Chapter 7—The Half Life of Dragons

Sonja Hakala

PREVIOUSLY IN THE HALF LIFE OF DRAGONS: It’s been seven years since Timmen Eldritch, lead singer of the mystical rock band Calliope, disappeared. To this day, most people believe he died. But there are enough conspiracy theories swirling online to keep his ardent cult members hopeful of “Timmen’s return .”

Eldritch and Calliope recorded their last album in an old farmhouse in Carding, Vermont so the town has become a reluctant mecca for Calliope cultists. They’ve already started to gather, and no one in Carding is happy about it. 

You can catch up on previous chapters of this novel in progress here.

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If you ask anyone in Carding to describe Agnes Findley, the words “passionate” and “gardener” would most likely occur in the same sentence. While she dabbled in other pastimes—quilting, a bit of jewelry-making for the holidays, and a secret (very secret) interest in writing poetry—nothing came between Aggie and her plants. Who else in Carding could be found sorting seeds by magnifying glass in March?

“Knock, knock—Aggie?”

“In the kitchen, Edie.”

“Ha, caught ya,” her friend said as she deposited several small envelopes on Aggie’s kitchen counter. “I had a hunch that this is what you might be doing. I brought some heirloom tomato seeds that my sister sent thinking we could share.”

Aggie straightened up, pushing her hand into the small of her back, a gesture well-known in the gardening world. “Sounds good to me. Oof, my back’s already sore and I haven’t pulled my first weed yet.”

“Hello? Anybody home?”

“In the kitchen, Ruth. Edie and I are about to make tea.” Aggie peered at Edie over her glasses. “That’s assuming you want a cup.” It wasn’t unheard of but it was unusual for Edie and Ruth to both show up unannounced on the same morning so Aggie was feeling a bit suspicious. But she figured she’d find out what was going one soon enough, and she really needed a cup of tea.

“It looks like we’re having a seed exchange,” Ruth said as she set more envelopes on the counter, some marked Edie, the others Aggie. “I’ve got cucumber and winter squash seeds.”

Pointing, Aggie asked: “And you already divided them in half? How did you know Edie would be here?”

“Um, well…” Ruth looked at Edie. “I thought that…”

Aggie laughed. “You might as well wait to tell me until I’ve put the kettle on,” she said. “I have a hunch I’m going to want to sit down for this.”

Once the tea was poured, the three friends sat in silence for a minute, watching steam rise from their cups. Ruth finally dipped a spoon into the honey jar that Aggie kept in the center of her table. All three of them bought—and treasured—the honey produced by a local beekeeper so Ruth’s spoonful was generous.

“Okay, what’s up?” Aggie said as her eyes sidled from one friend to the other.

Edie added milk to her tea. “Annie Crane and I were in that field behind Amos Hardy’s place yesterday. You know the one. It abuts Corvus Lane.”

“Getting in a last snowshoe on the trail back there, I presume,” Aggie said. 

“Yes. We were pretty close to the end when we heard this woman yelling at the top of her lungs. A young woman,” Edie said.

“Hmph, at our age, everyone’s young,” Ruth said.

“Well, this one was in her mid-thirties, and definitely not dressed for walking in a field in Vermont in March.”

“How so?”

“Her white plastic boots, and skimpy purple jacket were a dead giveaway. And she didn’t know a thing about handling burdock,” Edie said. “That’s why she was yelling. We watched her flailing about in that big patch of the stuff up by the road.” She glanced from one friend to the other. “I really did try not to laugh, and I nearly succeeded.”

“Sounds like the same woman who stopped at Stan’s garage to gas up her camper, and ask directions yesterday. Stan got this close,” Ruth pinched her thumb and forefinger together, “to telling her where Corvus Lane actually is before he stopped. Instead, he pointed her toward that pull-off at the bridge by the falls. She managed to leave half of her camper in the road when she tried to park there.”

Aggie laughed. “That must have gone down well. How long was traffic tied up?”

“Not too long,” Edie said, “because Charlet was close by and got it all in hand before Gideon Brown pushed White Boots and her camper into the river.”

They sipped in unison then Edie cocked an eye in Aggie’s direction. “Okay, I think we all can assume that this White Boots is probably here because we’re coming up on the seventh anniversary of Timmen Eldritch’s disappearance, and the court can now officially declare him dead.”

“If someone petitions the court to do so,” Aggie said. “Otherwise, nothing happens.”

