Now You See Her

by Paul J. Teague

  It's Reece Norman. Please call back when you can. I got a letter. I don't want to tell Chief Tarrant.

  Cory called back immediately. There was no answer, so he left a message of his own.

  Hi, Reece, it's Cory Miles here. We'll be right there. It's just after midday when I'm leaving this message. See you shortly.

  As he ended the message, his phone buzzed again. Another missed voicemail. His phone was usually never that busy.

  Hello, Mr. Miles, it's Lauren Clinton, the principal at Mountain View Elementary here. It's nothing to worry about, but Zach has had an accident and we're unable to get hold of your wife. Please call us as soon as you can.

  ‘I've got to go,’ Cory said, putting his phone in his pocket. ‘I need to go to Westview to see my son. He's had an accident of some sort. You might want to go back to the office.’

  ‘I'll tag along, if I'm not in the way.’ Bianca replied. ‘I won't have anything to do in the office without you there. If that's okay?’

  ‘Yeah, sure,’ Cory said, leaving a ten-dollar bill on the counter. As they walked back to the office to pick up his car, he took out his phone again and let the school know he was on his way. He held his breath as he inserted the key. It wouldn't start. He tried again. Nothing.

  Cory could feel the tension rising through his body. He didn't want to curse with Bianca in the vehicle with him, but he was getting close to it. He tried it a third time and it fired into life. He started to breathe again.

  A little too fast, he reversed out of the parking space and was out on the road in no time at all. As he passed Reece's trailer and entered the shade of the woodland road, he remembered he'd told her they were on their way. She of all people would understand that he'd been called away on a child-related emergency.

  Cory hadn't realized how fast he was driving until Bianca spoke up just before the stretch of road that lead to Devil's Corner.

  ‘I don't want to be a backseat driver, but aren't you going a bit fast, bearing in mind where we are?’

  Cory's immediate reaction was to chew her out, but he stopped short. She was right, he was going far too fast for Devil's Corner, especially in the light of what he'd been saying to her earlier that day.

  ‘Yeah, I'm sorry, I didn't realize how wound up I was.’

  He braked gently and the car slowed to a more appropriate speed.

  ‘I used to do this drive to work every day; I've taken that corner from both directions hundreds of times. There's nothing intrinsically dangerous about it if you take it at the right speed. I, of all people, should know that.’

  ‘So, you haven't always lived in Shallow Falls?’

  There she was, asking her tight, laser-sharp questions again.

  ‘No, I used to commute here when… um… when my wife and I were together. She's a hot-shot lawyer in Westview; it's her money that bought the house. When she kicked me out, I had to find somewhere fast. It made sense to stay in Shallow Falls because I can save on gas. The housing is cheaper, too. I miss Zach, though…’

  Westview was ten miles away from Shallow Falls, an easy commute, though people were more inclined to say that in summer than during the winter months.

  Bianca didn't probe anymore and Cory was pleased for it. The less she knew of his struggling marriage, the better.

  Within twenty minutes, they'd arrived at Mountain View Elementary. Cory pulled into the small parking lot and spotted a vehicle in the visitors' parking.

  ‘Nadia's here already,’ he said.

  He could sense Bianca looking at him from the side.

  ‘Nadia's my wife,’ he explained.

  Cory parked the car, not bothering to lock it up, and Bianca followed him. They signed in at the reception area and rushed over to the principal's office. Cory tapped at the door and entered.

  Nadia was sitting in front of the principal's desk with Zach on her lap. He had a small bandage on his forehead and Nadia was stroking his hand to comfort him.

  ‘Zach,’ Cory said. ‘Are you okay? What happened?’

  ‘What happened is that I had to come out of court to get here, because you couldn't get your ass over here fast enough,’ Nadia seethed.

  Principal Clinton informed Cory that Zach had bumped his head on a desk as he'd gotten up from the floor after playing with building blocks. It had made a small gash in his forehead, and they were being cautious in case of a concussion.

  ‘Hey, Zachy,’ Cory said, kneeling down to kiss his son on the head and inspect the covered wound.

