This is a beautiful start! It grabs you immediately, and the graphic detail of every movement, Ellas surroundings and background are fascinating! Good work, Beth!

Ella sped off ignoring the man in the car that had pulled beside her, taking the gravel road faster than ususal. She had not recognized him and felt no qualm in being rude. Times had changed in her small town. Homemade crystal meth labs dotted the woods and she was not sure there were not some near the lake. You read almost every day in the paper about a missing woman. She gave a little shudder as she turned toward home on the main state road. Suddently her husband was more appealing. Tney may have been at cross swords all weekend, but the prospect of going home to him after her scare brightened her mood a bit. She would stop at the grocers on the way and pick ups some chicken to grill and a fresh veggie.

Ella did not have a chance to tell Qwill about her scare at the lake near Mooseville until after they had eaten. Qwill poured her a cup of her specially brewed decaf coffee and poured himself some of his brew. As they drank and finished the last bites of pie, she told him of her encounter. You did the right thing, getting to the car and leaving immediatley Ella. It is a sad day when you cannot go up to the cabin at the lake without being afraid. But as he said this his mind went to the past ten years and all the missing and murdered people who had met their end in and around that lake. He would not tell her theese stories, they would frighten her more. Ella was not from Moose County and did not know of his envolvement in murder investigations for years in the area.

When the lights went out at the luncheonette, Qwill began to get worried. The building had no fireplce or supplemental heat that he knew of and there he was stranded with the television crew from down below. Qwill was daydreaming about the time he met Ella. Stranded in a white out in Lois' Luncheonette with a few local folks and strangers who had come to Moose County to film a show for the Food Network called Diners, Drive Ins and Dives. It was during this time he had first seen Ella. At first she had not made much of an impression. He chuckled to himself, he did not immediately recognize the person who would forever change his life, and he prided himself on sizing people up quickly. He thought back to the weeks leading up to Ella coming to Pickax.......

Something about this woman just fit. She was a good fit to his personality. She knew when to ignore him, she knew when to talk, she knew when to give him time and space and she knew when he needed her around. She was independent, had her own interests and did not need entertaining. She was serene yet could be exciting.He loved to see her face come alive when he introduced her to something new in Moose county she had not yet seen or experienced. She liked to sit and read for do crafts in the evening, quietly at peace with herself. If he engaged her in conversation she could hold her own, possessing a quick intelligent mind. While in the first few weeks they dated, he had her to himself, when she came back after retirement, and decided to spend the remainder of the winter and early spring in Moose county, he felt he should introduce her to friends.

The first people he exposed her to were of course, Mildred and Arch. She had much in common with Mildred, sewing, quilting, cooking and they got along famously. She ignored She talked to Arch intelligently about the Chicago Cubs, one of his favorite teams. The night was a success. Ella told them, it was hard to entertain in her small apartment, but the next time they ate together if Qwill would give her use of his kitchen, she would cook for them. Qwill readily agreed. They no sooner had begun keeping time on a regular basis, than Ella had made him: macaroni and cheese, brownies, italian cream cake, roast beef with little round potatoes and gravy, grilled stuffed pork chops and a casserole with hash brown potatoes he had never had before. Once she had made him breakfast cinnamon rolls from scratch.

She loved to bike and soon purchased one to keep in Pickax. He had biked alone for so long he was afraid to invite her to go with him for fear she would bother his serenity, but he broke down and offered her to ride one Sunday afternoon. She accepted and proceeded to steer her bike ahead of him, bike on and never looked back at him. When they got where they were going she had packed a snack and they sat in the sun and ate and talked. He had kissed her for the first time on the day, sitting there in the sun and he melted. Yes something about this woman just fit.

