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Chapter 11—Door

Oct12

Welcome to chapter 11! If you need to, you can start at chapter 1 by clicking here. Remember this is a free write, so no heavy editing has been done. If you find mistakes, feel free to leave a comment. If you’re enjoying the story, share it with others and leave me a comment. If you have a critique, leave me a comment!

Chapter 11

Door

 

It had been six years since Erin had started working at the bagel shop owned by her Uncle Harry. She started at the counter when she was a sophomore in high school. Harry had made her manager before she graduated from Cal with her business degree with the intention of giving the store to her upon his demise. Which didn’t look like it would be anytime soon. For which Erin was eternally grateful.

As she walked in the door with just seconds to spare before the clock chimed 10, Erin breathed deeply, enjoying the yeasty smell of the baked goodies and the 60s vibe Harry carried out so well.

There were several people in line at the counter, so Erin hurried to drop her bag off in her office and then washed her hands at the small sink behind the counter before moving to help Gretchen, the middle-aged grandma who worked 15 hours a week supplementing her husband’s income so she could feed her crafting addiction. Erin was pretty sure Gretchen alone kept the local hobby store in business. She was a sweet woman who loved on everyone who came in and was completely trustworthy. Erin loved her like an aunt.

After the line died down, Erin grabbed herself a cup of coffee and went in search of Harry and found him in the kitchen, sitting on a stool, squinting at the computer screen in front of him. She reached around to give him a one-armed hug. “Whatcha doin’?”

“Hey, girlie!” her uncle greeted her heartily. “Did you know that we’re coming up on our 30th anniversary? I’m looking on Pinterest for ideas of what to do to celebrate.”

Erin chuckled and pulled up another stool to sit beside her gray-haired uncle. “It makes me incredibly happy to see you searching Pinterest,” she quipped. “It just does so much for your persona.”

Harry gave her a sidelong glance. “Don’t get sassy with me, you.” Harry had never married and had no children, so Erin, Sarah and Tyler were his surrogates. He loved them immensely and was as heart-broken as Gordon was about the choices Sarah was making now that she was on her own at college. And he lavished gifts on Tyler’s baby boy, Blake, like any enamored grandpa.

Erin sat watching for a minute before she ventured, “Did you see Hazel this morning, Uncle Harry?”

“No,” he answered distractedly, “But I haven’t been up front much, so she could have come in without me seeing her.”

“I’ll go ask Gretchen,” Erin said, getting up from her chair and taking her mug to the big industrial sink and rinsing it out. “Can I get you anything?”

“Nah, I’m good, girl. See if you can get those invoices from Hiller Foods figured out for me. I think there’s something wrong with last week’s total.” Harry hadn’t taken his eyes off the screen as he answered.

Erin had one hand on the swinging door when the business card in her pocket came to her mind. “Hey, Harry,” she said. “You ever heard of Green Glass Vineyard and Winery?”

“Sure, it’s been around forever,” Harry responded, taking off his glasses to glance at Erin across the room. “Gordy and I used to go up there every now and then before he and your mom got married. Nice place. Why you ask? Looking for a nice getaway for you and Cory?” He grinned and waggled his eyebrows.

Not wanting Harry to know that she had been snooping around Hazel’s house on her own, Erin simply said, “Just curious. Don’t stare at that computer too long. It’s bad for your brain.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Harry said as Erin pushed through the door.

Gretchen was refilling the clear glass case with fresh bagels when Erin went back behind the counter. “Hey, Gretch. Seen any sign of Hazel this morning?”

Straightening up and pushing her light brown hair behind her ear, Gretchen thought for a minute before replying. “I don’t think so, kiddo. Why?”

Erin felt her stomach knot in concern. Missing one day in the Village was one thing, but to miss two? Something was definitely wrong. “This is the second day in a row she hasn’t been in,” Erin answered. “She left me a very strange voicemail overnight two days ago, and then hasn’t been around since. I’m worried about her.”

“That is unusual,” Gretchen agreed. “But that doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong. What does Scott think?”

