Tag Archive | 31 Days of Writing

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.”

 

 

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.