Someone Knows Something

by Christa Weisman

  The sheriff wiped at his brow. “Christ. Okay, I’ll get them out here.” He stopped the officer from walking away by adding, “Do we need paramedics? Any chance he’s still alive?”

  The officer looked over at Jameson and Nick before turning back to the Sheriff. “No, sir.”

  An odd sound escaped Nick’s throat, one that Jameson couldn’t place and had never heard before. It was guttural, like a wounded animal, and it made Jameson sick to his stomach.

  The sheriff hung his head, his hands shoved deep in his pockets as he took the news in. Slowly, he made his way to the car where Jameson and Nick stood frozen. Unlike the Timber Falls police department, this was not his first time dealing with death and having to speak with family members. What he wasn’t used to was those family members hanging around where they didn’t belong.

  “Mayor.” He sighed. “Mr. Young. I think it’s time you consider going home to your wives. There is no good that can come from you being up here. If you prefer, I can set up a space for you at the station where we will have full access—”

  “If you think I am leaving this mountain without my son,” Jameson spat, coming back to life. “Then you are wasting your breath.”

  “I’m not trying to suggest that you—” the sheriff tried again.

  “We aren’t going anywhere,” Nick said firmly, interrupting him.

  The men stared hard at each other, individually using their force to convey their message. Ultimately, the fathers won.

  “Alright.” The sheriff sighed again. “Can’t say I’d be doing any different in your position.” He pulled out his CB radio. “I’m calling for the fire department to back us up. Let’s get that boy off the ledge and find the other two.” He stalked off, defeated, while making his commands into the radio.

  Jameson fell back against the car, running a hand through his hair. He shivered in the cold. It didn’t help that his shirt was soaked with wet mud. What he would give to have a drink. He watched as Nick paced back and forth, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. He thought back to last Saturday, the last day he’d seen his son. His body clenched as the words that were spoken between them played over in his head. He had not wanted to take responsibility for this. He had put the blame in every direction but his own. He had been afraid to admit his own fault in this, where he had failed his son.

  “I told him to go to hell,” Jameson admitted.

  Nick stopped pacing and turned to face him. “You what?”

  Jameson kicked at a pebble by his muddy dress shoes. “That was the last thing I said to J.R. before he left on Saturday.”

  “Jesus, James.”

  “We’d been fighting,” he added. “It seems like that’s all we’d been doing lately, and I lost my temper. I said some things that had been building inside of me, this anger I felt for his lack of integrity.” He looked his friend in the eye, pleading for him to understand. “I didn’t mean it. Nick, I have to make this right with him.”

  Nick sucked in a deep breath and came to stand next to him. “Don’t do that, James. Don’t put this on yourself.”

  “Come on, Nick,” Jameson huffed. “You and I both know I’m not as good of a father as you are. You would never say something like that to Ethan, no matter how angry you were.”

  Nick’s cheeks reddened. “I’m not the man you make me out to be, James. We all have our faults.”

  “I doubt your faults could compare to mine.” He ran a hand on the back of his neck. “There was something off with J.R., I sensed it. But instead of talking to him man to man, I became accusatory. I pulled a lot of strings to get the Huskies coach to Timber Falls. A place like this wasn’t on his radar. And then for J.R. to throw away his future like that. I should have seen that there was something else going on. But how was I to know? What did we miss, Nick?”

  Nick shook his head. He thought back to his son’s behavior prior to Saturday. Nick had chalked it up to his anger at his and Anna’s affair. Could it have been something more? “I don’t know, James.” His train of thought was broken by the sound of the fire truck alarm blaring up the hill. They watched in awe as the men jumped from their truck, carrying rope and a rescue stretcher.

  Minutes stretched to hours as daylight faded in to dusk. Neither man moved from their post as they waited for answers. Silence hung between them as they both wallowed in their own grief and guilt. They waited anxiously for the fireman to return to see the boy who lay on the stretcher. But it was the sheriff who appeared, worn and aged since they had seen him last. Both men knew the news would not be good. They had thought they had mentally prepared themselves for anything, as long as they had an answer. But as the sheriff opened his mouth to speak, Jameson found himself turning away, as though the words would not exist if he didn’t invite them in.

