a wheelchair, brain damaged, or even killed.’

  There was something about the way Chief Tarrant reeled off the list of possible outcomes that made Cory feel like it was more of a threat than an itinerary of health and safety hazards. He decided to back down and let the chief win this one.

  ‘You're right. Sorry, Chief—I should be wearing more suitable clothing. I only just switched my route at the last minute; I hadn't intended coming out this way.’

  Tarrant's eyes narrowed and he studied Cory's face. Figuring he was being weighed up, Cory kept his expression straight.

  ‘What are you doing out here, anyway? You must know we're looking for that little girl.’

  ‘Any sign of her yet?’ Cory asked. He wasn't going to let a near miss prevent him from doing a little fishing.

  ‘No sign,’ Tarrant replied, moving back to police chief mode and casting aside his angry dad persona. ‘Just heading back now to get ready for this morning's briefing. If you've any sense, you'll head back yourself—it might be safer that way.’

  Cory considered for a moment mentioning his broken window to Tarrant, but thought better of it. This didn't feel like the time for it. Instead, he waited for the chief to get back in his car and started to jog the same way he was heading, back into town.

  As soon as Tarrant was far enough away, Cory turned around and headed back to the falls. He didn't particularly care about Tarrant's advice, and there was someone he wanted to talk to on duty out there. They'd already exchanged texts that morning, and he'd get more useful information out of her than he ever would the police chief.

  Chapter Nine

  Bianca was looking out her living room window when Cory pulled up. Within seconds, she was at the front door, calling to somebody else in the house then bounding towards the vehicle, her enthusiasm seemingly undampened by the events of the day before.

  ‘I thought you might like to keep the engine running, bearing in mind the problems you've been having,’ she said with a smile.

  ‘Good call,’ he replied. ‘It wouldn't start again this morning. I absolutely must get over to the junkyard and get hold of a spare part, or I'm going to end up stranded one of these days.’

  ‘So, what's changed overnight?’ Bianca asked, getting straight down to business. Cory liked that she wasn't so much into chit-chat. Her mind always seemed to be on the job.

  ‘Poppy's still missing. I went for a jog up to Shallow Falls early this morning to speak to a friend of mine who was out there on duty: Louise—Officer Louise Powell. They've been searching the falls since daylight, but there's no sign of her. Tarrant is briefing his team at nine o'clock. Hopefully, he'll call a press conference today and bring it all together… that's if he doesn't kill me first.’

  ‘What?’ Bianca asked.

  ‘Nothing, ignore me,’ Cory answered. ‘Are you up for
a visit to Reece Norman? It's going to be difficult, but we need to do it. You know her already, you said?’

  ‘Only in passing,’ Bianca replied. ‘We're not best friends or anything like that.’

  They wouldn't need to be. A familiar face for Reece might be just what was needed for Cory to get inside the trailer and start asking questions. It was time to dig a little deeper into the news story; bricks were not in the habit of hurling themselves at windows.

  Cory drove slowly through the town, considering what he was going to say to Reece when they knocked at her door. She'd have a police officer present at all times, updating her with developments in the search—that could be tricky.

  They reached the edge of town and arrived at Reece's trailer. Cory pulled the car off the road, looking for signs of life. It looked just as it had when he'd jogged past for the second time that morning, returning from his off-the-record chat with Louise. She'd been pleased to see him and thankfully unconcerned about the sweat dripping from his forehead or the patches of sweat around his pits and soaking his back. He'd certainly looked better, but that didn't seem to bother Louise.

  ‘Okay, gently does it,’ Cory said. ‘Follow my lead and let's see if she'll speak to us.’

  They walked up to the trailer, where they could hear subdued voices coming from inside. A child was singing. Cory put his foot on the flimsy metal step beneath the front door and tapped gently, not wanting to alarm anybody inside. The mumbles of conversation stopped and movement could be heard. Cory hoped Reece would answer.

  The door opened. ‘Can I help you?’

  Unfortunately, it was the police officer, a kind-looking woman who he hadn't seen before. She looked relieved to have escaped the intensity inside the trailer; the air from outside seemed to lift her instantly.

  ‘I'm Cory Miles from the Tribune. I wondered… could I have a word with Reece?’

  One of Reece's children came to the door to see what was going on.

  ‘I'm sorry, Mr. Miles—I don't think it's appropriate at this time.’

  ‘Mom! It's that nice lady from the store.’

  Cory heard a shuffling from inside the trailer, and the entire structure vibrated as somebody came to the door. It was Reece. She looked like she hadn't slept all night, her eyes red from tears or tiredness—probably both. She wore stretched gray jogging pants and a faded t-shirt which at one time had displayed a logo.

  ‘Hi, Reece, I'm so sorry to hear about Poppy,’ Bianca began. ‘Is there anything I can do to help? Would the girls like to come out and play with me for a while?’

  Cory watched the look of relief on Reece's face.

  ‘That would be lovely. I'm sorry, we only know you as the lady from the store.’

  ‘Bianca,’ she replied.

  The two girls were now eagerly waiting at the trailer door, like energetic dogs anxious to be let off the leash.

  ‘Stay close, please,’ Reece said, ‘Stay where I can hear you, Bianca.’

  The police officer looked like she'd swallowed a bee, but she followed Reece's lead. They all looked like they were walking out of a sauna after being locked in overnight, taking in grateful gasps of air. Megan and Toni ran down the steps onto the sparse grass and Bianca took them off to play.

  ‘What did you say your name was?’ Reece asked.

  ‘Cory. Cory Miles from The Shallow Falls Tribune. We'd like to help get the word out about Poppy. If there's anything we can do…’

  ‘Be careful of the press,’ the officer cautioned, but Reece cut her off.

