by Willow Rose
"I don't know. We met his uncle who, apparently, stays in the small shack while waiting for a divorce. I thought about asking him about the blood, just to see his reaction or maybe find out if there was a logical explanation for it; maybe they had shot a deer and kept it in there or something, but to be honest, I didn't feel comfortable around him. He reeked of alcohol and could barely stand up straight. I rushed out of there with the children instead."
"So, he could have killed him and kept him there," she said. "It would be obvious since he lives there. But what about his sister, Penny? She attacked his ex-girlfriend, and according to the older brother, she's the reason that Savannah broke up with him. Could she have killed her own brother and kept him in that freezer?"
Jack shuddered at the thought while Shannon put the cheese in the fridge. She had told him everything about her meeting with both Charles and Colette. Jack didn’t like that she was snooping around on her own, he said, but she got the feeling that he was impressed with her, even though he didn’t want to show it.
"It's possible," he said. "If she's as obsessed with her brother as you were told, then it sounds like Penny has serious psychological problems."
"And you think all of this is somehow connected to Eliza Reuben's crash too, right? That she knew something and was writing a story about it and that this Harry Mayer and Lyle Bishop were her sources, even though we don't know Lyle's connection to the Rutherfords yet. We do know she wrote his name on her notepad, right?" Shannon asked, trying to keep track of the story. It was beginning to get quite complicated.
Jack nodded when his phone vibrated, and he picked it up, then walked outside on the porch to make sure he wasn’t disturbed by the children. A few minutes later, he returned.
"That was the medical examiner,” he said. “I called in a favor with an old colleague of mine and had him answer a few questions about Lyle Bishop’s autopsy."
"And?"
"His hand was broken. Lyle's right hand was broken at the time he died, the same hand the gun was found in. It's pretty hard to shoot yourself with a broken hand. That also tells me someone forced his hand, maybe by turning the gun toward himself, trying to make it look like he did it to himself."
"And no matter how you look at it, it doesn’t look much like suicide anymore," Shannon said. "The texts to his friends and family could have been sent by the killer after Lyle was dead. I think you're on to something, Jack. You should talk to the sheriff about this. Tell him your theory."
Jack shook his head. "I tried earlier today. I called and told them that I thought Eliza was running from the killer when she crashed and that I believed she was still in danger."
"Let me guess; they didn't believe you?"
"The sheriff didn't say so in words, but that was the feeling I got. He simply told me that they had this under control and Eliza had a guard by her door, so there was nothing to worry about. I called again later and told them about the freezer, and they said they'd come have a look at it, but so far, they haven't been here." Jack glanced out the window, then paused. "I think I'll go over there and greet them when they do get here," he said and grabbed his coat and boots.
"I'll make us all some hot chocolate when you come back in. I bought marshmallows too."
"That sounds absolutely wonderful," Jack said, and he leaned over the counter and kissed her before he disappeared out the door and let a blast of freezing wind in.
As Shannon turned around and looked out the window toward the house next door, she was certain she saw the young girl standing in the window, staring down at her.
41
Maggie Valley 2018
"I don't want you to see her anymore."
The words fell in the kitchen of Benjamin's house. Savannah felt completely paralyzed when she heard it. She couldn't believe her own ears. The words came from Benjamin's mother. She had pulled him aside just as the two of them walked into the hallway after having been out for a drive. It had been a beautiful summer evening, and they had watched the sun set behind the mountains while kissing inside the car. As they drove back, she had felt like she was floating on a cloud of happiness. It was hard for Savannah to admit, but she was in love with Benjamin, and tonight had sealed the deal for her. He had given her a necklace with a cute heart on it.
But now she had come down from her cloud. Benjamin's mother spoke like Savannah wasn't standing right behind him. She almost spoke like she wasn't a person at all…like she wasn't someone she knew and had known for a year now. Savannah had been having dinners at their house; she had been spending evening after evening in their living room, watching movies or sitting on the porch and talking to Benjamin. She knew they didn't like her much, but this? This, she had never expected from them.
"What the heck?" Benjamin said. "That's not something you get to decide. I am seventeen, for crying out loud. You don't decide who I date and who I don't date."
"Yes, we do. Your dad and I agree. This relationship isn't good for you. We want you to stop seeing her. You can argue all you want. It's not up for negotiation."
"It's because of her, isn't it?" Benjamin asked with a snort. "It's all because of her."
"I don't know what you're talking about," his mother replied. "And I don't want to talk to you about it anymore. There's nothing you can say or do to make us change our minds. The decision is made."
"But why?"
"Just do as you're told, Benjamin," his mother said, turning away from him to continue peeling potatoes. "As long as you live under our roof, you obey our rules."
"I can't believe you!"
Benjamin turned around and looked at Savannah, then grabbed her hand and pulled her out onto the porch. He took her face between his hands and looked her in the eyes. “I am so sorry about that. I am not going to let them ruin what we have. I love you, Savannah. I have never felt this way about any other girl."
Savannah felt like crying but held it back. She felt helpless. What were they going to do?
