The Ring of Fire & Serpents

Chapter Seventeen - The Service Light

LAURA

I speed down the road towards Laurel, heading straight for Charlie’s shop. If I don’t personally go there myself to look around, I will never forgive myself. Heck, I may notice something the police didn’t; after all, I know my daughter best.

The service light on my car has been on for weeks now. I’ve already had it looked at previously by the dealership and have been informed that this is common for a Chevy Malibu, but I need a reason to check out his place without being too obvious of what my true intentions are.

My thoughts are interrupted by the loud vibration as my cell phone rings in the cupholder. I reach down to pick it up without checking the caller ID, “Hello?”

“Oh My God, Laura! Are you okay? I just heard the news on television about Sophia!”

I’m relieved to hear Frank’s voice on the other line. I breathe a sigh of relief, “Hey, Frank. No, I’m not okay, I….” I stop abruptly as the tears begin to well in my eyes.

He clears his throat, “Man… Laura. I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do?” He asks.

“Listen, Frank… I need some time….” I manage to choke out.

“Of course! Take all the time you need! Do not worry about work. I will cover everything here. You just worry about Sophia. I assume they will be sending out search parties to look for her?” He asks curiously.

I wipe the tears streaming down my cheeks, “I assume they are, but I haven’t heard anything yet.”

He exhales, “Please call me when you hear anything. I will help however I can. I will help search for her if you need any extra bodies.”

Sniffling, I reach up to wipe the tear that trickles down the side of my nose, “I will let you know. Thank you for understanding. I will call you the moment I hear something.”

“Please do.” He responds.

As I hang up the phone, I pass the welcome sign on the outskirts of Laurel. Charlie’s shop is very close, so I need to pull myself together to do what I came to do.

As I near his property, my heart begins to race, turning left onto the gravel driveway leading up to his shop next to his two-story ramshackle farmhouse. I park my car, grab my purse before exiting the vehicle and walk straight towards the garage. I’m on a mission. No matter what I have to do, I am determined to find my daughter!

As I enter, the smell of gasoline invades my nostrils. A feeling of nausea creeps up on me, and I begin to feel lightheaded. I quickly place my clammy palm on the car's hood next to me to stabilize myself, “Hello?” I manage to choke out.

A scuffling noise from underneath the car I’m standing next to startles me, and I jump back to find Charlie sprawled out on his back on top of a mechanics chair. A look of shock crosses his face as his eyes meet mine, “Laura? What are you doing here?” He asks.

Okay, here we go. Be cool, Laura, “Charlie, I’m having some car trouble; would you mind taking a look?” I ask, choking back the bile rising in my throat.

He jumps up to a standing position with his eyes glued to mine, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe away the grease that coats his calloused hands, “Yeah, I suppose. Lead me to your car.”

I quickly turn and walk towards my car as he follows behind me. He seems more normal today, more than I’ve ever seen him, in fact. It’s creeping me out because I’ve not seen this side of him. This must be the professional version of Charlie Vance.

I run my fingers along my neck as a chill runs down my spine. I can almost feel his eyes burning through me as I lead him in the direction of my car. I turn around to hand him the keys as we approach, “The service light has been on for a while. I hope it’s nothing serious, but I want to get it checked out.”

He chuckles, “Well, I am not surprised you are experiencing this. This here is a Chevy Malibu, darlin. They are notorious for this. Worst case scenario, you’ll eventually need a new motherboard, and that’s gonna cost ya, I’m afraid.”

I roll my eyes as I have heard all this before. I know he’s referring to the computer control module. I always get the same song and dance with this issue, and it’s infuriating. I cross my arms across my chest and flash him an icy glare, “Listen, Charlie, I was told that you are the most honest mechanic around, so what will it take? I just need that light to go away.”

He reaches up to scratch his chin, “Well, wait a minute! Is it running okay for ya?”

I shrug my shoulders, “Yeah, it seems to be okay for now, but what if it breaks down and I am stranded? I can’t have that happen, not right now.”

He shakes his head and chuckles, “You women and your obsession with lights.”

I throw my hands up exasperatingly, “Well, are you gonna fix it or just laugh at me the whole time?” I ask impatiently.

He backs up and puts his hands up defensively, “No, Laura, you have to go to the Chevy dealership. I personally don’t have the proper tools to fix it. Now, I would not lie to you about this. Please just take my advice; if it drives okay, ignore the light.”

