Page 3 of Refuge for Cherilyn

“Yeah? Whatcha got?”

“The car belongs to a CherilynTravis. Lives over on PinehurstDrive in those apartments.” Shaw knew the ones. They were Section 8 government subsidized housing. “Driver’s license says she’s thirty-six years old.”

Travis. Travis. Do I know…“Hey, Aaron, I went to school with a MarlonTravis. Let me see if he knows her by any chance.”

“Oh! Yeah, please do. Let me know.”

“I will. Thanks. I’m looking at trail maps right now. If it doesn’t rain tomorrow, I’ll probably try to go back in there and see what’s going on.”

“Might want to take somebody with you.”

Shaw laughed. “You volunteering?”

He heard Aaron snort. “Maybe.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks again.”

“You’re welcome. Thank you.”

Shaw sat there and thought about it. Did he want to take Aaron in there with him? Or should he ask another conservation officer? If it was one lone woman, he doubted he’d be in any danger. Protocol said he should get someone else to go with him, but his gut told him he’d be fine.

He sure hoped his gut was right. Otherwise, he could be in deep shit.

* * *

The next morning,he went looking for MarlonTravis. But if he and CherilynTravis were related, could it be that she didn’t want to be found?

By the time he found Marlon, he’d devised a plan. Records showed that Marlon worked at a local auto parts store, so he headed that direction. He’d no more than stepped through the door when a man asked, “Can I help you?”

“Maybe. Does MarlonTravis work here?”

“Yes, sir. He does. He’s in the back. Let me get him.” The man disappeared, so Shaw wandered off to look around in the store. They had a lot of auto cleaning supplies, and he saw a wax he thought he might like, so he picked it up and headed back to the register.

He rounded the end of the shelves and looked up when a man said, “You looking for me?”

The guy did look familiar. “I think so. MarlonTravis? Went to school at Whitley County?”

“Yeah? Do I know you?”

“ShawHarrison?”

“Oh, yeah! I remember you. Harry the Bulldozer.” It was a nickname they’d given him because of the way he mowed down opponents on the football field. “That field goal you kicked that sent us to state, that was awesome.”

“Thanks! I didn’t figure anybody remembered that.” It was true. Most everyone else had moved away. There were just a handful of the former students he knew who were still there. “So I need to ask you something. You know a CherilynTravis?”

“Yeah. She’s my ex sister-in-law, and nobody’s seen or heard from her in a while.”

Shaw thought that was odd. “Did anybody file a missing person’s report?”

“Nah. She’s a little odd.”

“So she’s done this before?”

“No, not this. She’s just… odd.”

“Odd how?”

“I dunno. Maybe a little… paranoid? Something like that?”

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