Their voices had drifted my way. Hers tense. His uncomfortable. Their reunion was almost humorous. But it’s time for me to leave. I’d almost given too much away earlier when my phone rang. Thankfully, I’d had the foresight to put it on silent.
I retraced my steps back to the place where I’d parked. I must hurry. Thankfully, I know a shortcut that will shave off precious time.
Driving without the headlights on, I think about what will come. If Charlotte continued to dig into the past she’d find the truth like her uncle. And when she did, I’d bury her in it. . .just like I had him.
Ryan turned his truck around and pulled up beside her window as they reached the edge of town.
“You should be safe here. Be sure to lock your door and call me if anything comes up.”
Despite their rocky history, she was grateful for his concern. “I will, I promise. You’ll let me know what you find?”
Those unforgettable gray eyes bored into her. “I will. Whatever it is, I’ll let you know.”
It would have to do. Charlie thanked him and rolled her window up. She drove slowly away, her gaze flicking to the rearview. Ryan sat where she’d left him for a moment longer before he headed back up the mountain.
With distance between them, she could breathe normally again though all sorts of emotions swirled around in her head. She’d loved him. In the months following her parents’ death,grief had brought them together. They spent every possible second with each other. The sweet romance that had started as teens deepened into love.
But the pain she couldn’t let go of tore them apart. For a year she fought it hoping things might turn out differently, yet every minute she spent in Pine Haven was a reminder of the things that were lost.
And so she’d left. She didn’t have the courage to tell Ryan in person. She’d just left him a note on his car windshield and fled despite Pete begging her to stay. Talk it out with Ryan. She’d taken the coward’s way out back then.
She would never do that again.
Charlie drove slowly through downtown. She needed time to compose herself before facing Lila. Her high school friend was another casualty of her actions. She’d made so many promises to come back to Pine Haven for a visit only to back out at the last minute. She couldn’t. She just couldn’t.
The town was the embodiment of Christmas as she drove around for a bit collecting herself. Pine Haven always went all out for the holiday. It was one of the things she loved about the place.
As Christmas drew closer, there was the festival at the park downtown. Then the Christmas Eve service at church. Good memories mingled with the ugly ones. It hadn’t been all bad. While growing up, Charlie couldn’t imagine leaving Pine Haven. Her parents owned a hundred-acre spread with horses and cattle. Charlie had learned to ride with her father as a toddler. They’d spend hours on horseback in the mountain trails.
And later, she and Abby and Lila would take the horses out for rides. Abby was like a sister to her. So was Lila.
That night drilled at the back of her head. Lila had refused to go along with their plan and so it had been just her and Abby. She’d thought about calling Ryan. Back then, they were dating,and she loved spending time with him, but Abby had been going through a difficult time. Something was troubling her, and she needed to talk. Charlie suggested they meet up at the bridge.
She’d waited for hours that night, but Abby didn’t come. Afterward, Charlie slipped back into her room and fell asleep. The next morning, Abby’s parents came to the house wondering if Abby might be there.
The truth had come out. Uncle Pete was called to investigate. And Abby walked into the pages of history. Remembered by the releasing of balloons annually on her birthday or the anniversary of her disappearance. She’d been honored at their high school graduation. Whenever Charlie spoke to Lila, Abby inevitably came up as she did in Charlie’s conversations with Pete.
“I’m sorry, Abby. I’m so sorry.” Charlie glanced in the mirror at the older version of herself. The fear shadowing her eyes reminded her that it was a very real possibility that what happened at her uncle’s home was connected to Abby’s disappearance. Another death laid at Charlie’s feet. Her precious uncle had become the latest victim of the nightmare that wouldn’t end.
Find me. . .
Charlie could almost hear her friend whisper.
Find out what happened to me. . .
“I will. I’ll find out what happened, Abby. I promise.”
She turned onto Aspen Street where the park was located. Twinkling lights were draped along every light post. Across the bushes and trees. The gazebo was decked out as well. Near it, the small bench dedicated to Abby was a reminder of one of the darkest moments in Charlie’s life.
Growing up, she’d loved Christmas. Abby’s death and then five years later when her parents died, she’d come to hate it.
“I’m sorry, Jesus. I know this is an important time of year, but I just can’t.”
She never put up a tree anymore. Didn’t go to the Christmas services near her home. She just wanted to sleep through the whole event.
Turning back onto Main Street, Charlie drove to The Avalanche Café and parked out front. With a heavy sigh, she got out. Stress had her shoulder muscles cramped tight. The hours of driving and dreading being back here had turned a mild headache into a migraine.
The memory of that warning flashed through her head, turning her stomach.
