Dark Places (9 page)

Chapter Twenty

Once again on Main Street, Anna shook off her mad and passed a small, empty building that still harbored a mystery. A decade earlier, the owner of what then was a small fix-it shop was tied up, beaten, and left alone. By the time Ned and John Washington broke down the door, the owner was dead. They never knew if it was from the beating, asphyxiation, or the rats. The case was still unsolved.

She thought about turning into SkateWorld, but didn't figure grown men in suits would have any interest in roller skating. Her next stop was the Dairy Kreem drive-in. She parked under metal cover and ordered a burger, fries, and a Dr Pepper. The carhop hung the tray on Anna's partially opened window.

Anna held up the photo. “You ever serve these guys?”

The little brunette stood hip-cocked beside the car. “Yep. They've been in here a few times.”

“Do you remember the last time you saw them?”

“It's been several days.”

The hand-cut fries were still too hot to eat, so Anna separated the largest and balanced them on the side of the plastic basket, like cigarettes in an ashtray. “Did you talk to them?”

“No ma'am. Not more than taking their order.”

Anna bit into the burger and chewed for a moment. “Do you always work this shift?”

“No ma'am. I work around my kids, and when Earl says he needs me, and that's pretty regular the way some of these gals are, not coming in and all.”

“Did those guys ever stop here at night?”

The carhop thought for a minute. Another car pulled in out of the rain on the other side of Anna's patrol car. “Only once, last Friday. They came through about an hour or so before dark. Gotta go. Bye.”

While she held the sweating Dr Pepper bottle and took a pull on the paper straw, Anna filed that little bit of information away. She made a note to come back and talk to the others later.

She finished her burger and the carhop picked up the tray. Anna backed into the rain and continued down the street to the Owl Drugstore. Neither the pharmacist or his employees recalled the brothers. That one was definitely a dead end.

Chapter Twenty-one

I was in the living room, scared and out of place. Pepper was gone and Miss Becky was cryin' to beat the band. Norma Faye, Uncle Cody's redheaded firecracker of a wife, at least that's what Grandpa called her when none of the family was around, was sitting beside Miss Becky on the couch and rubbing her back.

Pepper didn't need to be with me all the time, but by being close by, she made me feel better if I was down in the dumps, like now. Right then I was feeling so out of sorts I didn't know what to do. I was wishing Uncle Cody was there.

Miss Becky dabbed at one eye with a cup towel. “Pepper's gone, Top, and we need to go to church.”

Of all the places Pepper might run off and hide, I knew it wouldn't be the Assembly of God church across the pasture. “She ain't there, Miss Becky.”

It was like I said I'd hated her all my life. Her eyes widened and welled even more. She buried her face and bawled long and loud.

“What'd I say?”

Norma Faye blinked tears from her own eyes, shook her head, and laid her cheek on Miss Becky's shoulder.

Miss Becky's voice was muffled from inside the now damp towel. “I've failed with both of them. The Devil's done run off with one and the other'n don't know that our salvation and hope is in the church. Pepper ain't there, Top. Jesus is!”

I still hadn't learned when to talk, and when not to. “But you always said Jesus was right here with us, in our hearts, and all around us. What do we need to go to the church house for?”

“Hush, hon.” Norma Faye rose and gently tugged me by the shoulder toward the kitchen.

I hadn't been there but for a minute before Grandpa and Uncle James pulled up in the drive. The wet gravel sounded completely different under the car tires than it does when it's dry outside. The back door opened and Aunt Ida Belle climbed out of the car. Her face was screwed up and she was crying too. They all came through the kitchen door, letting the screen bang shut.

Slap, clop, clop.

That's when I knew when things were really bad, adults lettin' screen doors slam.

They weren't no more'n through the kitchen and in the living room than the women commenced to wailin' like somebody had died. It made me feel even worse, listening to them like that.

Two marked cars came up the drive. Uncle Cody and Mr. John Washington finished filling up the living room with serious-faced adults.

Uncle Cody pitched his wet hat on top of the TV. “Does anyone know where she might have gone?”

Everyone shook their heads.

Aunt Ida Belle got hold of herself. “Don't nobody know where my baby girl is?” Her voice hitched like a kid's. She always gets her hair permed at Geneva's little shop by her house in Arthur City, but it was all wet and blowed up as if she'd been pulling at it.

“Top!” It was Grandpa and he sounded aggravated.

I knew that was coming. Here I was, all by myself and not knowing anything, but Pepper was still getting me in trouble. “Sir?”

“Tell me where Pepper went, son.”