“If someone petitions the court to do so,” Edie repeated. “I see. Now we know Allison Owen was involved with Calliope when Eldritch and Ashley Bentsen disappeared. So I have to ask, have you heard from Allison at all? Has she asked you about petitioning the court to have Eldritch declared dead?”

Aggie set her empty cup down. “I haven’t talked to Allison since our check-in last month. I have to say I am impressed by her progress since she settled in Burlington. She found a nice little condo in a quiet corner of the city. I’ve heard through the grapevine that people flock to the Brick when they know she’s making soup, and she goes to meetings at least three times a week. It was part of the deal with her father when he bought the condo for her that her sponsor check in with me regularly, not so that I know the details of Allison’s life but that she’s staying sober.”

“Do you think she’ll ever try to connect with Suzanna again?” Ruth asked. “She hasn’t seen her daughter in how many years?”

“Six,” Aggie said. “Depending on the day, Allison says she would like to be a part of Suzanna’s life. But she also understands why Suzanna wants nothing to do with her. So if they ever reconnect, I think it will have to come from Suzanna. Allison’s got a mountain of regret that she hasn’t been able to climb.”

“Best thing she ever did was bring Suzanna to Carding,” Edie said. “She’s such a big part of life here. Ted just adores her, and her grandfather absolutely glows when she walks into the room.”

“I heard that both Suzanna and Faye both made the state ski team,” Ruth said. “Is that right?”

“Yeah. They’re headed over to Maine tomorrow morning to compete in the regionals at Black Mountain,” Edie said. “I’m so proud of Faye. You should see her on that snowboard of hers. She scares me half to death with the jumps she does but she loves it. And Suzanna is super competitive on the slalom. I think they’ll both do well.”

 Ruth turned back to Aggie. “So does anyone in Burlington know who Allison really is?” she asked.

“Just one person as far as I know, her friend Dexter Little,” Aggie said. “He doesn’t know very much, just that Allison was once a TV star who became infamous. The two of them work together, and pal around when they’re not working, and they both seem content to keep it that way. He does know that Allison is a recovering addict, and he knows how to get in touch with me if needed. The one time he and I talked, he said he didn’t want to know too much about Allison’s past because keeping secrets is a burden.”

“Well, I’m glad someone’s there to keep an eye on her, especially with this Calliope anniversary coming up,” Ruth said. “Mark my words—White Boots is the leading edge of what’s coming our way. She’s probably one of those influencer types. Or maybe she’s a true-crime podcaster looking for Timmen Eldritch’s bones.”

“Well, they’re certainly not in that fake grave we found in the Community Church graveyard,” Ruth said. “Once we reported it to the police, the five of us made short work of that.”

Edie groaned. “You can just see it, can’t you? Carding getting overrun with Calliope wannabes who want to film themselves at the place where the band recorded their last album. It’s gonna be a zoo.” Suddenly her phone buzzed. “Oh, it’s Annie at the library.”

She pressed the phone to her good ear. “Hi Annie. What’s up?” Edie suddenly sat up very straight. “Did you call the police? Can you tell if anything’s been taken?” She turned the phone away from her mouth to say: “Someone broke into the library and ransacked the research room.”

“What? Why?”

“Annie, I’m with Ruth and Aggie. We’ll be right there.” Edie shoved her phone in her pocket as she stood up.

“Was anything taken?” Ruth asked as they scrambled to collect keys, jackets, and bags.

“She’s not sure because the room was torn apart,” Edie said.

“Wait—we should get David Tarkiainen over there. He’s been in the library’s research room more than anyone else lately because of the book he’s writing about Calliope,” Aggie said. 

“Yeah, I really wish he wasn’t doing that. I feel like it’s raising ghosts,” Ruth said, her voice rising. “First it’s that fake grave. Then there’s a strange woman wearing white boots in the field next to the old Calliope place. And now someone’s trashed the room where David’s been doing research into the band, and their time in Carding. What’s next? Timmen Eldritch’s prophecy comes true, and he comes back from the dead?” Her face had grown red, and her voice shook.

Both of her friends stopped moving. “Ruth,” Edie whispered as she gripped  friend’s arms, “what’s going on?” Her phone squawked with a text message that said “Hurry.” 

“You go, Edie. Ruth and I will be right behind you,” Aggie said. Edie hesitated but Aggie made a shooing motion with her hands then turned toward Ruth. “Something happened with Calliope, didn’t it?”

