The Milburn Big Box Set

by Nancy McGovern

  Nora bit her lip. Part of her knew Sean was probably right--and yet--Valentina had seemed so sincere yesterday. More than that, Nora herself thought Lulu's behavior was unusual. People like Lulu, who were borderline addicted to social media, didn't suddenly stop posting for no reason. Sean gave her a knowing look, and said, "You're thinking of investigating this, aren't you?"

  "Er- not exactly," Nora said. "Maybe just talking to some people. I'll feel better if someone's seen her. She used to work at the grocery, right?"

  Sean laughed. "Yep. Until last week. The manager, Jerry Hardwick, fired her after he found cash missing from the register. She got really angry and started threatening him. It was an ugly scene. By the time I arrived, she'd toppled three different display counters to the floor."

  Nora's mouth hung open. "She--what?!"

  "Yep. They were all cans, so it didn't make much of a mess, but if Jerry had decided to press charges, she would have been in a world of trouble. Hey, wait, I think I have video evidence somewhere. Someone recorded it and put it up online."

  Sean took out his phone, and opened up Instabook. He scrolled through what seemed like a never-ending flood of photos; men holding up fish they'd caught, men barbequing by the lake, women proudly posting engagement or baby photos, proud workers announcing a promotion, and post after post about politics. Finally, he paused at a week-old recording that had received two hundred comments.

  "Don't you have this app?" Sean asked her. "I can't believe you haven't seen this video. It was all anyone could talk about last week."

  "I... I'm not a big fan of social media," Nora said, flushing red.

  Sean paused, and raised an eyebrow. "How come?"

  "Just..." Nora shrugged.

  "Why do I feel like you're hiding a deep, dark secret?" Sean joked.

  "Because she is." Harvey slapped a hand on Sean's shoulder in greeting, and leaned over the counter to give Nora a smacking kiss on her lips. The two men, who'd once barely spoken to each other, had developed--if not a friendship--at least a mutual respect for each other over the years.

  "What's good on the menu today?" Harvey asked, hopping on a counter stool next to Sean.

  "The burger will blow your mind," Sean said. "Spicy, sweet, and with just the right amount of crisp."

  "I'll have one please." Harvey loosened his tie, and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. "Extra fries, if possible."

  "For you, anything's possible." Nora kissed him on the nose, and gave him a warm smile. "As long as you don't go around revealing my deep dark secrets to Sean."

  "Oh, come on,” Sean protested. "I need to know! What's the deal with you and social media? It's downright freaky if people don't have an account online these days."

  "I guess I'm just a dinosaur who prefers real life interaction," Nora said.

  "Or maybe..." Harvey gave her a teasing grin, and let his words trail off deliberately.

  "Maybe what?" Sean asked, tapping his fingers on the counter. "Spill it, Harv, before I arrest you for obstructing an investigation."

  "An investigation into the lack of my social media usage?" Nora laughed. "I think your time would be better spent finding out where Lulu went."

  "Oh, believe me, it would not," Sean said. "Look, when Valentina came to me, I called Theresa Brown, Lulu's mom. She said the same thing I think, that Lulu will be back harassing everyone in less than a week, once she runs out of money. She's just gone partying somewhere without Val. Which reminds me, you should watch this video to get a taste of Lulu in action." He pressed play on the uploaded video, and showed her and Harvey.

  The video was shaky, but Nora could immediately make out Lulu, blonde, and dressed in the red and black uniform of the grocery store. Jerry Harwick had his hands raised and was trying to calm her down, but Lulu was already upset, and screaming.

  She had a harsh voice, rather raspy, reminding Nora of one of her favorite singers, Janis Joplin. As the video continued, however, Lulu's voice kept getting higher and higher, as she screamed at Jerry.

  "This is rubbish!" Lulu said, "Absolute rubbish! You can't do this to me! You have no right."

  "Actually, I'm being very nice," Jerry said. "Come on, Lulu. Don't make a scene, we have customers here."

  "The customers can all go to--" Lulu stamped her foot in anger. "I can't believe you're actually doing this. Why? Is it because I won't give you the attention you want? Huh?"

  "Hey--" Jerry's eyes widened. "I'm going to have to call HR if you do this."

