Dark Realms (45 page)

Mr. O’ Darby?

I dropped the binoculars and backed away
from the window, a cold chill running down my spine. I was in
trouble – he’d caught me spying on his daughter and was obviously
upset. Would he come over and tell my mother? And what the hell was
wrong with his eyes?

A soft knock on the door startled me.

“Trent?”

“Yeah.”

“Why is your light off?” she said, flicking
it on.

Still shaken, I didn’t quite know what to
say.

“Well, guess who just called me,” she
said.

“Who?”

Her lips thinned. “Jake.”

Jake was Ben’s father. Our mother had been
married twice – my dad had died when I was only five and then she’d
met Jake a couple of years later. Thankfully, they weren’t together
anymore because he was a real jerk – used to push mom around,
couldn’t hold a job, and drank like a fish. I couldn’t stand
him.

“What did he want?”

“He wants to take Ben on his birthday next
week.”

“Why?”

“Well, now that he’s rich, I guess he thinks
he can do whatever he wants.”

Jake had lucked out and inherited an
undisclosed amount of money from one of his great-uncles, after
divorcing mom. He now owned a mansion bigger than the local grocery
store, drove around in a flashy Mercedes, and had remarried a girl
young enough to be his daughter.

“You’re not going to let him, are you?” I
asked.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Ben is always
asking about his father, and Jake hasn’t ever volunteered to take
him.”

“That’s just it,” I said. “Why does he want
to do this?”

“Maybe he feels guilty about shutting Ben
out of his life.”

“He should,” I said. “Anyway, I thought we
were going to take Ben to a movie on his birthday.”

“I know, but we can always do that. I think
it might be good for Jake to see his son. Especially now that Jake
has actually quit drinking.”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. He’s still a
jerk. He lives in the same town as us and basically ignores the
fact that he has a kid.”

“I know,” she said, “but he’s still Ben’s
father and has a right to see his son.”

“So you’re going to let him?”

“More than likely, but I’ll talk to Ben and
see what he wants to do.”

Wanting to change the subject, I asked her
about work. “So, did you hear anything more about those missing
kids?”

“Yeah, actually, I did. Something strange –
both kids were taken on their tenth birthday.”

My jaw dropped. “What?”

She nodded. “I know. It’s weird.”

“What if something happens to Ben? He’s
turning ten.”

“Listen, kids turn ten every day in Iowa.
Ben will be fine.”

“Have they been investigating other cities,
to see if there were similar kidnappings?” This was just too
creepy, even for me.

“Yes. But I don’t know if they’ve found
anything. Matt only gives me bits and pieces of what’s happening.
He doesn’t want to get into trouble at the station.”

“That’s understandable.”

“Well, get ready for bed,” she said. “It’s
getting late.”

“Like I’m going to be able to sleep.”

“Your grades depend on it.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

***

Ben was ecstatic when he heard the news the
next morning at breakfast.

“I wonder what he’ll buy me?” he asked,
bubbling with excitement. “Dad’s rich now, isn’t he?”

“Don’t expect a lot,” said mom. “He may be
rich, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to shower you with
gifts.”

“He should,” I muttered. “He owes him.”

She gave me a warning look.

“I gotta go,” I said, standing up. “Thank
God it’s Friday.”

“Don’t forget to pick your brother up from
school.”

“Okay. Same place, Ben?”

“Sure,” he answered.

***

Thankfully, Ben’s friends had to stay after
school and he was my only passenger.

“Can we stop at McDonald’s?” he asked. “I’m
so craving a cheeseburger.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty hungry myself.”

We pulled through the drive-thru and I
ordered three for myself and two for him, along with fries.

“Good thing I’m working this weekend,” I
said, pulling into our driveway. “I’m almost broke and need to buy
your gift.”

“You haven’t bought it yet?”

“Actually, I did. Happy Birthday – enjoy
your burgers,” I joked.

“Ha ha…”

I got out of the car and stared across the
street. Shannon’s house was quiet, and for some inexplicable
reason, I knew she was alone.

“Here,” I said, handing him his burgers and
fries. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

“What are you doing?” he asked, watching me
as I walked away.

“Don’t worry about it. Go inside and wait
for me.”

