Not What She Seems

by Victorine E. Lieske

  “She’s not at work?” A sinking feeling started in the pit of his stomach.

  “No, she didn’t show up for her shift. It’s just not like her to be irresponsible. Since she doesn’t have a phone, I was wondering if you could run over to her apartment and make sure she’s all right.”

  “Sure, I’ll go right over there. Maybe she’s ill.”

  “Thank you.” The worry was obvious in her voice, and Steven wondered if she had the same sick feeling he had.

  “No problem.” He snapped his phone shut. With his heart in his throat, he sprinted to his truck. The engine turned over several times without starting. He pumped the gas and tried again. Reluctantly the vehicle sprang to life. It only took him five minutes to get to Pine Street, where he pulled into her parking lot. Her car was gone. He left the lights of his truck on, pointed right at her apartment window, as he ran down the stairs to the basement level.

  He knocked on her door, and rang the doorbell. “Emily?” When no one answered, he peered in the window to the living room. He realized he had never been inside her apartment. A few ragged pieces of furniture lay scattered about, but the walls were bare. He walked over to the bedroom window and looked in. The closet door stood open, revealing empty shelves. The bed was stripped down to the mattress. His throat tightened. She had packed up everything and left.

  ******

  Richard could tell something wasn’t right. Emily had been gone for almost six hours now, and her shift at the café started in less than ten minutes. He paced the floor and looked out of the window again. Swearing, he slammed his fist into the wall, punching a hole in the drywall. Sharp pain shot through his hand.

  She’d left him. He was sure of it. It was getting dark outside, but he didn’t turn on any lights. The darkness seemed somewhat comforting.

  He pulled a tattered suitcase from the closet and started throwing things into it. Remembering that he didn’t even have a vehicle to pack, he swore again. Tearing through the apartment, he soon had three large pieces of luggage stuffed full. He pushed them up against the wall below the window in the living room. The rest of their belongings were in boxes that hadn’t been unpacked for a long time. He piled those with the suitcases.

  A quick walk through of the place assured him he had left no trace of their ever having been there. Except for the hole in the wall, he thought frowning. He clenched and unclenched his right hand, letting the pain shoot up his arm. It almost made him feel better. Almost.

  A vehicle pulled into the parking lot, its lights making large white rectangles on the wall. For a split second Richard thought it might be Emily, but the engine was much too loud to be her car. When the lights did not go out right away, he backed up against the door and listened to the footsteps on the cement. A shadow passed by the window, and someone knocked on the door. The doorbell buzzed and Richard heard Steven call for Emily. He narrowed his eyes and didn’t move when he saw Steven’s shadow on the wall, with his arms forming triangles to the sides of his head as he peered in the window.

  Moments passed and he heard a car door slam and the truck pulled out of the parking lot leaving the apartment dark once more. So, she had left him too. A slow smile spread across his face. He knew how he would get her back.

  ******

  Pushing the speed limit a little, it only took him three minutes to get back to the Downtown Café. Steven ran inside as the feeling in his stomach worsened.

  Rose came up to him, her face white. “What happened?”

  “She’s gone,” he said, choking on the words. “Her car’s gone, and her apartment’s cleaned out. She left town.”

  “What? Why would she…?”

  “I don’t know.” He raked his hand through his hair. “She mentioned going to visit her aunt, but something tells me that’s not where she went. She left in too much of a hurry. It’s almost like someone was after her.”

  “Do you think she’s on the run from her ex-husband?” Seconds passed and the question hung in the air.

  “I can’t believe that she would do that,” he said, but even as the words escaped his lips, he knew that she would do anything to protect Connor. He sat down at the nearest table and put his head in his hands. That must be what happened. She must have left her abusive husband to protect Connor, and now he’s caught up with them. That made more sense than anything else.

  “I’ve got to get back to work, but I have a break in a few minutes. I’ll come over when I can.”

  “Thanks.” He didn’t bother to look up. What was he going to do? He couldn’t stop thinking about her kiss on his cheek, and the way she whispered goodbye. She had tears in her eyes. He knew it now. She was saying goodbye forever. She must have known her ex-husband was after her.

  His pulse raced as he tried to think of where she would go. Nothing came to his mind. He really didn’t know that much about her; she kept her past very guarded. But she did mention where her parents had lived, in Staplehurst, or Starleton, Minnesota. The Internet would tell him more. Maybe he could get some information about her if he went to her hometown. He had to do something. She could be in a lot of trouble.

  “Rose, I’ve got to go. I have an idea. I’ll call you when I get the chance.”

  “Okay, dear, you go and call me when you find out anything.”

  He gave her a quick hug, and then left the café feeling a little bit better. At least he had a lead.

  Powering up his laptop, Steven pulled a chair up to the desk. After waiting a few moments for the computer to load, he typed Minnesota towns in the search box. He knew it started with an S. When he saw Stapleton, he knew that was right. He looked it up on the map. Stapleton appeared to be a small town, located to the south of Minneapolis. A few phone calls later, and he had a flight scheduled.