"But…she said that…"
"Sh," he said. "Don't listen to her. She doesn’t have to know. Neither does my dad."
"But…but how?"
"There are ways, Savannah. I'll find ways for us to be together. I'll turn eighteen in less than a year, and then we can run away. I’m not letting them destroy us; I am not letting them come between us, you hear me?"
"You know my mom doesn’t like me seeing you either,” she said. "She's said so from the beginning that she didn't want me to see you. I’ve done so anyway, but we can't be at my place either."
"Then we'll hang in the car. We'll see movies and take drives to the countryside. We'll be together, Savannah, I promise you we will."
Savannah looked into his eyes, searching for comfort. This news had devastated her. Up until now, they had spent most of their time at his house. How were they going to be with one another in this small town without their parents knowing? It seemed impossible.
"What did you mean by what you said to your mother?" she asked. "You said that it was because of her. What did you mean by that?"
Benjamin smiled and kissed her. "Don't worry about it," he said, as their lips parted.
“You meant Penny, didn’t you? She’s the one who has been trying to stop us from seeing each other, right?”
"As I said, you don’t have to worry about it,” he said. “Everything is going to be fine. I’ve got this under control."
“I’m just… She scares me, Benjamin.”
He kissed her again. “Relax. We’ll find a way to be together. Trust me on this.”
She swallowed, then nodded. They heard footsteps coming up behind them and turned to see Penny standing on the porch. It was dark, so Savannah could barely see her eyes, but she felt them on her skin like knives.
"She's not supposed to be here," Penny said. "Mom and Dad don't want her here anymore."
"Savannah is just leaving," Benjamin said. "You don't have to keep a constant eye on me. Go back inside."
But Penny stayed where she w
as. She didn't move one inch. She stood by the window, and as the light from inside hit her neck, Savannah noticed something around her neck. As she squinted her eyes, she realized she was staring at a necklace exactly the same as the one Benjamin had given her.
Seeing it made Savannah feel like she had to throw up.
She looked at him. "What’s going on here, Benjamin? Did you give her a necklace too?"
He exhaled. "I had to. She was with me when I bought it, and she freaked out that I was going to buy you a necklace and not her. She kept pleading with me to buy her one as well. Does it really matter?"
Savannah pulled away from him, tears welling up in her eyes. "Yes, it matters. It matters a great deal. I thought you bought this especially for me because I meant something to you. And then I find out that you…you bought one for your sister too? Just because you can't say no to her? That's sick, Benjamin."
She pulled the necklace off and handed it to him.
"Here. I don't want it."
"Savannah…please, don't be…"
But it was too late. Savannah had turned around and was running to her car. She got in and, as she started the engine, she was certain she saw Penny laugh as her face was lit up by the light from the window next to her.
Part III
42
"Come on, Savannah. Just tell us the truth. You got mad at him, didn't you? It’s perfectly understandable if you did. He was being an idiot, a bastard, and you hit him with something. Was it a baseball bat? Or a garden tool that was left out on the porch?"
Sheriff Franklin sat across the table from Savannah. They had kept her inside this small room for hours, and she was so tired of having to say the same thing again and again.
"I didn't hurt him. I swear; I didn't."
"But you broke up with him."
"Since when is that a crime?" she asked, feeling exhausted. "Yes, I told him I didn't want to see him anymore."
"And you're sure it wasn't the other way around?"
"You mean am I sure that I broke up with him and not him breaking up with me? Yes, I am sure."
"Did him breaking up with you make you mad?" he asked.
Savannah shook her head. The sheriff leaned back in his chair that seemed way too small for such a big man. His khaki shirt was a size too small on his stomach, and it looked like the buttons would pop at any second now.
"He didn't break up with me. I broke up with him. I don't know what happened to him afterward. I drove home. I’ve told you this a million times." Savannah hid her face between her hands. She was so tired. It seemed like this nightmare would never stop.
"His parents were against you two seeing one another, am I right?"
Savannah nodded. "They had told him never to see me again. But that was a few months earlier."
"And your mother was against it too, but you were still dating?" he asked. "How come?"
"We loved one another. My mother had been against us from the beginning. She told me he was trouble, that someday I would regret it."
"But you did it anyway?"
"Well, yes. She didn't like it much, but I told her I couldn't choose who I loved. I loved him, and there was nothing she could do to stop me from dating him. I think she learned to look the other way."
"But Benjamin's parents weren't like that, were they?" the sheriff asked.
Savannah shook her head, remembering the conversation in the kitchen with Benjamin’s mother. It had broken her heart that they could be so cruel. How could they be so cold toward her and their own son?
"No. They forbade him to see me at one point. His mother told him while I was there one day."
"Yet, you were at his house on the day he disappeared?"
Savannah bit her lip. "Yeah, well, for a while we kept it a secret that we were still seeing one another. We would sneak around and just go places in his brother's truck. Well, it was mostly Benjamin's truck now that Charles couldn't drive anymore. But one day a couple of months later, he told me things had changed. His mother had agreed to let me come back to his house again…that they weren't against us dating anymore."