  ‘Hi, Dad,’ Zach replied, moving forward to put his arms around Cory. Bianca hovered at the door, unsure what to do with herself.

  ‘And who's this tagging along with you? Don't say you've found another woman already?’

  Nadia was on the offensive, taking Cory by surprise. He got that she was anxious, but it seemed out of place in the principal's office. He tried to stay calm.

  ‘This is Bianca Williams—she's doing an internship at the newspaper. I'm sorry, we were out on a job when you called.’

  ‘Well, you might have got here a bit quicker,’ Nadia continued. ‘You know how important this case is and it was a complete embarrassment to have to ask the judge for a temporary postponement…’

  ‘I'm sorry, I got here as soon as I could.’

  ‘You're always sorry about something.’

  Zach was cuddling into his mom, scared by the conversation they were having.

  Principal Clinton intervened.

  ‘Well, everything seems to be straightened out here. I suggest you get Zach checked out by your physician—I'm sure he'll be fine after a rest.’

  Cory and Nadia thanked her and left the office, making their way along the echoing corridor towards the reception area. Cory was regretting bringing Bianca along; she looked unsure what to do. He couldn't blame her, bearing in mind what she'd just witnessed.

  Fortunately, Zach saved the day, walking up to her and taking her hand.

  ‘Hi, I'm Zach. Who are you?’

  Cory observed that they had something in common—the ability to ask the correct blunt question at precisely the right time.

  As Zach showed Bianca his painting on a wall display, Cory ventured some advice to Nadia. He immediately regretted it.

  ‘You know, we ought to try and keep any tension between us away from Zach—and Principal Clinton, come to think of it.’

  ‘Don't tell me how to behave in front of my own child.’

  Nadia only ever got that way when she was stressed. He wanted to remind her Zach was our child, but thought better of it.

  ‘I need to be focused at work more than ever, Cory. Do you realize how stupid this makes me look?’

  ‘I got here as soon as I could.’

  ‘But it wasn't soon enough, was it, Cory?’

  ‘Sorry…’

  ‘I'm trying to get Zach ready for school in the mornings and I've got no help at all. And we stretched ourselves on the mortgage—you know that—and I'm struggling to do it on my own.’

  ‘Look, I'm sending over money regularly, but I have to have a place to stay.’

  ‘But that's not the point, is it, Cory? If you hadn't been so married to that damn job of yours, we might not be in the situation we're in…’

  ‘But you asked me to leave the house. I wanted to go to counseling….’

  ‘Mr. and Mrs. Miles.’

  The principal's voice boomed down the corridor. They stopped dead.

  ‘If you must discuss your marital difficulties in front of your child, then I suppose I can't stop you. But I would politely request that you take any arguments away from my school. Your shouting is disturbing the children in their classrooms and I won't have it. Leave now please, and only come back when you are capable of behaving like civilized human beings.’

  Chapter Thirteen

  ‘I'm so sorry you had to see that,’ Cory said to Bianca as they climbed back into his car. ‘It wasn't our finest moment.’

  Nadia was revving her car, clearly annoyed a
t the joint humiliation they'd just experienced in the school corridor at the hands of Principal Clinton. There would be no gold stars for the Miles family that week.

  ‘Make sure you're here to pick Zach up after school tomorrow,’ Nadia called across from her car, making no effort to conceal her anger. ‘You promised, remember? Try to get here on time if you can.’

  Cory tried to start up the engine, but it was having none of it. Nadia pulled out behind him and he gave Zach a friendly wave before her car disappeared down the road. Cory couldn't face the further embarrassment of a car that wouldn't play ball, so he waited until Nadia was off the scene. He tried again. Nothing.

  ‘Goddammit,’ he slammed his fist on the steering wheel. Bianca jumped at his side.

  ‘I'm sorry,’ he said. ‘This feels like the final straw. Getting a ringside seat on my marital problems is not what you signed up for with your internship. It's really unprofessional of me. I'll say it again: I apologize.’