  "Oh, please. Call anyone you like! You're a wimp, Jerry! You never had the guts to make a move on me, and now that I'm dating someone else, you're firing me. It's obvious, isn't it? I always knew you liked me."

  "That's it. Ronan, escort this young lady out, please."

  A tall skinny boy with dark-rimmed glasses and curly black hair stepped forward, and put a hand on her elbow. Lulu shook it off immediately, and didn't even bother looking at him. "Fine! The lot of you can just go swim in your own juices. You can't fire me, I quit."

  Jerry stifled a smile by covering his face with a hand, and that just seemed to set Lulu off even more. "You have no proof I even stole that money! This is all just a massive plot! You think I care? This dinky little town is nothing but a pit of rubbish. I'm going to get out of this stupid place and hit the big time, baby. Wait and see."

  "Lulu, this is your final warning. I'm going to call the cops if you don't leave now," Jerry said.

  Watching the video, Nora could see Lulu's eyes narrow, and her face become progressively more red with frustration. The girl gave out a cry of rage, and pushed the skinny boy aside, sending him crashing into a pyramid of baked beans cans with "50% off" advertised. Jerry gave a cry of horror, and Lulu just threw back her head and laughed. Darting forward, she pushed over a shelf of cans, sending it crashing into another, and laughing as Jerry nearly slipped over one. The video cut off abruptly, as a can came sailing through the air toward it.

  "Whew," Harvey said, shaking his head, "someone's sure got a temper on them."

  "An ego too," Sean said. "Did you hear what she was saying about "getting out of this stupid place"? Well, there's your answer, Nora. Lulu is just a spoiled brat with dreams of making it big. Good luck to her."

  "That's... wow." Nora shook her head. "That's pretty bratty behavior to say the least."

  "I've seen three year olds that were more mature." Harvey nodded. "But did she steal the money, Sean? She seemed a little outraged that Jerry accused her."

  Sean shrugged. "I asked Jerry if he needed me to investigate, and he said the amount was too small to bother launching an investigation. Just a hundred and twenty dollars. I got the feeling he'd been looking for a way to fire her, though. She wasn't exactly a model employee."

  "Seems like she's an employee who was trying to be a model," Harvey said. "So what's the deal? Is she missing? Nora told me about her best friend crying last night."

  "Valentina." Sean shook his head. "She's just spreading the drama around, as I told Nora. Best to stay out of it."

  "I dunno... maybe Valentina's on the right track," Harvey said, nodding down at the screen. "Some of these comments seem a little... heavy."

  Nora looked down at the comments, and shrank back at the sheer hatred in them. Apparently, the good folks of Milburn didn't take kindly to a girl calling their beloved hometown, "this dinky little town." A lot of the comments were focused on her arrogance, some comments talked about how she shouldn't stay in town if she hated it so much, while others flat out threatened her, and spoke about how much Milburn meant to them.

  One comment, however, stood out.

  "Milburn rules! This witch deserved to get fired! If I got my hands on her, I'd teach her a lesson she'd never forget! HAHA. Cheaters never prosper!"- Sandra Nielson

  "Sandra Nielson." Nora frowned. "Now why does that name sound familiar?"

  "You catered her wedding," Harvey said, after squinting at the tiny profile photo next to the comment. "I remember. Last month, wasn't it? You
mentioned her name a lot because you had the worst time getting a payment out of her."

  Nora snapped her fingers together. "That's it! Now I remember, and--" Her eyes suddenly widened. "And I just remembered who she was marrying."

  "Who was it?" Sean asked.

  "A bodybuilder," Nora said with a tiny gulp. "A body builder named Thomas "Tank" Nielson!"

  *****

  Chapter 4

  Missing No More

  Despite her curiosity, Nora found herself far too busy with work to think about Lulu again. Part of her had accepted

  when Valentina appeared again, sweaty but glowing. She was dressed in velvet track pants and a bright purple hoodie with silver glitter spelling out "look like a beauty, train like a beast" on the back.

  "Here for another chocolate sundae? I'm afraid I'm just closing," Nora said.

  "No, thanks! I just got off work myself." Valentina had a broad smile on her face. "Listen, I came to thank you for consoling me the other night. If you ever come down to Dino's Gym, I'll give you a personal training session free of charge."

