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Milo
IT HAD BEEN WEEKS SINCE Milo had seen Jules. He was busy with catering jobs and she had been through another surgery. They kept up with each other through texts and video chats and neither had let on to anyone else about the confrontation with Norman and Flip at the cabin. It seemed she was able to keep secrets even from her best friend, Ebony. Milo had given up the gig for a Hawaiian luau themed birthday party just to spend some time with Jules. He had been worried about the latest surgery, but they promised her sight would be almost perfect afterward. Or, maybe that was how he had interpreted what she said.
He met up with Jules at the McClendon Library. He would drive her to the Post Office so that she could drop off more paperwork for college and then head back out to Wyman’s for some music and BBQ on the riverbank. Afterward. he would drive her home and meet her parents.
He took a deep breath. It was time. He wasn’t looking forward to the day she moved onto campus. He had mapped it through his GPS at about a three-hour trip each way to Birston College. The restoration on his ‘70 Chevy Impala Fastback was complete and road ready thanks to Randall. Maybe a new set of tires before winter set in would be a good idea. He had picked out a set of new rims for it, but Randall had convinced him to finish the interior work first. And now that Jules was sitting next to him, he realized that it was worth all the time and money. She was wearing a peach colored Birston crop top over plaid shorts and woven sandals. And her perfume made the car smell like a rose garden. He was anxious to know one thing.
“Better?” He asked as soon as she climbed into the car.
“No, not much. Maybe the next one.”
“Wow, how many surgeries they want you to have?”
Jules turned away. That was a dumb question. She was wearing new glasses. He was positive everything had worked out, but he should have been prepared in case it didn’t just like the last time. And, the time before that.
“New glasses, huh?” He softened his voice.
Jules nodded in silence.
“I like them. Green is my favorite color. That's probably why I live in a tree.”
“You don't live in a tree.” She almost smiled.
“Maybe I should. Then people couldn’t find me.” He poked her arm a few times, right where she was most ticklish. “But you could still come visit me on your flying dolphin.”
Jules smirked at him, then laughed. Milo pulled out his phone and opened the music app.
“Hey, I downloaded the new album by Dez. Have you heard it?” He played the first track and Jules bobbed her head to the rhythm.
“Oh, I like that.”
Her smile was back. He had missed it so bad. He had missed everything about her. Funny how he didn’t realize it until that moment. She took his phone, squinted, and then swiped to the next song.
Milo leaned over and kissed her. It was awkward but it landed. He held it for twenty seconds. It was not too messy. He kept his hands resting on her hands. It was tense and a bit clumsy but mostly it was just ... embarrassing. She pushed him away.
Oh no, big mistake. She hates me now. What if she tells her parents or Ebony? Of course, she's gonna tell her best friend about this and then everybody will know how stupid I am. So stupid. I need to apologize. He wiped away the residue of the brown sugar lip balm and sweat from around his mouth.
“Jules, I'm so ...”
She turned back and faced him, her glasses were off and her eyes gleaming in the sunlight. She placed her hands on his cheeks and lingered for a moment, then slowly drew nearer as her hands slipped to the back of his neck and pulled him close. Her eyes were dark, darker than he expected. He was frozen in that gaze so intense that he was sure that she could see right through him. He wondered if she felt pain in those eyes; if she knew how badly he wanted the surgeries to stop and how he would do anything for that to happen; that he wanted to be with her more than anything else in his life; how she made him feel like anything he did or wanted to do was possible and better and ...
She closed her eyes and he was lost. Like all the stars had dropped from the night sky and he stopped breathing. She parted her lips and pulled him into the kiss. He followed her lead and this time it was ... everything.
When you know, you know.
––––––––
MILO STEERED THE CAR into a parking spot near the management office at the campgrounds. He touched Jules on the arm and said, “You stay here.” Then he climbed out and headed toward the small crowd that had gathered near Middlebow Lane. He overheard a few of the residents talking and asked what was going on. One of the kids pointed at a vehicle up the path that led to a row of cabins along the northern ridge. But Milo couldn’t make out what was happening. More people had swarmed the area. Some were crying.
Milo pushed past them and stood on a wooden railing to get a better vantage point. His knees buckled when he finally got a glimpse of the vehicle and he dropped to the ground. He sat there a few minutes, his hands were trembling as he brushed the soil from his clothing and stood back up. With each swipe of his hand, he tried to force back the memory of the last time he had seen that county coroner’s wagon. It was at Hazelton House when they came to take away Miss Rowena’s body. But this time two body bags were being carried down the path and aligned at the rear of the vehicle for transport.
Milo took a deep breath, let it out and inhaled another one, then looked back at the scene trying desperately to find a familiar face. He rushed forward and shoved everyone out of his way, searching, listening, scanning the crowd for anything that gave him a sign that his friends were safe; a ballcap, the pattern on a jacket. Anything. Finally, he picked up the sound of Randall’s voice and hurried toward that direction. He spotted him and took off running at full speed, pushing people to the side. Brad grabbed Milo by the back of the collar before he plowed into Randall. “Slow down, son.”
Milo bent over his knees trying to catch his breath.
“Does Traci know?” Randall asked his brother.
“I haven’t called her.” Brad looked around as the crowd began to swell even more. “But you know how fast news travels. I’d say we’ve got about a twenty-minute lead before it hits Channel WME Action News and everybody in the county knows about it.”
“What happened? Who ...” Milo managed to ask between gulps of air.
“That inspector found two bodies in an abandoned cabin. Not sure how long they’ve been there or who they are. We can’t get close enough to find out any details.”
“And nobody’s talking,” Brad said with a scowl on his face.
“How did we miss this, man? We’ve got monitors up twenty-four hours a day.” Randall said shaking his head.
“Exactly,” Brad lowered his voice.
“This is crazy, right?” Milo felt lost.
“That’s not the word I would use for it, but close enough.” Randall said. “Something’s not adding up.”
“Right, but here it is. How you gonna deal with it?” Brad nodded toward the KMP officers walking toward them. “Clocks ticking. You better make that call.”
“We need to speak to the owner. Is that you, sir?” Officer Gadsen said.
“That would be my wife, but I can answer any questions you have.”
“I’m sorry but we’ll have to talk to your wife. Or her legal representative.”
“Tick-tock, bruh. Better she hear it from you than these guys.” Brad whispered in his ear.
Officer Sinclair joined them and nodded empathetically. He was one of the KMP officers that Randall employed part time to guard Hopkins Autorama. “You know how it goes. If you can arrange to get her here, that would be great,” Sinclair said. “Otherwise, we’ll have to send a car.”
“Right. Give me a minute,” Randall said and glanced at Brad. “I’ll be right back.”
“Sir, I have to ask you not to leave the property,” Gadsen said and stepped in front of him. “Everyone has to stay put for now.”
Randall looked over this officer with an immediate flash back to Gadsen’s days as a cadet almost flunking out of the academy and making it through by the skin of his teeth. His conduct record with KMP was questionable and another muni force had refused his transfer. Randall took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. He sensed Brad tense up and step behind him with a warning, “C’mon, Randall. Don’t make this worse than it is. Let the little sharpie have his day.”
“Lieutenant Hayden’s orders,” Sinclair said with an uneasy smile.
“Right.” Randall glared at them both, then took out his phone and hit speed dial #1 voice call. “Tracinda, leave R.J. with Candace and meet us here at Wyman’s. Do it right now. Take the back roads,” he looked up at the sheriff’s helicopter circling above them, “and stay ten under the speed limit.”