Among the Ashes by C L Brees

Author:C L Brees [Brees, C L]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780692106068
Published: 2018-07-24T22:00:00+00:00

FIFTEEN

February 17, 2017

Late Afternoon

The Mercedes whips into the parking lot of an unfamiliar grocery alongside the main road leading to Torbay. With an abundance of unfilled spaces to pick from, he chooses one closest to the door and throws the car in park. He cuts the engine and takes in the sight of his hardened face in the rearview mirror.

Damn, I need some sleep.

With the heated conversation with Sam still running through his mind, Caleb finds his behavior odd. Why is Sam so angry? Caleb wonders. Better yet, why does he even care?

Caleb can’t answer the question he puts to himself. It’s not like either of them did anything to him personally, so why is he so engrossed in rage?

The thoughts weigh heavy on his mind as he walks around to the trunk to grab a few canvas bags.

I’m a good person, and I don’t deserve any of this.

He approaches the entrance to the store and the doors swipe open as he shuffles closer. His mind is so overwrought with emotions he doesn’t realize the doors and continues walking forward in a daze. In autopilot mode he grabs a handbasket but stops in his tracks. The eeriness of the deserted store sends a shiver up his spine, which breaks the clutter in his mind.

For 3:40 in the afternoon, the store is a ghost town. And to make things more uncomfortable, there is a dark heaviness upon his back, the same tingly sensation you get when someone is staring at you. In a hasty move, he spins around, but no one is there.

He moves on, gathering the items he’s scratched onto a scrap piece of paper. A bag of carrots, celery, a couple of onions. He continues weaving in and out of aisles of fresh vegetables and fruit, but the overwhelming sensation creeps up again and he picks up the pace.

This place is fucking creepy when it’s empty.

Darting in and out of isles with backbreaking speed, he finishes his shopping list and finds the lone open register to checkout. He’s emptying the contents onto the belt when a pleasant yet unfamiliar face greets him. “Mausey day, wha?”

Having been born and raised in Newfoundland, the local dialect is one he knows well, yet seldom uses. “Yeah, I sure wish spring would hurry up and get here.”

“Don’t I know it, sweetheart. I ain’t see you here before. Where’s you from?”

“St. John’s, born and raised. But now I own a place on the outskirts of Torbay.”

“Ah, a townie turned bayman, are ya?”

Caleb nods and flashes his first sincere smile in weeks.

“Torbay’s a beautiful place,” she says as she scans items across the scanner, “but have ya heard about the young American man who’s gone missing up there? You know anything about dat?”

Caleb freezes, unsure how he wants to respond to her question.

Play dumb, play dumb. You’ll never see this woman again.

“No, I hadn’t. You know what happened?”

“Oh, well, there’s an article in today’s paper. The fella who wrote it says the police aren’t sure yet, but they say he has a lover, ya know—a man he shacks up with.

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