HAUNTING STURGEONS: Chapter Twenty-Two

Previously in this blog serial...

(Click here to read Chapter Twenty-One) 

Now the HAUNTING continues...

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    I am driving through the empty streets of Sturgeons.  Dawn is slowly breaking around me, casting the town in a faint grey light.  A dog barks somewhere in the distance and I wonder if this is what it was like for them.  For Tommy and Tracy as they drove to their sunrise breakfast.  Was the town this peaceful that morning?  Maybe too peaceful. 

    An occasional glow from a house shines as bright as the passing streetlights.  I imagine early risers waking up to coffee, maybe thinking of starting breakfast while gazing out the window.  Surely there are suspicious eyes watching from behind curtains, wondering who I am and where I’m going.  Did anyone wonder about Tommy and Tracy?  Perhaps anyone who saw them just shook their heads, thankful it wasn’t their own kids sneaking off for a tryst. 

    According to the lawman’s questionable book, there had only been one reported disappearance before Tommy.  There was no reason for people to panic yet, no reason for anyone to call the police on them for their protection.  I wonder if Tommy and Tracy knew about that first incident as they drove through town.  Did they sense something wrong in Sturgeons or were they too busy being in love or lust?  Too young to care?  I wish I could be that kind of young.  If I was, I would still be in bed with Eddie.  

    I shake my head at the thought, knowing what needs to be done, for my parents and for Tommy.  I imagine my brother sitting in the passenger seat, his expression set firm in determination.  He is staring straight ahead, the pavement disappearing beneath my car.  An inclined dirt road stretches out, houses becoming sporadic as the trees thicken.  Not the fresh young ones from in town, but old trees.  The silent witnesses to what happened ten years ago. 

    Taking a left, I leave the dirt road for more of a path, just a couple of tire ruts with grass in between.  I am in Stickler Woods and it’s as unsettling as I remember.  The densely packed trees strangle the breaking dawn while my car’s headlights throw malformed shadows into motion.  No wonder I thought these woods were haunted when I was a kid.  

    Slowing down, I focus on what’s unfolding on the path in front of me.  A small animal suddenly comes into view and I hit the brakes.  The rough-looking possum stares at my car, like it’s sizing up an intruder.  I watch the rodent as it raises a claw, poised for attack.  After a few minutes, the possum puts its claw down and scurries away.  Maybe it sensed I’m not a threat.  Well, at least not an immediate one.  I continue driving, but stop again when what I’ve been searching for appears in my headlights.

    A dark pick-up truck is parked several feet ahead, its out-of-state plates matching the information given to me by Harold Newcastle.  The vehicle definitely belongs to Straker and I question if he is sitting in there.  It’s hard to see inside, but I need to make sure.  I turn and imagine Tommy glancing at my duffel bag in the backseat and then facing me.  Giving my brother a nod, I grab what I need and leave my car.

    I slowly approach the lawman’s truck, preparing for a confrontation.  Using my phone’s flashlight, I cautiously peer into the passenger side window.  The cab is empty, except for a half-eaten bag of chips and an old paperback of Crime and Punishment.  Signs of life, but how much life?  Is he alone?  Harold Newcastle said, He’s in town, but it was dark.  Maybe he missed something.  Did the lawman bring his husband or his former police partner with him?  Whether he is alone or not, I’ve come too far to turn back now.  

    Turning away from the truck, I stare at the surrounding trees.  Even as hazy light begins struggling through the branches, a foreboding atmosphere persists.  This is where my brother experienced his final moments of joy and terror, his final moments of life.  This is where I need to be.  I imagine Tommy walking deeper into Stickler Woods, pausing briefly to look back at me.  Taking a deep breath, I follow him, knowing he will lead me to the lawman.

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The HAUNTING continues in…

  

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words! 

Freak Out, 

JLH 

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