This hasn’t been edited or named yet and is still in draft form. I will have to edit it before I enter to the contest. This will also be one of several stories in a series about Cherry Creek.

Olivia had been busy since she entered the office at 7am.  There was no time for lunch and now that she was on her way home for the day her stomach let her know she was famished.  She turned left on Third Street and pulled into the parking lot of her favorite take out place, The Golden Wok.  She loved the fact that you could stop at any number of restaurants in the city at any time and they would be open.  She also loved that fact that they delivered!   

Five minutes after walking out the door of the restaurant she was parking her car and walking up to her two-bedroom condo.  Olivia lived alone and as she walked through the door she felt it.  It was so quiet and a little depressing.  

The takeout containers left on the table she went to change into her pajamas.  Another depressing truth.  At 7pm on a Tuesday she was eating take out in her pajamas, alone. 

The voice mail tone sounded on her phone as she walked back into the dining room.  She hadn’t heard it ring while in the bathroom changing into her crisply pressed pajamas.  Olivia didn’t understand why anyone would want to be clothed in wrinkled rough fabric.  Everything in her wardrobe was crisply pressed.

She picked up her phone to look at the missed call number.  She didn’t recognize the number, but the area code was from her home town of Cherry Creek.  She grabbed a plate from the cupboard and a fork from the drawer and sat herself at the table.  She punched in her voice mail code and began to dish the food onto her plate.  She dropped the fork as the words rung in her ear.  “No,” her voice dropped off in a breathless whisper.  

Olivia jumped up and ran to her room.  She grabbed her suitcase and began filling it with the necessities.  She went to the kitchen and cleaned her plate in the sink.  She grabbed her purse, her suitcase and as an afterthought she grabbed the container of Chinese food that sat on the table.  She was out the door in less than 15 minutes after the call that would change her world forever.

When she was on the road and out of the city she picked up her phone and spoke into it, “Call Marie.”

Marie was Olivia’s boss.  She was also her closest friend in the city.  “Marie it’s me.  I just received a call that my dad passed away.  I’m on my way home right now.  I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

“Oh my Olivia, I’m so sorry honey.  Drive carefully and call me when you get there.  You don’t worry about anything.  You be safe!” Her friend encouraged her.  

Olivia knew that Cherry Creek was a long drive.  The 4 hours passed so slowly it seemed like an eternity.  She wanted to get there so quickly, even though she knew her dad was already gone and she didn’t get to say goodbye.  She just wanted to be around his things and be with her family.  They were never close enough to get together on a regular basis, but they did check in quite often. 

On the way she had called her aunts Gladys and Sherry.  They would be driving in the following day.  She stopped only once to add gas and grab a coffee.  Her favorite gas station with the huge neon red and blue sign had the coffee she loved.  She pulled into town a little after 11:30pm. 

The streets were dark and empty at this late hour.  She drove east though town and turned right onto Wildflower Road.  Her dad’s farm was 3 miles from town.  As she drove down the winding driveway she began to cry.  It hit her that when she arrived he wouldn’t be waiting on the porch for her. He would’ve been so excited for her to see his farm.  She hadn’t been back since he moved in 3 years before. 

She hadn’t thought about the fact that she’d be all by herself in the house with her thoughts and emotions.  When her mom passed they had each other.  Now she was by herself.

She pulled up to the house and to her surprise there were lights on and cars in the drive.  She parked and walked up to the steps.  As she did so the screen door creaked open and smacked shut.  A middle-aged woman appeared on the porch. 

“Oh, you must be Olivia!” The woman exclaimed.

“Yes, I am, may I ask who you are and why your in my father’s house?”

“I’m Elizabeth, my dear.  Your father and I were dear friends.” The woman said.  “Come here dear.”  Elizabeth pulled Olivia in for an uncomfortable hug. 

Olivia simply patted her back and stood stiffly and waited for the hug to end. 

