Danny nodded. “I’ll try, Dad, but most of her friends have already left town. Everybody’s running South.”
“Yeah, I know.” His dad patted his shoulder. “That’s what we’re trying to do too. Do your best, Son.”
“I should have paid more attention,” Miriam said softly “Obviously she was more upset than we thought.”
Stan grunted. “Oh, I think we knew how she felt. I think the whole neighbourhood knew after all those screaming matches you two had.”
“She’s scared.” Tears came to Miriam’s eyes. “That’s all. If I hadn’t been so busy, I might have reassured her more.”
The door slammed behind Danny as Stan was shrugging his shoulders into his coat. “Don’t blame yourself, Hon. We’re all scared. Besides,” he gave her a quick hug. “We’ve all been working like dogs. She knows that. I’ll find her and drag her ass home. When your sister gets here, tell her we’re leaving tomorrow instead.”
Stan stepped out the back door and surveyed the yard. If I was a fifteen-year-old girl running away, where would I hide? He asked himself. The answer of course was at a friend’s house, but her best friend Julie was living in Toronto and he had no idea who else she may have hung out with. Besides, Danny was hunting them down.
He stalked over and flung the door to the shed open. It was dim and cold inside. No way she would stay in there for very long. He made his way around the garage and almost tripped over the wheelbarrow. Grabbing the handles, he shoved it closer to the wall. He’d have to put that away before they left. No sense leaving it out to rust if they were away for a while.
Changing his mind, he decided to put it in the garage right away, before he forgot. The automatic door was useless, so he pulled out the key for the side door. Once inside, his hand went automatically to the light switch. He laughed to himself and leaned the wheelbarrow against the wall. He brushed a layer of dust off the car and peered inside. Even as he did so, he realized the door handles hadn’t been disturbed.
He straightened up and his gaze went to the bikes. They were all ready for the trip with saddlebags draped over the back fenders and baskets attached to the handlebars. He frowned and stepped closer. Tara’s bike was gone.
Chapter 7 – Missing
Miriam paced the kitchen. Counter to door, back to the counter, back to the door. Once in a while, she altered her route to include the living room window. The sun was barely above the horizon when her sister and her husband Tim appeared on the front step.
“What’s wrong?” Maureen took one look at her sister’s pale face and uncombed hair and reached out her arms for a hug. “You don’t look ready to go anywhere.”
“No, I’m not. Tara ran away last night and we have to find her before we can leave.”
Tim released the boys from the bike trailer and muttered something about damn teenagers.
Maureen gave him a warning look.
“You might as well come in and wait for Stan to bring her home,” Miriam said. “The boys can run around a bit in the backyard.” She turned towards the kitchen. “It’s so warm, not like September at all. A couple of hours won’t make a big difference.”
Realizing that she was babbling, she stopped talking. Maureen gave her another hug.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure she’s just hiding somewhere hoping you’ll change your mind.” Maureen shooed her two redheads out the back door. “Do you still have enough gas to make some coffee?”
“It’s already made.” Miriam sank into the nearest chair. “We were going to have breakfast and head out as soon as you got here.”
Tim stood awkwardly in the doorway stroking his beard. “Maybe I should go help Stan look,” he said.
“Good idea.” Miriam nodded. “Except I have no idea which direction he went. Danny is going to see if any of her friends have seen her.”
“Maybe I’ll go knock on doors. Check garages, things like that.” The front door clicked closed.
“He doesn’t say much,” Maureen smiled at her sister. “but he’s useful in a crisis. Now, where is that coffee?”
Miriam jumped up. “I’ll relight the camp stove and heat it up.”
She held a match to the burner and a flame shot up. “I left a bag of apples on the counter last night and they’re gone.” Her voice caught. “And now I see the stew I made for the trip is gone too.”
“I’ll bet Tara took them with her in case she gets hungry.” Maureen soothed.
“Some cutlery is missing.” Miriam looked down into the drawer she had pulled open. “How long does she think she can live on a bowl of stew and some apples?”
