CURSED FROM THE CRADLE
ELLIOT LAKE MYSTERIES 1
CHAPTER ONE
ELLIOT LAKE MYSTERIES 1
CHAPTER ONE
“Gladys, if you don’t get a move on, we’ll be late.”
“Matthew, keep your shirt on, I’ve got everything packed. Where’re the kids?”
“In the driveway. Looks like Junie’s strapping Luke in and Mark is putting their bags in the back of the Suburban.”
“Well, then we better get out there.”
Gladys Hansen checked the contents of the cooler one more time before joining her family in the driveway. The instant little Luke saw his Grandma Glad, he squealed with all his might.
Up from the Bay Area and visiting Alder Bay for a long weekend, the younger Hansens were scouting out rentals in case Mark was offered that new position with Nike over in Beaverton. Gladys couldn’t imagine having them only an hour away. That sure beat the five hundred miles that separated them now. But their house-hunting could wait, because today, Friday, was a family day. Worrying about the future could wait until tomorrow.
“You guys ready?” Mark slammed the rear door of the stuffed Suburban. “I can’t believe how much crap we need for just a few days. It’s insane.”
“It was your brilliant idea to camp on the way up the coast, honey.” Junie laughed as she pulled a juice box and small bag of Cheerios out of her bag for Luke. He squealed again. His big blue eyes peeked at them from over the top of his juice box.
The Hansens headed for Harmony, a spot an hour down the coast of Oregon famous for its hiking trails that run along the bluffs. The overlooks had spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean, with plenty of puffin, bald eagle, and whale sightings to go around. Mark drove the Suburban into the parking lot at the trailhead to Eagle Beach just before eight in the morning. There were already a few visitors milling around, snapping pictures, getting a jump on the day.
“This is so beautiful.” Junie was from Ohio and each time she saw the Pacific, it was like the first time.
“You know you have the same ocean off the coast of California, don’t you, Junie?” Gladys laughed.
“Oh, I know, but with Mark’s crazy hours, we never seem to make it to anywhere fun. And Oakland’s not exactly Disneyland, if you know what I mean. It just feels so good to be out of that apartment, Glad, I can’t even tell you.” Junie pulled Luke out of the SUV, but he only had eyes for his Grandpa Matthew. Hand in hand, grandpa and grandson walked to the edge of the bluff to check out the view. Junie and Gladys immediately jumped into discussing their favorite thing in the world, babies.
“I just don’t know, Glad. I know I want at least one more, but what if it’s a boy? I want a little girl, too.”
“Can’t choose these things, Junie, you know that. What does Mark here think?” She turned to look at her only child. “Ready to populate the world, son?”
Mark laughed and hugged his wife. “Not by a long shot, Mom. Let’s take it one baby at a time, okay, Junie? Luke is still so young. We’ve got time. Lots of time. Let’s get the job thing figured out and go from there.”
Junie smiled and looked at Luke and Matthew. Luke was so animated, pointing at the sky and below to the ocean, hopping from one foot to the other, incapable of keeping still, and talking nonstop as the two scanned the coast. “Just look at them. It will be so nice when we live closer.” A bald eagle chose that moment to fly overhead. “Did you see that? That was amazing. I hope it comes back.”
“I’m sure we’ll see plenty of bald eagles once we move here, honey. They even have them in Portland.” Mark smiled at his wife. “And I don’t mean the ones at the zoo.”
Mark, Junie, and Gladys walked over to join Luke and Matthew. The Pacific was amazingly blue that morning. The waves, full of the scents and secrets of Asia, wrestled over each other and told the tales of far-off lands and the people who lived in them. The trail broke off to the left and after a few sharp turns stopped about halfway down the bluff at a final lookout deck. The Hansens always started with that trail, before continuing through the park and ending their walk with the blow holes. Luke especially loved the waves ka-POOSHING their way up through the small holes in the rocks.
Luke jumped into his grandma’s open arms. “I love you, Grandma Glad.”
“I love you too, bug,” Gladys said, before settling him on her hip.
“We’re heading down,” Mark said as he took his wife’s hand in his. Matthew ruffled Luke’s hair before following his son down the trail.
“Grandma, where are the whales? We saw whales last time.”
“Yes, let’s find those sneaky whales. We have plenty of time.”
Grandma Glad and Luke made a game out of looking for the whales, when Gladys realized she’d forgotten her camera in the car. “Luke, baby, sit here on this bench for two seconds while I run back to the car. Grandma forgot her camera.”
“You need your camera to take pictures of the whales, Grandma.”
“I know, pumpkin. I’ll be right back. The car is right there.” She pointed behind them at the parking lot.
“Okay. I’ll stay here and look for whales.”
Gladys ran to the Suburban. She looked in the front seat, but no camera. Of course Matthew moved my bag. She clucked her tongue and kept looking. After digging through the back seat, then glancing at the stuffed rear compartment of the truck, she found her camera case sandwiched between the cooler and a Spider-Man sleeping bag. She came around the Suburban, waited for a van to pass, and ran back to the bench where she’d left Luke watching for whales.
Except he wasn’t on the bench.
“That little stinker. Can’t wait for Grandma for five minutes? Just like the rest of the men in this family.” Gladys sighed and looked around the immediate area for Luke. She crossed the small drive and walked into the patch of grass across from the lookout, but no Luke. She called his name, peered into the wooded area, but no Luke.
But then she saw something she recognized on the trail leading through the ferns, perhaps ten feet into the shade of the forest. Gladys ran into the woods but was stopped before she reached the small red shoe lying on its side in the path. Luke’s shoe. Her heart ripped in fear for her grandson, and then for herself as her head split open from the force of a bat from behind. Grandma Glad’s last thought as her body collapsed to the ground was how on earth did her grandson’s shoe get into the woods?
