“What’s that?”
“If she was so worried about her boys, why didn’t she just up and leave him? No one would have blinked an eye. Everyone knew Harlan was Satan himself. She was a sweet girl. Quite a looker, they said. Maybe that’s what started all the trouble. My dad, as much as he loved my mother, even confessed to having an infatuation with her. Harlan was known to be a jealous man. I’m sure that didn’t bode well with him.”
Tom considered Warren’s words. What if Warren’s theory was right? What if Mae’s revenge was a result of a jealous husband’s accusation? What if all the old ladies were right, and Mae jumped off the bridge to save her boys? Love is a powerful motivator; a mother’s love is even stronger. No one knew what happened to the older boy. The younger one died in the same crash that claimed Harlan. Was her son the first to disappear?
“What was the older boy’s name, Warren? Do you remember?” Tom asked.
“You know, I don’t rightly know that I ever heard his name. There’s no grave for him in the old cemetery out by Ricker’s Creek?”
“Not that I know of. Only her and the baby are buried out there.”
“I thought Harlan was buried there, too?”
“Nah. He’s on the property somewhere. They tore the house down, but his grave is still out there, along with his ancestors. They had their own little graveyard, I think.”
“Humph. Maybe we ought to change that. When this is all over, I say we go out there and dig ‘em all up and bury them right and proper, the whole lot of them.”
“You think that would make a difference?”
Tom had never considered moving the graves. Maybe Warren was on to something.
“Can’t hurt. If what people say about haunts is true, maybe we will get rid of Harlan once and for all by doing that. Without Harlan, maybe Mae won’t come back again.”
“Maybe we should do that tomorrow before she comes back. Maybe we can stop her after all. Have a big ol bonfire out on the White property and put them all to rest.”
“To do that, we’d have to dig her up too and move her. You prepared for all that? I know my old bones can’t handle it. I can send some of the boys your way if you’re determined to do that though.” A voice filtered from the two-way radio on Warren’s shoulder. “Looks like the boys have moved the tree. Time to get out of here before that fog gets any closer.”
Warren pointed toward the fire trucks. A thin fog had started to roll in. Tom nodded his agreement and got back in his cruiser.
“Get them out of here fast, Warren. Get a head count before you leave.”
“I doubt ol’ Harlan will get his hands on any of those boys as long as they’re together, but, yep. I’ll count their heads myself. See ya, Tom.”
Chapter Eleven
Jim shook out the mats and hauled the last of the garbage to the dumpster. His eyes never remained still, constantly checking his surroundings as the fog crept in from the creek bed behind the bar. He should have been gone already, but the sheriff hadn’t given enough notice for him to get everything closed down properly. He knew better than to venture into the fog, and he would hole up in the bar all night if necessary. He pulled out his cellphone to let Edna know what he’d decided when he heard footsteps near the dumpster. Garvey’s face appeared in the fog.
“Garvey? Where you been, man? Edna’s pissed and worried all at the same time. Hasn’t slept right since you disappeared.” Jim’s temper flared, his arm went numb, and he clutched at his chest. He fell to the ground. “Garvey? He-help me.”
“I’ll help you,” another voice answered as the fog thickened around Jim and swallowed him whole.
“MA,” CALEB CALLED AS he made his way down the hall. “Ma?”
“I’m here,” Jennifer answered. She had a smudge of flour on her cheek. Bacon popped in the cast-iron skillet, and the sweet smell of golden pancakes filled the small space.
“Smells good,” he said as he filled a mug with coffee and sat down. “Ma, Everly had a great idea last night.”
“Oh, really? I’m surprised you didn’t talk about it on the way home. You were awfully quiet last night.”
“I had a lot on my mind. I wanted to have an action plan before I presented it to you.”
“Action plan for what?” She stopped cooking long enough to look at him.
“Leaving Rickdale.”
Her face pinched. “Leave Rickdale? Why would I do that?”
“Everly’s dad owns a cabin in the mountains. We just get out of town until this whole thing blows over. We come back and resume life as normal.”
“I’m not sure there would be a normal to come back to. You really expect me to leave the only friends and family I’ve had for the past thirty years in the middle of a crisis? How could I face them when I got back?” The spatula waved through the air as she got excited until finally she flipped the pancakes over and calmed down.
“Then we don’t come back. Come on, Ma. Just think about it. What’s keeping you in Rickdale?”
“Your father,” she whispered so softly Caleb almost didn’t hear her.
“You said yourself he fell victim to Mae. What are you waiting for? He’s gone.”
“Maybe so, but part of me always hoped he would come back.” She sighed and whisked a tear away. “If I leave, how will he find me?”
“Ma, we’ll come back.”
“I don’t know. I just don’t know. Yesterday you didn’t even know if you wanted Everly. Today, you want to run off with her. What changed?”
“Everything. Nothing. The sky fell, the fog rolled in. She told me she missed me.”
“Aww,” Jennifer sighed as she filled a plate with food and handed it to him. “I’ll give it some thought, but don’t hold your breath.”
“I guess,” he shrugged. “But maybe we’ll just go, anyway. Can’t hurt, can it? I mean if you know I’m safely out of town, you don’t have to worry about Mae grabbing me.”
Jennifer scowled. “How is that any different from you leaving to fetch Duke?”
“I won’t be alone, for one thing. Everly will be with me. Isn’t there safety in numbers?”
Jennifer set the spatula down, turned off the stove, and joined Caleb at the table.
“Honestly? I don’t know. Kaci survived her encounter with Mae, but she’s the only person I know that did.”
Caleb stopped eating long enough to squint at his mother. “She claims. I can think of a thousand other scenarios that would explain her story and dad’s disappearance. And where is Kaci now?”
“You know she got a job offer and moved away. I don’t like what you’re implying. Aunt Kaci has always been there for us.”
“She had no problem leaving you behind, either.”
Jennifer couldn’t deny it. Kaci was an exception. She was one of only a handful of natives who left and never came back. Many people left, but always found themselves right back in Rickdale, and they were always welcomed back as if they never left. And that's why she didn’t leave. It was just home. It was familiar. It held comfort. People liked her for who she was, and she genuinely liked them back.