“He went to her house after he got off yesterday. Said it didn’t appear her car was there. He figured she just went somewhere. “ Erin moved to the dining area and picked up the dishes people had piled by the trash cans. “Have you ever known Hazel to take a trip anywhere in the 20 years since Bernie and Bryan died?”

Gretchen shrugged. “Can’t say that I have, but there’s a first time for everything.”

Ugh, thought Erin. Why is nobody taking this seriously?

After taking the dishes to the kitchen sink, Erin headed to her office. Charlie, the young college student they hired to help with keeping the kitchen clean would be in before noon to wash up and then tend to keeping the dining area clean through the rest of the day. Whenever needed, Harry would see to baking fresh bagels from the trays prepared by Barry and Bonnie that morning and kept in the walk-in refrigerator.

As she sat, she pulled out the Green Glass Winery business card and studied it. The white card stock was only barely discolored, telling her that it hadn’t been out in the elements very long. It was a little water damaged, which would stand to reason for something outside in the Bay Area fog. Setting it down on her desk, she turned on her desktop computer and waited for it to boot up. She didn’t exactly know what she was looking for, but greenglasswinery.com seemed a good place to start.

 

 

Chapter 10—How

Oct12

Are you as curious as I am yet about how this is all going to turn out? Thanks for coming back for more. Remember that I’m still just free writing, not editing for anything major, and welcome your critique and comments! If you’re new to the story, click here to start at the beginning. Enjoy the next couple of chapters!

Chapter 10

How

Waking up late was a luxury Erin didn’t usually have. But Uncle Harry had wanted to open the shop today because he had some ideas he wanted to run by Barry and Bonnie before customers started showing up. So she pulled on her trusty turquoise sweats and running shoes and headed out the door for a much-needed run to try to clear her head. She hadn’t slept well after initially falling asleep quickly, her dreams filled with visions of Hazel lying injured in a ditch somewhere and car crashes caused by unknown assailants. She really needed to get her act together.

Running in the hills was always an adventure. Sometimes the fog could be so thick you could barely see in front of you. Today, the mist was light as the sun, already gaining altitude in the sky, burned off the wispy tendrils. She was due in the shop by 10, so she chose her longer route, enjoying the quiet the hills and canyons brought.

Her feet automatically lead her to Canyon Rd., the site of the fateful accident involving Hazel’s husband, Bernie, and their 5-year-old son, Bryan. Hazel and Bernie had been married 15 years before they were able to have Bryan, and they adored the curly headed boy. The night they died, Bernie and Bryan were headed home from a T-ball practice at the Canyon Park.

Into the rhythm of her run now, Erin didn’t even have to think about where she was going, so she just let her mind continue down the path it was taking on its own. If she remembered what her parents had told her when she asked about Hazel when she would see her alone in the Village, Bernie had worked for the Federal Government. Systems analyst or something like that. Pretty low key, but a good job. Nothing nefarious that she knew of. Of course, she was only two when the accident happened. Hard to believe it had been twenty years.

Which brought her back to the question, how is it possible that Hazel had turned up something proving the accident wasn’t all that it seemed? Like a dog gnawing on a bone, Erin could not let go of this mystery. Turning toward home, she determined to head back to Hazel’s house now that it was light, and do a bit more thorough of a search.

 

After a warm shower and a quick cup of coffee—she’d grab a bagel at the shop when she got there—Erin filled Einstein’s bowls, gave him a kiss on the head, and headed to her Bug. It would take her just a few minutes to get to Hazel’s, but she knew she didn’t have much time before she needed to show up at work or Harry would have Scott putting out an APB on her. Leftover hippy that he was, he was still over protective of both his nieces. Erin’s sister, Sarah, was at school in San Diego, and her older brother, Tyler, was married with a baby and seemed to be doing well taking care of his family, so Erin usually got the brunt of his watchfulness.

As she again pulled into Hazel’s driveway, Erin was struck by the rundown look of the place. It hadn’t seemed so pitiful in the dark. But to see it in full daylight brought a lump to Erin’s throat. Why did Hazel refuse all offers of help? This house could be beautiful if it was taken care of. The view of the Bay would be stunning if the trees were trimmed. Even with the city ordinance requiring views to be conserved, Hazel had somehow slipped under the radar.

