Chad had spent the night in his car and his back was sore. He’d been hungry when he awoke, and immediately in need of coffee. Pine needles had glued themselves to his windshield and he’d had to get out and wipe them off. He’d stood for a moment and savored the brine-stripped air, the blue smell of rainwater working its way down the mountain. High, milky clouds dominated the sky. It was at least an intermission from last night’s storm. Hard to tell what’s coming next, he thought.
He was surprised to find Gill’s Cafe open and a full parking lot, even more so by the barbeques sending out smoke signals. He’d sworn that he could smell the cooking meat coming from the highway, drifting off passing cars and trucks.
Chad thought he’d come upon 4th of July in winter. Gill was giving away food to anyone who came by. He’d stuffed himself on cheeseburgers and beans simmered over a smoky fire. He was impressed by the Traitor’s community spirit. Since he was a boy he’d heard how their ways were blamed for seducing folks down darker paths, whatever that was supposed to mean. He’d never seen evidence of this himself, had always laughed it off as the dirty side of healthy town rivalries.
As far as Chad was concerned he was from both towns. His mother was from Traitor and his father had grown up in Buoy and it was said by many that his father had come and stolen her away from Traitor like a jewelry thief in the night. She was that beautiful. Many Traitor fisherman Chad’s father’s age still held a grudge.
A presumptuous old man who claimed to know Chad kept offering him beers and asking him about folks in Buoy and what kinds of trouble they were into now. And just when he’d started to feel hot in the face from the glances of others and the sense that he was going to be the butt of some elaborate joke, a highway repairman announced that the town was still effectively cut off from both sides. Chad and anyone else who’d come down from Buoy or further north might even be stranded for at least another day-unless the next storm being tracked to arrive in a few hours slowed down the road crews even more.
He couldn’t find Ann anywhere. He’d driven by her aunt’s house at least a dozen times hoping that he’d see her car. After breakfast he decided he’d better check on things and ended up spending time with her aunt. Kate was in a mild state of shock when she’d met him at the door. She’d spent the day checking to see if the phone worked, hadn’t heard or seen anyone and had no idea about the damage the storm had caused.
Chad had stayed several hours and tried to help calm her down. He made sure she had enough firewood and anything else she could think of before he left. He’d promised her that he’d keep looking for Ann. If he saw any law enforcement he’d let them know about her disappearance.
After leaving Kate, he’d gone back to the restaurant and had eaten a little and talked. There’d been a setback on the bridge work and fresh landslides on 101. He wondered if his brothers had even noticed he was gone yet. He was concerned about getting an update on how his father was doing.
He’d driven south of Traitor and spotted Ann’s car parked at the old boat ramp. He drove up close and let the headlights bathe it while he looked it over. There were no signs that anything bad had happened, just the fact that Ann was not around. It didn’t make any sense to him. Why would she have gone out in a boat now, when the river was swollen with driftwood and dangerous currents? Did she get into somebody else’s car? It didn’t seem like something she’d do. Unless someone forced her.
His nerves were shot with worry. It had been a long day and he wasn’t looking forward to spending another night in his car. He smoked half a joint and lay back in the seat, thought through the list of possibilities. Although he couldn’t prove anything, he kept circling back to the idea that she was still around somewhere not far away.
But where?
He closed his eyes and drifted off for maybe half an hour. When he heard someone walking across the graveled lot from behind he thought it was her and got out of the car.
“Ann?” He couldn’t see her. Then he saw an explosion of light.