  “I wanted to warn you, they are bringing the body up now.” He paused for a moment. “It appears to be Caleb Weston.”

  Nick sucked in a deep breath. “Appears? How do you not know? Every one of those officers down there knows Caleb.”

  The sheriff cleared his throat. “Mr. Young, with all respect, we are dealing with a body that has been in the wild for days, and though we are to assume his death is in relation to a fall off the top of the ledge, it seems as animals may have found the body before we did.”

  Nick swore under his breath.

  Jameson collapsed in half and vomited what little he had in his stomach.

  “That’s not all, I’m afraid,” Sheriff Gibson added. He placed a hand on Nick’s shoulder, and Nick’s face went white. “Mr. Young, we found Ethan’s body at the base of the mountain on the water’s edge. They are bringing him…”

  Nick pushed off the car and was running toward the forest entry before the sheriff could finish his sentence. The sheriff raced after him like he was in a hot pursuit until he was able to catch him and tackle him to the ground. Nick screamed profanity, flailing his arms until another officer was able to help hold him down. The sheriff placed his hands behind his back to keep him steady. Nick’s head hit the soft dirt as he began to sob.

  The sheriff was panting and out of breath when he said, “I’m sorry, Nick. This wasn’t the outcome I wanted to give you.”

  Jameson was there, kneeling by his side. “Come on, Nick,” he said softly, reaching out a hand to pull him up. “I got you.”

  The sheriff stood as Jameson attempted to lift his friend off the ground. When it was useless, he plopped down beside him. He looked up at the sheriff, appearing more like a young lost child than the mayor. “Where’s my boy, Sheriff?” he choked out.

  The Sheriff squatted down, resting a hand on his shoulder. “We will find him.”

  Nick reluctantly sat up, his eyes glossy and frantic. “How do I tell Nora? James, this will kill her.”

  “Please go be with your families,” the sheriff begged again. “They need you right now, and no good can come from you staying here.”

  Jameson lifted his friend to his feet and half dragged him back to the car. He would drive him home, where Anna would be sitting and waiting for news on Nora’s couch with her. They would tell their wives what they had heard, they would comfort them while they cried. And Jameson would hold on to every last bit of hope that somehow he was the lucky one. That his son made it out alive.

  But when an officer came knocking on the door looking for him after four in the morning, every last ounce of hope was lost. The body of J.R. Hudson had been found.

  One week earlier

  Avery had a secret.

  Caleb could tell in the way that she tightened in his arms, not wanting to meet his eyes as they danced. Grace sensed it in the way she’d stayed silent all through the dinner they’d made for the boys. J.R. knew something was going on when she never took a drink of the wine that Caleb brought over for Homecoming dinner. But it was Ethan who heard her puking in the Morgans’ bathroom and knew this was bigger than what any of them had dealt with before.

  He was standing with his back against the wall, his h
ands shoved into his tan dress slacks, when she stepped out of the bathroom. She startled to see him there and took a step back. She fumbled with the spaghetti strap of her short, metallic silver dress, which normally would look amazing on her if she didn’t look like death.

  Ethan gave her a knowing look that stopped her in her tracks.

  “What?” she asked, trying to avoid his eyes.

  “Aves,” Ethan said softly and low enough that he wouldn’t be heard in the other room. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she said, shrugging him off. “I think my stomach didn’t like the clams or something.” She lifted her eyes to him. The fear she was trying so hard to hide lived there.

  “Avery,” he continued. “I don’t think it’s the clams that are making you sick. Do you need to talk to someone?”

  “No,” she snapped. She pulled out her lip gloss from her purse and leaned into the hall mirror. Her fingers trembled when she tried to apply the stick to her lips. Meeting Ethan’s eyes in the mirror, she said, “Just don’t say anything to Caleb, okay?”