I tried on about three different expressions, trying to let 'em know I had no idea. “I didn't know she was gone until y'all did. She didn't tell me nothin'.”

“If I find out you're a-lyin, I'll take my belt to you.”

“I know, Grandpa. But I don't.”

Uncle James rubbed his palms on his thighs. “Maybe she said something and you didn't much think about it. Is she staying with somebody from school?”

“Nossir.”

Uncle Cody rubbed the back of his neck. “Maybe she's with kinfolk in Chisum.”

I didn't know, so I didn't say anything.

Mr. John snapped his fingers. “I know. Mark Lightfoot. I bet she's gone across the river and is with him right now.”

Aunt Ida Belle appeared hopeful. “I bet that's it. Do we have a phone number for anybody over there who knows him?”

“I'll find out.” Mr. John put his hat back on and went outside.

“Top?” Miss Becky wiped her eyes.

“Honest! I don't know. We haven't talked to Mark since the powwow in Grant. I don't know no phone number for him. He said the house they were living in barely had electricity, let alone a telephone.”

Conversation stalled while they studied the floor and each other.

Aunt Ida Belle took a deep, shuddering breath. “We need to do something. James, don't sit there like a bump on a log.”

“What do you want me to do?” His voice told how miserable he felt.

She was lost. “I don't know.”

The phone on the telephone table jangled loud enough to make us jump. I thought Grandpa would shoot it, even though it was our ring on the party line, and not two or three. It rang again, and again.

Uncle Cody sat down on the hard seat and answered. “Hello. No, this is Cody.” He was mad at first, but then his jaw set and he listened. “Well, that explains a lot. No, Pepper's gone too. Do you have any idea where they went?”

We all watched him like an actor on a stage, hanging on to every word and trying to figure out what the person on the other end of the line was saying. Like Grandpa who rubbed his bald head when he was frustrated, Uncle Cody rubbed the back of
his
neck, where the hair used to curl over his collar. Now it was cut short, like the rest of the men in our community.

“Well, we don't, neither. That clears up a few things here, though. All right, we're working on it right now. Yep, I'll call you when we find something out.”

Mr. John came back into the house as Uncle Cody hung up. Water dripped from his hat and his shirt was soaked. “Mister Ned, I got somebody from the sheriff's office in Hugo heading over to where Mark lives. He knows 'em, cause he has to go over there pretty regular to break up family squabbles and sometimes to haul off a drunk or two.”

That made Miss Becky screw her face up even more. Mark lived with us for a while after his mama was killed, but we had to give Mark up when his family came to get him. Since they had the law on their side, Grandpa said we had to let him go instead of raising him as part of our own family.

Uncle Cody took a deep breath. “You can tell 'em to come on back. That was Cale's daddy. He said Cale's run off too.”

Grandpa's face got red as a beet. “That little bastard! He took her with him.”

Uncle James stood. “Let's go.”

“Hold up, James.” Uncle Cody held up his hand. “I said he's gone. Preacher Westlake don't know anything else and said he ain't got no idea where Cale might be. He's as worried as we are.”

I've never seen so many adults in one place that didn't know what to do. Mr. John crossed his big arms and stared at the ground, studying on it.

The phone rang again, making us all jump. Uncle Cody eyeballed me and then answered. I raised both hands and shrugged, showing that I was telling the truth and still didn't know where Pepper was off to.

“Hello. This is Cody.” He listened and then his eyes changed. “Thanks ma'am. I appreciate the call. No ma'am, I don't think it's wrong, and I'm glad you did, this time.”

He hung up. “That was Miss Whitney.”

“Aw, psssshhhhh!” It was Miss Becky's sound of disgust.

The old widow woman didn't have much family and couldn't get around much, so to fill the time, she liked to listen in on our party line. We all knew she picked up sometimes when we were on our call.

Grandpa took off his hat and rubbed his bald head. “Well?”

“She was listening to me talk to Preacher Westlake, and this time it's a good thing. She was listening a couple of days ago when Pepper and Cale Westlake were planning to run off, and she heard it all. They're on the way to San Francisco.”

Both Miss Becky and Aunt Ida Belle wailed, and Miss Becky started praying loud and long.

Uncle Cody stood up. “Let's go.”

It was the first time I ever saw Grandpa unsure of what to do. It took several long seconds before his face cleared. “Nope.” He put his hat back on and set it right. “You're the sheriff now. You can't go off after runaways. Your job's right 'chere.” He stopped Mr. John as he drew a breath to speak. “You too, John. Y'all have a hit and run to solve, along with two missing men. Me and James will take care of this.