  ‘The police haven't found my baby yet, Officer Philpot. I'm sure the local paper can't do much worse.’

  The officer was immediately chastened. Reece beckoned Cory to come in.

  ‘If you don't mind, I'll get some air for a few moments,’ Officer Philpot said. ‘I'll keep an eye on the kids, too.’

  She took Reece’s silence as acquiescence.

  ‘Reece is under enormous stress,’ Cory whispered to the officer. ‘She doesn't mean it.’

  He guessed Officer Philpot was used to being chewed out by anxious parents, but he didn't want her to think he was gloating at her discomfort.

  As soon as Cory sat down, Reece began to sob. He gave her a moment before asking any questions. The trailer was a mess, with cheap kids' toys strewn all over the floor. Coffee cups had been left on all the surfaces and the smell of cheap instant permeated the living room. Three discarded noodle containers had been left, half-eaten, on the kitchen counter. He’d have expected nothing less, with one of Reece's children missing.

  ‘I'm going out of my mind,’ she said without warning. ‘There's nobody to look after the kids. I want to be out there looking for Poppy, but all I’m allowed to do is sit here with the officers, just waiting for news. I'm going mad in here.’

  ‘Do you have any family nearby?’

  ‘No, none. You've seen the house, haven't you? That's where my family went. I'm on my own.’

  Cory considered for a moment probing the issue of the girls' fathers. He'd heard the mutterings from the local townsfolk the night before, and it would be useful to know. But he decided not to push his luck too early; instead he paused, waiting for her to pick up the conversation. Years of reporting work had taught him that silences are generally filled if you waited long enough. He noticed a bottle of prescription antidepressants placed on a shelf out of reach of the kids. Were they new, or had she been on them before Poppy disappeared?

  ‘She's almost completely deaf, you know,’ Reece picked up. ‘Poor little thing, she lives in a world of her own most of the time. She must be wondering what's happening.’

  Reece's eyes began to well up once again. Cory wondered if it was possible to run out of tears where a child's safety was concerned.

  ‘I spoke to Chief Tarrant early this morning…’

  ‘Don't you mention that man to me.’

  Reece's tone turned instantly to scorn and her eyes blazed with fury.

  Cory stayed quiet while she filled in the gaps. Just outside the window, he could hear Bianca playing a catch game with the kids. She'd already proved herself to be worth more than her weight in gold.

  ‘That bastard called Child Protective Services on me. I love my kids—don't ever let anybody tell you otherwise. Just because I was late to pick them up from school…’

  Cory needed to play things cautiously and avoid the possibility of spooking Reece.

  ‘What happened?’ he asked. Had Chief Tarrant had concerns before?

  ‘All three girls went missing. Only for twenty minutes. I was delayed at my job, so they started walking home on their own. He thinks I'm some sort of unfit mother. Well, you try bringing up three girls on your own in a trailer like this, with no sight or sound or support from their fathers.’

  At the sound of Reece raising her voice, Officer Philpot tapped on the door to check in on them.

  ‘Everything all right in here?’

  Reece nodded and indicated that she should leave them.

  ‘It's part of his job,’ Cory ventured. ‘I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it. They have to get the CPS involved if they're concerned about the children.’

  She paused for a moment and walked over to look at the girls playing outside.

  ‘Look at them,’ she said, ‘They haven't got a clue what's going on. They think Poppy will just turn up like she's been away on some playdate. But they don't know the truth, do they, Mr. Miles? I've seen it on the television enough times. If they don't find a missing person within twenty-four hours, the chances are that when they do find them, they'll be dead.’

  Chapter Ten

  Cory and Bianca drove back to the newspaper office in silence. Cory needed some time to process what had just played out in Reece's trailer, and he was pretty sure his companion was thinking it all over, too. One thing had surprised him about Reece Norman, in spite of everything the townsfolk had been muttering about her. He liked her and thought she was doing a good job in very difficult circumstances. From what oth
er people had said, he'd expected some kind of monster. Reece Norman was anything but that.

  Bianca was studying the photographs of Poppy, turning them over and over in her hands, not venturing a word.

  ‘What did you make of Reece?’ Cory asked, deciding at last that it was time to share their notes.

  ‘The girls are lovely,’ Bianca replied, laying the photographs flat on her lap. Unusually, Reece had managed to lay her hands on printed images, which she'd removed from frames for them. Cory was more used to digital images being emailed. He'd noticed that they were all school photos. Reece's cell phone was a basic pay-as-you-go model; she probably didn't take many photos on that.

  ‘I think Reece hasn't told them the full truth about Poppy. They've been told she's gone away on a special visit and that she'll be back soon. Kids know the truth, though. The first thing Megan said when we went outside to play was Has that man come to tell Mom that Poppy's dead?’

  Cory swallowed hard.

  ‘I think she's under tremendous pressure,’ he began. ‘I don't know how she's holding it together. She told me that if she can't get to work this week, she'll lose her job at the gas station. She's already behind on her electric and can't afford to refill the propane tank when it runs out. I can't imagine what it's like for her.’

  They drove in silence for a minute while they mulled over that information.

  ‘So, she's officially a missing person now?’ Bianca said, after the silence had started to feel uncomfortable.

  ‘Yes. It's a whole different ball game now. A lost child is a slightly more relaxed affair; now that she's officially missing, the investigation gets stepped up.’

  ‘Do you think we should make some posters with these photos?’ Bianca asked. ‘Will the police do it?’

  ‘Tarrant has already got that school picture out on social media—as has the paper—and I want to get these scanned and in our system right away. It may take a day or two to get the posters out, depending on how fast people get their acts together. It can't hurt if you want to stick up a few posters in town—it might jog some memories.’