“Just ‘til the power comes back on,” Maureen rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry she’ll bring them home with her.”
The coffee bubbled in the old tin pot. Miriam turned off the stove and poured two cups. As she joined her sister at the table she said, “It’s not like Tara to be so selfish. She knows that was the last of the canned moose meat. If anything, I’d expect her to just take her share.”
The two women sat without talking, sipping on their coffee. The back door slammed open and the two little boys rushed in. “We’re hungry!” they cried in unison. “We want cookies.”
Maureen drained her cup and stood up. “Don’t be silly. You know there are no cookies. We’ll go out and see if there are still some apples on the tree. You can each have one of those.”
Miriam watched out the window as her sister climbed the ladder and started pulling apples from the branches. Below her, the twins waved their arms and cheered her on. It was very disturbing that Tara had taken all the food. Miriam drained her cup. She would check the pantry and see what else was missing. Then she would go upstairs and finish packing for herself and Stan. And when she saw that daughter of theirs, she would…Well, she didn’t know what she would do, but Tara would know how angry they all were.
She was shoving another sweater into her already overstuffed backpack when Maureen called from the bottom of the stairs.
“I’m taking the boys home, Sis. They need naps. I’ll see you later.”
“Okay.” Tears ran unchecked down Miriam’s cheeks. There had been no word from any of the searchers, so she knew they hadn’t found Tara yet. It was nearly noon and all of them would be hungry. She swiped at her face, but the tears kept coming. Where was that girl?
She zipped the pack closed, then moved across the hall to Tara’s room. The sign on the door mocked her. It was a princess crown. Stan had hung it there when Danny was born and Tara was three. It was meant to reassure her that she would always be her parents' princess. Over the years it had become faded but was now so familiar that nobody paid any attention to it. Miriam touched it with one finger, before pushing the door open.
She must have left in a hurry. The usually neat closet was a jumble of jeans and shirts. Shoes had been tossed aside willy nilly. Miriam opened the top drawer of the dresser and ran her hands through the piles of panties and socks. Most of them were still there, so she wasn’t planning on going too far, or for too long. Tucked under the socks she found a small diary.
She studied it thoughtfully. It would be easy to break the tiny lock. Would it tell her what her daughter had been thinking these past few weeks? Was it a terrible breach of privacy if she read it? She looked around for Tara’s phone. It was gone, but her tablet sat on the bedside table. It was useless without power, but Tara may have used the word function before the battery died.
Grimly, Miriam threw the diary onto the bed. She would read it if Tara hadn’t been found by this afternoon.
A door slammed downstairs and Danny shouted that he was home.
Coming into the kitchen, Miriam saw that he was red-faced and sweaty. His baseball cap had left a wide stripe on his forehead and his hair was a mass of unruly curls.
“No luck?” his mother asked.
“No.” The boy dropped into the nearest chair and leaned his elbows on the table. “I must have knocked on a hundred doors. Lots of people weren’t there, but the ones that we
re hadn’t seen her.”
“I’ll make you something to eat.” Miriam pulled open a box that held the supplies they had planned on taking to the farm. “I think we have a can of beans left. Did you check all the garages?”
Danny looked a little puzzled at the sudden change of subject. “I think Dad was going to do that. And I ran into Uncle Tim. He was looking too. The town is bigger than we think.”
“You’ll have to eat this cold.” Miriam scraped the beans into a bowl. “I don’t want to use all the gas for the camp stove in case we have another night here.” She sat across from her son trying to look optimistic. “I’m sure she’ll get cold soon enough and head for home.”
“Yeah.” Danny swallowed. “Trouble is, it's really warm today. If it was snowing, she’d think twice about running away. Stupid girl!”
“Don’t call your sister stupid,” Miriam said automatically, even though she had said the same thing not too long ago. “And that’s why we wanted to get on our way, because the weather has been so nice, and the evenings are still fairly long.” She sighed. “I guess a day won’t matter. It’s not like we can call ahead and tell them we’re coming.”