“Come on in here.  There are some people who want to meet you.  Why don’t you leave your bags there?”  She pointed and steered Olivia into the living room.

Olivia spent the next hours in a daze listening to her father’s friends tell stories.  The door just kept creeping open and slamming shut as people came and went. 

After the final condolence was given Olivia felt as though she’d been hit by a truck.  She sat down on the step with her head in her hands.

“Where did all those people come from?  It’s 2am for Pete’s sake!” Olivia asked Elizabeth who still stood by the door.

“Your dad was so loved in this town. As soon as news got out they called to see if they could come.  They wanted to be here to welcome you and console you.  They all brought food, so you shouldn’t go hungry while you’re her.  Your dad talked about you all the time.  Everyone that came feels like they already know you.”

“But they don’t know me.  I am not sure what I’m supposed to feel.  I drove right here without even thinking of what comes next.  Now what am supposed to do?”

When her dad moved to Cherry Creek, Olivia thought he’d lost his mind.  Small town didn’t begin to describe the size of this place.  It housed one gas station that also served as the post office and grocery store.  It also had a cute café and a bar.  There was also a small newspaper office that printed a weekly paper. He found this quiet little patch of land with a cottage and barn and said it was his dream retirement. 

Olivia could not understand the allure.  She visited when he first moved into the house but hadn’t been back since.  Her dad came to the city at least once a month and she decided he probably needed that big city fix more than she needed the small-town fix.  He asked her to come, but she had always been to busy with work.

“I’m going to go home and let you get some sleep honey; I’ll be back tomorrow.  We can go through your dad’s papers and find his will.  He has everything laid out and ready for you.”  Elizabeth patted Olivia on the shoulder and walked to her car.

Olivia was left with so many questions, but she couldn’t bring herself to verbalize any of them.  Who was this woman and how did she know so much about her dad and his wishes?  Why hadn’t her dad mentioned her before?

She showered and fell into a fitful sleep.

She woke the next morning with the sun shinning through the small window in the spare room.  She had a slight headache and was not ready to face this day.  She chose the spare room the night before, because she was not ready to face her dad’s room. 

Olivia entered the kitchen dressed and looking for coffee and something for her headache.  A small red gift box with a white ribbon and bow sat on the counter with a note.

The note read, “Good morning Olivia.  I hope you were able to get some sleep last night.  This gift is something your dad wanted you to have.  I will leave you alone with it this morning.  There’s a letter explaining everything.  I will be over this afternoon to check on you.”  Elizabeth’s words were so confusing.  She made it sound like her dad knew he would die and had planned for her return to the house. 

This was all too much for her to handle.  She teared up again and sat with the red box.  She ran her fingers over it gently and began to sob. 

She dragged herself off the bar stool to look for the coffee and Ibuprophen.  She found both and took it and the box into the living room.  Her dad’s cottage was small and cozy.  The wood furniture appeared to be handmade.  She could see the craftsmanship in it and it was made from real wood.  It wasn’t like the store-bought stuff that was made of manufactured wood or plastic made to look like wood.  The plaid curtains fit the country cottage theme and the stone fireplace rounded out the living room to make it warm and very homey.  She found a spot on the couch and pulled a beautifully crocheted blanket over her lap. 

The box sat in her lap.  She removed the cover and lifted the folded paper from it.

My dear Olivia,

If you are reading this, then the cancer has ended my earthly life.  I know how confusing this must be for you and I am sorry that I didn’t tell you about it.  I was diagnosed 6 months ago, and I didn’t even really have time to deal with it myself.  My sickness took over my body so quickly and I couldn’t burden you with taking care of me. 

I have made my life here in Cherry Creek.  I have special lady in my life, and I have a business that I love!  Elizabeth has been here for every moment of my sickness and well before that.  I am saddened that my journey will end so soon after it has begun in this town, but I am so happy to have had this time. 

