Welcome to chapter 9! I hope you’re having as much fun reading as I am writing. It’s not easy, though, to figure out where I’m going with all this. Thanks for hanging out with me! Remember as always that this is a free write, no editing or overthinking at the moment. Just seeing where the story takes me. Start at the beginning by clicking here. It’s more fun that way. Don’t forget to leave a comment or “like.”

Chapter 9

Inspire

 

Pepper was waiting on the stairs to her apartment when Erin pulled in a few minutes later. She stood as Erin pulled the Bug into the parking spot allocated for her to the side of the garage. As she trudged up the stairs to hug her friend, Erin felt like crying.

“What’s up, Buttercup?” Pepper asked, keeping her arm around Erin as they walked up the stairs and Erin unlocked the door.

“Let me put on some coffee, or would you rather have tea? And then I’ll fill you in” Erin answered, trying to pull her thoughts together.

“Tea would be great, something soothing that will help us sleep,” Pepper suggested as she sank into Erin’s red couch and stroked Einstein who had jumped up to greet her.

“I’m not sure sleep will be coming very quickly tonight,” Erin said as she filled the tea kettle and set it on the burner. She turned to look at Pepper and Einstein. “OK, I’ll tell you. I went to Hazel’s house after dinner with Cory.”

“What?” Pepper exclaimed. “What were you hoping to accomplish? By yourself. In the dark?”

“I know, I know,” Erin held up both hands in front of herself in defense. “Scott had already been by there earlier, but I just needed to go myself to see if he missed anything.”

Pepper gave her that I’m-not-believing-what-I’m-hearing look. “You think you could find something, and again I emphasize, in the dark, that a trained police officer couldn’t find? Now I know you’re obsessed.”

Erin knew her friend was right, and that it had been foolish of her to go there by herself, especially when Hazel was missing under mysterious circumstances. At least, Erin thought they were mysterious circumstances. But she just couldn’t get that voicemail message out of her head.

“You didn’t hear her message, Pep. She sounded really scared. And now she’s missing.”

Pepper jumped in, “I don’t think you can call someone who has not been seen around town for less than 24 hours ‘missing.’ It’s a little too soon to be jumping to conclusions.”

The tea kettle started whistling and Erin took it off the burner and reached for the tin of chamomile tea and two bright green mugs. Filling the flower handled tea infusers that Pepper had given her for her birthday last month with the loose-leaf tea, Erin set them in the mugs and poured the boiling water over them. Collecting spoons, sugar, a small box of ginger snap cookies and a bag of treats for Einstein, she added everything to an oak tray and carried them to the couch, setting them on the small, round coffee table.

Opening the cookies, Erin said, “You and everyone else has been telling me the same thing. Maybe I should just let it go until I really have reason to worry.”

“That’s what I’m sayin’, girlfriend,” Pepper said as she helped herself to a cookie. “Now, tell me what’s up with Cory? Has he been inspired to go ring shopping yet?”

Erin laughed and stirred a teaspoon of sugar into her properly steeped tea. “Don’t I wish! That man is slow as molasses in winter. But what about you? Have you been inspired to say yes to a date with Scott yet?”

Pepper choked on her bite of cookie, and took a sip of too-hot tea to wash it down. “Ouch! Now you’ve gone and made me burn my tongue!”

Erin laughed as they launched into a giggling conversation about the men, or lack thereof, in their lives. Erin wasn’t going to give up on helping Pepper see the error of her thoughts about Scott anytime soon. That man was perfect for her.

An hour later, when Pepper finally decided she needed to get home to bed, Erin cleaned up, got ready for bed, and brought the mail that had been accumulating into her bedroom with her, determining to go through it before she went to sleep.

With Einstein curled up at the foot of her bed, she started sorting the pieces into stacks. But the tea had done its calming work, and before she knew it, her eyes were growing heavy, and the mail was going to have to wait yet one more day.