Qwill was quite surprised when he introduced her to Amanda Goodwinter at a local charity event. She gave it back to Amanda as fast as Amanda could quip and make sarcastic statements. Amanda laughed, and that was rare. She and Amanda became fast friends, sometimes meeting for lunch. He had never known Amanda to have a girlfriend.
He was not as quick to introduce her to Dwight. Dwight was still a single man who took a second look at any single lady who came to town. But when the two met, at the Old Grist Mill one night, by chance, he was happy to find out Ella had taken a disliking to Dwight. He was the only person she did not like in all of the people she had met in Moose county. He did not understand it, but it was okay with him. He thought about all the times Polly's jealousy had frustrated him and realized, he had never been jealous of Polly. But Ella, he was jealous. This came as a shock to him. He was not the jealous type at all.

Qwill woke up and rolled over on Monday morning to find his bed empty. He found his robe and slippers, brushed his teeth and padded down the condo stairs. There was his little petite wife, in her robe, on top of the step stool, pulling the waffle iron out of a top storage cabinet. She had already fed the cats and they were eating. Oh Qwill did I wake you. I thought I would make you some blueberry waffles with the blueberries Mildred sent over. She had to many in her freezer and wanted to share with me. Qwill said, oh you did not wake me, go right ahead, I will start both our coffee pots. They bustled around the kitchen together and he said, Ella what do you have planned for today? Well she said, I heard the Ed Smith room at the Pirate's chest had a new donation of several boxes from a retiree in Purple Point. I plan to stop in and browse. Care to come along this morning. I think that is a good idea he said. And this afternoon around 2:00 I am meeting Amanda at her shop. I ordered some new material to make curtains for my daughters house and it is in. Amanda wants to show me a few other things as well. Then maybe we should stay in town and lunch at Lois'? Great she said. Let's stop by Tootle's market on the way home. What will you do when I am at Amanda's she asked. Well, I want to walk over to the Something's office and talk to Arch about something, and I also need to stop in at Lanspeaks, so I will stay busy downtown. He missed not living in walking distance to downtown where he could leisurely make his rounds when the mood struck. He might even stop in and see Brodie. They ate their waffles and lingered a bit over coffee, his strong and black and hers decaf with cream and one sugar.

And then the phone rang, loud and shrill, startling Ella and the cats. Koko opened one eye and said, Yowwwwwww. Well you could have warned us old boy, Qwill said.

Junior Goodwinter was on the phone, Qwill, Qwill he said, very loudly and with the rush of excitment that fortold a big event. Slow down Junior, Qwill said, what is it? Jody wanted me to go with her to the Art center this afternoon for an art exhibit and I reluctently went. You know, just one of those things you agree to when you are married. (Qwill did know). When we were getting in the car to leave, I heard some banging and clattering back int he woods where the barn stood. I left Jodie in the car and scooted between the gate and went down the lane and guess what I saw. You went throught the gate Junior, Qwill asked. Well it pays to be short and skinny sometimes Junior said. What did you see, Qwill added. well if you can believe this, I saw about three or four people, hammering tent stakes in the ground around where the barn ruins are. They had pitched two very large canves tents and looked like they were had alot of supplies around on the ground. WHAT, Qwill said, did you call Brodie. No, I called you Junior said. For all I knew you had given someone permission to be there. Hang up, hang up junior, so I can call Brodie.

What is it Ella said, what is it?
Qwill did not take time to answer her, he punched Brodie's number and called him at home.

Brodie said he would meet Qwill out at the barn site right away with several policeman. Ella insisted on going and they got in the car and sped away. He had shown Ella the remains of the burned out barn on one occasion, but it was not a place he visited very often. When they arrived at the Trevelyn Road entrance to what he thought of as Marconi Lane, named after the owl who had lived in his woods, he saw the gate was open. The police and fire departments had keys in case of emergencies and he drove down the lane. Ella beside him gave a shudder and he looked at her. Are you alright dear? Yes Qwill, but something about this place makes the hair on my arms stand up. It was not the first time he has noticed Ella's connection to places or people. He wondered if her arm hair standing up was like his mustache tingling. He had no time to contemplate this, because they drove into the clearing where the barn and gazebo once stood and say a collection of tents, cars, and people.