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.”

 

 

Chapter 6—Belong

Oct9

Welcome to chapter 6! As always, remember that this is rough, unedited, free writing. Feel free to leave comments about anything regarding things you like, questions or suggestions. You can read all the previous chapters by clicking the links at the bottom of the page that should say “Chapter 5—Share” etc. Enjoy!

Chapter 6

Belong

 

Erin spent the rest of the day trying desperately not to worry and focus on the tasks she needed to accomplish. She sent her delivery guy, Kevin, to the front office personnel of the Oakland A’s with three dozen assorted bagels and a variety of spreads in recognition of a stellar season even though it ended with a heartbreaking loss to their east-coast rivals. It always paid to schmooze loyal customers. Plus, she was a big fan.

Returning phone calls, updating the web page and social media accounts, planning out the upcoming holiday season. One would think all that would be enough to take her mind off Hazel. But no.

Around 4:00, a text message flashed onto her phone screen: “Still on for tonight?”

Erin smiled as she pictured the sender. Her boyfriend of eight years (if you can call someone you held hands with in middle school your boyfriend), Cory Baker, would be sitting in his final class of the day, fighting to stay awake, his curly auburn hair disheveled from all the times he absentmindedly ran his fingers through it.

She picked up her phone and answered, “Yes! I have something to talk about with you. A mystery of sorts. Where we goin’?”

“How about Eclipse?” He mentioned the popular seafood restaurant in the Village. “Shouldn’t be too crazy on a Tuesday night.”

“Perf. Come by the shop and get me when you’re ready.”

Cory was a grad student in English Lit at Cal. His dream was to write and teach at the university level. He and Gordon always had a lot to talk about when it came to “professoring” as they liked to call it. Cory was putting himself through school by working at Village Books just two doors down from the bagel shop, and being a grad assistant. Erin was hoping that the next couple of years would see her gaining the perfect last name for someone running a bagel shop, even if she wasn’t the one doing the actual baking. Eight years was long enough to know what she wanted.

Knowing Cory wouldn’t totally buy into her anxiety about Hazel, Erin did the next best thing, she texted his best friend, Scott, their local hero cop who, while probably not one to see intrigue around every corner, would know what to do next.

“Anywhere near the shop to chat for a minute?”

One never knew what Scott could be doing at any given moment, so she didn’t sit watching her phone waiting for a reply, but the ding! of his reply came quickly.

“Wrapping up my shift. Be there in 10.”

As she waited for Scott to arrive, Erin scrolled through her newsfeed to see if anything interesting had happened in the larger world today. Thankfully, she didn’t get very far in the bad-news barrage before hearing the tinkle of the front door bell and heard Adrian’s cheerful greeting of her friend.

“Lookin’ good in the neighborhood, Mr. Scott! Thank you for protecting and serving!”

Scott’s soft laugh followed as Erin went to her office door to greet him.

Denzel Washington had nothing on Scott Preston. Tall, toned, a sweet smile that lit up a room, Scott was fresh out of the Police Academy and dedicated to helping his community be a better place for everyone. Cliché? Maybe, but Scott was the real deal. Erin knew he would take her seriously even if he wouldn’t panic as she had been doing all day.

She met him with a hug and offered him whatever he wanted from the case up front. He chose a Rolling Bagel—one that looked like it had been rolled through the garden and picked up every seed available—and a spread called “Fire” that had just a bit of a jalapeño kick in its cream cheese.

“Tough day at the office?” Erin grinned as she led him to a small table near the front window.

“The usual busting up crime rings and helping little old ladies across the street,” Scott quipped as he smeared his bagel with the cream cheese.

Erin laughed. Her deep desire was that Scott and Pepper would get together. But Pepper refused to see Scott as more than just a friend. Erin would work on that.

“So what’s up, Buttercup?” Scott asked. “Not that I don’t just enjoy your company, but I think you had more on your mind than just to feed a hungry soul.”

Erin sat quiet for just a moment, and then launched into her story of the voicemail and her worry over Hazel. “Do you think there’s anything to her theory that the accident was intentional?” she finally asked.

Scott, to his credit, didn’t laugh in her face and call her a worrywart. He looked serious and asked a few follow-up questions for which Erin had no answers. A 30-second voicemail wasn’t much to go on.

“I don’t know, Erin,” Scott finally answered. “It’s both unusual and not unusual that Hazel would miss a day in the village. She’s done it before. Maybe she’s not feeling well and unplugged her phone so she could rest. If it will make you feel better, I can swing by her place on my way home. It’s not too far out of my way.”

Erin sighed in relief. “That would be great. I don’t want to worry, but it’s just so strange.”

“She belongs to our Clairmont family, Erin. It’s OK to worry a little. I’ll let you know what I find out. I can’t enter her home if she doesn’t answer, though. Not unless I have a compelling reason.” Scott finished his snack and brushed the crumbs onto his plate.

“I’ll take that.” Erin stood and held her hand out for his plate and water cup. “Thanks for stopping by. I’ll try not to worry.”

Heading toward the door, Scott turned and said, “Tell Cory I’m down for a pick-up game of b-ball this weekend if he think he can take the competition.”

Erin laughed and waved and she took the dishes to the kitchen to be washed.

Family. That’s certainly how she thought of all her friends.

