The B Girls - By Cari Cole Page 0,17
of others.
She wouldn't leave Lucy to worry and wonder if she could help it.
Something was wrong. Lucy felt it in her bones.
"I'm going to see if Belle left any hint about where she went."
"Want some help?" Mae asked.
Lucy shook her head. "No. I'm not even sure what I'm looking for."
In the kitchen, she found a notepad, a Sharpie and a few computer printouts. Her first thought was to do the trick of rubbing the top sheet of the notepad with a pencil to find out what was written on the last page to be torn off but the Sharpie probably hadn't left any impressions to be raised.
The printouts were more promising. They were all relating to a nearby wilderness area--Cohutta Wildlife Refuge. It was managed by the National Park Service. Belle had circled some of the information about parking and hiking trails.
Lucy called the number for the Ranger Office but didn't get any answer. She didn't bother to leave a message. Chances of anyone checking messages on a Sunday night were probably slim and none.
"Now what?" she muttered to herself glancing at the clock surprised to see it was going on nine-thirty.
She looked up the non-emergency number for the county police. They didn't have any accident reports for a vehicle matching Belle's Cherokee and wouldn't take a report on an adult who'd only been gone a few hours.
She called the only hospital within fifty miles. No Belle Morris and no unidentified patient matching her description. Where the hell was she?
Mae and Jane drifted in from the deck to see what she was up to.
"Find anything?" Jane asked.
"Just these printouts about the Cohutta wilderness area."
"I've heard of that place," Mae said. "I think Chip and Gary went bear hunting up there."
Lucy nodded. "I think you're right. But what would Belle be doing up there? She doesn't hunt and even if she did it's the wrong time of year."
"We could drive up there and see if her car is there," Jane suggested.
"These printouts show several different parking areas, no one's answering at the Ranger station and we're not even sure that's where she went," Lucy said.
"But you're worried," Mae said.
Lucy nodded. "She would've made a point of letting me know if she was going to be gone this long."
"Well, we're all sober. I say we at least check out the parking lots at the wilderness area," Jane said.
"I think it's most likely she went to one of these two," Lucy said pointing to two circled spots on a sketchy map of the area.
"Let's go," Mae said.
Lucy left a note for Belle in case she returned while they were gone and they piled into the van.
###
"I wouldn't want to make this drive if I was in a hurry or with even one drink in my system," Mae said.
The winding mountain roads were a little unnerving in the dark. The girls were used to large, well-lit suburban avenues.
"Just take your time," Lucy said. "We don't want to wind up on the missing list too."
The first circled parking area on the map was empty.
"Of course we couldn't have been that lucky," Jane said.
"It looks like we have to drive past the Ranger station to get to the next spot. Maybe there'll be someone there," Lucy said.
"Just tell me the way," Mae said.
The Ranger station was dark and there weren't any vehicles in the parking lot--official or otherwise.
They drove on to the second parking area on the printout.
There was no one parked in the gravel area.
Mae circled once and put the van in park. "Now what?"
"I guess we go back to Belle's and wait until morning to call the Ranger office," Lucy said.
Headlights appeared coming up the road from the direction of the Ranger station.
Lucy watched the lights approaching not at all sure whether she expected a serial killer, a ranger, or just someone out for an evening drive. Then again, the way her stars were apparently aligned right now it was probably a serial killer.
A pickup truck with US Forest Service painted on the door pulled into the parking area and stopped driver's door to driver's door with the minivan.
Both sides rolled down their windows.
The driver of the truck touched the brim of his hat, an old fashioned gesture that Lucy found oddly reassuring. "Bill Leonard, I'm the resident ranger here in Cohutta. Everything okay ladies?"
Mae looked to Lucy for a response.
Lucy held up a finger indicating he should hold on and climbed out of the van.
He didn't wait but got out of his truck