  "Thanks, but there is no need." Nora smiled. "I get enough exercise running the diner anyway. My feet always kill me at the end of my shift."

  "Well, the offer's always on the table," Valentina said.

  "But what about Lulu?" Nora asked. "You don't look very worried about her today."

  "I'm not. She messaged me." Valentina gave Nora a broad smile. "So it's all ok. She's not kidnapped or murdered or missing."

  "Oh." Nora was relieved. "So she's all right then! I'm glad. I was worried about her, despite what Sean said. You're a good friend, Valentina, I hope she appreciates you."

  "Well, Lulu's a loyal tiger of a friend, but appreciation isn't really her thing." Valentina rolled her eyes. "I really chewed her out."

  "Did she sound unhappy? Why did she just disappear on you for three days?"

  "Well, I don't know how she sounded, we just texted each other. Plus she was pretty silent about where she'd been." Valentina took out her phone, and opened up her Instabook messaging app. "See?"

  Lulu: Hi Valentina. I'm just texting to let you know I'm okay. I'm sorry if I worried you. I just needed some time by myself.

  Valentina: U literally disappeared on me babe! I was so worried! I'm gonna kill u when we meet! I even went to the sheriff. He's hot but a total jerk. Went haha on me for saying u were missing. Anyway, tell u when we workout tomorrow?

  Lulu: Not tomorrow, I'll be busy. But I'll let you know. Thanks for caring, Valentina.

  Valentina: But where were u? Did u meet a new guy?

  Valentina: Hello?

  There were no more texts.

  Nora smiled. "I thought you said she wasn't big on appreciation. She did say thanks."

  "Yeah, first time in her life she's ever done that," Valentina said. "I'm just relieved, you know? I honestly haven't been able to sleep very well. I'm really going to strangle her when we meet! The stress that girl put me through!"

  Nora was staring at the messages, a deep frown on her face.

  "What is it?" Valentina asked.

  "Valentina..." Nora hesitated. "Never mind. I'm being an idiot, I'm sure."

  "What is it?" Valentina asked, her face suddenly brimming with doubt.

  Nora took a deep breath. "I was worried last night. I stayed up an hour later than usual, looking through Lulu's Instabook posts."

  "Stalking her online? Nice. She'll be happy to have one more follower." Valentina laughed.

  "No, the thing is, I noticed something. It was actually kind of irritating." Nora gulped. "Lulu never uses the word 'you'. She always writes in 'u' instead. I mean... it's just something I noticed, no big deal."

  Valentina's face paled. "Oh my god. I'm such an idiot. I was so happy that she replied, and that she was okay... I just didn't notice that!" She grabbed her phone back from Nora's hands, and scrolled through her messages. Each message sent earlier than that day had "u" instead of "you".

  "This can't be real," Valentina said. "My god... you think someone's kidnapped her, and... and they're messaging from her phone?"

  "No. Of course not." Nora shook her head. "That would be crazy, right? Right?"

  Valentina nodded. "Yeah. No. We're totally overthinking this. She's alright. She said so herself."

  "Did you try calling her?" Nora asked. "Maybe you'll feel better if you actually hear her voice."

  Valentina stared at Nora for a second, then vigorously nodded. "You're so right." She dialled immediately, and waited; the call went straight to voicemail. Hanging up, Valentina gave a frustrated groan.

  "Maybe she's at home?" Nora said. "We can go check."

  "Will you... do you think you can come with me?" Valentina asked. "It's kinda late and... I'm getting a little spooked, actually."

  Nora looked at her watch. Nine thirty. Texting Harvey to expect her home a little later, she led Valentina toward her car, and gunned the engine.

  "I really hope she's at home." Valentina said. "I'm starting to feel like I'm going crazy. The entire world is just so... normal. Everyone's fine, except me."

  Nora sighed. "I don't know what to say. Sometimes, you just have to trust your gut, you know?"

  Valentina nodded. "I guess so. Has anything like this ever happened to you, Nora?" Before Nora could reply, Valentina said, "Turn right here and then it's the fifth house on the left."

  The street was just a few blocks from Milburn's downtown area. Close enough to be walking distance from bars and restaurants, yet far enough away that it was bordered by a pine forest on one side. Lulu's apartment was a red-brick, two-storey house with a neat front garden and a cherry tree on one side. They parked at the curb, and opened the small, rusty, iron gate.

