Almost Innocent, page 15
And as Booker walked through the bookstore, Tanner stayed by the door in case he needed to run. Tanner tried not to think that probably made him a coward. Besides, his fear had him rooted to the spot as if someone had glued him to the floor.
A few minutes later, Booker returned, holding Walt’s glasses in his hands, having picked them up off the floor.
“He’s not here. And I just learned he’s not at his home, either. Do you have any idea where he is?”
Tanner shook his head. He didn’t know Walt that well. Pointing at the glasses that Booker had put on the counter by the cash register, he asked, “Why would his glasses be on the floor?”
“Perhaps he brushed them off on the way out. I think he has many pairs. He might not have missed them.”
“I guess,” Tanner answered, “But it feels like something is wrong.”
Booker didn’t disagree. Something didn’t feel right to him, either. It was time to talk to Margaret again. She feigned distress the last time and told him nothing. This time, he’d take Judith with him. It was hard to resist Judith’s questioning.
“Do you want me to take you home, or do you want to come with me to talk to Margaret?”
Booker thought that taking Tanner too might trigger a reaction in Margaret. Between the three of them, they might get more out of Margaret than if he went alone.
Waiting for Tanner to answer, Booker called Judith, who said she’d be right there. As Tanner looked around the bookstore, he thought of Walt, Barbara, and Marshall. He needed to do something. If Margaret knew anything at all, she needed to tell them before anything else happened.
Besides, if his mother had been there, she’d tell him it was his duty to help. Just thinking about his mother and how much she had taught him about life, Tanner relaxed. He was not a coward. He was not timid.
He would be what his mother had told him to be. Strong and kind. She believed that those two qualities made good people, and that’s what she expected of him. Now was the time to prove it.
“Coming with you,” he answered.
By mid-afternoon, Veronica was no longer a little worried. She was terrified. She had moved past being angry with Emma for not being home when she got there. Now, not being able to see her on the find-a-friend app, and not being able to reach her on the phone, Veronica felt helpless.
Trying to calm herself down, she reasoned that perhaps Emma went straight to dance class, and didn’t realize her phone was off. Maybe she had her dance stuff with her and she hadn’t noticed.
However, when she called Marsha and learned that Emma hadn’t shown up for dance class, Veronica went into full-blown panic.
“What do I do?” Veronica practically yelled at Marsha.
“I saw her walking towards the woods this morning. Do you think she might still be there?”
But then, not waiting for an answer, Marsha said, “Stay there. I’m going to get help and we’ll go look for her.”
“No. I have to come too.”
Realizing she couldn’t stop her, Marsha confirmed Veronica would be there in a few minutes, and then called Daniel. She briefly explained what was happening and that they needed to search the woods.
When he said he’d be there in a few minutes, Marsha relaxed a little. Daniel would know what to do.
Marsha thought of calling every Ruby Sister and asking for help, but thought first they should check the woods. There was no point in scaring everyone. Daniel and Emma often went running together, and Marsha thought he might know how to find her.
April came out of her office to find out what was going on and disagreed with Marsha.
“We need everyone. It’s going to be dark in a few hours and very cold. You, Daniel, and Veronica go to the woods. But I am calling everyone else to have them check in town.”
“Including Booker?” Marsha asked.
“Yes,” April answered. She didn’t need to add that the last few days had turned the idea of Spring Falls as a peaceful, safe place upside down.
It was totally unlike Emma to simply disappear. There was something wrong, and pretending like there wasn’t would not help.
Forty Three
Booker, Judith, and Tanner sat opposite Margaret and Colin, each with a cup of coffee before them.
Tanner had tasked Judith to guide the discussion. He hoped Judith’s friendly approach would encourage Margaret and Colin to be more forthcoming. While suspicions surrounded the duo regarding Marshall’s death, they didn’t possess concrete evidence that they had anything to do with it. Besides, they weren’t prepared to broach the sensitive topic of the town’s dubious redevelopment plans just yet. They needed proof first.
Instead, Judith gently steered the conversation towards Marshall’s upcoming funeral and the future of the Town Council. Margaret, acting as the spokesperson for the pair, detailed their plans. Throughout Margaret’s explanation, Judith responded with affirming nods while taking notes. Colin remained silent, but appeared to support everything Margaret said.
For the time being, they all appeared united in their aims. However, when Judith inquired about Walt’s whereabouts, Margaret’s face clouded with worry as she answered.
“We’ve both tried to get a hold of him since yesterday. Do you think there is anything wrong?”
As Tanner observed the dynamic between Judith and Margaret, he likened them to two sides of the same coin. Strikingly alike, yet poles apart. They both scared him. But Judith’s presence was a challenging yet positive force, urging individuals to rise to their best selves, and sometimes that was a scary thing to do.
Margaret scared him in the same way spiders scared him. She had a knack for luring people into her intricate webs, manipulating them for her own gain. She’d done it with him, drawing him into the murky dealings of the Town Council. Only now did he truly understand that everyone around her was mere prey.
Though it wasn’t something he could yet prove, the realization was so profound that he almost blurted it out. But observing Judith’s tactful interaction with the pair, he held back.
