Hallow Springs

Six

"Oh, hello there, how can I help you?" a young woman, no older than twenty-five years old, perked up from behind the desk and pulled her phone headset down to her neck. Her perfect skin shined over her cheekbones and her nose narrowed into a cute point. A periwinkle blue headband pulled her hair back for me so that I could search her face for an identity. She was a familiar beauty, one that I was able to recall as a young high school girl – the homecoming queen. I remember standing next to Sam while Suzie played with her friends behind the bleachers. We watched her carrying a bouquet of roses across the football field at halftime, waving to the cheering crowd as she was coronated as our small-town beauty.

"Donna?"

"Yes... that's right." Her face was blank, she didn't know who I was – Thank God. At least everyone wouldn't be whispering behind my back about my return.

"Oh... I'm sorry. Detective Amanda Graves." I first flashed my badge and then reached out my hand. She shook it but her welcoming demeanor faded. There it is... Although my face may not be instantly noticeable my name sure was. I was the main character in the town's only horror story.

"Of course.... Detective... I take it you are here to see the Sheriff." She hadn't stopped fingering her pearl necklace, since I walked in. Her complexion was mottled by red splotches of blush while loose bags hung under her eyes carrying with them a purplish blackberry tint. She had obviously had a late night, even though she was just a receptionist and 911 call operator.

"Yes... may I?" I motioned toward the stairs up to the police station.

"Go right ahead, they've been expecting you."

The stairwell was a creaky, narrow climb that opened up into a small wooden office space. Six desks were laid out in the main bullpen. The door led back to a hallway of holding cells. Another door led to an office with large cloudy window panes, slated by pull string blinds – that was the sheriff's office. The front windows behind me looked from the second floor down onto main street. I took a step that creaked on a loose floorboard. Everyone turned their heads to me. At first, they glanced toward the sight of the sound, but they did a quick and obvious double take, as if they had just seen the ghost from their town's only urban legend.

It looked like I remembered it. When we lost Suzie, I never came here – they always came to our house on Maple Lane. But I had seen the police station once before, when I was a teenager. Jeremy and I had broken into King's Diner and stolen a ham sandwich. It was stupid, I know, but I had left money on the counter for it. We were so hungry and Jeremy had just gotten a lock pick set in the mail and he wanted to try it out.

Lewis King didn't press charges but he did want us to work at the diner. He paid us a fair wage, but that summer Jeremy and I scrubbed so many dishes and made so many ham sandwiches for his usuals. I got to know the entire senior citizen population of the town. Some of them had surely died since, but King's diner still stood and from everything I'd heard Lewis was still making those ham sandwiches for whoever was willing to pay.

I just remember how scared I was sitting in this room ten years ago with Jeremy. He held my hand but it didn't stop it from shaking. My hand shook this time too, but for a very different reason. I tried to stop it, but had to hold it still with my other hand. There were only a few cops working in the office, judging by the assignment board on the far wall, another two were at the crime scene and one was on patrol. The first person to meet me was a long, lanky man with a hook nose and wet, yellow smirk. His receding hairline pulled back on his scalp and the gel in his brown hair tried to cover the balding spots the best it could. He sauntered his way up to me with the same wry swagger he used to walk the halls with. This was Jason Peters and judging by his appearance, he hadn't changed a bit since high school.

"Well if it isn't Amanda Parker..."

"Graves," I corrected him. "And that's Detective Graves to you..." I shot him some sass back. This was an important part of the investigation. I had to lay down my ground rules – not only did I have to overcome the fact that I was a woman in a male dominated field, but I had to overcome the fact that I slowed dance with this guy at Sadie Hawkins.

"Ohhhh... so sorry..." He flashed both hands to me in exaggerated apology. "How you doing, Amanda?" He reached an arm out and brought me in for an awkward side hug.

"Doing well. Charlotte's a fun town, you should come visit sometime." I pulled the happy and sane mask, back over my face and played the role. I had so much practice I could pull of an Oscar performance on command by now.

"Yeah... I'm okay." He rejected the offer, playfully yet honestly. He was wearing his tan officer uniform, his black boots were scuffed and his aviator sunglasses were tucked in his shirt. I noticed the same bags under his eyes that I had seen under Donna's.

"Long night?" I turned to business.

"You could say that..." he moved to his own business next. "So Irwin has made it clear to me that you will be running point on the investigation and that I'm supposed to help in any way you need. But that is not how I'm used to running things, so go easy on me alright."

"Alright..." I shrugged. "That's not like you Peters, have you finally gotten your head out of your ass after all of these years..." He wasn't offended by my joke, he was just distracted. There was obviously something weighing heavy on his heart.

"Look, I don't care who runs the investigation, I just want to find him."

"Find who?"

"No one told you?" I felt a weight sink in me as something in his voice told me that the news wouldn't be easy for me to hear. "Amanda, our missing person is Jeremy Wilson."

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