“Fine.”

I knocked on Shannon’s door, and seconds
later, she answered.

“Hi, Trent,” she said, smiling brightly.
Today her red hair was pulled back in a green bow and she wore
white shorts and a green T-shirt that said “Kiss me, I’m
Irish.”

I raised the bag of food. “Hungry?”

Her eyebrows shot up. “What’s in there?”

“McDonald’s.” I looked at her incredulously.
“Don’t tell me you’ve never had McDonald’s before?”

“I’ve
never
had McDonald’s before,” she
said, smiling.

“Oh, then you’ve been missing out. Here,” I
said, pulling out a cheeseburger. “Try this.”

She unwrapped it and inhaled. “Oh my God,
this smells heavenly.”

“Go ahead,” I said.

She opened her mouth and bit into it. “Oh,
Trent,” she gushed. “This is…amazing.”

I smiled and watched as she inhaled the
burger. “Here,” I said, handing her the French fries, too. “You can
have all of them.”

“I couldn’t.”

“Just try one.”

I watched as she slipped one into her mouth
and began chewing. “These are so good!” she squealed, grabbing
more. “I’ve never had anything so delicious!”

“Seriously?”

She nodded. “No. I do all of the cooking,
and believe me, I’ve never had anything so yummy. What was that
meat and bread combination called again?”

I stared at her incredulously. “It was a
cheeseburger. Haven’t you ever had a cheeseburger before?”

“No. We usually eat stew, potatoes, or ham.
I had pizza once,” she closed her eyes and sighed, dreamily. “Man,
it was amazing.”

“I love pizza,” I said. “My mom makes an
awesome homemade taco pizza.”

She smiled. “Your mother lives with
you?”

I nodded. I wanted to ask Shannon about hers
but was afraid she’d tell me her mom had passed away or something.
So I just changed the subject.

“So, can you come outside?” I asked, looking
towards the sky. “It’s a beautiful spring day. Maybe we could go
for a walk, or something?”

She looked down. “No. I’m not allowed to
leave the house.”

“Seriously?”

When she raised her eyes, there were tears.
“Yes. Listen, I have to go. My dad will be home soon.”

“Can I see you tomorrow?” I asked.

She smiled. “Sure. For a little while.”

“Good,” I smiled and backed away. “Same
time?”

She nodded. “Yes, but Trent…”

“What?”

Her face became serious. “When my dad is
home, please stay away.”

“Okay.”

“And…don’t use the binoculars.”

My face turned red. “Uh…”

She smiled. “It’s okay. I knew you were
watching, but… so did he.”

I swallowed hard. “Sorry.”

She stepped forward, and before I knew what
was happening, she kissed me lightly on the cheek. “Thanks for
everything,” she whispered, pulling away. “Nobody has ever been
this nice to me.”

“You’re welcome,” I said, sickened by the
fact that I’d only given her food and she was grateful enough to
kiss me.

“Tomorrow?” she asked. “My dad will be gone
most of the day. I’ll open my bedroom window when it’s safe to come
over.”

I smiled. “Okay, tomorrow, then.”

Chapter Four

I was so excited to see Shannon on Saturday,
that I had a restless night’s sleep. When the sun began to rise, I
gave up on it and went downstairs to eat.

“You’re up early for a Saturday,” said my
mom, who’d just gotten home from working a third shift at the
station.

“Couldn’t sleep.”

She sat across from me at the table and
sighed. “Another child is missing. This time over in Boar
Lake.”

My eyes widened. “Seriously? That’s only
twenty minutes from here.”

She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples.
“Yep. Another child who’d just turned ten.”

“What?”

She opened her eyes. “Trent, remember to
keep an eye on your brother until they catch this person.”

“Of course.”

She yawned and then stood up. “I’m going to
bed. I’m exhausted.”

***

I paced through the house most of the day,
waiting for Shannon to open her bedroom window. Finally, at one
o’clock in the afternoon, she did.

“Don’t leave the house,” I told Ben, combing
my dark hair. “I’ll be back later.”

“Why?” he whined. “I told Steve I’d come
over later. He has this new video game I’ve been dying to try
out.”

“Tough. Wait until mom wakes up so she can
drive you.”