I want you to know that I had a great life.  Your mother was the great love of my life.  When she passed, I was so lonely and looking for something to fill my time.  I started to play around with wood working again.  I used to make wood toys with my grandfather, and I found some of his toy making plans in a box in the attic.  I also found this toy that we made together.  I want you to have it and pass it on to your children when that time comes.  I love you so much and I am so very proud of the woman you have become!  I couldn’t have asked for a better daughter.  

But my dear Olivia, you have got to slow down and start enjoying this life.  It will go so quickly.  Please spend some time in Cherry Creek and get to know it and love it like I did.  I think you might find some peace that you have been looking for. 

Please be kind to Elizabeth.  She has been kind to me and stayed by my side during this terrible time.  I hope you will let her help you through this and enjoy getting to know her as I have.

I love you my dear.

Dad

Olivia sat with her tears and the wooden train engine her dad had given her.  She had so many unanswered questions and his letter only left her wondering more.

***

The screen door slapping against the wood frame woke Olivia with a start.  She had trouble opening her eyes and focusing on the person standing near the couch.  She had cried herself to sleep after reading her dad’s letter. 

She sat up and rubbed her eyes. 

Elizabeth came a little closer and asked, “Is it alright if I come in?”

“You’re here you might as well stay.  I think we need to talk.  Can I make you some coffee?” 

“Yes that would be lovely.”

Olivia puttered around the kitchen making the coffee and stalling a little bit.  She wanted to gather her thoughts and questions before they sat down to talk.

“I’m going to wash up a bit while the coffee is brewing.”

“Take your time, dear.” Elizabeth called after her. 

Olivia knew why her father was drawn to Elizabeth.  She had a calming presence and her voice was soft and gentle.  Olivia heard a hint of the south in her words and wondered where she was from.

The two women sat across from each other at the white painted farmhouse kitchen table.  A tray with mugs, coffee condiments and the coffee carafe sat between them.  Elizabeth had brought some caramel rolls which were warming in the oven. 

Olivia’s first question surprised Elizabeth.  “Where are you from?  I hear a little southern drawl in your voice.”

“Oh!  My!  Well I wasn’t expecting that to be your first question, but that’s wonderful!” 

The rest of the afternoon was spent with easy conversation between them.  They talked about how her dad and Elizabeth met.  They cried about his cancer diagnosis and his death.  Elizabeth had been a hospice nurse before her retirement, so she knew just how to care for sick patients and what they needed in their last moments. 

“I begged him to tell you and let you come.  He said you had been through so much with your mother’s death that he didn’t want you to see him die the same way.  He wanted you to remember him as a healthy man.  I can see both sides, but I am so sorry you didn’t get to say goodbye to him.”

“Thinking back to the last few phone conversations I had with him, I think I did get to say goodbye.  I thought he seemed down and we talked a little longer than usual each time.  I think maybe he was letting me know something was wrong, but I was too busy to notice.”

“Alright, we don’t want to travel down that path.  I want to show you something.”

They walked down a short rocky path to the humungous red barn.  Olivia knew the property had a barn, but she thought it was old and decapitated.  She didn’t realize what a beauty it really was. 

They entered through a small side door and Olivia gasp at the sight before her.  “What is all this?”

“This is what your dad left to you.  It’s his legacy and your inheritance.”  Elizabeth said.  She stayed by the door as Olivia walked through the rows of finished and unfinished wooden toys and beautiful works of art.  There were also crocheted blankets and beautiful intricately made quilts hanging on racks.”

“Your dad wanted to showcase the talents of people in town.  He made most of the wooden toys you see and he took the rest of the things on consignment.  He has quite a business here.  The city office which is also the Chamber of Commerce advertises this on the website and we get visitors all the time.”

She let this soak in for Olivia before she continued.

