Shouldn't I Be Missed by John Hudson Tiner

Author:John Hudson Tiner [Tiner, John Hudson]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-12-06T22:00:00+00:00

Scene 53 Alone and Scared

Dennis asked, “Why are you frightened.”

“Someone is trying to find me.”

Dennis had promised himself not to get involved with another woman until he knew more about her. After a slight delay, he said, “What gives you that idea?”

Jessica must have noticed his hesitation. “Calling you might not be the right idea. Maybe I should go to the police.”

Oh, well. She had lost her brother. It wouldn’t hurt to listen. “That’s a big step, calling the police. Tell me about it first.”

“All right. At the end of work yesterday, Big Stevie and Catfish stopped —”

“Who is Catfish?”

“Catfish is my brother. He and dad and some of the crew stopped at a bar. They usually have a beer and get something to eat so they don’t have to cook when they get home. I work late. Anyway, they talked about Little Stevie. They were still broken up about his death.”

“I understand.”

“A guy who they didn’t know acted sympathetic. He said he worked on a drilling rig. One of his friends had died on the rig. He claims his friend’s leather glove snagged a broken wire of a cable. He got pulled into the spool by the cable.”

Dennis interrupted, mostly to slow her down. The words were coming out at breakneck speed. “Jessica, slow down. Did the guy telling the story have a name?”

“Not that he gave.” She took a deep breath. “They didn’t think anything odd about him, but he did ask a lot of questions. When I came in from work, they started teasing me. They said I had a secret admirer. They said he’d asked a few questions about Little Stevie, and then somehow worked around to the funeral. He asked about me. They told him I’d taken care of the funeral with some fellow who knew Stevie. ”

That did give Dennis pause. “Did they describe him, his physical appearance?”

“Small guy, but strong. He looked like he worked outdoors. His face was tanned, and it wasn’t one of those store-bought tans. They believed his claim to be a roughneck.”

Dennis asked, ”They—your father and brother—they didn’t see any connection between this man and the fact Little Stevie was murdered.”

“No. Sometimes they are kind of dense. He could have followed them home to learn where I live.”

“I don’t know—“

“I asked Dad and Catfish a lot of questions. I am convinced he wants to find you. He could do it through me.”

“Did they tell him my name?”

“No. I don’t think my father or brother know your name. Look, I’m scared. I . . . uh. . . I hope this doesn’t sound weird. When we talked on the phone planning the funeral and when you came here, I felt a connection with you. I felt comfortable and safe. Can we get together?”

“Why would we need to get together?”

“Because I’m out here all alone and scared. I want to come to you.” Her voice had taken on a plaintive wail.

“Jessica, coming to me is a really, really bad idea. In the last few weeks, I’ve been abducted, nearly killed, and three people have died.

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