Page 28 of The Devil You Know
“Yes!” Seth and Jesse said in unison to forestall one of their dad’s embarrassing vacation stories.
“We’re good,” Seth assured him. “Convoys didn’t stop, either.”
“That’s why God planted bushes beside highways,” Jesse said.
“Just drive, Brian.” Linda shook her head. “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”
Seth and Jesse exchanged a triumphant grin at having annoyed their parents, and Seth felt the weight of the past decade slip from his shoulders.
They stopped at a campground somewhere in West Virginia, halfway to Richmond. Linda shooed them all out of the RV until she could arrange the kitchen to her liking. Brian connected the utilities and then went for a walk to stretch his legs.
Seth and Jesse headed to the arcade, part of the camp’s community building, next to the snack bar and convenience store.
“Kinda fun to come back when we can play as long as we want, huh?” Seth asked.
“Less stressful now that we don’t have to beg Mom for quarters,” Jesse agreed. “Although she’ll probably freak if she finds out we loaded up on candy.”
Seth chuckled. “If she’s making dinner, you can count on that.”
Jesse bought their favorites and tucked the bags and bars into his coat pockets. “Then we’ll sneak them in, just like I snuck in a couple of bottles of whiskey.”
“You do realize how silly that is. We’re both over twenty-one,” Seth reminded him.
“Explain that to Mom. She still fusses. But there’s not too much she can say—I saw Dad sneaking a few bottles in too,” Jesse said.
“You really think she doesn’t know? When did anything happen that she didn’t know about? She’s just humoring us. Mom knows it’s more fun if she pretends we got one over on her.”
Seth’s phone buzzed with a text, and he glanced at it. “Dinner’s ready. We’d better go.”
“Race you!” Jesse took off as soon as they were out of the door. Seth jogged the distance instead of running. “I win!”
Seth shrugged. “Who’s sweaty, and who isn’t? I’d say that’s a win for me,” he replied with a cocky grin.
The smell of meatloaf filled the camper as Linda pulled the pan from the oven. “Wash up and sit down,” she said without looking up as they entered.
Seth waited his turn for the small bathroom. He opened a drawer looking for hand cream and recoiled when he saw a handgun inside.
“What the fuck?” he muttered. “Mom! Why is there a gun in the bathroom?”
The others came running, crowding into the small space outside. “What are you talking about?” Linda demanded. “What gun? We don’t own a gun.”
Seth opened the drawer and pointed. “That gun.”
Brian looked at him, worried. “Son, there’s nothing in there.”
Seth stared into the empty drawer. “There was a gun in that drawer a few seconds ago. And not my service piece.”
Brian laid a hand on Seth’s shoulder. “Let’s go eat. Everything’s better with a full belly.”
Linda gave Seth a worried look and headed for the kitchen. Jesse hung back until they were gone. “What’s going on?”
“Later,” Seth replied, closing the drawer and opening it several times to assure himself that the gun wouldn’t magically appear.
Seth couldn’t shake the feeling that everything about the fifth-wheeler was slightly wrong. He’d been inside a few times out of curiosity before they left home, and each visit reinforced his conviction that the trailershouldhave been different.
There were photos set around that aren’t here. The bedspread ought to be another color. Something isn’t right.
“Seth?” Linda sounded worried.