 

 

Chapter 5—Share

Oct5

Welcome to Chapter 5! Remember this is a totally freewritten, unedited rough draft, so comments, critiques, concerns are all welcome. If you’re just coming into this story at chapter 5, you can find the rest of the chapter by going to the Table of Contents and clicking the prompts.

Enjoy!

Chapter 5

Share

 

“So what’s up, girlfriend?” Pepper inquired when they walked out the door and headed the two blocks to Clairmont Comics and Such.

“You haven’t seen Hazel around today, have you?” Erin asked hopefully.

“I haven’t,” Pepper answered, “but that’s not unusual. She usually just pops into your place and then heads to the park or home. She doesn’t tend to stick around town. Is there some problem?”

“Well,” Erin hesitated, feeling a little silly, but still worried enough to keep going. “She doesn’t always show up, but she left this really strange message on the shop’s voicemail. “ Erin stepped aside as a mom pushing a double stroller rolled past them on the sidewalk.

“What do you mean by ‘strange,’” Pepper asked.

Erin stopped at the corner and waited for a couple of cars to pass before she stepped off the curb and continued. “She said she had uncovered something that would prove that the accident 20 years ago that killed Bernie and Bryan wasn’t really an accident and that she was scared.”

“Whaaat?” exclaimed Pepper. “Do you think that’s just some of her crazy ramblings? She can sometimes have conspiracy theories, you know. Remember when she was convinced that putting aluminum foil on her roof would keep the aliens from listening in to her conversations? With nobody, ever, because she never lets anyone into her house?”

“I know, I know,” Erin conceded. “But this time she sounded really scared. Her voice was different. She’s never shared any kind of information like this before.”

They stopped as they reached the entrance to Clairmont Comics. “Do you think we ought to look for her?” Erin asked. “I mean, I know it has only been a few hours. But it’s not really like her to not come into the village and to not answer her phone.”

Pepper pulled open the door. “Let’s just see what today turns up, OK, Salty?” Erin grinned at the endearment. “Maybe she had a doctors appointment. Or maybe her phone’s not working. Or maybe she slept through the ringing. There’s all kinds of scenarios that could be true.”

“OK, you’re probably right. Harry pretty much said the same thing. I’ll try not to worry. Thanks for letting me share my concern.”

Pepper waved goodbye and stepped into her realm while Erin headed back to Be My Bagel. The sound of a siren in the distance did nothing to ease her mind.

Chapter 4—Why

Oct5

Welcome to Chapter 4! Remember this is a very rough draft, so feel free to comment on things you like or what doesn’t make sense.

Enjoy!

Chapter 4

Why

 

Things got busy in the shop after that, and Erin went to lend a hand at the counter. By the time the mid-morning coffee-break crowd had cleared out, it was nearing noon and Erin still hadn’t seen any sign of Hazel.

Granted, Erin remembered days when Hazel hadn’t shown up. They were few, but it just seemed a little creepy that she hadn’t show up today, after her cryptic voicemail. Why had she left that message when she knew no one would be there? Why hadn’t she called Erin’s cell phone? She had the number. Why was she afraid? And why wasn’t she answering her phone? Erin had never known her to go many places. She mostly stayed in her big empty falling down house.

Just then, the bell over the front door jingled, and Erin looked up to see her best friend, Pepper Robbins, breeze into the shop.

“Pepper!” greeted Adrian with enthusiasm. “Looking good today, girl!”

Pepper was well known in the shop as she stopped there often, and her flamboyant dress style usually caught people’s attention. Today’s ensemble included a bright pink pencil skirt paired with a multi-colored, striped peasant blouse and pink sequined sneakers.

Erin grinned at her bestie and leaned in to give her a hug. “Here for lunch?” Erin asked.

Although they were a bagel shop, they catered to the lunch bunch a bit by having some sandwiches—on bagels of course—ready made in the cold case.

“Nah, I’m good for today,” Pepper answered. “Just wanted to pop in and see your pretty face. Needed a pick-me-up from the slow times at the store.”

Pepper worked as the sales manager for the Variety store two blocks down, near the Safeway grocery store. She helped diversify their offerings from the as-seen-on-tv trinkets to a comic book fanatics dream of issues and paraphernalia from the Marvel Universe—Pepper’s personal fave—and its rival universe, DC. Their busy time was when the kids got out of school in the late afternoon.

Having been friends since grade school, Pepper and Erin often were called “Salt and Pepper” for their opposite coloring and the fact that you could always find them together. They had spent a lot of time at each other’s houses and even gone to Berkeley together. Pepper had excelled and graduated near the top of her class and even earned her MBA in record time. Of course, with her father, the Rev. Michael Robbins breathing down her neck, she could do no less.

Erin had a healthy fear of Rev. Robbins. He was a large man with a booming voice that garnered respect from his congregation at the big AME church downtown. But he really was a softy when it came to his only daughter. She was the youngest of five and having four older brothers was no easy task. But Pepper seemed able to keep them on their toes.

Erin loved her like a sister.

“I need to talk to you,” Erin told Pepper.

“Sure,” Pepper responded with a curious look. “I can’t stay anyway, so why don’t you walk me back to the store.”

Erin told Adrian she’d be back in a few minutes, and they headed out into the October sunshine.