She slowly got out of the Bug and headed toward the garage that was straight in front of her. Most people used their garages around the hills, because it was almost impossible for emergency vehicles to get by if there were cars on the edges of the road. Hazel’s garage was typical for the neighborhood: two-car, heavy wooden door drawn up manually with the aid of a large spring, door out back, windows on both sides. Erin approached the door but hesitated to try to open it. She really didn’t have a right to enter Hazel’s property.

But how was she going to be able to check thoroughly if she couldn’t go in? She went around the side window, but it was so covered in grime that she couldn’t see a thing in the dark interior. She tried rubbing her hand through the dirt, but it only made it worse. She climbed through the weeds and overgrown bushes to the other side, scaring a pair of rabbits in the process, but encountered the same grime on that side as well.

Heaving a deep sigh, Erin stood with her hands on her hips, trying to decide what she should do. She glanced at her watch and saw that she only had 15 minutes to get to work, so she decided to head back to her car. Looking down to make sure she didn’t encounter those rabbits again, Erin slowed as something on the ground caught her eye. As she got closer, she saw that it was a small business card, dirty and a little damp, but clearly legible. It said, “Green Glass Vineyard and Winery. Serving Napa Valley’s Finest Wines for more than 150 years. Grant Frasier, manager. 707-555-3487.”

Obviously the card hadn’t been there a long time, but by now Erin was pushing the window on getting to the shop on time, so she tucked the card in the pocket of her jeans, and hurried to her car to start the short trip down the hill to the Village and Be My Bagel.

 

 

Chapter 9—Inspire

Oct11

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.

 

 

Chapter 8—Comfort

Oct9

Welcome to chapter 8! As always, remember this is an unedited free write. Comments, critiques, questions are welcomed. You can read previous chapters by clicking the link to the left on the bottom of the post. I’d love to hear from you! Enjoy!

 

Chapter 8

Comfort

 

Since Cory had an early class before he went to work at the bookstore, they called it a night after taking a leisurely stroll around the Village and then back to the parking garage where Erin had parked just that morning. Somehow it seems so much longer ago than that. A lot had happened in one day.

“Try not to worry,” Cory comforted with a hug. “We really can’t do anything more for awhile.”

“I’ll really try,” Erin answered as she unlocked the driver’s door of the Bug. “But you know how my head works. I can’t stop it if it wants to go running off in different directions. Kinda like herding cats, you know?” She laughed as she settled into the driver’s seat and stuck the key in the ignition.

Cory closed the door and waved her away as she backed out of her parking spot and drove away.

Knowing she probably shouldn’t, but unable to stop herself, instead of heading home, she turned the Bug toward Hazel’s house. It’s not that she didn’t trust Scott, she reasoned, quite the opposite, in fact. But sometimes a woman is just a tad more observant. That estrogen locator device and all. It would make her feel better if she looked around for herself. As she wound around the hilly roads, she replayed the voicemail message in her head again. What had she said? She thinks she knew what happened? She didn’t think it was an accident? She was afraid?

What could she possibly have found out after 20 years? And why hadn’t she called Erin’s cell phone? The questions just kept coming. Soon, she pulled her car into the short driveway in front of Hazel’s dilapidated house. She couldn’t understand Hazel’s hesitation to let people come and help her keep it up. Landscaping was hard to maintain in the hills as rocky ground and steep drops were common.

To look at the outside of the 70s home, one would think it was abandoned. Plywood covered windows and the brown paint was chipping so badly there were more bare places than there were painted ones. Erin grabbed the flashlight her father always insisted she carry in her glove box, and stepped out of the car.

She didn’t really know what she was looking for, but she started with going up to the front door. Maybe she had come home between Scott’s visit and now. Erin pounded loudly on the door and yelled for good measure, “Hazel! Hazel, are you in there? It’s Erin Harrison!” She stopped to listen for anything from the interior, but was met by stone silence.

