Tag Archive | The Clue in the Collectibles

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.

 

 

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.