Hazy View: Souls of the Vanished

by Ink Blood

Frank headed for the door.

  “You’re riding with me, it’s the fastest vehicle we have. My men will follow us.”

  Andrew followed Frank out of the office. A group of officers were getting ready to leave.

  Frank turned to his men. “Are you ready to leave? Try to keep up.”

  Andrew hurried to the sheriff’s vehicle in the parking lot with the case files and forensics reports in hand. Frank started the journey slow. At first Andrew was under the impression that he didn’t want to race through town, causing a scene. Once they reached open road, the speed only increased by a few miles per hour. Andrew felt nervous and the stress mounted.

  “At this pace we’ll never get there.” Andrew remarked and leaned over to view the speedometer.

  “What’s the rush? He’s already been here for a week he doesn’t expect you or any of us to show up. Why would he flee?”

  “I’ve got this feeling from early this morning. I need to get to Martin before it’s too late. I can’t shake it. Haven’t you ever gotten such a gut feeling that you just know something’s wrong?” Andrew steered a conversation to get his mind off the speed.

  “Can’t say that I have, very little ever goes wrong here.”

  “It’s the same in Hazy View, although it’s smaller than your town. I just don’t know what to make of this feeling, maybe its excitement or simply nerves. Martin and I were the closest of friends. I think it’s just that playing on me. But I’ll feel better if I get to see him.”

  “My men went out there last night and this morning. They saw his vehicle parked outside the house and there were lights on in the house. He’s still there.”

  Andrew shuffled nervously in his seat.

  “Maybe he saw your vehicles and noticed something’s wrong, something unusual. But I can feel, no, I know something’s wrong.” Andrew continued insistently.

  Andrew glared out of the windshield, his eyes burned with the sun shimmering off the tarmac. He didn’t want to miss anything should Martin came driving past.

  The windscreen spotted with small insects that had met an untimely death. A thin strip appeared along the windscreen as the wipers tried to sweep them away, leaving only a clearly noticeable oily, slimy drag mark behind. Water cleared the distraction until yet another bug splat against the glass.

  “What’s it with these dammed bugs?” Frank remarked and sprayed more water. Let it soak and wiped the windscreen a few times.

  Andrew smiled and unwinds the window halfway letting in a cool refreshing wind. He took out his cigarette and offered one to Frank.

  “Not for me thanks, but I think it would calm your nerves.”

  “My nerves will calm when I’ve got Martin in custody.”

  Frank turned off the interstate and continued south toward farms on the banks of a river. The vehicles following looked like a long train as they followed closely and kept up to the sheriff’s vehicle.

  On the one side of the road planted fields stretched for miles. The plants were still too small to identify them. On the other side green grass fields gave lush feeding for a herd of about two hundred cattle, grazing lazily with the sun beat down on them.

  Andrew expected the trip to Martin’s farm to be quicker than this, considering that the sheriff’s vehicle was the fastest as he had claimed. Now he wasn’t so sure. He recognized most of the way, but the crops soon confused him, looking different from the last time he had been here. If he had made the trip himself he would’ve taken a wrong turn. It would surely have taken more time.

  On this almost deserted road the convoy of vehicle advanced with no traffic to slow them down yet they’re still moving to slow for Andrew. He glanced at the speedometer again.

  They were clocking sixty-eight miles an hour. They could go faster.

  The tarmac ended and a dirt road snaked through more crops and grazing fields. He was more eager, getting more nervous. Clearly the trip was taking too long. ‘Martin left and was miles away. Maybe he knows that I’ve arrived in town. He could have friends in the sheriff’s office. He could’ve seen us. It could’ve scared him and now he’s miles away.’ Thoughts started to race through Andrews mind.

  Every time he tried to convince Frank to put a little pressure on the gas he blew him off. Still there was little or no traffic on the roads.

  “Are you sure your men can keep up?” Andrew said sarcastically and dumped his cigarette bud out of the window.

  “It’s not that I don’t want to go faster, but his bucket of bolts can’t.” Frank finally admitted.

  “What if Martin’s gone?”

  “His not, he has no reason to leave.”

  A sudden and overwhelming thought ripped through Andrew’s mind. The thought chilled him to the bone. “It could happen eventually, when the alcohol breaks him completely or he goes insane past the point of return then he could do it.” Andrew thought out loud. “What if Martin has ended it and all we find is a body a few days old? You said there was a vehicle and lights burning, it could be he’s dead.”

  “He didn’t.” Frank said.

  “How would you know? Nobody will hear a gunshot so far in the middle of nowhere. Nobody goes out there. Who’s to say he didn’t hang himself or slit his wrists?”

  “If he wanted to kill himself he would’ve done it way back when he started to unravel.” Frank assured.

  Frank didn’t know Martin but he was right. “Martin’s not a weak man, nor is he the person to take a quick exit. He’s not a coward. However he did kill two people. He killed his own flesh and blood. Nobody thought he would do that. No one knows what he would do next. He had become completely someone else. He didn’t sound, act or behaved like the Martin I’ve know most of his life. He had become completely unpredictable. I know something’s wrong if we can just get there. How far do we still have to go?” Andrew started nagging again.

