He hadn’t told Bryan and Daniel yet, but if someone was inquiring after him, and mentioning the photo, it could only mean one thing. The secret was out and now he had to prepare for the fallout.
Chapter 4
It was the middle of March. Spring was making its presence known and the snow was finally starting to melt in Northern Ontario. Bits of green were poking out of the ground and buds were beginning to swell on tree branches. The air contained that indescribable quality of warmth and promise that the last of the wintery weather was past and fairer days were ahead. On the local radio station, the forecaster happily babbled away about seeing flocks of tundra swans overhead as the birds made their annual return migration north, while his co-host squealed with delight over the appearance of a robin in her backyard. Their positive mood should have been contagious, but Mel was too busy dodging potholes on the road to appreciate the wonders of the changing season.
Not for the first time, did she curse Ryne Taylor, and whatever demon had possessed him, when he decided to move to Northern Ontario. Apparently, Stump River was in the middle of nowhere, beyond decently paved roads, fast food restaurants, and shopping malls. With the exception of a few small farm houses, Mel would have thought there was no one even living here. It was at least an hour since she’d passed through a town, if the small group of houses clustered around a gas station and a general store could even be called something that grand.
The gas station attendant had assured her that Stump River was ‘a nice sized place, just down the road a ways.’ Mel had grave doubts about the man’s idea of a ‘nice size.’ After all, he’d also assured her the road was fine, only suffering some slight disrepair due to the spring thaw. As the car lurched and then bounced through yet another series of craters, Mel swore. Her teeth were clicking together and her head was almost brushing the roof as she joggled up and down in the driver’s seat. Yeah, right. The road was perfectly fine. She snorted. Sure it was fine, if you were looking to spend a ton of money getting your car repaired, and then visiting a chiropractor to have your spine realigned. Thankfully, she was driving a rental. Her own vehicle, at its advanced age, would never survive this rough treatment.
On the other hand, at least her car had decent seats; the rental did not. This fact pointedly came to her attention when a loose spring poked her in the rear for what felt like the hundredth time that day. She was sure that area of her anatomy would never forgive her for the rough treatment it was enduring. Shifting into a relatively more comfortable spot, Mel wondered if Taylor was actually a harbinger of bad luck rather than good fortune. Yes, she was being paid well, but both of her ‘field trips’ to find him had resulted in her facing bad driving conditions, to obscure towns, in poorly maintained vehicles. Oh well, there was no turning back now, and surely her luck was due to turn around soon.
*****
Twenty minutes later, Mel pulled into a parking space along the main street of Stump River. She turned off the ignition and sighed with relief that the bone-rattling journey was finally over. She wasn’t made for ‘roughing’ it; the lack of smooth roads and the absence of washrooms and coffee shops on every corner, had her feeling like she’d fallen into some kind of time warp and was now trapped in the back of beyond.
Yes, she knew she was being a tad melodramatic but her head ached and her body was stiff—what she wouldn’t give for a soothing latte right now. Ruefully, she surveyed her surroundings and fought off despair. Small town—one point. Fancy coffee—zero. Well, she could try to look on the bright side. At least, it was larger than the last community she’d passed through.
From her vantage point, Mel checked out the street to the right, which was approximately two blocks in length. A small medical clinic was at the far end of the town. It was rather new from the look of the brick and the clean white sign hanging in front of it proudly proclaiming its hours of operation. Next in line was a small diner simply called ‘Ruth’s. Red checked curtains hung in the window and wooden planter boxes stood on either side of the door awaiting planting. A church with a modest spire and a small graveyard beside it came next, then a cenotaph, and finally a barbershop followed by a few houses. Swivelling her head to the left, she noted that she’d parked beside the local newspaper office. A sign in the window proclaimed that publishing occurred every Wednesday and you must submit your items for inclusion by closing time on Mondays.
A rather disreputable looking bar caught her attention next, and she quickly skimmed over it, having no intention of ever setting foot in such a place. Located beside it, was a gas station that had one set of pumps and two bays for car repair. Several vehicles were parked around it. Some were still in decent shape, while others seemed to be defying the odds by still being on the road despite advanced rust damage.