Halversham (20 page)

Two hours later, they suspended the search and went to a diner for a quick lunch. By the time they were done and back at Aunt Magda’s, Calaway’s colleagues had gathered the townsfolk. A K9 unit was also present, and Aunt Magda had supplied the officer in charge one of Corrine’s t-shirts for scent identification. A few ladies from the church offered to print and stick missing person’s posters with Corrine’s photo everywhere. Another group set up tents and gave out food and beverages to the grief-stricken family and others who had come to help. Almost the whole town, including Mort, Piffy, Jared, and James Doyne volunteered out of respect for Aunt Magda.

Calaway quickly took command of the volunteers, splitting them into teams of five and assigning them to different parts of town. Uncle Matt was in one of the teams, while Aunt Magda stayed behind with a few ladies, in case Corrine turned up at the house. Most of the men who signed up had also volunteered when Emily Doyne went missing. They pretty much knew the drill and came together again with a vengeance to find Corrine. They were well aware of Corrine’s reputation, but it didn’t dampen their spirits one bit. Andy suspected it was partly because she was Aunt Magda’s daughter. As far as they were concerned, a crime had been committed against the people of Halversham, and they were not about to sit around twiddling their thumbs as the perpetrator took away another one of their own.

Jared looked for Andy in the crowd and made a beeline toward his friend when he spotted him near Sheriff Calaway, who was briefing the volunteers.

“Hey, man. I’m sorry about Corrine. I came as soon as I heard,” Jared said. “Calaway’s men came over to confirm your whereabouts last night.” He leaned close and whispered, “Is it him?”

Andy was relieved to see Jared, and as much as he wanted to discuss things with him, this wasn’t a good place to do it. “I think it is,” Andy whispered back. “She’s been missing since last night and we spent all morning looking for her. Listen, I’ll be in Sheriff Calaway’s search team searching who-knows-where. Why don’t I meet you at your place tonight and we’ll talk?”

“Sure. We’re going to find her, Andy. We’re going to find Corrine and Emily. I promise.”

Andy took a deep breath and nodded. When Calaway had finished giving instructions, the teams split up and went their separate ways. Andy stayed close to the sheriff and two other men in their team as they went searching in a part of town Andy had never been to before. It was also wooded but not as thick as the forest Corrine hid in. They began in one spot and spread across to cover more ground. They called out Corrine’s name every now and then and paused to listen for clues or cries.

Hours later, the sun began its descent, and Sheriff Calaway called his team back to rest. They would return home, have dinner, and be back at eight for another hour or two of searching before calling it a night. Andy asked to be excused from the night search while the others agreed to meet again.

“For those who won’t be joining us tonight, tomorrow is the county fair,” Sheriff Calaway said when they regrouped at Aunt Magda’s later. “We will meet at seven in the morning to debrief and continue the search. It should be easier since almost everybody will be at the fair. So have a good rest and we’ll see you soon. Thank you, everybody.”

The crowd dispersed and Andy stood at the door watching. A few ladies stayed behind, but they, too, soon left with the promise to return the following morning. Aunt Magda had scarlet rings around her eyes from hours of crying and she looked gaunt. Uncle Matt had gone out for beer, so she was alone.

“I’m sorry, Aunt Magda,” Andy said when they were alone.

“It’s not your fault,” she said, staring at a spot on the floor.

“I’m sorry I didn’t walk her home last night. If I had, this wouldn’t have happened.” She sighed, her eyes still on the floor. Andy placed a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll find her. I promise we will.”

Tears flowed down her cheeks and she didn’t bother to wipe them. “I can’t remember a day when Corrine was happy like a normal child. I tried thinking back to her younger days, but… nothing. I can’t see her smiling in any of my memories. All she has ever known is misery and tortured moments. And now she’s gone.”

“I’m sure she had some good times as well, Aunt Magda,” Andy said, remembering how happily she had danced when he told her she could come with them to the city. “And she’s not gone. We will find her.” Aunt Magda wiped her tears. “Maybe you should go to bed and rest. We’ll let you know when somebody finds something.” She nodded, rose, and went into her room without a word.

Andy took a shower and changed into a clean t-shirt and shorts before heading out to the Doynes’. It was of paramount importance that they located the trapdoor in Milton’s house as soon as possible.

Jared was watching TV in the living room, lying flat on a rattan couch, when Andy knocked on the door.

“Hey, Andy. Any news?” He rose and hurried to turn off the TV.

“No luck so far. Where’s your father?”

“He’s asleep. He’s exhausted after the search and this latest news kind of shook him up, you know?”

“Yeah, I know. It must be a nightmare for him.”

“Yeah, a recurring one,” Jared said, dropping his gaze. “So, what happened?”