  Steven spent the next few hours fretting about Emily. Maybe she knew that she would have to leave soon, and that’s why she had been acting strangely toward him. It was quite possible that she wanted to be with him, but kept herself guarded because she knew she was on the run. He held onto that possibility. Maybe she did have feelings for him.

  Even though his thoughts raced through his mind, he went to bed expecting to toss and turn all night. Fortunately, he fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

  The next morning Steven was on his way to Minnesota. Stapleton didn’t have an airport, so Steven flew into Minneapolis and rented a car. Thirty minutes later he was entering Emily’s hometown. It occurred to him that he really didn’t have a plan. What was he to do? Walk down the street and ask everyone if they knew an Emily Grant who used to live there?

  He slowed his rental car to a crawl, and tried to think as he drove down the downtown strip. Something caught his eye and he slammed on his brakes.

  The library. It stood on the corner, relatively large for the size of the town, and in gold lettering on the front of the building it read Grant Library.

  Steven parked his car and walked up to the library being careful not to slip on the icy walkway. Someone had scattered salt on it, but it looked like the ice was winning that war. The door was unlocked, and he breathed a sigh of relief as he entered and went up to the front desk. A young woman stood behind the counter, and she smiled at Steven as he came toward her.

  “Ma’am, I was hoping you could help me,” he said softly, even though there appeared to be no one else in the building. There was something inherently wrong with speaking in a normal voice in a library. “I am looking for information about a young woman who used to live here. Her name is Emily Grant.”

  “Is she related to Theodore Grant?”

  “I’m not sure. I was hoping you could tell me.”

  “Well, I moved here a couple of months ago, so I don’t know much about the Grant family. I know that Theodore Grant is quite wealthy. He owns a lot of this town, and he donated so much money to build this library that they named it after him.”

  “Well, that’s a start I guess,” he said. “Do you know anyone who has lived here for years and who pretty m
uch knows everyone?”

  “If I wanted town gossip, I would ask Edna. She owns the diner, two blocks north of here. It’s called Aunt Edna’s.”

  Steven almost kissed her. “Thank you very much!” he said, in a loud whisper. He ran out of the library, forgot about the ice and almost became intimate with the sidewalk. He caught his balance, and skidded over to this car. He was sure Aunt Edna was the person he needed.

  Chapter Eleven

  Aunt Edna’s turned out to be a bright little fifty’s style diner squeezed in-between a men’s clothing store and a barber shop. When Steven walked in the door, he was glad to see most of the breakfast crowd had left. The smell of bacon and eggs reminded him that he had not eaten since lunch yesterday, so he sat down at the counter and looked at the menu on the wall. A red haired, middle-aged woman came over to him and smiled.

  “What can I get for you, hon?” She peered at him over her half-spectacles.

  “I’ll have the bacon and egg breakfast platter,” he said, taking note that her nametag said ‘Aunt Edna’ on it.

  “How do you want your eggs, sweetie?”

  “Scrambled, please.”

  “It’ll be just a few minutes.” Her eyes gave him the once over, then she turned her back and pinned a note to the order wheel. After wiping the counter where a customer had just left, she came back over as if she couldn’t help herself. “Are you new in town?”

  “I’m actually here looking for some information. Did you know Emily Grant when she lived here?”

  Edna frowned, and she took another long look at Steven. “Who wants to know about Emily?” she asked, narrowing her eyes. Steven thought about telling her his name was Ethan, but decided that he would get more information if he was able to throw his name around a bit.

  “I’m Steven Ashton.”

  Her eyes widened a bit, and her eyebrows shot up. “Well, Steven, what in the world brings you here to Stapleton looking for information about Emily Grant?”

  “Well, it’s a bit of a personal matter. I would appreciate it if we were to keep this between ourselves,” he whispered, looking her over.

  “Now, who would believe me anyway?”

  He smiled, taking note that she didn’t actually promise not to say anything. “I met Emily a little over a week ago. We went out on several dates, and then she disappeared. I know she moved here when she was seventeen, and that she was married for a short while, but that’s about all I know about her past.”

  Edna frowned, and she leaned closer to Steven. “Emily’s in a lot of trouble. Are you sure you want to know?”

  Steven’s throat tightened. He nodded, “Yes, please, tell me what you know.”

  “Emily married William Grant six years ago. They lived right here in Stapleton. They seemed happy enough at first, but then she started turning up with bruises on her face. William Grant was the son of the wealthiest man in Stapleton, so everyone just looked the other way – until William was found murdered in his own home, and Emily had skipped town.”

  Steven’s heart sank. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Emily was involved in a murder?

  Edna kept speaking, her voice low. “You know, William was a jerk, but I never would have imagined Emily to be the type of person who would take a hammer to the back of his skull. I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this.” She patted his hand and then left him to take an order from another customer.

  His head reeled with this information. Emily could not have killed her husband in cold blood. She must have been defending herself against his blows. He could get her the best defense lawyer in the country, and she could come out of hiding. It must be so awful for her, living with this kind of guilt all these years. A wave of sadness washed over him, and he longed to hold her and tell her everything would be all right.

