Nowhere USA: Book 1 of the Nowhere Trilogy

10. Black Muddy River

I will walk alone by the black muddy river - Grateful Dead

2:22 p.m. Saturday, September 25, 2021

Stripping off her mother's boots, Phoenix sits on the edge of her parents' bed. Sniffling, she wipes her nose on the sleeve of her shirt before removing the tight pleather pants. After arriving home earlier, she had closed herself off in her room, sobbing.

Aunt Chele probably won't be home for another hour or more, especially since dinner tonight will be BBQ for Pirate Day. Everyone in town will be at the park for the final meal which has been in the smoker all day long. Aunt Chele's rolls will be devoured quickly, as will Miss Liz's roasted vegetables.

Since her makeup is a mess, Phoenix climbs into the shower, washing her hair and allowing all of the curls to disappear. What a wasted effort. THE GUY was even nice in what he said, which makes everything worse. If he'd been rude, she could have shrugged it off. Ignored him. But no. He'd been kind.

She has an awful thought. He'll be there. At the BBQ. What will she do? How will she act?

This time when she invades her parent's closet, it's to pull on one of her father's cardigan sweaters. It's too large for her, and the sleeves reach over her hands. She pulls the cranberry sweater on over a plain white t-shirt. Her jeans are the comfy ones, and she wears her favorite worn-out sneakers.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Phoenix foregoes makeup, her skin natural and clean. Maybe THE GUY won't even recognize her. Embarrassment might be prevented.

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2:23 p.m. Saturday, September 25, 2021

Michele stalks towards the donut booth, calming herself. Nowhere is a safe place. If her friends say this guy is safe, then she'll trust them.

At the table, the only thing remaining is the sign "Apple Cider Donuts by Moore Bread". Ugh. Frantically, Michele turns in a complete circle, looking for anyone who might know where Paige or Patrick could be.

Grabbing Sheriff Niki, she blurts out, "Paige? Where is she? Have you seen her? She's with that stranger, and I need to find her."

Sheriff Niki's mouth drops open. "Michele? Honey, are you okay? Is the stress getting to you?"

Squeezing the law woman's arm, Michele drives home her point. "He's a stranger. And I don't know anything about him even though everyone says he's okay. But my niece was with him, and now I can't find her."

"A stranger?" Niki asks, "You mean Harry? He's fine, hon. In fact, I think I passed them a few minutes ago at Buried Treasure. Christopher hid all kinds of cool stuff in the sand. Of course he has to refurbish it every once in a while."

When Michele's eyes continue to dart back and forth, Niki lays a hand on her arm, forcing eye contact.

"Hey. She's okay. I swear. Harry's a good guy, and he seems to really like Paige. You should trust me on this one."

"How can you be so sure?" Michele asks point-blank.

With a soft smile, Niki wraps an arm around the baker's shoulders. "You've had enough to deal with lately. Let's just say that I am confident this particular man is not going to hurt your niece. Besides, the eyes of the town are on him."

Sheriff Niki has never led her wrong. "At Buried Treasure, you said?"

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3:25 p.m. Saturday, September 25, 2021

Phoenix wanders back to the festivities, keeping an eye out for Trent or Aly this time. Aly's been her best friend since they were 3 years old, and Trent is Phoenix's current crush. One of them has to be nearby, right?