“I was supposed to meet Corrine right after I met up with you last night. I promised to walk her home. But I forgot and we both fell asleep, I guess. When I didn’t turn up, she must have walked home without me. Somebody must’ve kidnapped her in that time.”

“Where was she?”

“She was in this secret place of hers in the woods.”

“You’ve been there before?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you look for her there?”

“Yeah. Twice. No luck.”

“Damn!”

“It’s all my fault, Jared. If only I had…”

“Hey, it’s not your fault. Whoever got her—and we both know who it is—was planning this for a while. If not last night, he’d get her another time.”

“You’re probably right. I don’t know.” He shook his head. “I think we need to hit Milton’s place tomorrow.”

“Let’s go now.”

“Too risky. He might be home. If we go tomorrow, there’s a chance he’ll be at the fair and we’ll have more time to go through his place.”

Jared nodded. “I’ve waited for this for a long time, Andy. Now it’s not just about my sister anymore. I can’t stand by and watch while he does God knows what to all these girls.”

***

Just before going to bed, Andy called his father to give him an update. Paul had called him twice during the day but Andy hadn’t been able to answer. The first call came when he was talking to the sheriff and the second when they were out searching. He figured his father would have called Aunt Magda’s neighbor as usual.

“Hello, son. How are you?”

“I’m fine. How about you?”

“Exhausted.” His father sighed. “It’s nine pm here and I’m still at the office. It’s been a long day but we’ve finally had a breakthrough. I just might be able to head home sooner than I thought. Anyway, tell me what’s happening there.”

“Did you talk to Aunt Magda?” Andy asked.

“Yes, but she was distraught. She kept saying Corrine’s gone. I gathered from the neighbors there’s a search party combing Halversham.”

“Yeah. I spoke to Sheriff Calaway and followed him around but we found nothing. No sign of her.”

“This is so disturbing. Please stay close to your aunt until I get back. And I want you to keep safe.”

“I will.” Andy hesitated. “You know, I told Corrine that you said it’d be okay for her to come and stay with us in the city. And she was happy. Like, deliriously happy. And then I screwed it all up.”

“Hey, listen. It’s not your fault. You tried to help her. That’s more than anyone’s ever done for her. And it’s too early to give up. I won’t have you beating yourself up about it. Got it?” Andy nodded silently. “Got it?” his father asked again.

“Yes.”

“Good. I just have to handle a few final details here and then I should be able to head home in a day or two. I’ll keep you posted. I hope you find Corrine by the time I get back.”

Andy woke up the next morning feeling sick to his stomach. He had tossed and turned on the couch all night, spending his time thinking and regretting. When he couldn’t take it any longer, he got up to make coffee. He paused outside Corrine’s room briefly and peered in. Although her bed was made, a few of her t-shirts were scattered on the bed and floor while her jeans hung neatly beside her cupboard. Corrine might be troubled, but she had always kept her room tidy. She must have planned to come home and clean up her room before she went missing. Her windows were open and the curtains fluttered in the morning breeze. A small mirror was hooked to the window latch, and it reflected Andy’s slumped shoulders and dull eyes. He stared at the image for a while, then whispered, “Happy birthday.”

Aunt Magda and Uncle Matt’s bedroom door was closed, and Andy walked past it toward the kitchen. The search party had left at dawn without him, and the group of ladies who had bustled about yesterday had left the house at Aunt Magda’s insistence. Only two old women sat talking quietly in the tent outside. He took a shower, made coffee, and was chewing on a stale bun when the bedroom door cracked open. Aunt Magda’s face appeared, groggy and sullen. Her eyes were still red and her hair disheveled. She had probably spent the night crying.

“Morning, Aunt Magda. Would you like some coffee?” She nodded before pulling out a chair to sit. Andy poured coffee from a flask and slid the cup across the table to her. “Would you like me to make you some eggs?”

Aunt Magda raised a hand to stop him and took a sip of the hot coffee. Andy fell back in his chair and watched her. She finally lowered the cup and stared out the window, looking morose and withdrawn. There was no trace of the old Aunt Magda in the woman sitting before him. The aunt he had known was always bubbly and kind, no matter what happened between their four walls. But now, she was vacant. The spark in her eyes was gone, replaced by a haunting emptiness. Something inside her had snapped.

“Are you going to the fair?” she asked at last, her voice dull. She stared outside, unblinking.

“Yes. I won’t be back until late. Will you be there too?”

She nodded. “I need to get out of here.” She finally turned away from the window and glanced at him, but her eyes were devoid of emotion.

***

Half an hour later, Andy was knocking on Mr. Doyne’s front door. The lumbering man opened it after a minute.

“Good morning, Andy.”

“Good morning.”

“Come in. I’m so sorry about your cousin. Any news at all?”

