Missing Maggie

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 


On the ride over to Dad’s, Brian shared his theory with me.


“I think she has gotten into trouble with loan sharks. Remember when she borrowed money from Steve for the car?”


“Yeah…” I remembered. She had borrowed money from him before and, though things had gotten a bit dicey, she had eventually paid him back and everything had been ironed out, or at least she had led me to believe.


“Well, I think she may have borrowed money again but with less than desirable results.”


“What would make you think that? She hasn’t said anything to me.” I was having a hard time believing she would not have told me about it.


“She left out the back door, but didn’t take anything. She didn’t call. Someone made her run and she had no time to get help. Where else could she go in such a hurry? Down the street to Dad’s.” Brian pulled up to the house and parked smack-dab in the middle of the driveway, his usual parking spot.


“Do you remember the lock-box code?” he asked as we got out of the car.


“No, but the back door can be opened with a regular key,” I said.


Brian shook his head and said, ”That makes a lot of sense.”


We walked around the back of the house and saw that the back door was open. Brian entered first.


“Maggie?” he called. I waited outside, kind of freaked out.


Brian looked back at me and said, ”Why are you standing there? Come in,” he scolded.


         I walked in tentatively. “I don’t want to be attacked by a raccoon or something.”


         “Just get in here. Geeze.”


         The house looked like it had last week. It looked clean, cozy and lived in, just as the realtor had suggested. There was even food in the fridge.


         We walked through the house, room by room. Everything was in order and there was no sign of Maggie or Kaylee. We stopped in the kitchen; I sat down at the table and put my head in my hands.


         “Where is she?” I asked no one in particular.


         “I don’t know. I thought she would be here. Where else would she go on such short notice?” Brian rummaged through the refrigerator, scowling at the absence of munchies. Aftert openeing the freezer, his face lit up.


         “Ooh, whoopee pies, my favorite!” He snatched a plastic wrapped morsel of the shelf. After noticing the look on my face, he asked, ”You want half?


         “No, I’m good.” 


         I stood up and headed out into the backyard. It needed to be mowed but otherwise, looked good.


         “I want to go out into the woods and look around. See that maple tree out there?


         “The huge one by the garden?” Brian asked.


         “No, the medium sized one by the path. I want to climb it and look around. Maybe we’ll find something of interest.”