  “We’re close. We’ll be there sooner than you think.” Frank assured.

  *~*~*

  *III*

  By the time the large oak trees appeared Andrew’s nerves were dangling by a thread. A small dirt road snaked through deserted lands to where a house stood some distance away. The land hadn’t seen crops for some time and no cattle grazed in the weed invested overgrown fields.

  The house was in serious need of maintenance and the lawn around it long, thick and overgrown. More oak trees stood watch around the house. The house seemed deserted. All the curtains, doors and windows closed. There was no vehicle in the front yard.

  Andrew got out of Franks vehicle and joined the men gathered on the front lawn. Martin managed to slip through his fingers again. Andrew suggested some of the officers search the area following as many small roads as possible between the house and the town. Martin would need gas and other supplies. The sheriff had called neighboring towns and told them of the vehicle description and asked to detain and notify only. Hopefully they’d find Martin before he got too far.

  “Sheriff Foster. I’m truly sorry. If we got out here sooner we could’ve captured him.” Frank apologized.

  “Don’t sweat it. I think he had already left before we even received the fax.” Andrew assured deeply disappointed.

  “We will find him. I can promise you that. All the sheriffs of the towns work together very closely. It’s just a matter of time.”

  “Yes, oh yes we will.”

  “Let’s look around, we can find a way into the house. Maybe he left something behind that might give us a clue to where he would’ve gone to. You know maybe he just gone to town. I’m sure if he’s not expecting anyone to come here he’s more at ease.”

  “No. He wouldn’t chance it. He didn’t even leave the house for alcohol. He ordered everything as deliveries. No, something spooked him and he ran.”

  Andrew passed by the side of the house, testing each window he passed. All of them properly secured. He tried to peep into the windows without success. At some places he fought his way through overgrown shrubs and stepped deep into dead flower beds. He looked at u
pstairs windows but none were even the slightest open.

  He neared the corner. A soft cursing met him before he turned into the backyard. He paused, everyone paused.

  Andrew turned to Frank following close on his heels. “I think your men might have found a way in. I can hear them.”

  He turned the corner. Andrew froze for a moment surprise had rendered him motionless.

  *~*~*

  *IV*

  Martin was pacing. The darkness had pinned him down. He stopped to rethink his position. He needed to repair the damage to his vehicle although he couldn’t see what the problem was. He checked everything, tested and tried again. The engine wouldn’t fire. The vehicle had purred like a kitten earlier but now hours had passed and he hadn’t made any progress.

  He stepped out of the shaded comfort into the bright sunlight. The darkness didn’t scare him now, the sun was too bright. The darkness did what it could. It moved in unnoticed and snuffed the life out of the engine.

  He cursed softly.

  He paused, stood silent and listened hard.

  He could hear something behind him. Someone was stalking him, creeping in on him.

  He whirled around.

  He had misjudged the direction of the sound.

  A twig cracked.

  Dead leaves crushed as footsteps drew near.

  Martin saw nothing behind him. The noise came from next to him.

  He turned, he looked, and he froze.

  He could hear something, someone was talking to him. He felt dizzy, weak and deafened. He was about to pass out.

  He sunk to his knees. His hearing returned slowly, blood started to circulate. He still couldn’t get up.

  He heard the voice again.

  “Martin Parker, you’re under arrest for the murder of Janet and Christopher Parker.”

  He looked up. He couldn’t speak or think straight. The one person, that one thing he hadn’t feared now stood in front of him.

  *~*~*

  *V*

  The backyard to the old Holloway farm was just as overgrown as the front. It’s large and wide spread trees gave just the right amount of shade from those hot summer barbeques. In the center was a pool long dry and cracked. It was easy to imagine how beautiful this property would’ve been, if kept to a least a decent standard. There’s enough room to stretch out. Children could play ball games without breaking every window in sight. There wasn’t any fencing surrounding the property. To the one side, probably corn or wheat field, now weed infested. To the other side was a small yellow wood forest. Lots of oak trees dotted the entire property.

  Andrew stepped forward placing his hand firmly on Martin’s arm. He pulled him upward, almost encouraging him to get his mind back to reality. The sun was blinding as Martin squinted to look up at Andrew, even so he got to his feet with great difficulties.

  “Do you understand what I’ve told you?” Andrew repeated.

  “Where did you come from?” Martin responded with a weak voice.

  “Martin you’re under arrest.”

  “I heard that.” Martin’s voice was hoarse.

  “Do you understand that you have the right to a lawyer?”

  “I know, I know.” Martin replied in submission.

  “Right, now I need you to tell me what happened to Janet and Christopher.”

  “They’re right there.” Martin informed pointing to the bottom of the yard without facing that direction. His arm and hand trembled with the weakness that had grabbed him so suddenly.

  Andrew heard what Martin had said. He glared wide-eyed into the direction Martin was pointing but saw nothing.

  Had Martin gone completely insane? There’s no one around. Andrew turned his attention back to Martin. He was distant and captivated as he was the last time he had seen him, only worse this time around. He was waiting for something to happen, he kept looking around nervously. He had lost weight and his eyes were sunken and withdrawn. His beard had grown wild and untrimmed. His hair long and his clothes stained with some food which seemed recent.