  He held her glance. “I won’t say anything to him,” he answered. “But I think you should.”

  Her eyes began to gloss over. She couldn’t look at him. Ethan, the good one. He would have never carelessly knocked her up. She knew the exact night it had happened. It was a month ago when Caleb had promised to make her dinner after practice. He’d ordered pizza and then bent her over the couch while they waited for the delivery guy to show up. It all happened so fast she hadn’t realized until afterward that she’d never heard the tear of foil. When she’d asked him about it, he’d shrugged it off, saying he was out of condoms but that he’d pick some up tomorrow. He’d kissed her anger away, as he always did.

  And now she was pregnant.

  “I’m fine, Ethan,” she repeated. “Let it go.”

  Grace eyed her best friend as she re-entered the room. Her eyes looked shiny like maybe she’d been crying, but she couldn’t remember anything that Caleb could have said to upset Avery that night. Grace draped an arm around Avery’s bare shoulders, wishing she could crawl into her friend’s head. Avery gave her a small smile before pulling away.

  “Who’s ready for the dance?” Avery asked, forcing a smile on her shimmery lips.

  “One more round of shots,” Caleb announced, pouring them all a glass.

  “I’ll pass on this one,” Ethan said, resting a hand on his belly. “I don’t think my stomach liked the clams.”

  Avery jerked her head his direction. Was he making fun of her? But when he gazed at her, she knew that wasn’t true. He was protecting her. She could cry again right here in front of everyone. She pulled it together and said, “Yeah, me too.”

  “What’s wrong with the clams?” Grace burst out.

  “Nothing, they were delicious,” Ethan corrected. “I’m just a little sensitive to seafood.”

  “You’re a little sensitive to more than just food.” Caleb laughed, but then said nothing else as he skipped over Avery and Ethan and poured himself, Grace, and J.R. a shot.

  Avery looked over at Ethan, and when she caught his eye, she gave him an appreciative grin.

  They piled into three different cars. J.R. drove Grace in his black BMW, Ethan followed behind in his Civic, while Caleb drove Avery’s Acura that she was adamant they bring over his dirty Jeep. Caleb jammed to the music the whole time, completely unaware of Avery’s silence. J.R. had one thing on his mind and that was to get through the dance and to the after-party.

  He took Grace’s hand and led her to the dance floor. Her flimsy silk baby blue dress felt more like something she would wear to bed, and it only made him more excited. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him so she could feel just how ready he was. Tonight would be the night. He’d done everything he could to make this special for her.

  Ethan looked across the gym. He bypassed all of the eager eyes from the girls who’d known he’d come stag until his sight landed on the one thing he wanted.

  She was standing in the middle of the room, her long blonde hair falling in soft ringlets. Her tight black dress hugged her hips as she swayed to the music. She was squeezed between the two friends he always saw her with, smiling and laughing, but her eyes were searching. He stood back and watched her, the constant conflict that resided in him when it came to her.

  She was too young.

  She was the chief’s daughter.

  He would be gone soon and shouldn’t start anything with a girl he had no future with.

  But…

  She got him, in a way that not many people did.

  She made him feel nervous when he was used to being confident and in control.

  And she was hella hot.

  He decided right then that he would let the night take over. If she wanted him the same way, then they could see where this would lead, even if it was only temporary. He knew the likelihood of him being able to date her was slim, but for tonight they could pretend. He would let down his guard and not let the voices of Caleb or J.R. into his head.

  He walked toward her, a lion on the prowl for its prey. He was so hungry for her he wanted to devour her. She looked up as she saw him approach, and her body stopped moving. She held his stare as he came upon her, her friends speechless as he reached for her hand and pulled her to him.

  “Hi,” he said in her ear as he wrapped his arms around her. He could feel her tension begin to ease as they stepped into the rhythm of the music.

  “Hi,” she whispered back, her arms reaching back behind his head.

  He breathed her in. She smelled delicious, like raspberries and cream. “You look beautiful,” he told her as he fingered the curls that trailed down her back.