She stepped to one side and tried to shine her light in a small crack in the plywood over the front window, but she couldn’t see a thing. Careful to watch her footing through the tall weeds and broken pots from long-abandoned plants that were once carefully tended, Erin tried to make her way around to the back yard. In the darkness, even with the flashlight, she feared injury, so she turned back and headed to the detached garage.

Suddenly her cell phone chirped with Pepper’s text tone: “You home?”

Erin knew she couldn’t lie to her friend, so she responded, “umm, not exactly.”

“What does that mean?” Came the quick reply.

Erin debated how much to say. She decided prevarication was the way to go: “made a stop on my way home. Be there soon.”

“I’m coming over” came the reply.

Knowing she was on a fool’s mission anyway, Erin turned aside from her path to the garage, climbed back in her car and headed for home, no more wiser than when she came.

 

 

Chapter 7—Hope

Oct9

Welcome to chapter 7! As always, remember that this is an unedited free write. Comments, suggestions, critique are welcome! You can read the previous chapters by clicking the links at the bottom of the screen. The link on this post should say “Chapter 6—belong.” Enjoy!

Chapter 7

Hope

 

Just as Cory walked in the door to take Erin to dinner, Scott’s text tone sounded.

“Car doesn’t appear to be in the garage. No lights on in the house. Knocked and no one answered. She must have gone somewhere.”

Erin swiftly composed a reply: “?? She’s never actually left town that I’m aware of. She has no family. Ugh. Why does she not have a cell phone? What’s next?”

Scott’s reply was swift: “We wait.”

Noting her worried look, Cory gave Erin a long hug. “Does that have anything to do with what you wanted to talk about?”

“Let’s get to the restaurant and I’ll fill you in,” Erin said as she waved to Adrian. He’d be closing the shop in less than an hour, and Erin knew she could trust him to lock up and set the alarm. They were a strictly 7-to-6 operation. They rarely had anyone come in the evenings.

Walking hand in hand the three blocks to the restaurant. Cory had been right and the restaurant was nearly empty. The hostess sat them at a quiet table near the fireplace, which was not yet lit on this lovely October evening. After ordering a glass of wine for her and a water with lemon for him, Cory sat back, giving Erin space to say what was on her mind.

“Might as well just jump in, I guess, “ she started. “Otherwise I’m just going to be distracted and you’re going to be curious.”

Cory grinned his reply and she summed up as she had for Scott just a little while before. “And so, Scott stopped by her house on the way home and said her car is gone and the lights are all out.”

“Guess she went somewhere,” Cory stated what he thought was the obvious.

“She never goes anywhere except to doctors appointments and here to the Village,” Erin pointed out.

“There’s a first time for everything,” Cory said.

“In twenty years?” Erin exclaimed. “I know it’s not beyond the realm of possibility, but she doesn’t have any family . . .”

“That you know of,” interrupted Cory.

“OK, OK, “ Erin conceded. “You’re right. I don’t know everything there is to know about her. But her not being there on top of the voicemail message, makes me afraid for her. I just hope she’s all right.”

Their server came back to the table with their beverages and they had to admit that they hadn’t even looked at the menu yet and could she give them just a few more minutes?

Each of them perused the menu and made their choices. The server came back and took their order and left a basket of freshly made rolls with butter on their table.

Ever conscious of her carb intake, Erin declined, but Cory dug in.

“There’s not much we can do at this point,” Cory pointed out. “She’s not reachable since she has no cell phone. We can’t jump to the assumption that she’s come to harm.”

Erin sipped her wine and looked around the dim restaurant. It was one of the nicer places in the Village, known for it’s crab legs and fresh caught fish, since it was so near the ocean. Other couples were scattered around the room, and it looked like there were a couple of business meetings going on.

“What are you thinkin’?” Cory broke in on her reverie.

“I don’t know,” Erin responded. “I just feel a little helpless.”

Reaching over to take her hand, Cory stayed silent, yet communicated his sympathy with his green eyes.

“I’ll give it a couple of days,” Erin said as their server approached with their food. “But if she doesn’t show up, we’re going to need to do something.”