These Ashes Between Us

Broken Taillights and Ghosts

Tasha paced her colorful living room, oblivious to the bold, vibrant colors around her. She clutched her phone close to her ear. For like the hundredth time, her call went straight to voicemail. Her heart skipped erratically with the stretch of the silence, the relentless tick-tock of the wall clock a constant reminder.

It was past 10 p.m.

“Damn it, Kim. Where are you?” she muttered, her fear mounting, her initial fury metamorphosing into cold dread. She’d lost track of the number of times she’d tried to reach her through calls, sent a reply to that strange email from her, DMed on Messenger, w******p, i********:, every possible line of communication. Nothing but silence.

Goosebumps broke out on her skin.

Kimberly Carter never missed girls’ night. Kim was the glue of their friendship, the reminder, the checklist queen, the one who usually overprepared. And now she's not just incommunicado, she's absent.

At first, Tasha had chalked it up to Kim losing track of time in her beloved bathroom sanctuary. That tub could tempt even a nun, but girls’ night always took precedence. Always. Her mind spun through possible excuses. Could it be car trouble, a dead phone, dozing off in the tub? But beneath all these, fear pulsed steadily, the excuses were lame.

She redialed her line, her copper curls falling loose as she raked her hand through them. Kimberly’s cheerful voicemail grated on her nerves. Another dial. Again, voicemail. Her heart sank, and fear gnawed at her.

Grabbing her purse and keys, Tasha shoved her feet into her crocs, nearly toppling the coffee table in her rush out the door. A storm was brewing, and so the Friday night traffic was even thicker, but she needed to find Kim. Something was wrong, she could feel it in her bones.

Somerset Hills felt too serene for her mood. The perfect lawns, lamp-lit streets, and gated mansions bathed in the reflection of the moonlight were a calm, beautiful sight that conflicted with her emotions. Two intimidating guards she’d always imagined were ex-military let her in at the gate of Kimberly’s apartment building with a face and voice scan.

Inside, the lobby looked like a magazine spread. Chandeliers glittered in golden hues. At the polished oak desk sat a new concierge, who barely glanced up at Tasha's inquiry.

“Ms. Kimberly went out this evening,” he said curtly, before turning back to his phone.

"Alone?" Tasha asked.

At his curt nod, Tasha stormed out without another word, her frustration rising.

By the time she got to the Black Orchid, she was near boiling point. How could Kimberly put her in this tight corner without any explanation? She walked into the pub, careful to avoid the crowd in various stages of intoxication. Their favorite velvet booth by the rear window was empty. Her eyes swept the room as she headed towards the bar.

No sign of Kim.

The bartender, Ivy, shook her head.

“Haven’t seen her tonight," she said, deftly mixing drinks.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course. I’d remember. You two are hard to miss.”

Shoving past a drunk, anger and fear warring under her skin, Tasha returned to the booth and ordered a drink. Fifteen minutes later, with no word from Kim, she made the call she had been avoiding.

…………

Later the next day, police found Kimberly’s car abandoned at a lonely freeway gas station. Her purse and jacket sat undisturbed on the passenger seat, like she’d just stepped out. But the broken taillight, the dented trunk, and the scuff marks on the pavement told a more scary story. She hadn’t left to grab coffee. They’d admitted that to Tasha. She was forcefully taken.

Tasha’s voice lashed like a whip as she spoke into her phone, her neck veins protruding,

“It’s been twenty-four hours, Xavier! T-w-e-n-t-y-f-o-u-r hours!" she screamed into the phone. "Kimberly can’t just vanish without a trace. How can you not find her? Don’t be inept like the damned police, please!”

At the other end, Xavier’s irritation flickered in his piercing dark eyes, but his expression stayed hard. “We will find her, Tasha. My best hands are already on it.”

Deflated, she slumped into the nearest couch, biting her lip, wondering if she should tell him that Kimberly was Rae Brooks. Maybe that's why she was kidnapped? But then, she thought better of it. That's a secret she had no right to divulge, at least not yet. She drew a shaky breath. “Please, Xavier, find Kimberly, no matter what it takes. Find her. This is one of the reasons you have her tracked. Find her!”