“Your dad lives on the Wilderness Drive.  Lots of people turn off the main road and want to drive along a scenic road.  There’s also a revitalization initiative in town.  They are trying really hard to get the town recognized as a place to stop and stay.  There is a beautiful bed and breakfast in town and several cottages to rent.  Your dad was so involved with this.  It’s what kept him busy and happy.”

“I can’t believe I didn’t know any of this.  Why didn’t I just come once when he asked me.”

“Oh dear, he knew how busy you were building your career.  He was so proud of you.  He told everyone he talked to about his big city daughter and her career as a book editor for one of the biggest publishing companys.”

“After you took the year off to take care of your mom, he didn’t want to interfere with any of your plans.  He did all of this for you.  He knew one day you would have to slowdown and he hoped you would come to visit him.  He hoped you would fall in love with this town like he did and decide to stay.”

“But my life is somewhere else.  My job is somewhere else.”

“The choice is completely yours dear.  He set everything up in his will.  If you decide not to stay this will remain open and he has a staff prepared to run it.  There is a large community of transplants that want to make this town a real destination.  They want to keep your dad’s memory alive.  They volunteered to run this place when your dad became sick and couldn’t be out here anymore.” 

“Well, I guess I have some thinking to do.  He must have known I was unhappy in the city.  I don’t have time for friends, I don’t have time for romance.  I work to much and eat take out six nights a week.  A change of pace wouldn’t really be an unwelcome change.  Also, I’ve been toying with the idea of writing my own book.”

Elizabeth smiled at her.  “Toying with anything you love is worth the time, that’s what your dad would have said.  I’ll leave you now and I’ll be back tomorrow.  We can visit some more and finish the rest of the plans.  I am so glad you’re here dear!”

“Me too!  I feel like he’s here with me.”

“He is dear.  The more time you spend here the more you will understand why.”

Alex slowed to 45 MPH as the warning sign suggested.  The next sign was green with white block letters stating Clover Ridge Population 234.

“Again, with the small towns.  I hate these stupid stories and these dumpy little towns.” He muttered under his breath.  “I’ve lived in this state all my life and never heard of Clover Ridge until it came over the news blotter.” 

Clover Ridge was only 100 miles from Spring Valley which was an actual city.  With over 100,000 people it housed a daily newspaper that Alex worked for.  They often grabbed stories from area towns. 

Alex found main street with a problem and parked his Jeep.  His head was still a little foggy and his head throbbed.  He knew he should have gone home earlier the night before, but the crowd at Rowley’s was amazing and he was having fun.

He usually didn’t drink the night before he was going on assignment.  He needed to be sharp to get to the bottom of the story, but again the crowd was so fun.

He looked up from his phone and noticed two women standing in front of his vehicle.  They were talking and pointing.  When they noticed him look up, they quickly walked into the café. 

He squinted against the sun as he peered out the windshield.  An oversized white and green striped awning hung over the door with the name Clover Coffee Co. on it.

He smiled and shook his head.  Here we go.

As he walked into the dimly lit restaurant, he spotted the two women who were outside is vehicle.  He made is way to the short breakfast bar and sat on a stool that spun all the way around. 

There were two others at the counter.  He looked over noticed the man with the plaid lumber jack hat who was giving him a nasty side eye. 

“Hello.” Alex said.  The man just looked back at his coffee cup and didn’t respond. 

The waitress touched his shoulder and said, “Hey, I will be right with you.”

He noticed her name tag which read, Jenny.  He smiled as she bounced back behind the counter to grab a glass of water and a menu. 

She took his order and as soon as it was ready, she set the plate down and sat next to him.

“So where are you in from?”

“Spring Valley.” He replied and picked up his burger.

“Hmph!” The gentleman in the hat slammed his coins on the counter and stormed out the door.

Alex looked up in surprise.

“Oh, don’t mind Big Louie.  He’s always a grump.  I guess if you live in a junk yard you have a personality to match.”  Jenny said.

“Big Louie, huh? He owns the junk yard?”

“Yeah.  He and his son Levi.”