“John, what you
can
do is put out an APB on the kids. Norma Faye, you come call the bus station and see if the kids showed up there. Mama, we've seen worse, just 'cause it's our baby girl don't mean…” He paused with a catch in his throat. Grandpa didn't say anything to Aunt Ida Belle, because all she could do was sit there and beller like a calf.

Norma Fay shooed Uncle Cody away from the telephone table. “I'll call the Dallas bus station, too. You're right Ned. Someone will remember seeing two kids buying tickets to California.”

They all started talking at once and Miss Becky stood. “Come go with me, Top. We're walking over to the church to pray as hard as we can.”

“Shit,” I said under my breath, and Norma Faye whacked me a good one on the butt while she waited for someone at the bus station to answer the phone. It didn't hurt, though.

Chapter Twenty-two

Back on Main, Anna drove south. The rain slacked off to a light, misty drizzle when she glanced up at the 271 Drive-In marquee.
In the Heat of the Night
was the main headline. The story about murder in a racist southern town made her snicker, considering where she worked now. She didn't think there would be too many people that night. Even the second feature with Robert Mitchum,
Home From the Hill,
wouldn't be much of a draw, even though it was shot in Clarksville, only twenty miles away.

She was already past the drive-in when she realized it was the perfect venue for two men in a strange town and made a U-turn into the long gravel drive. It was still early and the ticket kiosk beside the giant screen was empty, so she crunched over the wet gravel and through the forest of short speaker poles. She parked near another car beside the concession stand and went through the front door.

Cecil Hutler was scrubbing the grill with a steel brush. He saw her and smiled. “Well, if you ain't a sight for sore eyes. I believe you're the prettiest deputy I've ever seen.”

Anna took the compliment and smiled at the heavyset owner. “Thank you. I'm Deputy Anna Sloan.”

“I've not seen you before.”

“That's true. I only started a week or so ago. I'm here investigating the disappearance of two out-of-town businessmen.” She held the photo out of reach, in case he was tempted to take it in his greasy fingers.

“I know. I saw the paper.” Cecil showed his greasy hands. “Wish I had an exciting job as a lawman. What I have, though, is the glamorous life of a movie mogul. I keep the projector going up there,” he raised his eyes toward to ceiling and the room above that housed the equipment, “order movies, keep the speakers going, replace the speakers when these idiots forget and drive off with them still hanging on their window glass, clean the grill, order food…”

She was afraid the list would go on forever and wiggled the photo. “Have you seen those guys that disappeared?”

Cecil lowered his hands. “Yep.”

Anna chewed her bottom lip. “When?”

“They was here one night a couple of weeks ago. Maybelle was sick and I had to take tickets for a while until my wife could get up here to relieve me so I could get the first reel ready for the show…let me see, that was
Bonnie and Clyde
. I liked that one, 'course it's a real rip-snorter…”

“What made you remember them?”

“Why, they was dressed to the nines. You don't hardly see suits out here at the drive-in. They might have been to a weddin', instead.”

Anna waited.

“One of 'em came to the concession counter. I remember, I went down for a cigarette and run a bunch of kids out of the bathroom. Them boys like to hang around in there and smoke.”

Anna wiggled the image again. “Did you see them leave?”

“Lord, no. When the lights come on, it's a regular car race to the exit, and I'm usually packing up the reels by that time…now wait a sec. I came down for a minute, waiting for the projector to cool, and saw 'em in line to leave. I believe I saw someone get in their car before they reached the exit, but I can't be sure.”

She felt a prickle along her neck and the unbelievably good luck. “Do you know who it was?”

“Lord, no. Somebody got out of a truck and in with them.”

“Did you recognize the truck?”

Cecil scratched his shaggy head. “Naw. I see so many trucks and cars come through here every night, I couldn't tell you who was driving it. I wouldn't-a noticed, but some teenagers had one of them Chinese fire drills, where the doors on two or three cars all come open at once and everybody gets out, even the drivers, and they run around like chickens with their heads cut off for a minute and then pile back in. Drives me nuts, 'cause that kind of nonsense slows the line and the older folks complain about it, but they really ain't doing nothin' wrong, kids havin' a little fun's all. I only noticed 'cause it was an adult got in the car.”

She felt her hopes fall. “All right. If you think of it, give me a call at the sheriff's department.”

“Sure will. Hey, do you want some free passes to the show? I'll tell the wife to let you in any time you want. You can come tonight and see this new picture. I doubt we'll have much of a crowd in the rain, but the kids who like to smooch will be here for sure. They don't watch the picture anyways.”

“How about I wait till the weather clears?”

Cecil studied the big screen made gray by the falling rain. “That might be a while.”