“Nothing so far.”

“Terrible, terrible thing. It’s just like when Emily went missing without a trace.” Mr. Doyne shook his head, his eyes welling up. “I’ll be joining the search team after lunch.”

“Sure. Can I see Jared?” Andy asked impatiently.

“Of course.” Mr. Doyne opened the door wider and Andy went in to Jared’s room.

A long body in a pair of white shorts was splayed across the bed and two hands gripped a pillow over the head as if to muffle the sounds from outside. Andy tugged the pillow several times before Jared finally stirred and appeared from under the pillow. “Good morning,” Andy said.

“What time is it?” Jared rubbed his eyes.

Andy leaned in and said, “Time to go.”

Jared rose, scratched his back, and stumbled around the house for his towel. Finally, he found it draped over a kitchen stool and headed for the shower while Andy fidgeted.

Moments later, Jared reappeared in his towel, smelling like wildflowers. “So, what’s our plan?” Jared asked as soon as he closed the bedroom door behind him.

Andy was sitting on his bed. “We go to the fair and make sure Milton’s there. Then we hit his house.”

***

It was almost ten by the time they arrived at the county fair. The speakers blared with pop songs and the air was thick with the sweet smells of popcorn and candy. From where they stood, they could see a Ferris wheel going round. The two walked past a showcase tent, the stage, and several carts selling drinks and hot dogs before arriving at the kissing booth. They ogled at the girl in the booth for a few minutes before Andy checked his watch and pulled Jared away.

“Come on. It’s already ten. We’ve got to move if we’re going to find out what happened to Corrine and Emily,” Andy said, tugging at Jared’s arm. “Where do you think we might find Mr. Milton?”

“The lion pavilion. He goes there every year and spends hours taking pictures.”

“Fine, let’s go.”

A few girls in short skirts and straw hats burst into laughter and Andy turned to look at them. A few older women were weaving baskets and making candles at the arts and crafts booth. Children with smudged faces were everywhere, holding balloons and cotton candy. Finally, they reached the secluded lion pavilion and found parents pointing out the roaming lions to their toddlers as they watched in stunned silence. There, among the families and children, Mr. Milton stood, taking pictures on a digital camera.

“He does it year after year. I have no idea what he does with the pictures but he always takes them. And then he heads to the orchid pavilion and takes more pictures before heading to the farming section. Has never varied his trip here. Always the same.”

“Well, good for us, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“What time does he go back?”

“Around four, I’d say.”

“Great. Let’s get out of here.”

They grabbed hot dogs and Coke on their way out, munching along the way. Once the empty cans and wrappers landed in a nearby bin, they picked up pace and ran through the field where Brutus used to greet Andy. The past few days had been so crazy that Andy hadn’t had the chance to look for the dog again. Andy slowed down, whistling and calling for Brutus, but no dog came wagging its tail.

“What are you doing?” Jared asked.

“There used to be a dog here. Brutus. Now he’s gone.”

“You can look for him later. Come on, let’s go.”

They took the stairs, leaping up two steps at a time, and circled to the back of the house as Andy pulled out his key. “What if he has a visitor?” He’d panicked suddenly. “What if there’s someone inside?”

“We’ll just cook up a story. You work here and you left something behind when you came two days ago. So you’re here to pick it up. Come on, it’s already half past eleven. We have to leave by three-thirty.”

Andy inserted the key, turned it, and in less than a minute, they were inside.

“Wow!” Jared said, looking around. “Doesn’t look that big from outside, does it?”

Andy ignored him and said, “Hello? Anybody home?” His heart was beating fast. “Hello?” When there was no reply, Andy finally relaxed. There was a large box on the counter and Andy’s eyes zeroed in on it.

“Where should we start?” Jared asked, tearing Andy’s eyes away.

“Let’s start with the kitchen,” Andy said, and he combed every inch of the floor, cupping his ears to the floorboards to listen for strange noises. Once in a while Jared would knock on the boards and listen to the sound. “I don’t think it’s here,” Andy said finally when they had searched the entire space. “Let’s check the hallway.”

Once again, they cupped their ears and knocked on floorboards. They ran their fingers along every crevice, nook, and cranny to avoid missing a clue. But there was nothing. The two did the same in the hall, dining room, wet kitchen, and every other space there was on the ground floor. Nothing.

Jared walked along the hallway again and tried one of the locked doors.

“Why are these rooms locked?”

“They’re just bedrooms.”

“What if the trapdoor is in one of these rooms?” Andy opened his mouth to say something and then closed it again. He hadn’t thought of that before. “What about that room over there?” Jared asked, pointing at the store room.

“That’s the store room.”

“We might as well check it out,” Jared said, shrugging.