  ‘It's fine, honestly,’ Bianca reassured him. ‘My mom and dad have fights all the time. I just figure it goes with married life. Zach's a lovely kid, though; you must miss him terribly.’

  She'd done it again, got directly to the heart of the issue without beating around the bush. That's exactly why he and Nadia were arguing so much. They both wanted the best for Zach, but they were both feeling the strain of being separated and he felt like a big failure, letting his son down.

  Principal Clinton was right: they'd have to do better. Zach didn't deserve to be exposed to all that tension. They'd need to work hard to keep him away from it. Cory resolved to speak to Nadia at the earliest opportunity, to see if they could cool things down a bit. Couples counseling would help, he was certain of that.

  Cory's phone buzzed and he checked its screen.

  ‘We said we'd go to Reece's; I forgot to let her know we'd been delayed. We'd better get over there. I'll speak to Nadia later and apologize to Principal Clinton, too. What a day.’

  Cory asked Bianca to open the hood release again. He climbed out, tapped the troublesome engine part, and got Bianca to start the engine. It fired up and he felt a massive sense of relief. That was another thing to add to his list—to head over to Kelsey Baker's junkyard and see if he could get a used part to fix the car.

  Cory was anxious to get to Reece's trailer, having learned through experience that contacts in news stories are best treated with respect. If he messed about and made her think he wasn't taking her seriously, she'd clam up on him.

  The drive back to Shallow Falls was uneventful. Cory noticed that the police tape had now been removed from the road along the falls. Presumably they'd moved on to other things. Perhaps the questioning of Xander had sent them off in a new direction.

  As he parked the car outside Reece's trailer, Cory could see that the accompanying police officer had changed once again, giving him a new gatekeeper to get past. He was helped by the fact that Toni and Megan rushed to the door when they saw Bianca was with him.

  ‘Can we play with Bianca, Mom?’ he heard them asking. There was a frosty reply from inside the trailer; a female officer by the name of Ambrose was guarding the door, the children at her side.

  ‘I'm sorry we took so long,’ Cory called through the door. ‘I got called away on a family emergency and I had to drop everything and go.’

  There was more mumbling from inside the trailer, then movement. Reece opened the door, staying behind Officer Ambrose for cover.

  Cory made an appeal to her more forgiving nature.

  ‘I'm sorry, Reece, it really was an emergency. The call came in just after you contacted me.’

  Reece looked at the girls, who were straining at the leash to go outside and play. They looked sick and tired of being holed up like that. Reece was pale and exhausted.

  ‘Off you go, girls—stay close to the trailer.’

  They were like greyhounds out of the gate.

  ‘Officer Ambrose, I'd appreciate it if I could have a few minutes on my own to talk to Mr. Miles, please.’

  Ambrose studied Reece's face as if making sure that was coming from her, then nodded reluctantly and stepped outside.

  ‘If you don't mind, I'm going to take ten minutes to pop back to the police station,’ she said. ‘There's something I need to attend to. Will you be here all that time, Mr. Miles? Are you happy for me to do that, Reece?’

  Both nodded and Ambrose walked over to her car.

  Cory guessed she was heading back to the station for a quick coffee and some banter with her colleagues. It must be an intense shift staying with the mother of a missing child; he wouldn't wish that situation on anyone.

  She turned toward him. ‘I've had a lifetime of being let down by dumbass men, Mr. Miles. Please don't become the next idiot on my list.’

  Cory closed the trailer door behind him, feeling as self-conscious as when he and Nadia had been scolded by Principal Clinton.

  Toni and Megan sounded like chirping birds just released from a cage, their childish joy a delight to hear.

  ‘What did you want to discuss with me?’ Cory asked, taking a seat at Reece's cue.

  She walked over to the kitchen counter and pulled out an envelope from under a pile of magazines, handing it to Cory.

  ‘It came with today's mail. It doesn't look like the usual bills and things. Wait until you see what's inside. I didn't want to show Officer Ambrose because…’

  ‘What?’ Cory asked, sensing her hesitation.

