Hallow Springs

Twenty-nine

Sheriff Rogers and I walked out of his office and onto East Main. There, already gathered across the street was a mob of townspeople trying to cram into the Town Hall. A man in suit with slicked back hair approached us. It was Mayor Hughes. He appeared very much the same as he always did, overwhelmed but primmed and foppish has ever. Despite the exhausting few days he had had, his suit was iron, his tie was cinched and he was somehow still able to force a campaign smile over his wrinkled face. Tonight, he was very overwhelmed as sweat had gathered on his receding hairline. He dabbed a handkerchief across it as he saw us across the street. He met us in the middle of the road.

"Amanda, so good to see you." It was a weak attempt at a pleasantry. "Looks like we got a packed house tonight," he said, as he directed us around the side of the building to a back entrance. Town Hall also doubled over as the neighborhood playhouse. So, behind stage was storage closets and changing rooms. We found ourselves between two racks of costumes by the look of them, they must have been doing Oklahoma.

"How's the case going?" the mayor asked under his breath.

"Not very good..." the Sheriff shot him straight.

"Well that is nothing we need to tell the town. They're worried out there. Some people think that this kidnapper will strike again. We need to put them at ease." He grew apprehensive, as if he were a king worried about an uprising. The worst thing someone can do when seeking justice is to make it about themselves.

"In my experience, people want to help and so its best to clue them in and recruit their best efforts," I explained.

"What do you mean?"

"We are going to ask for volunteer search parties tonight." Mayor Hughes looked up at us with consternation as he realized that we weren't there to cater to anyone's feelings. "We have a missing person on our hands we were going to do anything we can to find him. There will be a search party for the Huckleberry Trail, Shimmer Lake and the quarry.

At that moment, John Sykes walked up to us, having caught the tail end of what was said. John Sykes owned the ski lodge up the mountain. God may have made the mountain but Sykes owned it. Located up ten miles up from Hallow Springs, the slopes was one of many draws to the town. It was a one-man tourism department for the town and that man was John Sykes. This put him as a central figure in the community. He owned the only Mercedes in town and rarely came down from his mansion. One could say he had the town in his pocket, but he was very careful to not become the evil, rich villain. He resisted the urge to rule and stayed hidden away on his mountain – but with the crisis at hand he had to intervene.

"Sheriff, if there is anything you need throughout this investigation, I'm just a phone call away." He glazed me over, seemingly not recognizing my face. He lived up in his kingdom so the tragedy of Amanda Graves was probably a tale he didn't get too wrapped up in.

"Thank you, John," Rogers said in his usual drawl.

"How's my son doing?"

"Good... he's been a huge help," the Sheriff lied.

"Glad to hear. All of his good parts come from his mother!" John Sykes cracked a salesmen smile and the cheesy joke that would have worked at one of his cocktail parties. I wasn't much for this boy's club. They could have been smoking cigars at a lounge somewhere – I was a piece of furniture. Then I saw him.

Sam...

Through the cracked currents, I could see him sitting in the front row by himself. My heart sunk in my chest when I saw him. From this position, I could just look at him without having to wear a face. He was a man who I had hurt – a man who deserved better than what I could give. Iremain fixated on him through the curtain. His face had only slightly aged, he had even lost a few pounds. His dark brows outlined his bleak countenance angled down to the floor somewhere in front of him.

Was it because of Jeremy or was it because of what I had said to him earlier that day?

My breathes slowly thinned. My hand began to shake a little bit. It was my body's rebellion against my mind. I was paralyzed when I saw him. My walls came down – it left me vulnerable to attack and scared of being hurt. But something in me felt safe in him. He exposed every one of my vulnerabilities and cured each one in one glance.

"We have a journalist from the Avery Journal here and TV cameras from ABC 11, so let's be careful of what we say. Let's keep it local news, I don't need CNN out here with their on-the-scene bullshit," the mayor instructed.

I concurred and returned back to Sam. There next to him was Suzie. Father and daughter together again. She sat in the chair, swinging her bare feet like she was in a swing. My mouth opened and I had to remind myself to breath again as a tear began to well up. I was lost in the sight. It was my family again. All I wanted to do was go sit with them and hold my husband's hand and tell my girl to sit still.

"Ready?" Sheriff Rogers asked as the others walked out onto the stage amid the flashing cameras. The flash broke my concentration on the sight and Suzie disappeared again, leaving me to the filled room of Hallow Springs residents.

"Yeah..." I exhaled. "Let's go."

I followed his direction through the curtains and walked into the flashing lights.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please vote, comment and share! Let's get this to number 1!