“Matthew, keep your shirt on, I’ve got everything packed. Where’re the kids?”
“In the driveway. Looks like Junie’s strapping Luke in and Mark is putting their bags in the back of the Suburban.”
“Well, then we better get out there.”
Gladys Hansen checked the contents of the cooler one more time before joining her family in the driveway. The instant little Luke saw his Grandma Glad, he squealed with all his might.
Up from the Bay Area and visiting Alder Bay for a long weekend, the younger Hansens were scouting out rentals in case Mark was offered that new position with Nike over in Beaverton. Gladys couldn’t imagine having them only an hour away. That sure beat the five hundred miles that separated them now. But their house-hunting could wait, because today, Friday, was a family day. Worrying about the future could wait until tomorrow.
“You guys ready?” Mark slammed the rear door of the stuffed Suburban. “I can’t believe how much crap we need for just a few days. It’s insane.”
“It was your brilliant idea to camp on the way up the coast, honey.” Junie laughed as she pulled a juice box and small bag of Cheerios out of her bag for Luke. He squealed again. His big blue eyes peeked at them from over the top of his juice box.
The Hansens headed for Harmony, a spot an hour down the coast of Oregon famous for its hiking trails that run along the bluffs. The overlooks had spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean, with plenty of puffin, bald eagle, and whale sightings to go around. Mark drove the Suburban into the parking lot at the trailhead to Eagle Beach just before eight in the morning. There were already a few visitors milling around, snapping pictures, getting a jump on the day.
“This is so beautiful.” Junie was from Ohio and each time she saw the Pacific, it was like the first time.
“You know you have the same ocean off the coast of California, don’t you, Junie?” Gladys laughed.
“Oh, I know, but with Mark’s crazy hours, we never seem to make it to anywhere fun. And Oakland’s not exactly Disneyland, if you know what I mean. It just feels so good to be out of that apartment, Glad, I can’t even tell you.” Junie pulled Luke out of the SUV, but he only had eyes for his Grandpa Matthew. Hand in hand, grandpa and grandson walked to the edge of the bluff to check out the view. Junie and Gladys immediately jumped into discussing their favorite thing in the world, babies.
“I just don’t know, Glad. I know I want at least one more, but what if it’s a boy? I want a little girl, too.”
“Can’t choose these things, Junie, you know that. What does Mark here think?” She turned to look at her only child. “Ready to populate the world, son?”
Mark laughed and hugged his wife. “Not by a long shot, Mom. Let’s take it one baby at a time, okay, Junie? Luke is still so young. We’ve got time. Lots of time. Let’s get the job thing figured out and go from there.”
Junie smiled and looked at Luke and Matthew. Luke was so animated, pointing at the sky and below to the ocean, hopping from one foot to the other, incapable of keeping still, and talking nonstop as the two scanned the coast. “Just look at them. It will be so nice when we live closer.” A bald eagle chose that moment to fly overhead. “Did you see that? That was amazing. I hope it comes back.”
“I’m sure we’ll see plenty of bald eagles once we move here, honey. They even have them in Portland.” Mark smiled at his wife. “And I don’t mean the ones at the zoo.”
Mark, Junie, and Gladys walked over to join Luke and Matthew. The Pacific was amazingly blue that morning. The waves, full of the scents and secrets of Asia, wrestled over each other and told the tales of far-off lands and the people who lived in them. The trail broke off to the left and after a few sharp turns stopped about halfway down the bluff at a final lookout deck. The Hansens always started with that trail, before continuing through the park and ending their walk with the blow holes. Luke especially loved the waves ka-POOSHING their way up through the small holes in the rocks.
Luke jumped into his grandma’s open arms. “I love you, Grandma Glad.”
“I love you too, bug,” Gladys said, before settling him on her hip.
“We’re heading down,” Mark said as he took his wife’s hand in his. Matthew ruffled Luke’s hair before following his son down the trail.
“Grandma, where are the whales? We saw whales last time.”
“Yes, let’s find those sneaky whales. We have plenty of time.”
Grandma Glad and Luke made a game out of looking for the whales, when Gladys realized she’d forgotten her camera in the car. “Luke, baby, sit here on this bench for two seconds while I run back to the car. Grandma forgot her camera.”
“You need your camera to take pictures of the whales, Grandma.”
“I know, pumpkin. I’ll be right back. The car is right there.” She pointed behind them at the parking lot.
“Okay. I’ll stay here and look for whales.”
Gladys ran to the Suburban. She looked in the front seat, but no camera. Of course Matthew moved my bag. She clucked her tongue and kept looking. After digging through the back seat, then glancing at the stuffed rear compartment of the truck, she found her camera case sandwiched between the cooler and a Spider-Man sleeping bag. She came around the Suburban, waited for a van to pass, and ran back to the bench where she’d left Luke watching for whales.
Except he wasn’t on the bench.
“That little stinker. Can’t wait for Grandma for five minutes? Just like the rest of the men in this family.” Gladys sighed and looked around the immediate area for Luke. She crossed the small drive and walked into the patch of grass across from the lookout, but no Luke. She called his name, peered into the wooded area, but no Luke.
But then she saw something she recognized on the trail leading through the ferns, perhaps ten feet into the shade of the forest. Gladys ran into the woods but was stopped before she reached the small red shoe lying on its side in the path. Luke’s shoe. Her heart ripped in fear for her grandson, and then for herself as her head split open from the force of a bat from behind. Grandma Glad’s last thought as her body collapsed to the ground was how on earth did her grandson’s shoe get into the woods?