  He wanted to find out as much about the details surrounding William’s death as he could. There must have been something in the local newspaper about the incident when it happened. When had all this taken place?

  His eyes followed Edna as she waited on her other customer, and went to the kitchen to get his breakfast platter. She enjoyed her work. It was plain to see she liked to chat with the local people, and lit up when they complimented her. She seemed to know everyone. When she came over to him, he took another opportunity to ask her more questions.

  “Edna, could you tell me the date that William died? I would like to look up the article in the newspaper.”

  “Sure, I remember it happened five years ago, just a few days before the old library burned down. It was somewhere in the beginning of September.”

  “Thank you,” Steven said, “you’ve been a big help to me.”

  “No problem, hon. But I will warn you, folks around here aren’t too happy with Emily. The only person who defended her, besides her parents, couldn’t take the gossip and moved away soon after the whole thing happened.”

  “Who was that?”

  “Richard Hamilton, Emily’s high school boyfriend.”

  ******

  Emily glanced in her rear-view mirror for the tenth time as she left town. Richard wouldn’t suspect anything for a few hours, so she had a little time before he would get nervous. After he realized that she was gone, he would have to find another vehicle, which gave her even more time. She sighed, and wondered how long he would look for her before he gave up.

  He hadn’t always been like this. He’d actually been a decent guy in high school. The memories came back in a rush.

  “Emily, you’re going to be late for school.”

  “Mom, do I have to go? No one talks to me.” Emily frowned, her blond curly hair just touching her shoulders. Her long legs and braces made her feel awkward and insecure.

  “Yes, dear, you have to go to school.”

  “Why did we have to move here? I liked my old school,” she complained.

  “Look at the bright side. You only have two more years before you graduate.”

  “Wow, that does make me feel better.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s so cold here. I hate it. It’s not even Halloween yet and it’s freezing outside.”

  “I’m sorry dear, but we have to go where your father’s work takes him. Now, grab your lunch and hurry up. We don’t want to be late.”

  Emily picked up her lunch sack and sighed as she stepped outside. She could see her breath as she walked to the car, and she clutched her books close to her chest. Even with her heavy winter coat, she shivered.

  The warm high school didn’t do much to help her mood, as she walked down the hall and looked at all of the unfriendly faces. After two months of going to school here she still had not found anyone she could talk to. Everyone already knew each other, and they had no more room in their cliques for a new kid.

  She walked up to her locker, and turned the combination lock. The handle lifted, but the locker wouldn’t open. She tried the combination again, but the locker still wouldn’t open. Tears rolled down her face as she slammed her fist into the door.

  “Here, let me.” A tall boy reached out and fiddled with the handle. His long blond hair hung in his eyes, and he smiled a little as he got the door to open. “Sometimes these lockers stick. You have to wiggle the handle a bit.”

  “Thank you.” Emily wiped her tears away. She felt her cheeks burn hot.

  “No problem. I’m Richard.” He nodded a greeting and folded his muscular arms across his chest.

  “My name’s Emily. Emily Carrington.”

  “Well, I’ll see you later, Emily Carrington.” Richard gave her a little wave and started down the hall to his class. Emily watched him walk away, and thought that maybe this wouldn’t be such a bad day after all.

  Emily blinked back the tears as she remembered how Richard had been there for her when she needed a friend the most. He had saved her from feeling unaccepted and unwanted, made her feel worthwhile. Everyone called him her boyfriend, but that really wasn’t so. They were close, but no more than friends. Every time their relationship would start to get more
serious, he would push her away.

  His mother died when he was young, and he blamed himself. Home had been a place of terror for him. Emily almost got physically sick when he finally told her what happened to his mother.

  After high school they remained friends, getting together once or twice a month. That is, until she started dating William. She cringed, thinking about the day she had told Richard about him.

  The winter snow was coming down outside, as Emily and Richard sat in the kitchen. She made them some hot cocoa, and they watched the snow fall and played cards on the kitchen table.

  “I’m going to a party tonight, Richard,” Emily said.

  Richard raised his eyebrows and looked at her quizzically. “What party?”

  “There’s a party at the country club. William Grant asked me to go with him.” Emily watched his face, to see his reaction.

  Richard smirked, and folded his arms. “You don’t really want to spend time with those rich idiots, do you?”

  “It’s only a party.” Emily frowned. "Besides, isn't it hypocritical of you to call them rich idiots when your grandmother has all that money?"

  He ignored her question. The room stayed silent, and she started to fidget.

  “William Grant, huh?” Richard said, after a while. “Since when do you and William Grant hang out?”

  “We don’t hang out. He asked me to go to a party with him, that’s all.” Emily stood up and walked over to the window.

  “So why are you telling me this, Em? You want my permission to date William?” Richard stared at her.

  “No, I just thought…”

  Richard started shaking, and she realized he was laughing. “You go out with William Grant.” He wagged his finger as he spoke. “You get all dolled up and go to the country club. Rub elbows with the rich and famous. But remember, those people don’t really care about you. They’re just–”

  “No, stop. I don’t want to hear it anymore. I know how you feel.”