Tuesday (The Days of the Week #2)

Chapter Two

I n the hallway, I leaned against the wall and scanned the worried faces around me. A missing child was serious in any circumstance, but the mention of the Ashcroft Estate held the potential for disaster. As much as I loved the tight-knit community, I knew how superstitious they could be. All it would take was a push to have them storming the gates of the estate.

I sighed. “Has there been any sign of Aiden, at all?”

Mark shook his head, his shoulders sagging. “Nothing. His friends said they were playing hide and seek near the Ashcroft woods. When they couldn’t find Aiden by sunset, they assumed he had headed home.”

“You already searched the woods?” I asked.

Bill and Mark shook their heads in unison.

“It’s private property beyond the fence,” Bill said. “We searched what we could, but someone is going to have to go to the estate.”

The men looked at each other.

“Is Jim going?” I asked.

“If the mayor goes he says he plans to take a police escort,” Mark said.

With how jumpy everyone was about the estate that was a disaster waiting to happen. I rubbed my forehead. Someone unmoved by the rumors should go. Someone who had not spent their whole life surrounded by the mystery of the estate.

“I’ll go.”

All three of them looked at me in surprise.

“Are you sure?” Bill asked at the same time Sarah said, “Really?”

“Yes,” I said firmly. “If Jim takes a police escort, things could escalate.”

“But…” Sarah trailed off, glancing at the others.

“Doc, you can't go alone,” Bill said. “What if something happens to you, too?”

I gave him what I hoped was a patient smile. “We don’t know if the estate has anything to do with Aiden’s disappearance. I am only going to cover all of our bases.”

Bill and Sarah exchanged uneasy glances but finally nodded.

Mark cleared his throat. “Be careful,” he said, still looking a little pale.

“Of course,” I assured him.

I looked over the three of them. “Let Lisa rest a while and then take her home. I will call as soon as I find out anything.”

Sarah met my gaze. “I'll reschedule your appointments, Dr. Blackwood,” she said, worry in her eyes.

I nodded my thanks to Sarah and turned to head back into my office. I grabbed my coat from the hook by the door and shrugged it on, checking the pockets to make sure I had my keys and phone. With one last glance at Lisa's sleeping form on the sofa, I slipped out of the office.

The rain had lessened to a fine mist as I stepped outside, tiny droplets clinging to my hair. I reached my car parked in front of the clinic and slid behind the wheel. The engine sputtered to life and I pulled out onto a deserted Main Street.

The only sound was the steady thump of the windshield wipers and my quiet breathing. On the street, nothing moved. A chill went down my spine and I laughed at myself. The rain was keeping everyone inside. There was nothing ominous about it. Maybe, I was not as unmoved by the rumors as I thought.

I turned left, heading north out of town. The two-lane road was empty, passing through misty fields before the forest closed in on both sides. Just beyond the treeline on the left, I caught a glimpse of a wrought iron fence. The rain began to pick up again, and I turned on the wipers.

After ten minutes, the fence gave way to a high stone wall. A moment later, the wall paused long enough for a two-lane gate with a decorative letter A on each side. I slowed the car, squinting through the rain-streaked windshield. I inched the car forward, craning my neck to look through the gate.

As I pulled up parallel to the entrance, I got a good look. The driveway beyond the gate disappeared into the forest, giving away nothing of the house or grounds beyond. With the thick cloud cover, the forest looked dark and foreboding. I sat there long enough that I glanced in my rearview mirror to make sure no one was behind me.

Why was I hesitating? I did not believe the rumors. There was nothing frightening or otherworldly about the large estate on the edge of town. It was simply a large house owned by a man who wanted his privacy. I flipped on my turn signal and pulled into the driveway, pausing next to a short post holding a callbox.

“No soliciting!” a female voice barked.

I paused with my window only halfway down. “I’m from the village,” I shouted to be heard over the rain. “I’ve come to speak to the owner of the house.”

“Mr. Ashcroft is not taking social calls,” the voice said again.

I sighed and glanced around. A camera perched on the wall beside the gate. It was pointed directly at me. I tried a pleasant smile that was probably more of a grimace, as the rain splashed through my open window.

“This isn't a social call,” I said. “I'm Dr. Christina Blackwood. A child from the village has gone missing, and he was last seen near your property. I'm here to speak with Mr. Ashcroft about it.”

There was a long pause. Finally, the voice crackled through the speaker again. “Wait there.”

The call ended with an abrupt click. I rolled my window up, leaving just an inch to listen for the speaker. I sat back in my seat, tapping my fingers against the steering wheel as I waited. Minutes ticked by with no further response from the callbox. Just as I was considering pushing the call button, the gates shuddered and began to slowly swing inward.

I eased my foot off the brake and guided the car through the opening gates, following the winding driveway deeper into the estate grounds. The dense forest pressed in on both sides, the branches hanging over the road and nearly blocking out the sky.

After several minutes, the trees abruptly ended and the driveway curved to reveal manicured lawns dotted with flower beds and decorative shrubbery. Perched on a hill at the center of it all loomed Ashcroft Manor. Four stories of pale gray stone, the gothic architecture looked more suited to a French countryside than New England.

The house was austere and forbidding, every angle ornate and razor-sharp, but beautiful in its coldness. As I followed the driveway closer to the front of the house, the weak daylight glinted off two massive stained-glass windows on either side of the tall double doors. On the left, a sea of green, brown, and red glass created the image of a bleeding tree. On the right, a wolf-like creature howled at a sky full of stars. I parked at the base of the front stairs and stepped out to look up at the house.

Stone steps lead up to the imposing front doors. A gust of wind whipped through my short hair, sending a chill down my spine. The rain had turned into a steady mist, the droplets cool against my pale skin. I slipped my phone out of my pocket to check the time and noticed I had zero bars. No internet signal either.

I pulled my coat tighter around me and took a deep breath. I climbed the stairs and reached for the large iron knocker in the shape of a snarling wolf's head. Before my hand could make contact, the door swung inward with a groan. A tall, gaunt man in a black suit stood in the doorway, his expression unreadable. He wore his gray hair slicked back from his forehead making his hollow cheeks and wane complexion look even more severe.

“Dr. Blackwood, I presume?”