The morning sun shone through a gap in the curtains, squinting his eyes Ray lifted his hand to block the bright light. In his mind, he heard the typical Sunday clanging and banging from the kitchen, sounds of laughing, and the smell of sausages and eggs floating into the bedroom, it consumed him. Turning away from the window he knew it was not real. Every night his dreams carried the sweet memories of the two most important people that were taken from him. Pushing himself up, he brushed his hand through his shaggy hair, if his wife were alive she’d be on his case to get a haircut. He knew he had to go see the old woman from that Farm, but right now, it could wait. Time for a jog, he thought. As he was about to leave his phone rang, it was an unknown number. Ray decided to call back after his run, right now the world could wait-for one damn minute of his time.
Panting and his chest heaving, Ray thought his time had improved and he felt better; much b
A chill ran down Ray’s spine as he left the Farmhouse knowing Margaret’s gaze was upon him, watching from the second floor, stubbornly he made every effort not to look back. Briefly skimming through his notes in his dark blue Ford Ranger he found nothing that he could use to pinpoint that she had anything to do with the disappearances.Her son’s disappearance had nothing to do with the case, but something was off, he felt it deep within his gut. His hunches were never wrong, but he knew he had nothing to substantiate a search warrant for the premises. Was it just a coincidence that the tiny innocent little girl from years ago happened to be staying here? Did she know about her mother’s involvement with Margaret’s son or was it all just pure coincidence? He didn’t believe in coincidence.He remembered the tiny hands that held his arm as she whispered her name, and realized he knew nothing of her. So many questi
Ray knew there was something not right about this case as he drove en route to Himeville, not even Barry White, singing through the speakers about how wonderful the world was, could convince him otherwise.Thomas Mortuary was only a ten-minute drive away. In his mind, he kept replaying his conversation with Margaret and how quickly her demeanor towards him changed. He couldn’t blame her after the photograph incident, but why had she been so aggressive? Why was the relationship between her son and Sarah’s mother not in the case file? The police officer that investigated the case at that time soon retired then passed away eight years later. What other information was missing? What was he missing?The paled blue signboard bearingThomas Mortuary in thick black letters had seen better days. Still clearly visible just off Mackenzie street, and not far from the Himeville Nature Reserve. He found the gravel driv
“Joel is taking a long time,” Sarah said with a shiver. She was covered in a spare blanket that she’d found in one of the cabin cupboards. She and Hayley sat outside on the veranda just off the dining hall both nursing a mug of coffee. As the day progressed the air grew colder, there was a chill about it. The clouds covering the mountain grew darker it was just a matter of time before the clouds burst.“I wish we never came here,” Hayley said taking a sip of her coffee and blew inside the mug. She looked distant and stared ahead at nothing.Sarah looked sympathetically at her friend. “I don’t know what to say, Hayley.” She looked into her mug. “I kind of feel like it’s my fault.”“You can’t blame yourself,” Hayley said without expression. “What will your Aunt say? She’s expecting you tomorrow.”“I tried to call her a few times but she hasn&rsq
It was eerily quiet inside the dining hall, the light began to dim as the storm approached, and the usual distant chattering of bird calls was silent. Time seemed to have stopped yet the clock was ticking. Sometime later Margaret’s porters would collect their luggage and take them to the large Guesthouse. With the upcoming storm, she had thought it would be wise to have the three of them stay in the Guesthouse. Those who booked over the weekend had already checked out, leaving just the three of them. Margaret had wanted them to join her for dinner before they left and thought it safer they stay at the Guesthouse rather than return to the cabins during the storm. She hoped it would cheer them up after the disappearance of their friend and vandalism to Joel’s car.On the table, three mugs of coffee remained untouched. Sarah, Hayley, and Joel sat in silence staring at nothing, thinking of nothing. Hayley’s phone lay on the table as if it were a sickly thi
“We’d better get to the Guesthouse quickly.” Joel peeped through the curtain, “Before the storm gets worse.”Surprised Ray looked up, “Why at the Guesthouse?”“Margaret invited us to have dinner with her before we left and because of the storm she thought it better for us stay over," Joel said casually. "We are the only guests here anyway, and she said the company would be nice.” He sighed and looked at the girls. “I suppose it isn’t such a bad idea now that we know about Mark.”“So, when are you leaving?” Ray thought he wouldn’t mind taking a look at the SUV and considered impounding the vehicle for further investigation. Three slashed wheels. He made a mental note to check whether a Swiss Army knife was found amongst Mark’s possessions.“Hopefully tomorrow,” Joel said, hands on his hips, and explained his plan to find the nearest place to replace
Joel, Hayley, and Sarah decided to rest before dinner with Margaret. The last few days had been very difficult for all of them, especially for Hayley who was still sobbing over the news of Mark. She had said she needed alone time. Joel and Sarah agreed as they both felt exhausted. Joel was the last to find his room. It was the last room not too far from Sarah. Surprisingly it was different than what he had expected. The wallpaper had an unusual light pale mix of pink and sand, the texture was soft and warm, the sand seemed to give a smooth feel, it felt strange, almost human-like. He ran his hand over his arm and felt chills run down his spine. A built-in dark cupboard, chocolate brown carpet, a small lamp sat on a study desk with a kettle and set up of mugs, sachets of long-life milk, coffee, a variety of teas, and sugar. The bed raised on curved bed legs, puffed-up pillows of white, brown, and cream rested on a patterned duvet of red and brown curvy stripes. Kickin
It was not the conversation that Ray had hoped, drunk or not the information from Yvonne was useless. It took half an hour to get her off the phone. Going on about how great she was sacrificing her life to look after a child barely related to her.An Ungrateful bitch ruined her life.He rubbed his temples, closing his eyes feeling a headache brewing.Looking at the clock in the kitchen it was 10 PM. It’s not thatlate should he call Stan?”Oh, what the hell. He picked up his phone and dialed.“Hey, Ray, Hi...” The voice, sleepy, sounded surprised. “What’s up?”Not missing a beat, he replied. “Remember the background check on Sarah Roberts?”“Ah, who?”Ray heard a shuffling noise, followed by a whisper,it’s nothing,go to sleep."Sarah Roberts. The girl at the farm, her mother had the
Hayley laughed and felt excited. She hadn’t felt this way in a long time. With Mark out of the way, everything would go according to plan, well almost everything. It was his own stupid fault anyway. He chose to go up into the mountain and by himself. She laughed at the thought. And on Halloween night too. Seems he was not so smart after all. It’s just as well; his death made it easier for her. She was anxious for dinner. She hadn’t had a good meal in a long time and her body quivered with excitement. She stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, watching herself comb her honey blonde hair until it shone, gently caressing cream over her cheekbones, chin, and forehead. Her light blue eyes were enhanced by mascara. Her lips, touched by rose pink lip gloss, smiled. She knew she was gorgeous. There was a knock at the door. “Hayley, are you ready?” Sarah whispered. “In a minute,” She yelled placing loop earrings in her earlobes.