Acts of Violet(84)

Restless, I go downstairs in search of a momentary diversion. I circle the living room, unable to get Antoinette’s instructions out of my mind. Follow the twos. What the hell does that even mean? How are you supposed to follow a number? Is it as simple as—

I snatch up the remote and turn on the TV. You want me to follow the twos, Antoinette? I’ll show you how pointless it is.

I punch in three twos, not knowing what channel will come up, vowing not to make any tenuous connections between my sister and whatever appears onscreen.

A sepia-toned image of an ivy-covered brick building fills the TV as a male British narrator intones, “It wasn’t until eleven days after her disappearance that Agatha Christie turned up as a guest at the Swan Hydropathic Hotel, known these days as the Old Swan…”

My arms break out in goose bumps. Mesmerized, I sit and watch the rest of the show.




THE FINCHLEY FREE PRESS

Missing Girl Recovered After Tunnel Collapse

By Sam Raible

JULY 18, 1987

Many happy tears were shed when a twelve-year-old girl was discovered safe and sound in a collapsed section of the Finchley Mining System. Sasha Volkov went missing two days ago during an impromptu exploration of the tunnels with her older sister. The Finchley Mines have been closed to the public for years, due to unstable infrastructure, which led to frequent tunnel collapses. Unfortunately, this has not prevented exploration of the dangerous tunnels, which have led to accidents and deaths in recent years.

Howard Martindale, the head of the Willow Glen Fire Department, spearheaded search efforts for Sasha. “I don’t know what the girls were thinking going down there,” he said. “It’s a miracle we found Sasha in one piece after two days.”

It’s also curious that the Volkov girl was discovered in a section of the tunnels that had been searched multiple times. Rescuers found her dehydrated, covered in scrapes and bruises, and unable to recall anything from the previous forty-eight hours.

“It’s a head-scratcher, for sure,” commented Chief Martindale. “We had three different groups go over every inch of that tunnel. There was no sign of the Volkov girl until this morning. It’s like she magically reappeared. When we asked her if she’d been wandering around, she said she couldn’t remember.”

After being retrieved from the tunnel, Sasha was brought to the hospital, where she was treated for minor injuries and kept overnight for observation. While a subsequent medical examination found no head injuries, it is not unheard of for traumatic experiences to trigger a temporary episode of memory loss, also known as transient global amnesia.

“She may regain her memory at a later date, though there are no guarantees,” said Dr. Raymond Patel, a neurologist at Finchley General Hospital. “What’s more important is that her other memories are intact, and no other neurological abnormalities are present. At this point, the priority should be for Ms. Volkov to recuperate comfortably at home.”

Which is exactly what Sasha is presently doing. Her parents, Anatoly and Regina Volkov, were thrilled to be reunited with their missing daughter, though they did not wish to speak on the record.





* * *



Date: March 12, 2018, at 9:04 AM

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Subject: I guess let’s do this



* * *



Hey,

No, I haven’t changed my mind. Was just looking for a way to tell Mom without stirring up drama. Then I remembered that I’m a grown-ass woman and what I do is my business. Long story short: I’ll be on that flight on Friday. But I did tell a friend I’m going to see you, in case you try to pull anything sketchy.

I hope you’re not full of shit …

Quinn



* * *



Date: March 12, 2018, at 11:01 AM

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Subject: Re: I guess let’s do this



* * *



Quinn,

I’m full of shit about a lot of things, but this isn’t one of them. I promise the trip will be worth your while.

Safe travels,

Ace





Strange Exits


Episode 9: “Checkmate”

CAMERON FRANK: This episode is going to be a little different.

As a podcaster, I have a certain code I try to adhere to. Coming from a journalistic background, I am diligent about fact-checking and verifying sources, but I also like to explore a story from every possible angle. That means having an open mind to theories that are not so easy to quantify.

When you cover a spectrum of topics that veer into high strangeness, it’s bound to attract a … colorful array of individuals and claims. And when I can’t verify the authenticity of such claims, the best I can do is trust my gut. There are a lot of hoaxers out there, and I believe my gut has steered me away from a fair number of them.

Then there’s Checkmate.

My gut doesn’t know what to make of Checkmate. I don’t even know whether this individual is male or female, or even a single person—perhaps it’s a collective of tricksters looking for a little airtime, masquerading as a singular shadowy figure. In any case, I’ll refer to Checkmate as they/them.

A few months ago, I began an unusual correspondence with an enigmatic figure who purportedly had mind-blowing intel on Violet Volk. Maybe I should have known better than to play along, but there was something about Checkmate’s utter indifference to me that caught me off guard. If anything, it seemed like Checkmate was trying to dissuade me more than persuade me.