  “Where are they Martin?”

  “Come I will show you.” Martin said forcing the words out of his mouth.

  He led Andrew through long grass to the edge of the lawn. A trail of officers followed as Andrew walked curiously next to Martin. He knew that Martin could pull a few tricks out of his sleeve, but somehow he felt like he had no intent to flee or try to fight back.

  “What are you playing at Martin? You know where they really are, don’t you?”

  Martin didn’t answer, just stumbled through long grass and into a small ditch. He continued through the ditch without incident. A few steps forward he stopped and turned to Andrew.

  “I tried to keep at least that clean.” Martin said pointing to the ground.

  It wasn’t something you would see from the backyard. It’s hidden in long grass and too low to the ground. There’s no indication that it was there. Except if you actually make the journey down the lawn you’ll notice the ground slightly elevated from the rest. It appeared recent. It was evident that he did some work around the homemade graves. He didn’t place a headstones or side not even a cross. Few flowers scattered the ground from about a week ago. It’s impossible to imagine that Martin was here more recently. There was no footprint that would suggest it.

  “What is this Martin?”

  “It was bad, such an unnecessary waste of life.” Martin started softly. “They had taken my son and wife. They didn’t even stand a chance. The truck’s brakes failed and ran right over them. I don’t know what the driver did, but he didn’t even try to avoid them.” Martin fell to his knees again and sobbed until his whole body trembled.

  “When did this happen. Martin!” Andrew pulled him by the arm. “When did this happen?”

  “I came to meet them, I was going to start over with them, but instead I had a visit from the police. They are gone and will never come back. They took them.” Martin sobbed again.

  “What police?” Andrew asked and had to swallow the lump in his throat.

  “Police officers from Dayton, she wanted to go to get special things for the house. They tracked me by her license.” Martin berried his hands into the rain harden soil and sobbed uncontrollable.

  Andrew stepped back, almost fell but managed to stabilize.

  ‘This is not true. He killed them and dumped them in the lake.’ Andrew thought, trying to find reason in the developments.

  Andrew looked hard at Martin. Tears build in the corners of his eyes.

  ‘No this is another one of his lies. This is not true.’ He continued thinking.

  “I don’t believe you, this isn’t true.” Andrew repeated himself. “You’re lying Martin tell me the truth.”

  Martin looked up at him. His face seemed to have age a few years.

  “Martin tell me the truth, please I’m begging you. You know this isn’t the truth. What have you done? What happened in Hazy View? Please tell me so I can help you.”

  Martin stopped sobbing and got to his feet.

  He was silent only starred blindly at Andrew. He started walking back to the house without a word.

  Andrew followed. His minds confused and raced. Is this another way from Martin to escape what he has done? He could’ve made the graves himself. He could’ve made himself believe this lie. Had he gone so far into madness that he was trying to block what happened in Hazy View from his mind?

  “Where’re you going?”

  “You don’t believe me, so I‘ll proof it.” Martin called coldly.

  “I want to believe you, so if you can proof it I’d like to see it then we can clear your name and leave you alone.” Andrew said hopeful.

  If Martin’s innocent then he would review the case and he’ll be happy to do that.

  Martin walked into the house through the back door with Andrew and the officers hot on his heels. He continued to the upstairs room, and turned left at the top of the stairs. He passed two doors and opened the third. His steps creak as he st
epped on the old wooden floors. All the men crowd the small room where Martin stopped at a small desk. He opened the top drawer and produced death certificates and an accident report. He handed it to Andrew without a word. His eyes were bloodshot from the sobbing and he still wiped away a lone tear.

  Andrew looked down at the death certificates in his hand. The one name of the victim’s misspelled, but these things happened especially when a foreign doctor tried to write a name like Christopher. The name where added later as the ink pigment and handwriting didn’t match. The document seemed odd.

  “What’s with the names, who wrote it?” Andrew asked looking suspiciously at Martin.

  “The coroner, when they arrived at the hospital they were unknown. They took them to the morgue and the coroner added the names after I got there.” Martin explained.

  “That makes no sense.” Andrew remarked taking a second look at the certificates with a deep frown.

  “What, isn’t it good enough for you?” Martin asked.

  “If they were unknown, how did they know to track you?” Andrew asked.

  “The coroner probably found her license afterwards, I don’t know. Maybe you should ask him.” Martin said sarcastically with a grin on his face.

  “You know that we’d have to take you in until we can verify this. I know you don’t think much of me, but had this been the other way around, you would’ve done the same. Regardless of our history and how much it pains me to do this.”

  “Yet you’re still here. Standing in front of me and expecting me to have done something.” Martin said coldly.

  Martin turned and walked out of the room. He paused and turned to Andrew. “Are you coming, there’s thing I’d like to do soon. I wouldn’t like this to take all day.” He turned and walked down the passage.

  Outside the house Andrew suggested that Martin rode with two of the officers while he had a moment to go through the papers Martin gave him. The last thing he needed was to get into an emotional debate. He didn’t want to discuss were the case was and what evidence he had. He needed to find the police officer from Dayton, even if he made the trip there.