My attention is drawn in the direction of the house as Wyatt walks off the front porch and down the steps towards an older purple vehicle parked in the front. An uneasy feeling sweeps over me, and my gaze narrows in his direction. Charlie seems to notice the focus of my attention, and he clears his throat to pull my attention away, “That’s my boy, Wyatt. Remember, I told ya that he and his sister are pretty close to the same age as…well, your girls.” He chimes in.

I quickly look down as I feel the heat rising in my cheeks, but I quickly attempt to shake it off, “Oh, that’s nice.” I respond as I nervously run my fingers through my hair.

He moves in closer to me, placing the palm of his hand on my car, “I know what you are doing here, Laura. I’m sorry to hear about your daughter, but you won’t find anything here; I can assure you.” He whispers.

Rage consumes me; I begin to grind my teeth and curl my hands into a fist, but I do my best to keep my temper at bay, “Charlie, I did not come here for any other reason but to get my car fixed. You come highly recommended by Frank; I thought you could help me out, that is all.” I reply in a defensive tone.

He throws his hands in the air exasperatedly, “Well, if that’s the case, it seems to me your priorities are a little off. You need to be more worried about your daughter than that damn car. As long as the car is running fine, ignore the light. Put a piece of tape over it and forget it or get a new car, for Pete's sake! These new Malibus are crap! I don’t know why you would even waste time worrying about it now. That’s less time you have to look for your daughter that you spend wasting it here with us!” He blurts out.

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice that Wyatt just jumped into the driver's side of his car. The sound of the ignition radiates through my entire body as he revs his engine. I need to follow Wyatt; maybe he can lead me in the right direction, “Man, Charlie, you sure do have a way with words.” I respond in a condescending tone.

“I’m not going to work on something and waste your money when I cannot fix it. When it breaks down, you will know. Have it towed to the Chevy dealer and trade that piece of garbage in!” He replies with a snarky tone.

Irritated, I throw my head back, “Okay, Charlie. Sorry, I wasted your time.” I put my hand out and motion for him to give my keys back, and he willingly places them in the palm of my hand. I pull the handle on my car door as Wyatt squeals out of the driveway and down the road. Charlie backs away and walks towards his shop, and I quickly hop into the driver seat of my car, start the ignition, and drive off, following the cloud of dust left behind by Wyatt’s car.

The moment I make it down the end of the driveway, Wyatt speeds ahead of me. I do what I can to keep up with him, but my car is no match for his. He slows to look as he approaches a stop sign but doesn’t stop; instead, he drives through it. As I approach the stop sign, I slow to look but speed through it in the same fashion.

Keeping my eye on him, I watch as he zooms through the green light at the main intersection. I place my foot on the gas so I can make the light. It quickly turned yellow as I approached, but I was going too fast to stop, so I pressed the gas a little more and sped right through the red light. As I passed the intersection, I remained focused on Wyatt’s purple bumper even though he was far ahead of me until I heard sirens. I glance back at my review mirror to find flashing lights behind me. Damn it! Now I’m getting pulled over!

I press on the brake and eventually slow down enough to pull over on the side of the road; the police car pulls in behind me. My heart begins racing as I watch in my side mirror as the policeman exits the car and struts towards my drivers’ side door. I nervously grip the steering wheel tightly as he approaches. Once he's at my door, he bends down to my level and smiles warmly at me. I exhale and calmly release my grip on the steering wheel, noticing my knuckles are turning white, “Good morning, ma’am. Would you be so kind as to provide me your license, registration, and proof of insurance?” he asks.

I smile and nod before searching through my glove compartment for my insurance card and registration. Once I find them, I turn them over to him before rummaging through my purse for my license, then I hand it over to him as well, “Here ya go, officer.” I quietly mumble.

He takes the paperwork from my hand and glances back at me, “Did you notice that you ran a red light?” he asks politely.

I hang my head with a guilty conscience, “Yes, sir.” I reply. He shrugs his shoulders and turns to waltz towards his car; I anxiously adjust myself in my seat and throw my head back onto the headrest.

A few moments pass, and he returns to my car, bending down at eye level; he smiles while handing my documents and license back to me, “Ms. Carmichael, I’m Officer Butch Flack. I heard about your daughter and will let you slide on this traffic violation, but please watch what you do. I wouldn’t want to see you get hurt or anyone else. I know your priorities are finding your daughter, and I completely understand, but just be careful, ma’am.” He instructs.

I nod in agreement, “Will do, Officer Flack. Thank you.” I respond.

He tips his hat and struts back to his car. Shewwww! That was a close call!

My relief was short-lived once I realized that I had lost sight of Wyatt. Now, where do I go?