Missing Maggie

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 





        Brian pulled up to the house just as I had finished rummaging through my sister’s car. There was nothing significant in there; a few empty packs of Newport’s, two cups of coffee, half-empty with curdled cream floating on top, and some loose change. In the trunk was a sweatshirt and Kaylee’s field hockey stick. Clean as a whistle, in other words.


         “Hey.” Brian greeted me as he extricated his six-foot frame from his girlfriend’s Japanese compact. His Dodge was in the shop, so he was reduced to this for the week.


        He let out a wide stretch, bent over and touched his toes and then straightened up, readjusting his belt as he headed towards me.


        “I hate this car,” he whined, ”It’s like driving a go-cart.”


        “What’s Carol driving?” I asked.


        “Her sister’s car. Josie’s in the Bahamas with her husband.” He continued, “So, what’s goin’ on?”


         We walked single file up to the front door, with me leading the way, as I filled him in on the details of my discoveries. I left out the picture for the moment.                  He responded with no sounds, no grunts, no noises of affirmation whatsoever.


         When I was done, before we entered the house, he turned and and offered, ”Maybe she’s just out on one of her powerwalks.”


         I tilted my head with a jerk, as if to say, ”Are you kidding?” but said nothing. I waved him into the house.


         “I have something to show you.”


         “Wow, that’s cool,” he said, after I pulled up the screen.


         “You really aren’t getting this, are you? She’s missing, Brian. Gone, without a trace.”


         He peered at the picture and said,"Those leaves look like coins.”


         “Yup, little, red coins. I only discovered that the second time I looked at the picture. It looks like blood money.”


         Brian sighed and stood up straight. He surveyed the room.


         “Did you find anything else?”


         “No,” I said. “Everything seems like it is in its usual place, except I think she was planning on leaving for awhile. Her bed is made.”


         “Hhm. That is unusual. Any suitcases?” he asked. He had started roaming through the house with me in tow.


         “No, not even in the car. But she left in a hurry. The keys were in the door.”


         Brian walked over to the doorknob and twisted it back and forth.


         “Well, wherever she went, she went in a hurry. I wonder if Kaylee’s with her.” Brian had stopped at the castle on the mantel, looked at it for a moment, then turned around and looked directly at the computer picture.


         “Has she started going to the casino again?” he asked.


         “Not that I know of, but what has that…”


         He cut me off. “Poker?”


         “No,” I said.


         His face was taking on a stern, dark look.


         “We need to get to Dad’s.” Brian said. “We need to go now.”





Word count: 483