“What’s their last name, if you don’t mind me asking?”  He was hoping he wasn’t pressing his luck, but Jenny seemed really nice.

“Why would I mind you asking.  I’ve got nothing to hide.  It’s Whitehead.”  She smiled and left to attend her other customers. 

Alex pulled out his notebook and wrote the names in it. 

It couldn’t be that hard to find a junk yard in a town this size.  Although he knew it wouldn’t be easy to get in especially since his encounter with Big Louie. 

Alex left the restaurant and felt much better after some great coffee and a good meal.  He was pleasantly surprised at the flavor of their coffee.  Most small-town cafés he had visited had coffee that was nothing more than colored water.  Welcome to the land of Scandinavians, he thought to himself.

When the story came over about the explosion at the junk yard, Alex didn’t think it was that big of a deal.  Apparently, it had rocked the entire city.  As he looked up and down main street, he wasn’t surprised that a small explosion would do that. 

He was kicking himself for telling Jim he would investigate it.  He was the lead investigative reporter at the Herald, but lately he had been toeing the line and knew he was on a short leash at work.

Ever since the rising star Emma arrived at the paper, he realized he needed to shape up.  He took every story that Jim threw his way.  Truth be told he was a little worried about being knocked off the pedestal he created for himself. 

Jim told him he had a source in town that told him there was more to this explosion.  So now here he was in this God forsaken town digging up a mystery he didn’t even think existed.  And from the reaction of some of the folks in town he knew it wouldn’t be easy.

One bright spot was Jenny.  She was carefree and had a smile that lit up a room.  Alex liked her immediately and not just because she was the only one who didn’t give him a sideway dirty look when he walked through the door.

Alex decided to start by finding the junk yard and looking around.  He drove up the street until he hit a residential area.  At the end of the street he had a choice, left or right.  The preverbal fork in the road.  He turned left first.  He drove past a school bus garage and what looked like the city garage with snowplows and road graders sitting outside.  He took another left at the stop sign.  Bingo!  He saw the tall fence surrounding a property just ahead of his turn.  There was a huge sign outside the fence that read Big Louie’s Salvage. 

Alex drove slowly past the sign.  He noticed there was a gate and quickly realized this was going to be much more difficult than he first thought. 

He decided that striking up a conversation with some of the locals might be his best first bet.  He took one more left and made the full circle around the entire town.  He stopped at the grocery store to see if he could get some info from the cahiers. 

The bell on the door rang announcing his arrival.  A woman behind the counter looked up from her magazine and quickly looked back down.  He wandered up and down the 3 isles and decided this might not be the best idea. 

“Hey.” He said to the woman.  “Lucy, right?”  He looked at her name tag.  It’s nice that everyone had name tags.  

“Hi,” she replied reluctantly. 

“I’m in town doing a story on the explosion that happened last week.  Were you working when it happened?”

“No.” She said simply.

“Were you in town?”

“No.” She said again.

“Do you know anyone who was around that I could possibly talk to?”  Alex prodded.

“No.”  She said one last time.

“Well, thanks for your time!” Alex said and turned to walk out. 

“You know you do well to mind your own business, mister.”  She called after him.

“Have a nice day.”

That proved to be a painful experience.  Alex walked toward his car and noticed the library and city offices were across the street. 

He crossed the street and entered the large green building.  He peeked into the office who’s door read City Office.   He knocked and said, “Hi, is anyone here?”

“Hi, can I help you?”  A voice returned his question.

“I’m Alex from the Spring Valley Herald.  I’m here writing a story about the explosion in town last week.  Do you think I could ask you a few questions?”

The voice was from white haired woman in her 60’s Alex guessed.  Her demeanor changed as soon as he mentioned he was a reporter.

“I’m sorry sir, but I can’t help you with that.”

“Were you here when it happened?  I understand it shook the entire town.  I would imagen this building shook a lot since it’s right up the street from the junk yard.”  Alex prodded.

