Darkness in Appalachia

By Cassie Harding

Robyn Elmore has a secret. One that her family has kept for generations and that has taken the life of every member of her family. She is determined to make sure that it doesn't take anyone else.
David Michel is a new officer of a small town police station. He is assigned to investigate the body of a child found on the property of a local hermit and he won't stop until he finds out what happened to her.
They meet over the body of a child and begin a journey that threatens to expose her families deepest secrets and change his views of the world and the creatures that live in it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cassie Harding
• Release date: Jun 22, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463846339

Book preview

Darkness

In

Appalachia

Cassie Harding

Copyright 2020 Cassie Harding

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Chapter 1

Vultures are a common sight in rural Tennessee. These birds told of the natural and not so natural deaths that occurred all over the mountains and the small towns littered throughout. Normally, you could expect to find some animal that they were picking over that had succumbed to old age or to a larger animal. That wasn't the case this time, at least not according to Walker.

Robyn rushed through the woods, carrying her shotgun and dodging branches and brush as she followed several dogs and a hog to where Walker waited for her. She slowed down when the dogs did and moved carefully through the last several feet to the clearing where they were supposed to meet.

In the clearing, several police officers were standing around and kneeling next to a small body on the ground. She stepped into the area, her eyes immediately drawn to the corpse. It was small, too small to be way out here alone and Robyn could still see remnants of the clothes that they had worn, enough to guess that it was probably a girl judging by the abundance of pink. She stepped towards it, horrified and and drew the attention of one of the officers.

He stood towards the edge of the clearing and was observing everything, sharp blue eyes scanning for anything that might give a clue as to what had happened here, nostrils flaring as if he could detect the spoor of others like a hound and follow it back to the criminals. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw Robyn but only for a moment, then narrowed in suspicion as he drew his gun. Police. Drop your weapon and put your hands on your head.

The other police were a few seconds slower, taking a minute to look around and spot Robyn before pulling their guns and training them on her. She slowly raised her hands, waving her dogs back when they began to growl, and put the shotgun on the ground. One of the cops came towards her, making sure to stay out of the line of the others guns and pulled her hands behind her back, quickly and roughly cuffing her and patting her down before leading her to the first cop. Another cop secured her weapon and brought it over.

She's not carrying anything on her person. No ID or other weapons.

He took the shotgun and cracked it open, unloading it and putting the rounds inside a plastic bag. Thanks. I will take her from here. You can go back to checking the scene. His voice was deep and sounded like gravel grinding together and his eyes regarded Robyn with a deep suspicion.

Robyn stood waiting, using the time to examine the scene she had walked into and the officer that stood in front of her. They were standing in a small clearing, probably two miles from the main road and surrounded by dense forest. The body lay off to one side and looked like someone or something had made an effort to push it into the underbrush. Two officers were with it and another two were working there way around the clearing looking for anything that might make the situation clearer. The officer in front of her stood at the far end of the clearing from the body and, while he didn't appear to be physically examining anything, you got the feeling that he saw everything. He was an imposing figure and seemed to fit naturally into the landscape. Tall and lean, he stood as immovable as a tree and his face seemed to be carved out of the rocks that littered the forest and mountain area. Robyn couldn't find even a glimpse of softness when he turned towards her and felt her stomach tighten in anxiety.

So, you want to tell me who you are and what you are doing here? Even his voice was hard.

Robyn breathed deeply, steeling herself for his disbelief, and read the name tag attached to his uniform. Well, Officer... D. Michel, my name is Robyn Elmore and I own this property. I was out for a walk with my dogs and followed them here.

His suspicion deepened as he looked her over, taking in the tie dyed shirt, worn jeans, dirty boots and unkempt black hair. Robyn raised an eyebrow as he met her green eyes, certain that she knew what was coming next.

Robyn Elmore is a major landowner and, if you believe the rumors, is supposed to be richer than God. It might be easy to claim to be her since she's also rarely seen and is considered to be a bit of a recluse but I can't believe that someone like that would be out here in the middle of nowhere looking like that without ID.

If you've heard of me then you know that I have a house in this area and that this is my property. I didn't see a reason to bring ID from the house to go for a walk,I left my diamonds and gowns at home so they wouldn't get lost in the woods and it's my hairdresser's day off. Sarcasm dripped from every word she spoke

His eyes narrowed. And the gun?

Robyn rolled her shoulders, trying to relieve the tension from having her hands behind her back, There are a lot of animals out here, some of which can be dangerous so I carry a gun loaded with rock salt. It also comes in handy for trespassers and hunters who don't want to leave when they are asked to do so politely.