He didn’t want to give away what he thought. Margaret believed he was a pushover. He’d let her go on thinking that, while he found proof of what was happening. Walt had hinted at it and given him the keys to his store and his house. He must have wanted him to find something.
Was Walt always planning to leave, and let Tanner discover what Margaret and her friends were doing? The answer yes was so obvious, he gasped out loud.
When everyone turned to look at him, he said, “Sorry, I just realized I need to be somewhere right now. Sorry everyone, I have to go.”
Just then, both Booker and then Judith’s phones rang. They excused themselves, stepped away, and listened. Watching both of their faces change to worry, Tanner felt his fear rise again. Something else had gone wrong.
Booker turned to Margaret and Colin, “We have to go too. But if you hear from Walt, let me know.”
He slid his card across the table to the two of them. Of course, they knew his number, but this was serious business, and he wanted them to have no doubts that he wanted more information from them.
Once the three of them were outside, Booker told Tanner what the calls were about. Veronica’s daughter, Emma, was missing.
“I just saw her this morning,’ Tanner said. “She was heading for the woods. But that was a long time ago. I need to help.”
“Didn’t you have something else to do?” Judith asked.
“Yes. But this is more important.”
Judith, who noticed everything, had seen Tanner stare at Veronica as if she were a goddess. And since Veronica didn’t seem to mind, she told him to go to the Ruby House where he’d find Veronica.
Tanner was already in his car and driving away before she and Booker got to their cars.
“I thought he would help keep Veronica calm, but then maybe not,” Judith said, thinking about Tanner’s face when he found out Emma was missing. Then, turning to Booker, asked, “What’s the plan?”
“I still need to find Walt. You go ahead and coordinate the search for Emma. Judith nodded and called Marsha to confirm the plan. The two of them agreed that Judith, April, and Cindy would search the town. Marsha would head the search in the woods with Daniel, Veronica, and Tanner, who were heading their way.”
Margaret and Colin waited until the three of them had gone out the door, then walked to the window and watched them drive away.
“What do you think that’s about?” Colin asked.
“Whatever it is, it’s not good,” Margaret replied. “We better get the town on our side, show them we are in charge, or we are both in deep trouble.”
Turning to Colin, she added, “And don’t you dare consider leaving town. You and I are going to turn this around together. If you leave, I will blame everything on you and send every authority I can find after you.”
“I didn’t kill Marshall. I wasn’t the mastermind behind all the land grabs. That was you and Marshall, and I have proof. I won’t leave town, but I will blame you if you turn on me.”
Margaret’s mood shifted without a beat. It was so quick that Colin found it creepy. After all the years of knowing Margaret, had he ever really known her? Watching her turn from terrifying to loving and concerned, he thought he hadn’t. And now, he was probably in more trouble than he could ever have imagined.
His bluff worked, at least for the moment. But when Margaret realized that what he had said implicated him as much as her, she’d turn on him again because she would see him as weak enough to destroy. Perhaps it would be better to tell what he knew now. Or run. She wouldn’t be able to find him, and then who cared if she blamed him for everything?
Colin knew Judith was like Margaret. Relentless. Eventually, she’d discover the truth. Margaret’s career and grand plans would not survive once the truth came out. He didn’t have to take revenge on her. Time would take care of that.
But he needed to protect himself. Run or tell. That was the question in front of him. Of course, he wouldn’t be able to tell everything. Was it possible to keep hidden what needed to be hidden and still tell enough to get immunity?
Smiling at Margaret, who was now smiling at him, Colin didn’t let any of his thoughts show. Instead, he followed Margaret’s cue. For the rest of the afternoon, as they planned Marshall’s funeral and spoke to the press, they both behaved as if they were allies, all the while knowing that they weren’t. Both of them were sure that they were the one who would find a way out of the mess Marshall had created.
But both of them were wrong.
Forty Four
Tanner made it to The Ruby House, just as Daniel, Veronica, and Marsha were heading out the door. Slamming the car to a stop, he opened the door and ran at the three of them.
“Wait, I need to go too. Please, let me help.”
Marsha barely knew who Tanner was, and thought they didn’t need another person, but seeing Veronica’s face as Tanner turned to her, said, “Okay, but you aren’t dressed to go out into the woods.”
Daniel, who had also seen how Tanner and Veronica looked at each other, realized Veronica wanted Tanner to come and said, “I have extra hiking stuff in my car. I think they’ll fit.”
As Tanner sat in Daniel’s car trying on hiking boots, he whispered, “Thank you.” Daniel nodded. He only wanted what was best for Veronica and Emma, and he could see that’s what Tanner wanted to.
He recognized the signs. After all, it hadn’t been that long since he had come to town and found Cindy, and probably everyone saw how he felt on his face long before he admitted it to himself. Maybe Tanner didn’t know it yet, but he was in love with Veronica. If they weren’t all so worried about Emma, he would clap this geeky accountant on the back and welcome him to their ever-growing family.