  "Lulu rents this apartment out from Tally Beasley, she's a local accountant," Valentina said. "Mrs. Beasley's quite nice for a landlord, though she demands quiet after ten p.m. Lulu never had parties at her place because she was afraid of getting kicked out. But overall, she liked the apartment. The place is cheap, and Lulu has her own entrance, so sometimes I'd sneak in and we'd stay up playing video games all night."

  She moved to the side of the house, and climbed up a spiral staircase that led to the second floor. The staircase came to a stop at a small platform with a wilting potted plant, and a white door with a rubber welcome mat saying "Go Away". A large picture window was right next to the door, although the blinds were drawn. Valentina rang the bell, and tapped her foot, waiting.

  "She's not home," Nora said.

  "Yeah." Valentina sounded glum. "Looks like we should go."

  "Hang on a second." Nora tried the door, rattling the knob as much as she could. "Definitely locked. Do you know if she kept a spare key under the mat, or maybe under the plant?"

  Valentina shook her head. "No such luck."

  "Well..." Nora looked around, and then reached to the back of her head, drawing out two bobby pins.

  "Are you serious?" Valentina's mouth fell open. "I've only ever seen people do that in movies. Can you open the door?"

  "Maybe a little. How sure are you that Lulu won't have us thrown in jail for breaking in?"

  "She'll understand," Valentina said. "I'm her best friend, it's ok. Go on. How did you learn to do this anyway?"

  "On the internet, actually," Nora said. "I... let's just say I thought it's a handy skill to have after I got put into handcuffs once."

  "Kinky," Valentina said.

  "Ok, it's open, I think!" Nora tried the handle again, and the door slowly creaked open. The apartment was dark, with a funny smell coming from inside it. Valentina raised an eyebrow at Nora. Nora motioned her in. "You go in first. If she's asleep or something, I don't want her to wake up to a stranger."

  Nodding, Valentina walked in, and switched on the lights. It was a fairly small apartment, with a micro-kitchen on the right as they entered, a small dining table and two chairs, a single, rather worn-out looking armchair facing a small TV, and an open door leading into the bedroom. The w
alls were decorated with artwork all painted by Lulu herself, and Nora had to admit that the girl was a talented artist. Her still lifes of puppies and kittens were nearly lifelike. Valentina saw her staring, and nodded.

  "Lulu had a side business on Etsy, selling portraits of pets. She earned a few hundred extra each month."

  "Can you check the bedroom to see if she's still here?" Nora asked, although instinct told her there was nobody home. She stayed in the kitchen, not wanting to disrespect Lulu just in case she was there. Valentina came out of the bedroom in seconds, shaking her head. "It's empty."

  Nora looked around the room, frowning, and wondering if she'd messed up. What if this was a crime scene? Maybe she and Valentina had corrupted it by coming in. The hair on the back of her neck was standing up, warning her that something very bad had happened here. Yet the apartment itself was fairly pristine--except--Nora frowned. There wasn't much of a kitchen, just a tiny counter with a hot plate and a microwave. There was, however, a plate with a sandwich sitting right on top of the counter. The sandwich had a single bite taken from it, and green mold growing in the center. Nora wrinkled her nose in disgust. She moved inside, going to the bedroom. The cupboard was open, and Nora noted that although all the day-wear clothes were folded neatly, the stack of shirts and pajama shorts were disturbed. A sparkly silver cocktail dress lay on the floor next to the bed, although the bed itself looked undisturbed and neatly made.

  "That's what she was wearing when I last saw her," Valentina said, following Nora's gaze.

  "Is Lulu normally a tidy person?"

  "She's a neat freak," Valentina said. "Totally weird, but that's her."

  "Yes, I could tell. The kitchen counter is very clean, and her bed is well made, even the bathroom counter is tidy, and sparkling."

  "She often took photos for her Instabook here in her apartment, so she tried to keep it neat twenty-four seven," Valentina said.

  "And yet," Nora frowned, "she left a half-eaten sandwich on the counter three days ago, and never returned."

  Valentina's eyes looked suspiciously tearful. "What are you saying?"

  "The last time you saw her was at the party on Saturday night. By one a.m., you were home, and you called her on the phone to gossip, correct?"