“I don’t know anything about it.  If you will excuse me, I was just leaving.” 

“Well maybe I could come back later.  Is the mayor here?”

“The mayor doesn’t office here.  He has an office at his house.”  She sucked in her breath as she realized she had made a mistake. 

“I don’t suppose you would tell me where that is?”

“I really have to go, so excuse me.”  She literally pushed him out the door and locked it behind her. 

“Thank you, Lois.” He said as he raised his hand to wave goodbye.

She spun around and narrowed her eyes. 

“Your name plate is on your desk!  I will stop by later to see you again.”

She hurried off and climbed into her car.  He could see her out the window.  He walked down the hall. He stopped at the community bulletin board.  There were lots of yard sale posters and several business cards tacked to it.  Then something caught his eye.  It was a poster for a community fall carnival scheduled for the following day.  He had really hoped that he could smash out this story and be on the road home tonight, but that was not going to happen. 

He wandered down the hall to the library.  It was a very big space for the size of the town.  After reading the plaque outside the door he realized why.  The space was donated by a local author and an endowment fund established.  He smiled and it made him feel good to know that people, even those who became famous didn’t forget about their roots.

He found the check out desk and noticed a young man behind the desk.

“Hey.”

“Hi there!  Can I help you find something?”  The young man asked.

“Yeah, I’m Alex.  I’m writing a story for the Spring Valley Herald about the explosion last week.  I’m afraid I’m not getting much cooperation from anyone else in town.”

“Oh, I bet your not!” He expressed.  “No one in this town wants to talk to strangers.  Especially strangers who are reporters.

“I get it.  But why is this explosion so hush hush?”

“Well I don’t know for sure, but I have heard some rumors.”

“Do you care to share those rumors with me?  Sometimes rumors turn out to be leads which turn out to solving the mystery.”

“I heard that Levi is trouble.  I’ve heard lots of rumblings of that kid and none of it’s good.”

“Like what?”  Alex prodded.

“He is a thief for sure.  And I heard he is now into drugs.”

“Drugs?  Like using?”

“No, like making and selling.”  The young man said.

“Really.  Wow.  That’s extreme.  I really appreciate your help.  Thanks for talking to me.  I will be staying the night and going to the carnival tomorrow.  Maybe I can drum up some more information.”

“I wouldn’t count on it.  No one will go against that family.  They are scary.”

“Why are you talking to me?”

“We don’t have any law enforcement here.  The county cops only come through if something big is going on.  Maybe if you print your story, we can get something done around here.  I’m sick of them doing whatever they want.  Some people take it into their own hands and have gone after them, but it usually doesn’t turn out so good for them.”

“Wow.  That’s disturbing.  Well, I will see you around later or tomorrow then.  Thanks again!  Hey what’s your name?”

“Peter.  And yes, I will be at Lucky’s later tonight for a dart tournament and around tomorrow.  See you later.”

Alex walked out of the library with more hope than he had on his way into the city building.  After all the non-responses he got he was sure this story would go no where fast.  But this turn of events was great!

Alex found the motel on the edge of town and got a room.  He decided it would be best to get all the information he gathered into an outline.  He set up his laptop and began writing.  An hour later he had emailed Jim the outline and got the response he wanted. 

“Great job!” Jim wrote. “Keep following the leads and get me that story!”

Alex realized he was hungry again.  When he ate at the café it was already midday and hadn’t eaten again.  He hoped that Jenny was still working, so he headed to main street again.

He pulled up to the restaurant and saw that it was completely dark.  He looked at his watch which said it was 5:00pm.  He rolled his eyes and decided to drive around the other side of town and find the bar that Peter had told him about. 

He got back on the main highway and it didn’t take long to find Lucky’s.  It was in a great location and surely attracted traffic off the highway. He pulled in and entered the building.  It was a supper club style place and Alex really liked it. 

