Trevor got a refill as Courtney began her story. It started off innocently enough. Joanna wanted a taste of life outside of being the help. Courtney had come up with the phony name that coincidently was the same last name of a powerful and rich family.
“It was uncanny how we came up with the same idea – about going to the ball. And it seemed like . . . fate was telling Joanna something when Mrs. Hudson decided not to wear the dress Joanna had already made for her,” Courtney said. “So, Joanna took a chance. I even did her hair and make-up that night.
You did a damn good job that was for sure, Trevor thought as he walked away from the bar with a fresh drink.
“At
Dinner at The Cozy Inn had been wonderful. Homemade rolls, fresh green beans, meatloaf, and apple pie for dessert. The company had been great too. Everyone was very friendly. A young couple on their third honeymoon told everyone at the table they were from Seattle and had a podcast. The old couples in their sixties were enjoying their retirement by traveling. Three guys who were friends were in town for fishing. Last, but not least, there was a woman who was a doctor from Boston who wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Rebecca had said there were more guests on the property. Some guests elected to either cook their own meals if they were staying in a cabin or get meals in town. After dinner, Sonny asked Joanna if she wanted to go out on the pier to watch the sunset. She said yes. Sonny grabbed two lawn chairs and a f
They were twenty minutes from Portland International Jetport. There were two airports closer than fifty miles to Wiscasset. But, the Augusta State Airport only allowed planes that weighed seventy thousand pounds or less to land unless they had special permission or if it was an emergency. The Hudson 747 weighed four times that. Trevor had told the pilot it was an emergency. But, Trevor’s emergency didn’t count as an emergency to the Augusta officials. The Knox County Regional Airport had an expanded runway, but it was still a small airport as well. It was so small they did not have any type of ground transportation service available after five p.m. Wiscasset was thirty-six miles away from Knox. Trevor prepared his sixth screwdriver and took a sip of it. Bruce was lounging in a chair nursing a brandy. Selena, who wore black slacks an
After a pit stop at the store, they were finally off – for real. Bruce ruled the road tonight and God help whoever got in his way. That’s right, Bruce, Trevor thought proudly. We’ll get there early at this rate.They crossed the bridge on a road marked US-1. They entered a town that was dark as shit and looked abandoned.“I know it’s late and this is a small town, but shouldn’t there be streetlights lit at least?” Christopher asked.“Maybe something happened,” Selena said.“Turn on the radio Christopher,” Trevor said.Christopher turned on the radio and hit the seek button. It stopped on a country station. Christopher hit the seek button again. It stopped on a weather station. He hit it for the third time. A man was talking. He
It was one-fifteen when Bruce whipped the SUV into a space next to a black SUV in the parking lot of The Cozy Inn. It had only taken Bruce a few minutes to get the bison to move. He had gone out there and waved his big arms at him and yelled. The bison had turned his big head slowly to look at him. Bruce’s head had rocked back at the bison. For some strange reason, that offended Bruce. He had cussed the thing out and then told it to don’t make him punch him in that big ugly face of his. To everyone’s amazement in the SUV, the bison turned and slowly walked to the side of the road. Selena had complained Bruce had hurt the bison’s feelings. “For the love of God, don’t open the trunk,” Christopher said as they all climbed out o
Marty and his staff had cleaned up the far side of the dining room and cut off the lights on that side to save on gas in the generator. Lori and Danny had gone home a half hour ago. Suede, Stan, Sonny, and Joanna were the only customers left in the place. They had moved to a smaller table closer to the dance floor. Sonny and Stan were sitting at the table watching Joanna and Suede dance. Suede held Joanna close, holding her hand in his. They were dancing to Islands in the Stream sang by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers. Suede was pretty light on his feet. “So you’re going to Paris after a few weeks here. Will you be coming back this way after that?” he asked in her ear.
The Hudsons had no choice but to settle in and wait for Joanna to return to The Cozy Inn because Bruce had flat out refused to drive anywhere else for the night. Trevor was too drunk to drive. Selena was exhausted. Christopher didn’t feel comfortable driving around an unfamiliar country side at night to look for a watering hole called Marty’s Bar. Selena, Christopher, and Bruce had gotten the keys to the cabin from Horace and drove the SUV there. They were going to unload the luggage. Rebecca had given them three oil lamps, extra oil, two flashlights, and two candles. Trevor wasn’t leaving the B and B main house until Joanna returned. He planted himself in the parlor as Rebecca lit three oil lamps. They weren’t gone long which told Trevor the cabin
Joanna entered her room as quickly as she could. She closed the door and locked it. She had half a mind to brace something against it. What was going on? Rebecca must have come in her room earlier because there was an oil lamp that was lit on the round table and a flashlight was next to it.Joanna started pacing, trying to get her mind to work – to make sense of what was going on and why? Someone knocked on the door. It could be Rebecca but . . . Trevor was fast. He probably was closer behind her coming up the steps than she had realized. “Joanna?” a woman said through the door. Well, at least it&r
Trevor felt like he was going insane. He paced the hallway like a man possessed. Christopher was sitting in a Victorian wooden chair in the hallway. Bruce was leaned against the wall looking morose. The damn dog had followed them upstairs for some reason. He sat a few inches away from Bruce, watching Trevor pace. This dog is nosy. Thank, God he can’t talk. If he could, he’d probably be the biggest gossip in town. “What in the world are they doing in there?” Trevor asked. “It hasn’t been that long really,” Bruce whispered. They were trying to be as quiet as they could. Several