  She paused a moment longer.

  ‘Because I don't trust Chief Tarrant.’

  ‘Any reason?’

  ‘I just don't like the man. That's all. Don't ask me why. Besides, I told you what he did with the social services, reporting me for picking up the girls late at school. A man like that can't be trusted.’

  Cory took the single piece of letter-size paper out of the envelope, which had an address sticker on the front. It looked like it had been printed at home rather than the mass-produced labeling that might come with a bank statement or something similar. The note inside was typed out in capital letters.

  Take care Reece. I hope you see Poppy again.

  Cory read it aloud, remembering what Imogen had let slip about Reece's illiteracy.

  ‘I recognized my name and Poppy's,’ Reece said, ‘But I didn't quite catch the meaning. I didn't need to, I could see how it was written.’

  ‘Do you think it's threatening?’ Cory asked. ‘It could just be from a well-wisher.’

  ‘There isn't any signature on it, is there? I can tell that much. It's meant to threaten me, all right.’

  Cory felt ambivalent about the letter. It might just be some anonymous person in town wishing her well. They might struggle with literacy themselves, hence the brevity.

  ‘Is there anything going on which you haven't mentioned to the police? Are you holding back any information that they ought to know about? I'm wondering if you ought to have shown this to Officer Ambrose.’

  ‘I don't want Chief Tarrant knowing about it. I want my Poppy back more than anything in the world, but the police don't need to see this.’

  Cory decided to change the subject. The sound of Bianca and the girls playing moved to the back of the trailer, where he could hear a ball bouncing off the rear wall.

  ‘What do you know about Xander Griffen?’ he asked. ‘You're sort of neighbors. Do you know him well?’

  ‘He always seems like a shy boy to me. Never says much at all.’

  ‘Do you think he's responsible?’

  ‘I don't think he'd say boo to a goose. I know the folks around here think he's strange. They also think I'm some sort of tramp because three of my men upped and left me with the girls. Well, Poppy's father may yet show his face again, but it's not looking good.’

  ‘Who owns all this land on the edge of town, Reece? Your trailer has been here for years now and the ruins of the old house have never been bulldozed away. Is this your land?’

  ‘You've figured out I can't read properly,
yes? Well, the world can be a mighty confusing place if you can't make sense of words, Mr. Miles. Ma and Pa were talking to that Mr. Jones about the land when the house burned down--’

  ‘It killed both your parents, right?’

  ‘Yes, and my baby sister. Why else would I be living in this trailer with my three kids?’

  ‘Was that Spencer Jones, by the way?’

  ‘Yes, Mr. Spencer Jones. Spends most of the time drunk in Lacey's, as far as I can tell. Don't know what he was speaking to Ma and Pa about—it all went quiet after they died.’

  ‘So how do you get along, Reece? Without being able to read?’

  ‘The girls help me now. It gets easier as they get older. I've got something called dyslexia, according to my little sister, but she's not around anymore and I wouldn't know what to do about it. But I manage.’

  ‘Didn't Xander's parents die, too? Around the same time?’

  ‘Yes—well, within two months of each other. It's hardly a coincidence. Mine died in a tragic house fire due to an electrical fault. His came off the road at Devil's Corner. All I'd say is, don't buy a house next to me and Xander—it doesn't look like it's very lucky.’

  The conversation was interrupted by the sound of gunfire outside. It sounded close; not right next to the trailer, but over where the woodland began. There was a scream from outside, signalling that Toni and Megan were startled by the shot, which echoed around. Cory and Reece jumped up and ran to the trailer door, throwing it open, desperate to make sure nobody had been hurt. Bianca emerged from the back of the trailer, her arms around the two girls. Toni was crying, and Bianca looked rattled.

  ‘What happened? Did you see who it was?’ Cory asked, urgently.

  Bianca shook her head.

  Megan was pointing to the two cars which were parked outside the trailer—Cory's and Reece's. Two bloody crows’ corpses had been left on each hood, their flesh blown away by a shotgun.

  Chapter Fourteen