Blackwater Springs

Chapter Fourteen

1

    Audrey sat in her car with no memory of how she got there. She couldn't remember walking away from Alan Mills, opening the car door, nothing. It was all a blank. She'd never been much of a smoker, but if she had a pack, she would have lit one up. She put her hands on the wheel, then recalled she didn't have the car started. But why is the steering wheel shaking? She looked down and was amazed to find that it was her hands, not the wheel, that vibrated. Why in the world was she so shook up over two strangers' disappearance? She thought of calling Detective Stevens, but after a quick scroll through her contacts list, she realized she hadn't saved his number. Dammit! Calling the station was out of the question, too. If John answered and recognized her voice...

    Tap-tap-tap. Audrey almost jumped out of her skin. She had been looking out the passenger window, and didn't notice that Alan Mills was standing right outside her car door. She turned the key back and rolled the window down. It was the safest way to talk to the boy; she didn't trust her shaking legs to hold her up.

    "What's wrong?" she asked Alan.

    "I was wonderin' the same thing 'bout you. You seemed a li'l shook up."

    "I'm fine. Thanks Alan."

    "No problem. Are you going home from here?"

    "I don't know yet. Probably. Are you working today?"

    Alan laughed, a harsh, bitter sound. "When your dad owns a furniture store, you're always workin'. I'm on a lunch break, which means I'm bringin' dad his lunch." He held up the grocery bags. "An' I better get a move-on, too, or he'll be piss – mad at me."

    "Bye Alan. Nice talking with you."

    "You too ma'am." If the boy tipped an invisible hat to her, it wouldn't be a surprise. She smiled, thankful for the few friends she'd made in Blackwater Springs that hadn't been murdered.

    Yet, her conscience spoke up. With the way things are going... Especially since now two more people are dead. "They're not dead," Audrey said aloud, startling herself. It was true. The strangers that had gone missing on Sawmill Road hadn't been presumed dead. Yet. But from the way Alan had described the vehicle, something fishy had gone on out there. Go and see, her conscience whispered again. You might be able to help. Audrey shook her head. If she'd been in Lexington, maybe. But that was back when things were normal.

    Now, the thought of going to check on a suspicious accident, on a road she'd never been on, terrified the hell out of her. She didn't know what she'd find and she didn't want to know.

    And yet, there was that persistent little voice that she knew wouldn't shut up until its curiosity was satisfied.

    She started the engine and backed out of the parking spot.

2

 

    Sawmill Road was no more than a dusty, deserted strip of land, bordered by woods on both sides. Any trace of an actual sawmill was long gone, judging from the size of the visible trees. A few half-rotted cars and a dilapidated shed were the only remnants of civilization. Audrey even saw a tree the height of a four-story building growing out of one of the cars. And that was just within the first mile.

    Audrey passed a dead end sign, then a parked car on the side of the road seconds later. She drove another half mile before she found a spot wide enough to turn around. She almost expected the car to be gone by the time she returned. She rounded the curve and there it was, surrounded by yellow police tape. The sun glinted off the Camaro's metallic green paint, and nearly blinded Audrey, even with her sunglasses on. She stepped out, squinting, and debated crossing the tape. A quick glance around proved what she already knew; she was the only one out here. As quiet as it was, she'd be able to hear a vehicle coming. Audrey lifted the tape and ducked under it.