LAURA GREENE
A DISAPPEARANCE
Mystery Thriller
GOING TO FIND FATHER
Copyright © 2021 Laura Greene – All rights Reserved
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
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About the Author
Chapter 1
Melody leaves her conversation with Brad now feeling more like an investigator. She grabs her bag and dashes down the wooden stairs.
On her way out she runs into Morrison, serving downstairs behind the bar. He quips, “Good as new I see. Be careful out there. We wouldnae want ye to bring back another broken ankle now would we?” Then he pauses to think before saying, “Ye ken there are easier ways to extend yer stay that don’t require a doctor’s bill.”
And right on cue, the pub roars with laughter. Melody is now used to the endless jokes between Morrison and the barflies. She would normally stay and exchange what they call “a wee bit of banter” while the barflies knock back glass after glass of whiskey, but it’ll have to wait.
She walks down the cobblestone streets of Talon’s Point in the cool of the night, as she has done lately.
It is a still night and the sea winds are calm for a change. There is barely a soul in sight and she knows this because much of the town has already checked in to the Howling Dog for a drink.
One of the things she loves about Talon’s Point is that she can actually see stars in the dark blue skies – they are clear and easily identifiable in the night. Boston, on the other hand, is such a busy city, full of lights and the streets don’t die down until well into the night. Here, the locals are home in time for a family dinner and they know each other’s names. People greet her in the street with an, “Are ye o’rite hen?” and she responds, “o’rite” just like the townspeople.
These are values that she has learned to enjoy and wouldn’t mind taking back with her.
She has even grown to love the townspeople. Take Emma for example, she runs the local Chippy shop up ahead and she is standing outside the Chippy as Melody walks towards her. If anyone knows the town better than Morrison, it’s Emma. Melody normally sees her in the morning when she is opening up her shop and they’ve become more like friends than acquaintances.
In one of their conversations, Emma told her that most of the townsfolk work at the whiskey factory in Glen Talon, just a town over. After work, they stop by her shop and buy fish and chips for their families, then tip her some fresh gossip about the factory. On more than one occasion, Emma has spilled the beans about factory employees, but she is yet to tell Melody anything about the Deacons though Melody has asked her; on this point, Emma is deliberately mute. Melody cannot help but think the fear of the Deacons is upon her.
“Locking up for the night?” Melody makes small talk when she sees Emma fumbling with a key.
“Aye, hen. Ye wouldnae be going tae the corner shop by any chance?”
“I am.”
“Giz a hand will ye and give this tae my husband?” Emma hands Melody a plastic container like what you use for potting plants in. “He kens what tae do with it. I have tae get haem tae the wee bairns.” She takes off in the opposite direction to go home to her kids whom Melody has yet to meet.
Melody takes the pot with her and proceeds with her journey. She passes the hill where she saw the red barn on her side; then, she wanders past the dock with boats parked side by side. It is also silent for the night.
She makes a quick stopover at the local corner shop, which is similar to a convenience store in America. The shopkeeper, Sean recognizes her and reaches for a baggie with penny sweets in it. He is a quiet, orderly man who exchanges conversation only when necessary, which is more than can be said for Emma. How the two ended up married still baffles Melody, but she concludes with the old adage that opposites attract.
“Just the sweets for ye, hen? That will be 10p please?” Sean requests as he purses his lips shut again, then hands her a white bag of assorted candy. Melody blushes, realizing just how often she makes this trip and orders the same bag of candy. She hands over a silver coin the size of an American quarter and it is enough.
Tomorrow is her student, Rebecca’s Math quiz. While Rebecca is well-versed in History, no doubt, thanks to Melody’s predecessor and father, Mr. Sanders, Math is not her strongest suit. It terrifies her. So, to encourage Rebecca to take studying seriously, Melody brings her candy and rewards her for each correct answer. This has helped Rebecca ease into quiz days.
When she hands him the pot, she requests directions to the police officer then continues her journey.
