Episode 1: The Rushs'

In 2022 I published by first short story on Amazon’s Vella project. As of Feb 2025 the are winding down the Vella project. I will be sharing the few series that I wrote beginning with Travelers’ Rush.

It was not impulsive as some might make you believe. Marriage is a merger not an acquisition. She is tall, slender with a chiseled feminine jaw line. He is olive skinned entrepreneurs entrepreneur brute. They shared the best of themselves with all of us which made the disappearance sting all the more. When it rains in Seattle or when the eerie Sunday morning silence of a city is new; I often wonder what happened to my best friends Brianne and Alex Rush.

The Rushs' impact on Seattle is still felt today. While the media frenzy and police investigation turned cold I quietly have my own doubts that any of this was a crime or accident. Alex for sure couldn't have vanished leaving his 200 person company without it's enigmatic founder. And Brianne would never have left the foundation she set up to help those less fortunate find housing in the city.

Yet, through my biased mind I can't imagine why they would set me up as the fall guy. Why put me through the most torturous year of my life? Endless media camping outside of our Magnolia house, following us to my kids elementary school and leading to my eventual divorce. Katie my wife loved Alex and Brianne. The dark cloud of suspicion that somehow I was involved with their sudden departure from our lives was too much for her.

One day after dropping off the kids at Katie's downtown condo, I pulled over in front of our favorite restaurant Assaggio where we would spend countless drunken nights laughing, dancing and breaking a few glasses with Alex and Brianne. The restaurant not open till dinner sat dark as I peered in remembering those late 20s antics that spilled into our mid 30s with kids in tow. Alex and Brianne never had kids and I wondered out-loud whether that ever bothered them, from the outside seemingly not. I felt an urge to exit my car, as I walked toward the restaurant the Assaggio red neon lit up the grey Seattle day and my face as I looked in and saw our favorite booth. I always loved coming here and now I am person non grata as the chef / owner permanently banned me. I could picture the last time I was here with Alex, Brianne and Katie as we planned a drunken camping trip that we swore no matter how hungover the next day we were we would take the following week. That's how we did many things, drunk. The fun kind minus the hangover the next day.

That next week we took the three hour drive to a camping site Brianne and Alex had found between Washington's Bavarian town of Leavenworth and the ski mountain of Mission Ridge. I might have thought this trip was weird already as Alex and Brianne were never ones to camp, yet Alex's adventurous spirit and Brianne's willingness to abide drew Katie and I into the exploit. After all we could always ditch our camp and stay at a nearby hotel I thought. I have played that trip over and over in my head. Looking back there was seemingly clues that something was not quite as it seemed. First of all, Alex and Brianne brought two brand new road bikes which if you would have known the couple was out of character as they preferred to relax on vacation with little to no romping around. Secondly, before they headed out that early morning 5:30am to be exact...there would be almost no way the Rushs' could have got up for a bike ride after we finished two bottles of tequila and one pinot noir before passing out at 2am. Yet, they were last seen heading out of our camp site that morning with full bike regalia and vintage Jansport black backpack from Alex's high school and college days.

When Alex and Brianne did not return by 10am ,11am then noon my heart was racing and Katie was in a sheer panic. We torn apart the camp site looking for the car keys. The camping spot the Rushs' had chose had no cell service and the keys to their Land Rover were missing most likely in the backpack I thought. Katie and I full on ran to the road about 3 miles from our remote camp site. There we waited until a car approached from the distance. At that exact moment 1:11pm, the Rushs' had not been seen in about seven hours. The driver of the vehicle drove us another 3 miles to the highway that connects the ski resort to the Bavarian village. Once at the main road we could hear sirens coming up from the highway whizzing by, then another. Our hearts sank. Katie full on trembling and crying. We insisted the driver follow the ambulances and firetrucks. Over head we could hear the whooshing of helicopter blades getting louder. Traffic was backed up shortly after we turned out onto the highway. I don't know why I instinctually got out of the vehicle and ran the mile or so to where the highway patrol, firetrucks and ambulances had cordoned off the road way. Then I saw them, the vehicle tire tracks and mangled bikes that Alex and Brianne had brought. My insides were knotted. Moments later Katie was by my side. A state trooper approached us sensing we knew something. I blurted out..."we know them." To which the trooper stated, "we are in the process of searching for them, hang tight." Almost robotically. We waited as mountain rescue teams repelled down the 200 foot ravine looking for Alex and Brianne. Early afternoon turned to dusk then midnight. The surrounding area was lit up like day with rescue search lights and the helicopter spot light above.

By the next morning no bodies were found. Tensions were mounting between troopers, fire rescue and the traffic seemingly backed up till Seattle. Katie and I were getting hungry and one of the state troopers offered to take us into Leavenworth for a quick bite.

The first diner on the left we walked into was empty which was odd except for the fact that the weekend traffic was backed up for miles. Then I saw it...Alex's black Jansport backpack with its identifiable leather bottom hanging out of the trash. My world as never been the same.