Andy opened the door to the room he had been cleaning just the other day and went in. It was the only room with carpet flooring, and the boys immediately perked up at the realization.

“It has to be here,” Andy said, crawling on all fours.

Jared dropped to his knees and ran his fingers along the carpet for the telltale sign of a bump or groove. Although Andy had cleared a great amount of junk from the room the other day, there was still a considerable amount left on the floor. Andy moved toward the far corner to the right where the floor was bare and ran his fingers along the carpet again. He pressed sections of it with the heels of his palms and suddenly felt a groove that was barely noticeable. Andy ran his palm across the other sections and came back to the same spot again. And there it was again.

“Jared, I think I’ve found something here.”

Andy inched toward the edge and carefully peeled back the carpet. To his surprise, it lifted without resistance. He pulled it all the way up as Jared came over.

“There it is!” Jared exclaimed, pointing at a chrome trapdoor ring on the floor. Andy folded the carpet back and crouched on the floor while Jared reached for the handle. He pulled it up and the door lifted with a loud creak. It was dark inside, but there was a wooden ladder descending into the darkness below. Jared stuck his hand through the opening and ran it along the underside. His fingers hit a switch and lights filled the chamber.

Andy looked around the opening, but other than the ladder, he couldn’t see anything from up there.

“Hello? Anybody down here?” he called out. Not a sound drifted up except for the floorboards creaking under their feet. “Hello?”

“We need to get down there,” Jared said. “Come on.”

He lowered himself into the opening and stepped on a rung. He held the sides of the ladder as he descended and finally reached the landing. Andy stepped on the first rung just as Jared turned around and whistled expansively at the basement. He went down quickly and saw what had captivated Jared.

The ornate stone cellar had large wall-mounted racks from floor to ceiling, displaying an array of top-notch wines and champagnes. It was beyond what Andy’s father had in their city home. He walked toward one of the racks and read the label on a bottle. Despite being eighty-nine years old, both the bottle and label were in immaculate condition. There were wines from as far away as Australia, Cyprus, and Finland, and many other parts of the world. In other racks, there were still more wines and champagnes, all from a long time ago and places far away.

“So it is a cellar,” Andy said.

“Wait, what’s that over there?”

“Where?”

“There—that door in the wall.” Jared pointed toward a stone wall at the far end with an ancient wooden door set into it. “Can you see it?”

“Shhh…” Andy’s eyes bulged. “Did you hear that?” he whispered.

“What?” A floorboard creaked above them and both boys froze. “Shit. We need to get out of here,” Jared whispered.

When no other noise followed, Jared crept up the ladder and looked around to check if the coast was clear. It was. He climbed up and whispered for Andy to come up too. He gave him a hand, pulled the trapdoor, and closed it gently while their hearts pounded. The floorboards creaked again and Andy stopped to listen. They heard someone curse, a chair being dragged on the floor, and then footsteps. Andy had no doubt it was Mr. Milton. He was back from the fair early. The footsteps headed for the living room, and they heard him go up the stairs. The boys took the opportunity to kick the carpet over the trapdoor and rushed through the kitchen.

Andy’s eyes caught the box on the counter again, and he made a quick stop to peer under the flaps.

“What are you doing? Let’s go.” Jared was frantic.

Nestled among shreds of paper was a large bottle of some liquor or other, labeled in Russian. Andy closed the flap again and joined Jared in running out and down the steps. The two only paused to breathe when they had reached the foot of the hill.

“So, it is true,” Andy said, panting. “The man is just a wine connoisseur. He’s not the kidnapper.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“What? Did you see the wooden door?”

“Oh, come on. I’m sure it’s just another door leading to more wine. He keeps all the premium bottles down there. Just like Millie said.” Sweat was pouring down their faces.

“But we don’t know that. We have to go back to make sure. We were this close, Andy.” He pinched his finger and thumb. “I’m not letting go of the only chance to rescue my sister.” Jared glared.

“No—I’m done! The girls aren’t there, and I don’t think the man is anything like what we thought. It wasn’t a girl the strange man was trying to sell to Milton the other day. It was a bottle of wine from Russia. I just saw it in the kitchen. I was wrong. I’m never snooping around the man’s house ever again.”

Jared was still breathing hard, but his face fell. He was obviously crushed. “So where is Emily then?” His voice trembled.

Andy shook his head. “I don’t know. But she’s not there. I’m sorry, Jared.”

Jared turned away with his hands on his hips and paced the field restlessly. He lowered his chin to his chest, brought his fists up to his head, and let out a woeful, soul-ripping moan. When that was not enough, Jared began to sob. Andy’s own tears threatened to fall, but he closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing. A few minutes later, Jared looked up and his eyes were red. “What are you going to do about Corrine?”