“He…he…he tried to seduce my Sarah.” Furious tears tumbled down Ruth’s face. “He frightened her. Badly.”

“Who did? Eldritch?

Ruth shook her head no. “Not him. It was the other guy, the guitarist, the one they call Smugs.”

“Oh gawd.” Aggie pulled her friend into her arms.

“Sarah was only seventeen. Just seventeen. He was such a bastard.” Ruth’s words came out in a ragged breath.

“He didn’t…?”

“No, the drummer—Quigley—was there. He was the only good one of the bunch, and he yanked the bastard away from my daughter and told her to run. And she did.” Ruth gulped in air. “Max and I were still married then, and we went over to the Calliope place to confront the guy. Or at least we tried to.”

“What happened?”

“When we got to the house, some girl was carrying boxes out to a car, and she told us everyone was gone,” Ruth said. “We tore through that place, and there was stuff all over. They definitely left in a hurry.”

“Did you ever find Smugs?” Aggie asked.

“No but not for lack of trying. I’d never seen Max like that. He was literally beside himself. After we left the Calliope place, he went to search for the band. He went everywhere—the bus stations, the airport, rest stops on the interstates. The police finally found a car that belonged to Smugs abandoned on an interstate in New York.” Ruth swiped her tears away. “I wanted to set fire to the Calliope house, I was that angry.”

“Why didn’t you?” Aggie asked. “I would have.”

“Quigley showed up at our house right after Max got back. He told us that Smugs and Eldritch and everyone else were gone for good but he wouldn’t say where or what happened. I’ve often wondered what he meant by ‘gone for good’,” Ruth said. “But Max and I decided it was better if we didn’t know and didn’t ask. Calliope was gone, and that’s all that mattered.”

“Why didn’t you report it, Ruth?” Aggie asked. Before she retired from her legal career, Aggie had inherited a fat file on all things Calliope just before her boss, Marcus Brownlow, the chief partner in Brownlow, Smith & Brownlow, died of cancer. BS&B had been representing Calliope in various suits when the band descended into a chaotic pit of accusations, recriminations, and venomous disputes, and broke up. Among the papers Marcus handed off to Aggie was a list of the young women who had accused Timmen Eldritch or Smugs Gallagher of assault. Aggie knew that Sarah Goodwin’s name was not on that list.

“In all honesty, Aggie, it happened literally at the same time as all hell broke loose over the band’s breakup, and Sarah didn’t want to be involved in that.” Ruth shrugged. “The three of us talked it over for a long time, and Sarah knew we’d both be there if she decided to pursue it. But she ultimately decided not to.”

Ruth took a deep breath as Aggie handed her a tissue to wipe her eyes. “That man was such a bastard. I’ve never understood how people could follow someone like Charles Manson or Jim Jones or Trump or Timmen Eldritch. They’re so cruel.”

“Well, we both know that’s a long discussion for another time. But generally, cult leaders start by doing good deeds that people are attracted to. Or like Trump, they pretend to be successful and people get attracted to that,” Aggie said. 

“It’s like women who stay with abusive men,” Ruth said. “Or anyone who stays with someone who abuses them. It’s so hard to understand.”

“Yeah, it is,” Aggie said. “When Eldritch started out, there were lots of stories about his generosity. He bought food for homeless people, gave a concert to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina, and auctioned off some of his artwork to save an animal shelter. So of course people thought he was a good guy, and on top of that, he was sexy onstage, and people loved his music. Isn’t that why Sarah followed him? It’s why most people did.”

“Actually, she didn’t follow Calliope,” Ruth said. “At the time, she was barely aware of who Eldritch was. She went to their house that night because some other girl dared her to go.”

Just then, Aggie’s phone chimed. “It’s David Tarkiainen. He’s on his way to the library. Do you want to come with me or head home?”

Ruth blotted her eyes again then heaved a big sigh. “I’m going with you because when all is said and done, I think David’s right. We need to put this Calliope nonsense to rest, and the only way to do that is to find out what really happened, you know what I mean?”

“Yeah, I do.”

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Thanks for sharing some of the minutes of your life with me and Carding, Vermont. I hope you’re enjoying The Half Life of Dragons and can visit next week for the latest chapter.

When I reach the end of the tale, the entire book will be available here as an ebook. In the meantime, if you need to catch up or would like to share this adventure with someone else, you can do so by clicking this link.

~ Sonja Hakala