Chapter 8 - Alone
Stan and Tim arrived together. Both looked tired and out of sorts. Miriam jumped up and anxiously peered behind them.
“We didn’t find her.” Stan’s voice quavered. “We looked in every shed in town and under every rock. Wherever she is, she’s not going to be found easily.”
Both men dropped to a chair. Tim explored the kitchen with his gaze. “Did Mo leave?”
“Yes. Hours ago.” Miriam opened the door and poked her head outside as if she expected her daughter to appear in the backyard. “The boys were getting restless.”
Tim sighed and stood up. “I guess I should go tell her the bad news and that we won’t be going to the farm tomorrow either.”
“No!” Miriam grasped his upper arms. “Let me find you something to eat. And I don’t see why you shouldn’t go without us. I’m sure Stan’s parents will be glad to see you. They must be worried sick, and you can let them know we’re okay.”
“I don’t want to leave you guys alone.” Tim sat back down. “Besides I’ve only been there once and am not sure I can find the farm.”
“Take Danny.” Miriam started spooning potatoes and carrots into bowls. “He knows the way and as soon as we find Tara, we’ll follow you.” She handed them each a fork and bowl. “These were still in the garden, so we’ll be okay for a few days. Now eat!”
She called upstairs for Danny and he poked his head over the railing. His hair was standing on end and he blinked the sleep out of his eyes. “What?”
“Get your pack and your sleeping bag.” His mother ordered. “You’re going with Uncle Tim to the farm.”
“What?” the boy repeated. “Aren’t you going?” He ran down the stairs and stared at his parents. “I don’t want to go without you.”
“You have to.” Stan spoke around a mouthful of vegetables. He swallowed before continuing. “They don’t know the way, so you can lead them there. We’ll follow as soon as we drag your sister out from whatever rock she’s hiding under.”
“You could draw me a map.” Tim interrupted.
“No,” Stan said firmly. “He can go with you. He can help with the twins on the way, and we’ll know he’s safe.”
“Okay.” Tim scraped a last piece of carrot out of the bowl. “Come on, Dan. Grab your stuff and we’ll go break the news to your aunt. We’ll leave first thing in the morning.” He gave his brother-in-law an anxious look. “How far did you say it was?”
“It’s eighty kilometres, so you should plan on camping at least one night.”
Danny’s shoulders slumped. The plan was made, and he didn’t have any choice in the matter. He felt like crying, but he was twelve and twelve-year-old boys didn’t cry. At least in HIS world. Slowly, he left the kitchen and dragged himself up to his room. His backpack and sleeping bag were in the corner ready to go, so he didn’t even have the excuse of packing.
“Hurry up, Danny.” Uncle Tim hollered. “Auntie Mo will be worried.”
“Do you have anything to eat over there?” Danny heard his mom ask.
He breathed a sigh of relief when Uncle Tim answered in the affirmative. “Mo knew the Carlson’s hadn’t come home, so we went to their house and grabbed a bunch of canned stuff. That’ll hold us a few days.”
“Were there any cookies?” Danny asked as he returned to the kitchen.
Tim laughed. “There were,” he acknowledged. “But remember those five-year-old terrors who live with us? They can sniff out a cookie from a mile away.” He slapped his nephew on his shoulder. “You look all ready for an adventure. Grab your bike and we’ll hit the road.”
Stan and Miriam stood and wrapped their arms around their son. “Remember to be good and listen to Uncle Tim,” Miriam whispered. “He’ll be depending on you.”
Stan kissed his son’s forehead, then released him. His voice shook as he gave last-minute instructions. “We don’t know how Grandma and Grandpa are coping, so I’m trusting you to help them too,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll be right behind you.”
“Okay,” Danny mumbled. “I’ll be fine, and I’ll help as much as I can.”
Stan and Miriam watched from the open door as their son followed his uncle down the street.