He walked to the bar and asked for a menu.  He turned to look around and see if Peter was there yet.  He saw the area where the dart boards were set up and started to walk over there.  Before too many steps forward he noticed that smile.  It was Jenny.  His smile grew and he kept walking. 

“Hey guys!”  He said as he approached the table.

“Hi Alex.  You’re still here.”  Jenny said.

“I am.  I got a couple of leads this afternoon and I want to follow up tomorrow.”

Just then Peter walked up behind him.  “Hey man, good to see you.”  He said and slapped Alex on the back.

“I was just telling Jenny about what I told you this afternoon.”

“Yeah, I got the outline of my story done and got approval to keep going, so I’ll be here at least through tomorrow.  I’m hoping that I can get more statements at the carnival tomorrow.”

Jenny raised her eyebrows at Peter and tilted her head toward Alex.

“Tell him.”  She said.

“Ok so you’re not going to find anything out at the carnival.  No one is going to talk to you and the proof you need is at the junk yard.”  Peter blurted out.

“I get that, but I am not going to get anywhere near that place in broad daylight.”

“Exactly.” Both Jenny and Peter said simultaneously. 

“Let’s go tonight.  We’ve lived here all our lives. We know how to get in without being seen.  We used to sneak into the junk yard all the time when we were kids.” 

“That is not a good idea.  It could be dangerous.  I couldn’t ask you guys to do that for me.”

“You didn’t ask.”  Jenny said plainly.  “We’re offering!” 

“We have nothing else to do tonight and nothing exciting ever happens here.  Let’s make some excitement.”  Peter said.

“I thought you had a dart tournament?”  Alex questioned still a little apprehensive about this whole thing.

“Are you kidding?  We have a dart tournament here every night.  We won’t be missing much.”  Peter laughed.

“All right then I guess we can go.  I need to eat first and maybe have a beer.”

They agreed to meet at Alex’s hotel room at 10pm.  The three set out to see what they could uncover at the junk yard.  Alex hadn’t done this kind of investigating for awhile and he was having fun.  This was the reason he got into reporting.  He was always adamant about getting to the truth and solving the mysteries.

They parked in front of Jenny’s friends house and walked the rest of the way.  Alex followed Jenny and Peter to a path in the back of the property behind the city garage.

They walked through the maze of crushed cars and old washing machines.  “The original story said they were crushing a washer and it had a propane tank in it.  I didn’t even know they crushed those, but I guess it makes sense.”

“I don’t think that’s what happened.  I think that’s what they wanted people to think happened.  Here let’s go this way.”

The trio walked up behind one of the buildings.  “Someone’s in there.  I hear music.” Peter said.

They crept up to window and peered in.  The scene before them was unbelievable.  They all crouched down and started to whisper.  “What should we do?”  Jenny asked.

“I’m going to take some pictures and we’re going to get out of here.  This is all I’ll need.  We can call the cops when we get back to the hotel room.”

“What’s that?  Did you hear that?  Oh my God someone’s coming.  This way.”  Peter said.

They ran around the other side of the building and his behind an old truck. 

“I saw someone out there, I know I did.”  They heard a voice say.

“You go that way and check it out.  It’s probably some stupid kids playing around in here, but I don’t need any trouble with this.”  Another voice ordered.

The three sat behind the truck and didn’t move until there was no more movement in the lot.  Peter was the first to stand up and look around.  It was pitch black out, because of the clouds.  That was to their advantage.  “Ok come this way.”  He whispered.

They kept close to the tree line as the exited the same way they entered.  They ran back to Alex’s car before anyone said anything.

“Sorry Alex.  You didn’t get your picture or your story.”  Jenny said breathlessly.

Alex smiled as he stood bent over with his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath.  “Actually, I did.”  He said as he held up his phone for the others to see. 

The story turned out to be an award winning one.  Alex was proud of the job he did and he made new friends in the process.  Most of all a town terrorized by a horrible family was given justice.