He motioned towards the body. Is that what she was? A trespasser or hunter?

Robyn's voice softened as she looked over her shoulder at the small body. I don't know who or what she was. I don't believe I've ever found a child out here unless they were with their parents camping. And it has been a while since that happened.

When was the last time that happened and what did you do when you found them on your property?

Robyn shrugged. I would have to check the records back at the house. I keep detailed records and pictures of anyone that I catch in case I decide to press charges. Most of the time, I point out the no trespassing signs and escort them back to the road, making sure that they know if I catch them again I will press charges.

Officer Michel hesitated, wanting to believe that there might be a record of the child but not willing yet to believe that she was who she claimed to be. I would like to see those records, if they actually exist.

OK, let me run to the house and I will hand them over. They're loaded on the computer so I can get you a hard copy or put them on a flash drive for you.

His face hardened again, I will consider that after we find out who you are. We can take you down to the station and get fingerprints. If you are who you say you are, I can bring you back and you can get me that information

He reached for her arm, planning on leading her back to the road and taking her to town but she pulled away. It's at least a two mile walk back to any road where you could have parked your cruisers. My house is only 15 minutes away and I have a 4-wheeler parked on a trail just a couple of minutes from here to make the trip easier. It would make more sense to go to my house so that I can show you my driver's license and get you the pictures than to drag me to town and waste both of our time with fingerprints.

He grabbed her more firmly. Waste of time or not it's what I am going to do. There's no way that I am following you to someplace in these woods without knowing who you are and verifying that you have a reason to be here.

Robyn was about to argue some more when one of the other officers called out to Officer Michel.Michel, could I speak to you for a minute? He stood just a few feet away and had clearly overheard at least part of the conversation.

Robyn turned towards blondie as Michel walked over. He looked vaguely familiar but, then again, there were a lot of stocky, blond haired blue eyed people around.

They began talking in low voices but not low enough that she couldn't hear.

Did she say that she was Robyn Elmore?

Michel looked at her and spoke, Yeah, but she's not carrying any identification so I can't verify it. I'm going to take her in and check her out at the station.

That would be a bad idea. She looks a lot like the Robyn Elmore that I went to school with and, if she is, it could cause us a lot of problems if you take her in.

I've heard that Robyn Elmore and her family own most of the land in the area and a lot more all over the country. They have their fingers in all kinds of pies, including political. He pointed at Robyn. Does that look like a wealthy mover and shaker to you?

Blondie shrugged, It's true that the Elmore's are well known in the area for those reasons but also because they tend to be reclusive. Especially Robyn after her family died. I haven't seen her for years myself but I remember her from high school and I know that she has a house in this area. We are a small force, we can't afford to piss off someone like that.

So what are you telling me to do? Let her go. What if it's not Robyn Elmore and she knows something about this?

No, what I am saying is to go along with her. Michel started to protest but Blondie put a hand up to stop him. Keep her in the cuffs and let her take you to her home. If she is who she says she is, then I'm sure that she would understand the precautions. And if she isn't, you should be able to handle a small woman in handcuffs.

Michel's voice was nearly a growl, That is not the way that things are supposed to be done. Suspicious people should be taken into the station if they can't verify their identities at a crime scene. Especially, something like a child murder. He angrily gestured to the body on the ground.

Blondie kept calm, And that makes a lot of sense if we knew for sure that this was a murder and if we weren't in the middle of the backwoods 30 minutes from the nearest town. You aren't from around here so you don't know that sometimes we have to do things a little differently. She could shut down the entire department with just one phone call or get all of us reprimanded. He put his hand on Michel's shoulder in a calming gesture that seemed to do little good. Just trust me on this. When he looked like he was going to argue further he spoke again, his voice suddenly hard. Don't make me make this an order.

Michel stiffened up and looked at Blondie's face, searching for some sign that he could talk reason into him. Blondie met his eyes and the stubbornness there convinced him that he should just give up. He turned back towards Robyn, who was pretending that she didn't just hear every word that was spoken, and stalked towards her. He grabbed her arm, rougher than necessary and jerked her into movement towards the path she had come in on.

OK Take me to your house. But if you can't show me proof when we get there, you will be going down to the station and will answer some questions there.

They were almost to the tree line when the dogs stood and began to growl, seeming ready to attack at a moments notice. Michel noticed and released Robyn, his hand going to the butt of his gun as he stared them down.

Call off your damn dogs or do I need to shoot them to get through.

Robyn glared at him, almost daring him to try. She was getting a little tired of his attitude and, just for a second, considered letting him take his chances with the dogs. The thought that he might actually shoot one of them stopped her though.

