Chapter 2: The recce

Marjorie and Carol both thought that I was reading something into these disappearances that wasn't there. So at dinner that night I again brought up the subject.

"I think there is a further three sites where the time warp is showing, I've looked at all these times and they coincide with the 92-day cycle."

"Charlie, you are wasting your time, the police have thoroughly investigated all the facts." Marjorie said almost with a laugh.

"Carol will you come with me, I want to go and examine these sites I have sorted out?"

"Sure I haven't much on, let's go on Monday, or will we need more time?"

"Thanks Carol, but I think one day isn't going to be enough, let's see what we turn up."

"Well I can't come with you next week, I have a couple of lectures and Society meetings organised, so I will let you two chase the myth." Marjorie chipped in.

"Let's say no more until I can check it all out, I am certain there is a warp."

"You know me Charlie I am always the sceptic, it's just part of my training," explained Marjorie.

Monday Carol and I drove to the site where the young woman Shanna Batte disappeared. The drive took us just over an hour but that was because most of the roads were secondary with quite a few bad bends and totally unfamiliar to me. To start we pulled into a café for a coffee and while there we got speaking to a local.

"You're not from these parts are you?" he asked

"No, we are interested in the disappearance of the young woman that was in the local newspaper."

"Oh you mean Shanna, she was a lovely girl, it's a real mystery that one. Jamie Gilbert was the one who saw it all, and I know he wouldn't lie about things like that."

"So you believe his story?"

"No story, Shanna isn't the first to vanish in that area, something strange about that place, people have seen leaves falling where there is no trees, but then everyone calls them daft."

"I believe there was a Claire Deeming who went missing there also?"

"Yes that's another funny one too, she won the lottery, well shared the first prize with two others, all the money is still untouched. Claire was not the one for saving money she would have spent it. The only thing wrong with Claire was she went to bed with anyone, but nice to talk to. There was a black fella but that goes back quite a bit.

"Thank you I think I've got a bit more material to help me."

"They have gone, they won't be back, you know." The old man said as he got up and left.

"Well Carol, do you think I am wrong."

"Well it does seem a bit weird, but let's go and look at this place."

From the description given to the newspapers, I could tell exactly where Jamie Gilbert was standing; there was only one spot where he could see right through the bridge tunnel. From here he would have seen her leaving, but he said she didn't and she just vanished. The width was only two rail tracks wide with a sloping embankment either side, maximum 30 feet deep, 9 feet wide and 7 feet high, this was a pedestrian access or a single car. No mention was said about a car, and by the looks of the ground the only vehicles that use this is cycles.

"Carol, I'm going to come here in ten weeks and see if we get the shimmering, I am certain that this is another time hole. Are you going to come with me?"

"Yea, why not, I'm beginning to get interested, let's drive up to the other place."

In forty-five minutes we were in the small town and parked in a parking bay next to the laneway. There wasn't a soul on the high street; it was getting near lunchtime so we decided to have our lunch in the local pub which was only a few yards down the main street.

The locals didn't seem to be a very talkative lot, and after ordering, we were served and were left alone to eat our meal. I glanced up and the licensees name was written above the bar, it was K. C. Palmore. That was the name of the paperboy who went missing.

"Carol, the name of the pub owner is the same as the boy who went missing."

"How do you know?"

"Look above the bar, the licensees name is there."

"Are you going to ask them if it was their son who went missing?"