Stan put an arm around his wife’s shaking shoulders and pulled her closer. “Don’t worry,” he soothed. “We’ll find Tara and leave with them tomorrow anyway.”
“I could just kill her for doing this to us!” Miriam stepped back into the house. “I’m sure she’ll get cold and hungry soon enough, but what was she thinking?”
“We’ve still got a few hours of daylight.” Stan picked up his jacket. “Why don’t we walk around the neighbourhood and see if she pops up. She might be hiding in an empty basement.”
Miriam pulled her jacket from the front closet. “Good idea.” She wiped a tear from her cheek. “Beats sitting here staring at the wall. I’ll leave the door unlocked so she can get back in.”
“I’m pretty sure she took her key.” Stan stared at the hooks that were lined up behind the door. “It’s not here.”
They stepped out into the late afternoon sun. It was warm for September, but as soon as the sun went down, they would be glad of their jackets. The door closed gently behind them. Holding hands, they walked briskly down the alley, swivelling their heads from side to side, checking every backyard, and occasionally calling her name.
Chapter 9 – The Search
Miriam sat resting her head on the kitchen table. She was exhausted. Thinking about her missing daughter made sleep impossible, and her days were spent digging the last of the vegetables out of the garden or riding her bicycle around town.
As if in a dream, she heard a knock on the front door. Stan’s footsteps echoed through the empty house.
“Oh, hi, Phil.” She lifted her head as Stan and his partner came into the kitchen.
“What’s up?” Stan asked.
“Not much.” Phil gave a half-hearted grin. “I’m as much in the dark as you are.”
Miriam’s smile did not reach her eyes and Phil immediately realized his mistake.
He slapped his forehead. “I’m sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood. I take it you haven’t found her.”
“Nope.” Stan leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. “We’ve covered every inch of this town in the past week, and nobody’s seen her.”
Phil handed them each a printed paper. “The mayor and the police chief have called a meeting for tonight,” he said. “They want to get an idea of who is left in town, and what resources we have.”
Miriam scanned the page. “Who printed this?” she asked. “It looks professional.”
“The school had typewriters and an old mimeograph machine,” Phil explained. “You know back in the day, teachers had to copy all their test sheets and posters on them. A few of us went in and made
these up. You can help deliver them if you like.”
Stan sniffed at one of the sheets. “Yep, I remember the smell of this old ink.”
“So, you wanna join us? We have a lot of ground to cover before tonight.” Phil looked hopefully between the couple.
“Not me.” Miriam leaned back in the chair. “I’ve walked and biked enough for today. But we’ll be at the meeting.”
“I’ll go.” Stan took a bundle of papers from his friend. “Are you leaving them if there is nobody home?”
Miriam didn’t hear the answer as the back door closed behind the two men. She struggled to her feet and made her way upstairs. She needed to rest, or she would be no good to anyone. She glanced into Tara’s room. The diary lay on the bed where she had tossed it. Was that only last week? It felt like months since her daughter had walked out the door and disappeared.
Where was the key? She stood in the middle of the room and scanned likely hiding places. Then she shrugged. Tara was just not that devious. The key would be someplace obvious. She opened the top drawer of the nightstand, and sure enough, there was the tiny, gold key tied to a ribbon. She lay down on the single bed and began to read.
When Stan pushed the back door open, Miriam was pacing the kitchen. The diary was clasped in her fist. She turned towards him, eyes snapping. He almost stepped back as she waved the small book at him.
“I know who took her.” Her voice trembled with fury. “All she could write about was that sleazeball and his fancy car.”
“What sleazeball? What car?” He demanded.
“That Will Thompson. Didn’t you see his fancy Mustang roaring up and down for the past few months?” She clenched her fists. “I should have seen it! Ever since Julie moved away, she’s been watching him with her tongue almost hanging out.”
“Wait a minute.” Stan held up his hand. “Is this our fifteen-year-old daughter you’re talking about? What does she care about cars and…” he hesitated, “boys?”
The Incident | Book 3 | Winter of Darkness Page 3