A few minutes later, the four of them piled into Marsha’s SUV and headed to where they thought Emma must have entered the woods. Carrying flashlights in case it got dark while they were out there, they checked their phones to make sure they had service.
It was Daniel who pointed out the footsteps in the snow. They were melting and barely visible, but still possible to follow. Wasting no time, they all took off at a slow jog. There was no reason to separate. They were sure it was Emma’s footsteps they were following.
It didn’t take long for them to see where they were headed. In the distance, they could see the outline of buildings.
“The development,” Marsha said. “She probably wanted more pictures.”
“But then where is she?” Veronica wailed. “Our phones work out here. Why doesn’t hers?”
No one answered because there was nothing they could say that would explain it. Within minutes they were all on the road, but there was so sign of Emma. As shocking as it was to find houses being built, and a road in the Green Zone, dealing with the implications of that was the last thing on their mind. All they wanted was to find Emma.
But there was no sign of her. The sun had warmed the road quicker than the ground and all signs of footsteps had melted, leaving mostly slush and puddles of water.
“Where did she go?” Veronica cried. Tanner put his arms around her, and she slumped against him.
“Maybe she went into the houses,” Daniel said, pointing to what looked like melted footsteps that led to the house closest to them. What they couldn’t tell was if the footsteps were coming or going.
“How do we know if those are hers? What if someone else was here? Did she say she was meeting anyone here?” Marsha asked Tanner.
“She didn’t.”
The four of them stood for a moment, wondering if there had been someone else there. Worried. Was it a friend or foe? Had Emma known they were there?
“Well, it doesn’t do us any good standing here trying to figure things out. Those could be her footsteps, and she could be in one of the houses,” Marsha said, taking off at a run towards the first house.
Veronica, Daniel, and Tanner followed. When they didn’t find her in the first house, they spread out to check on the rest of them. The houses were just shells with open walls waiting to be dry-walled, so it was easy to see that they were empty.
When they didn’t find her, they met back inside the first house. Tanner kept his arm around Veronica who was shaking with cold and fear, all worry about hiding his feelings tossed aside.
“Well, she isn’t here, and she didn’t walk back the way she came or we would have seen her footsteps. So she must have followed the road,” Daniel said. “So let’s follow it ourselves and see where it goes.”
Everyone nodded and started walking. Marsha called Judith to tell her what they had found and what they were doing.
No one mentioned that Emma probably would have done the same thing, if she could have. But then Emma is still a teenager, they said to themselves. She might have wanted to solve the mystery first.
It brought them a measure of comfort to think that.
Tanner’s mind raced as they trudged forward. This development was smack in the middle of the protected Green Zone. And even though he had heard about it at the meeting, seeing it firsthand was shocking. But his primary concern was Emma. Every step they took, he kept an eye out for any sign of her—a dropped personal item, a footprint, a distinctive mark in the snow.
Every so often, a bird would chirp or the wind would rustle leaves, but aside from that, it was eerily silent. About a half a mile down the road, it split in two directions. The four of them stood for a minute, trying to decide which way to go. One way looked as if it might lead them back to town and the other deeper into the woods.
“I think I see something this way,” Daniel said, gesturing to the road that led into the woods. Looking closely, they could see the outline of what looked like an old cabin, half hidden by tall trees and overgrown shrubs.
The group made their way towards it as quietly as possible. Deep in the woods, the sun hadn’t melted the snow as much and they could see sets of footsteps leading to the cabin door.
Veronica’s breath caught in her throat. “Those look fresh,” she whispered. There were no lights on in the cabin, and not knowing what else to do, Daniel turned the rusty doorknob and then pushed the door open wider with his flashlight. They were met with a stale, musty smell. Inside, the small amount of light coming through the dirty window revealed a small living area with a sagging couch, a fireplace filled with ashes, and some discarded food wrappers.
A muffled noise came from the next room. The group froze. Tanner, arm still wrapped protectively around Veronica, cautiously moved forward.
“Emma?” he called out softly.
Another muffled sound, followed by a whimper. They rushed to the next room and found Emma, tied to a chair, her mouth gagged. Her eyes widened in relief seeing familiar faces.
Once the gag was removed, she whispered, “Someone grabbed me. I don’t know who, but they left me here.”
Veronica pulled her into a tight hug, tears streaming down both their faces. Tanner sighed with relief.
“We need to get out of here,” Marsha said.
The group nodded in agreement. With Emma safely in their midst, they could figure out why and who later. It was getting dark. They needed to get back and get away in case Emma’s assailant returned.
Flashlights on, they moved towards the road. Marsha called Judith and said they were taking a road that looked as if it was heading towards town. Judith said she could see where they were. She and Booker would find the entrance to the road and come to them. “Just keep moving,” Judith said.
Behind a tree, staying out of the flashlight beam, a shadowy figure watched, eyes narrowing in anger and frustration. He knew he probably shouldn’t have taken the girl, but seeing her taking pictures and videos, he lost his head for a moment.
The question was, what to do next? Run? Leave everything behind and just go? It was tempting. His time in Spring Falls had probably come to an end. But there were still a few people left to deal with. Then he’d go.
Forty Five
