Page 78 of Reckless
“I’m not hungry” was all Archer could say.
“I’ll choose, then,” she said.
More official Midpark police department cars showed up outside, more people filing in the house. A man carrying a large camera, for one, along with a few coroners, though they took to waiting in the kitchen while the scene was documented upstairs.
Ollie arrived shortly after the coroners did, walking into the house like he owned the place. Every cop here knew who he was, and they ducked out of his way as he came straight for us. He set a hand on my mom’s back as he traded places with her, and while she disappeared to get takeout, he began to ask Archer what exactly had happened on this terrible afternoon.
“I came home from school,” Archer spoke, nearly choking on the words. “Melinda was passed out at the foot of the stairs, and I found my mom in her room, in front of her makeup mirror. Her wrists were…cut deep. The knife was on the floor, like she’d dropped it. But my mom never would’ve hurt herself. Never.”
“I believe you,” Ollie said, sounding far too calm, given the situation. I supposed that’s what he was good at: keeping his head level during any type of situation. “When I came in, I saw cameras.”
“I already told them, I stopped paying for the service.” Archer looked beyond guilty then. “The lawyer fees for my dad—”
“Say no more.” Ollie glanced to the side, and I saw that Detective Wilde had arrived. He left us to go talk to him, and Archer and I sat in silence.
Staring at my hands, I didn’t know what to say. Speechless did not cover how I felt. This was literally one of the worst days of my life, and it wasn’t even me who’d lost someone. To think, Archer had come home after school, oblivious to what he’d find mere moments after opening the front door. How could anyone move past a gruesome discovery like this?
Before I knew it, Ollie was returning, Detective Wilde on his side. The detective looked much the same as he had the other times I’d met him, and just like then, his hazel eyes were on me. “Why am I not surprised you’re here?”
That question was out of line, in my opinion, but all I could do was shrug. If there was ever a time to keep my smartass comments to myself, it was today. It was here and now. This afternoon wasn’t about me; it was about Archer, and how he was now the only one left. No mother, no father, no siblings.
And, yes, I was aware his dad was still alive, but I chose not to count him, considering what his crimes were. A man like that didn’t deserve to be counted.
Ollie motioned for me to get up, saying, “Come on, let’s let Archer and Detective Wilde talk in private.” Whether or not he was doing this for Archer or me, I didn’t know, but I knew it was probably best. Hearing Archer break down, hearing his voice crack with emotion—it hurt my heart in more ways than one. It made me want to cry myself.
I wasn’t a crier, but as Ollie led me to the kitchen, as he all but pushed me into a barstool near the counter, I realized I wanted to. After all this time, after all of the students who’d ended up dead because of me, because of my boyfriends, I never let myself cry. But here, now, everything felt more real, for whatever reason. Like, it was really hitting home.
Things would never be the same after tonight, I knew, and that was depressing. Archer and I had finally worked to overcome all of the murky waters between us, and then he had to come home and find his dear mother deader than a doornail. Something like that would scar you for life, leave you in pieces.
“Archer is vehement that his mother would’ve never hurt herself, even on her worst days,” Ollie spoke, leaning on the counter near me. His shoulders sagged a bit in his suit; his expression reminded me of Detective Wilde’s. Both men looked tired beyond all belief, just done with the shit Midpark constantly threw them.
I couldn’t blame him for that.
“I don’t think she did,” I muttered, though it was hard for me to make such a claim. After all, I’d only met the woman twice. Still, during those two times, she never seemed like the type of woman who’d give up and want to take herself out of this world early.
And what happened to Melinda… what were the odds that she fell down the stairs and knocked herself out? It was possible she walked into the bedroom and saw the blood, freaked out, and missed a step while trying to look for her phone to call the police. Or—and this was a big or—someone came into the house, made it look like a suicide. Maybe Melinda had seen someone hurting Bernie and tried to stop them.
Even though it could be possible the events weren’t related, I found myself saying, “I think it’s all connected.”
Ollie could only sigh at that.
“I mean, what are the odds this would happen now?” I muttered, mostly to myself.
Yes. What were the odds? One would think not good. As far as I knew, Midpark hadn’t seen much crime lately, beyond everything that happened with Celeste a few years ago. A part of me wanted to joke that Ollie’s sons had come back and started to knock off people one by one, but I knew that Ollie wouldn’t appreciate a joke like that, and—perhaps more importantly—it wasn’t a joking matter. Archer’s mom was dead, and there was no bringing her back. He would be devastated for a long, long time.
Eventually, my mom returned with bags of takeout. She brought them into the kitchen and opened them up, divvying up everyone’s meals. Archer was still talking to Detective Wilde in the front living room, but that didn’t stop her from putting his fries and burger on a plate and bringing it to him.
When she came back into the kitchen, I hadn’t touched my food. How could any of us eat right now? It just wasn’t right. None of this was right.
I watched as my mom pulled Ollie aside. They went into the hall, whispering things so softly I couldn’t hear them. Honestly, I had no idea what they could be talking about, but I knew I’d never hear the end of it if I didn’t at least try to eat. Even though it was the last thing I wanted to do, I lifted my burger and took a bite.
It tasted…wrong. Or maybe that was just because nothing would taste right in this moment.
I was in the middle of nibbling at my fries when my mom and Ollie came back into the kitchen. My mom moved to my side, placing a gentle hand on my back as she said, “I spoke with Oliver. I don’t think that boy should be in this house alone, not after what happened here. As long as you have no objections, I think it would be best if he came with us.”
Okay, that made me nearly choke.
“You want Archer to live with us?” I blinked, glancing at Ollie. Ollie seemed fine with it, considering the fact that he knew everything that had happened between us. Surely having us living under one roof wasn’t a good idea.
