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."You know where the restaurant is?""Bob and Carol's?" Boyd asked and when Cassie nodded, he nodded in return."I saw it when we parked.""Well, if you go straight east from there into the woods about three miles and then gonorth about 200 feet, you'll find it.It's a small clearing in the middle of nowhere, youcan't miss it." Cassie looked between Boyd and Sin seriously."I wouldn't go in there at night, though.It's creepy.""I don't even like going there during the day," Angela said, crossing her arms and pulling them closer to her."I always feel like something's gonna happen."In the Company of ShadowsInterludes"Well, no one's been taken out of the woods yet so you're probably safer there thananywhere," the cashier said offhandedly.He dropped the last candy bar in the bag andrang up the total.Boyd handed the cashier a wad of money without bothering to ask exactly how much.Instead, he was looking at the two girls."There's no one in town who seems strange?"Cassie let out a laugh at that."There's plenty of those folk but no, nothing obvious.Everyone's been interviewed up, down and sideways since the first disappearance,even back in the day when it first started happening, and nothing new comes of it.If it'sa serial killer, it's someone who disappears with the wind and leaves less of a trace.Andeven then, why would he care about this place?"Boyd studied her for a moment and then said, "If there's a belief it's a ghost, there has to be a story that goes along with it.""Oh, there is," Angela agreed.Sin made a face and picked up the bags, not really wanting to hear it.Boyd seemedinterested though, so he refrained from leaving."The story goes, fifty years ago, this girl named Annie wandered into the woods and gotlost.The other kids made fun of her and she lived alone 'cause her dad had died theyear before and she'd been abandoned by her crazy grandma.No one cared about her.She was missing for like ten days before her dog finally tracked her down.They foundher dead, her body all mangled and bloody, but no one ever knew what killed her.She'dbeen killed in the spot people go missing now." Angela's voice was heavy when sherelayed that tidbit."Ever since then, in no real pattern of years we can figure but always on the day of herdeath, someone goes missing.They get tracked to that spot where they vanish like theynever existed.And they're never seen again.""People say her ghost's vengeful 'cause no one in town cared about her," Cassie added ominously, raising her eyebrows."They say only dogs can track the people to that placebut after that, Annie takes them away and that's why the trail goes cold."Boyd watched them with a mildly thoughtful look before he glanced over at Sin.Seeinghis lover holding the bags and apparently ready to leave, Boyd turned back to thelocals."Interesting.I guess we'd better be careful then."In the Company of ShadowsInterludesSin detected the mild way Boyd said that and that he probably wasn't taking this fullyseriously but Cassie and Angela nodded intently."Just don't go anywhere alone andyou should be okay."Boyd nodded and turned, glancing at Sin before he headed toward the door."Have a nice day," the cashier said in the same bored tone.Sin strode outside and over to the back of the truck.He began loading the groceries inand gave Boyd a dull look."Was there a reason for you to extend that pointlessconversation?""To increase your sexual frustration so it's even hotter when we get back to the cabin?"Boyd offered innocently.Sin shook his head, going around the side of the truck.They'd rented it specifically forthe road trip and he'd decided that he was going to be the one driving for a change.Boyd hopped into the passenger seat and waited until they were both inside with thedoors closed before he continued more seriously."Actually, I was just intrigued whenthey first mentioned it.You have to admit, it's strange.Even if there is a serial killer, why terrorize this small town in the middle of nowhere unless it's personal?""Most serial killers are insane and don't have logical reasons behind their behavior," Sin replied as he started up the truck and pulled away from the sidewalk.He guided thevehicle up the hill that led away from Main Street and towards the woods."It's probablya lunatic who is using that spot for the sole purpose of gaining attention and notoriety.""Yeah but no one's even going to know about it here except the locals," Boyd said,leaning his arm against the door as he absently watched the trees swish by."And noone even seems that terrified.Not to mention, even serial killers often have some sort ofvictim pool.This is completely random.""I'd be surprised if the story wasn't widespread in these parts, especially since the child mentioned outside help being brought in.""True," Boyd said with a tilt of his head.Even so, he still seemed thoughtful as he continued to stare out the window.In the Company of ShadowsInterludesThe drive to the cabin was a brief one but beautifully scenic.They went through acovered wooden bridge that sat above a stream with the clearest water that Sin hadever seen.Right before entering the property where the cabins were located, they droveby a field with the mountains looming in the background.It was picturesque and lookeduntouched by anything man-made.The property itself was large and in the midst of the woods although some of the treeshad been cleared away from the site to make space for a recreational center near theoffice, a playground and a pond
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