She whistled to get their attention and gave them the command Home. They were well trained so they turned and left despite continuing to growl. Robyn watched to make sure that they had all slunk back into the woods, catching a small glimpse of the hog as it followed just a little slower than the others.

Michel seemed to have noticed it too, Was that a pig with those dogs? His look of confusion was enough to make Robyn giggle if the situation had been a little different. Instead, she just looked at him blankly and began walking. He caught up to her quickly and reached for her arm again, intending to make sure that she couldn't get away from him in the woods by keeping hold of her.

She jerked away from him It would be easier to walk in the woods with one of us in front of the other. The trail isn't wide enough until further on for us to walk side by side. She smirked at his look of distrust. Don't worry I will walk in front of you. If it looks like I am going to get away from you, you can just shoot me. Sarcasm dripped from her voice and her eyes shot sparks at him.

He released her, realizing that she was speaking the truth and that, if the situation was different, he would find her very attractive. He bit back a smile as she turned her back to him and began picking her way through the woods and had to hold himself back from grabbing her again, just to piss her off. Instead, he followed close behind her, watching closely and not just to make sure that she wasn't going to run.

The walk didn't take long but it was a little difficult for Robyn with her hands behind her back. She didn't realize how much she used her hands for balance on the uneven ground until she couldn't use them anymore. She could feel Michel's eyes boring into her back and was determined not to let him see her stumble. Instead, she took a great deal of pleasure listening to him grunt as he got smacked with tree limbs and tripped over roots and branches.

Just over five minutes later, they arrived at the path with the 4x4. Robyn stood beside it nearly tapping her foot as he looked it over.

Have you ever driven one of these before? If not, maybe you should uncuff me and I will take you to the house.

He didn't even look her way, I haven't driven one before but it doesn't look too difficult. How far is it to your house from here?

She looked up the trail On the 4x4, about ten minutes straight up the mountain. If we walk, it will take a lot longer. The path is rough and steep. And cutting through the woods would take even longer because the underbrush.

No choice then. Michel climbed into the driver's seat of the 4x4, trying to hide his eagerness and waited for her to get on.

Robyn stood on the passenger side There's no way that I am riding on this thing with you unless I can hold on.

So hold on on then. He was impatient and it showed in his voice.

She shrugged her shoulders How am I supposed to hold on with my hands behind my back. I can't even sit comfortably in the seat like that. I need to be able to hold onto the bar in front. Otherwise, there's a chance that I will get thrown off when you get to the rougher portions of the path.

Michel studied her and the 4x4, trying to find something that would dispute what she said but unable to do so. He dismounted and came around to the passenger side, stopping just out of reach.

Let's make one thing clear. I will take the cuffs off but just for a second. I will then cuff you in the front so that you can hold onto the bar. Give me any trouble and I will keep them behind your back and you can just take the risk of falling. He was still angry with having to go along with her and didn't want to give even an inch further than he had to.

Fine. Just get it done so that we can get on our way. The faster you get this done, the quicker we get to my house and the faster I can get rid of you.

He grunted and came towards her, making quick work of the cuffs and helping her to get into the passenger seat before stalking back around to the driver's side. Climbing back in, he started the machine and looked in her direction to make sure that she was stable before jerkily starting off.

He got the hang of the 4x4 within a minute or two and was soon enjoying the ride despite the rough terrain and was able to forget his frustration for the quick trip to her house. He pulled up in front, studying it carefully for any signs of life. It was a two story log cabin that looked like it had been renovated several times over the years. You could see clearly that it had started out small and it had grown over the years to its current state by the different types of construction. It still managed to look like it belonged here, despite the more modern updates. It was positioned in a clearing close to a cliff and large windows offered views of the valley below on the front of the house. He couldn't see anything moving in or around the home which made him more suspicious than ever about the person riding with him.

Robyn climbed off the 4x4 as soon as it came to a complete stop and began walking to the front door. Michel moved slower, watching for anyone that might be around and the dogs that she had previously told to go home. He felt that there should be workers around caring for the house and grounds and it bothered him to find no one around. He followed Robyn around to a back door and through it, looking around carefully before stepping through the doorway.

Robyn walked into the mudroom of her house, not bothering to check if Michel was still behind here. Instead, she looked around for Puk, hoping that she would read the situation and not be seen. Behind her, Michel cursed under his breath as the door shut behind him, making him jump and look around for whoever else was there.

Leave him alone, Puk. It's OK. Robyn whispered, hoping that Puk was close enough to hear her and that Michel wasn't.

She hurried into the kitchen and pulled her wallet out of a drawer close to the door. Tossing it to him as he came through, still looking around like