His eyes narrowed. “It’s because of those
missing kids, isn’t it?”

“Something like that. Just promise me you
won’t leave the house?”

“You know, they’re only taking kids on their
tenth birthday.” His face paled. “I, um, I’m not turning ten until
next Friday.”

“We just don’t want to take any
chances.”

He swallowed hard. “You don’t think he’ll
come for me, do you?”

“The kidnapper? No, I’m sure you’ll be fine.
You’ll be with your dad on your birthday, anyway.”

He smiled. “Yeah and he’s rich, so he can
keep me safe.”

“Being rich doesn’t always make you more
responsible,” I said. “Not with kids, anyway.”

And especially not that
tool.
I didn’t care how much money he had,
I still remembered the bruises on mom’s face after Jake’s drunken
rages. He’d always be a jerk to me, no matter how much he’d
supposedly changed.

“My dad will protect me,” he said.

I nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure you’ll be fine.
Now, I have to places to be. Stay inside and don’t leave until mom
wakes up and you talk to her.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Where are you
going?”

“Across the street.”

He smiled. “You’re going to see that girl,
aren’t you?”

I shrugged. “Yeah, so?”

“Aren’t you afraid of her dad?”

“No,” I lied. “He doesn’t scare me.”

His face darkened. “You should be.”

I burst out laughing. “God, you’re so
dramatic, Ben.”

“No, I’ve been watching him. He’s up to no
good. In fact, I think he might be the one taking the kids…”

I rolled my eyes. “You can’t be
serious?”

“I saw him carrying a large duffel bag into
his house last night. I think there may have been a body in
it.”

“That’s insane,” I said. “Shannon’s dad
isn’t a murderer.”

He folded his arms across his chest. “How do
you know?”

I stared at him for a few seconds and then
answered. “Because, she seems too normal to be living with a
monster like that.”

He leaned forward. “Maybe she doesn’t
know.”

“Quit doing this,” I said. “You’re being
overly paranoid and freaking yourself out.”

“Fine, don’t believe me.”

I turned and walked away,
wondering if
I
wasn’t being paranoid enough.

***

“Come in,” said Shannon, holding the door
open.

“Okay.”

Today she was dressed in a white T-shirt and
green shorts. Her silky red hair hung loosely down her back and I
had an incredible urge to run my fingers through it.

“You must be Irish,” I said, staring at her
green shorts.

She smiled. “Finally figured it out,
huh?”

I rapped myself in the head with my
knuckles. “Knock-knock, pudding-head.”

She laughed. “Are you Irish?”

“No, but Ben’s dad is. Full-blooded.”

She didn’t say anything as I followed her
into the kitchen, which was surprisingly well-maintained and
up-to-date for such an old house. Silver and black appliances,
marbled counters, and dark, almond-stained cupboards. It didn’t
look at all like I would have pictured.

“Are you hungry? I made some stew,” she
said, lifting the cover from a metal pot sitting on the stove.

I inhaled and my stomach came to life. “It
smells great. What’s in it?”

She stirred the pot. “Cabbage, ham,
potatoes, corn, carrots, and some secret spices. It’s a recipe
carried down through the generations in my family.”

“Did your mother teach you how to make
this?”

Shannon’s hand froze in the pot. “No. I’ve
never met my mother,” she whispered.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

She turned to me. “It’s okay. Just be
grateful for yours.”

“Did… your mother die?”

Her face darkened. “I don’t know.”

“Why?”

She raised two fingers to my lips to silence
me. “Please, don’t ask me any more questions about my mother,
okay?”

I nodded. “Sorry.”

Shannon walked over to a cupboard and pulled
out two bowls. “It’s okay. Let’s eat, shall we?”

***

The stew
was
the best I’d ever
had. While we ate, she asked me dozens of questions about school
and McDonald’s.

“You must have heard of McDonald’s on
television?”

“What’s that?” she asked.

My eyebrows shot up. “Television? Seriously,
you don’t know?”

“I guess not.”

As I described what a television was, I
started getting angry. This beautiful girl was sheltered beyond
what seemed to be normal. I could understand not having a
television or not eating fast food, but the fact that he wouldn’t
even let her outside for fresh air and sun was crazy.