Sheriff Franklin looked up from his papers. His eyes narrowed. "What changed?"
Savannah shrugged. "I don't know. He never told me. But the next time I went there, his mother didn't say anything. She just nodded at me, then went upstairs. I never knew why she changed her mind or what made her resent me in the first place."
The door to the interrogation room opened, and a deputy peeked inside. "Sheriff, you're needed."
Sheriff Franklin exhaled and got up from his chair with much trouble. "We're not done here, young lady, but I'll let you rest for a little while. We're keeping you here, though. Not just for interrogation, but also for your own protection. There's still a mob gathered outside, waiting to get their hands on you."
43
"This better be good, Ryder. For dragging me all the way out here again and bothering this family."
Sheriff Franklin gave me a look that made me feel like a child having troubled his parents in the middle of an important conversation.
"It is," I said. “I think you’ll find this to be more than interesting.”
Deputy Winston had been the first one to arrive, and he was now on the porch talking to the pastor, who was gesticulating wildly, while I spoke to the sheriff.
"What are you talking about?" the pastor yelled. "I don't see why…"
Sheriff Franklin sighed heavily.
"Let's get this over with as fast as humanly possible," he said and looked up at the pastor, then back at me. "I had Judge Williams give us a warrant before I left, so he can yell all he wants to. But there better be something, Ryder."
"It was in the shack down there," I said and pointed toward the small house by the creek. "The back door led into a room with garden tools and an old freezer. My kids ran in there by accident trying to play hide-and-seek, and that's when they saw the blood."
Sheriff Franklin nodded, then signaled for his other deputy to follow him. "Okay. We'll go have a look."
The pastor had stopped yelling and was now glaring at them as they strode up through the snow toward the shack, me leading the way. I reached the door from earlier, then pushed it open.
"Over there by the end wall," I said and pointed. "That's the freezer."
Sheriff Franklin stepped in with a sniffle and pulled up his pants before he reached the freezer. A deputy handed him a glove, and he lifted the lid, then paused. He turned to look at me.
"You mind coming here for a second?"
I walked closer, sensing something was off. I looked inside the freezer and realized it was completely clean.
"I…It can't be…wait,” I said and reached inside my pocket. I pulled out my phone and found the picture I had taken earlier, then showed it to him.
"This was how it looked a few hours ago. My guess is someone cleaned the freezer."
The sheriff felt the side with his finger and sniffed. "Does smell like it was recently cleaned."
"The uncle who lives in this shack saw us come out of here earlier. He could easily have cleaned it out."
Sheriff Franklin scratched his forehead under the hat. "I don't know what to say, Ryder. Even if the blood was there like I can see in your picture it was, then it could have been from some animal they kept here from hunting or some meat that spilled, or maybe it wasn't even blood at all. I guess now we'll never know."
I exhaled, annoyed. If the blood had still been there, they could at least have it analyzed, and then we'd know if it belonged to Benjamin or not.
"We found something," one of the deputies said from the other end of the room. "Sheriff?"
Sheriff Franklin turned, and I followed him closely as he strode across the floor. The deputy had found a hatch in the floor and opened it. He reached inside and pulled out a fire poker. It was covered in blood.
44
Shannon watched from the window, eating Oreos from the box. The kids were playing upstairs, making an awful noise, but at
least they were having fun, except for Austin, who was sitting by the fireplace, drawing. Shannon glanced at him and felt terrible. He was such a sensitive kid.
As she grabbed another Oreo, Shannon saw someone come up to the front door and knock. She recognized her as Bridget Westwood, the hostess at Joey’s Pancake House and owner of their cabin. Jack had told her that she owned a couple of cabins in the area that she rented out and made a living from, while she lived a couple of blocks down the street with her husband and two dogs.
Shannon opened the door. "Hello, Mrs. Westwood."
"I am terribly sorry to interrupt, but I need a check for the last two days. Jack originally only booked the cabin for four days but then wrote me and told me he wanted to stay six days in total. He said he would pay me when he got here."
"Of course. I’m so sorry that he hasn't done so already," Shannon said and let Bridget inside. She glanced at the neighboring house and the police activity then walked in and closed the door behind her. She smiled and waved at Austin, who looked up as she entered.
"Cute kid."
"Thanks,” Shannon said, even though she had nothing to do with the creation of Austin. She still saw him as her own. Shannon grabbed her checkbook from her purse and started to write.
“Say, you wouldn't happen to know what’s going on at the Rutherfords’, would you?" Bridget asked and peeked out the window.
Shannon shook her head. She remembered that Jack had told her to be careful what she told Bridget since she liked to gossip. "I think they’re examining the place; you know…combing through it for evidence and such. I don't know, really."
"Really? They must have found something since there are so many cars and even a van from the county. It belongs to the crime scene techs."
"I guess they must have found something then," Shannon said and handed the woman the check. She took it while scrutinizing Shannon. It made her feel a little uncomfortable.