  He felt her smile against his shoulder. “Thank you. So do you…I mean…” She caught her last word with a chuckle.

  She was nervous and it made him laugh. “You think I’m beautiful?”

  “That’s not what I meant.” She laughed with him.

  She felt good in his arms. He looked over her head to see her entourage looking back at them as they whispered between themselves. “Are your friends going to be jealous if I don’t give you back tonight?”

  She stiffened in his arms, and he couldn’t tell if it was from fear or excitement. But then he felt that smile again.

  “They won’t mind,” she answered. “I did tell them about the party, though. I hope that’s okay.”

  “Sure,” he said. He knew she was a package deal. “As long as you’re there, I don’t care.” He was getting more brazen in the way he spoke to her. He knew they probably only had this night, and he wanted to make it count.

  She relaxed in his arms, resting her head on his shoulder, holding him closer to her. They danced without parting as one song bled into another. When a fast song came on, he asked if she wanted to get something to drink. She followed him to what she thought would be the punch bowl, only to be led behind the bleachers. She was surprised to see Caleb, J.R., Grace, and Avery huddled together. She instantly felt nervous, but then Ethan took her hand as if to tell her she belonged with him.

  “Ethan, there you are,” Caleb called out. “We thought we lost you to the underclassman section.”

  Ethan brushed him off and took the flask from his hand. He took a shot of whatever crap was in the bottle and then handed it to Lila. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. It tastes like shit but gets the job done.”

  She shrugged and took the flask from him. She wasn’t sure what was in there, but just like when she’d shotgunned the beer, she did it because she had something to prove. She wasn’t going to look like a child in front of the most popular kids in school.

  She took a sip, trying not to smell the foulness that crept out of the bottle. The liquid burned in her mouth, and it showed on her face when she swallowed.

  Caleb roared with laughter. J.R. jabbed him in the side. “Shut up or you’ll get us caught back here.” He reached for the flask from Lila.

  “I
love this song.” Avery moaned. “Come on, let’s go dance. I don’t want to spend all night behind the bleachers. It’s gross back here.”

  “One more,” Caleb said as he took the flask from J.R. when Grace passed on a drink. She knew she’d be called on stage for Homecoming Queen soon, and the last thing she needed was to make a fool of herself up there. She just wished J.R. would do the same.

  Caleb shot back the drink. When his head came forward, his eyes were on Lila. Everyone but she missed the way he licked his lips at her, and gave her a salacious grin. It made her uncomfortable, the way he belittled her. He only saw her as a little girl. He would never look at Avery or Grace that way.

  She straightened her back and reached a hand out, asking for the flask. He lifted a brow at her and placed it in her palm. This caught Ethan’s attention. He watched as she swigged back a drink, and when he thought she was done, she shot back one more.

  “Okay, okay, Shotgun,” he said, taking it out of her hand. “Take it easy.”

  Caleb’s eyes were wild with enthusiasm. Not often did someone provoke him, and that’s exactly what the chief’s daughter was doing. Little did she know, he was up for the challenge.

  Five days gone

  Kate was inconsolable.

  It had been nearly twelve hours since Officer Maloney showed up at her door saying they had found Caleb’s body. Twelve hours since her whole world had been destroyed and any hope she’d had left of finding her son was gone.

  She’d fallen to her knees right there in the doorway. Officer Maloney had leaned down and helped her up, cradling her in her arms while she cried. She’d demanded to see to see him, but Maloney calmly explained to her it was still an ongoing investigation and they needed all family away from the scene. At that point, only Caleb’s body had been found and the department was still searching for the other missing boys.

  She hadn’t known about the suicide note that Ethan had left, or why it had been Maloney at her door instead of Rex. She hadn’t known how her son had ended up mangled halfway down a rocky cliff or what he’d been doing up on the ledge in the first place. She had so many questions and no one to answer them. Which was how she ended up at the bottom of Oracle Point before the sun rose. She pulled her car to the steep drive only to have her lights shine on the yellow tape, blocking her from entering. On the side of the road stood two officers, one of which approached her car.