Page 16 of Shining Pearls
“Right?!?” I bugged my eyes out at him.
“I sure wouldn’t mess with her,” Dean revealed.
Visualizing tall Dean and diminutive Meg having a physical altercation was ridiculous. I knew Dean would never raise his hands in anger at a woman, but I had the feeling that wouldn’t stop Meg from going crazy on him. I’d already seen her attack Alex on the sidewalk with violent punches to his chest, and it felt like it was only a matter of time until she took her rage out on me.
Even though I was several inches taller than Meg, I had no doubt that she was far more vicious than I would ever be. She likely wouldn’t fight fair, and since I’d never been in a fight before, the odds were not in my favor.
“I wouldn’t mind seeing you two go at it, though… Maybe in a pit with some mud or Jell-O to wrestle in.” Dean’s expression was glazed as he pictured it.
“Eww.” I half-heartedly smacked at his chest to pull him out of his naughty daydream.
Properly chastised for where his mind had gone, Dean changed the subject by asking, “Did you hear they found some more blood in the woods that they think might belong to Kevin Durley?”
I shook my head. “I can’t believe they still haven’t found him. Claire said she stabbed him in the head, so it’s highly unlikely that he could survive that for long, right?”
“I don’t know,” Dean shrugged his shoulders. “The police think someone might be helping him hide, but he has to be severely injured. I always felt bad for the guy, but keeping Claire as a prisoner in that disgusting basement was absolutely inexcusable.”
One of Dean’s friends on the police force had shown Dean photos of the bare-boned room where Kevin had imprisoned Claire. Just Dean’s description of the pictures made me shudder at the thought of anyone having to spend a year trapped in those dank, dirty conditions.
I’d only seen Kevin a few times, since my arrival in Brunswick Bay Harbor a couple of years ago. He mostly kept to himself, stalking around town with his head down, hiding his face.
Although I’d never felt like it was any of my business, since he was practically a stranger to me, curiosity got the better of me. Turning to face Dean, I asked, “How did he get those burns?”
Dean’s voice was somber when he answered. “It was just a tragic accident that ended up ruining their entire family. He was a toddler when it happened. He reached up and pulled a pot of boiling water down off the stove. The scalding water caused third degree burns over much of his face and one of his ears.”
My hand went to cover my mouth as I pictured an innocent young boy going through something so horrific.
“His mother blamed herself for not keeping a closer eye on him. She ended up committing suicide later that year. His father blamed Kevin for his mother’s death and never forgave him for it.”
I stared at the chipping, white porch slats on the floor in front of the swing as I said, “That’s awful.”
“Yeah, it really was. Kevin’s whole life was set on a miserable path from that one brief incident. The kids at school were always mean to him because he looked different.” Shaking his head, Dean added, “I don’t think there’s been much––if any––happiness in his life since that fateful day.”
It was a horribly sad story, but it didn’t give Kevin the right to steal Claire from her life and hold her against her will.
“It’s too bad someone didn’t reach out and try to be kind to him.” I silently berated myself for not being that person. It wouldn’t have taken much effort on my part to greet him and try to be friendly, but I hadn’t ever bothered. It had been easier to ignore the man who stalked around town with an obvious chip on his shoulder.
Dean nodded before revealing, “Ironically, I think Claire was the only one who was ever really nice to him.”
“What?” I asked, feeling stunned by this revelation.
“Yep,” Dean confirmed. “Kevin was in Claire and Alex’s class in school. There were only ten people in their graduating class.”
I snorted at the tiny number of students in their class. I’d always known this town was small, but that was even less than what I had assumed.
Dean seemed lost in thought as he went on. “Alex was the wrestling star, and Claire was his girlfriend and greatest cheerleader. Those two were the epitome of the perfect, popular couple.”
I tried not to cringe as I thought of young Alex and Claire as charmed high-school sweethearts. I didn’t want to be the reason their ideal romance faced a rocky road. My attempt to keep my expression neutral must have been successful because Dean forged on. “They were a few years ahead of me in school, and we all looked up to them. They seemed untouchable.”
Being homeschooled, so I could focus on my training, had meant that I had missed out on all of the complicated relationship dynamics that took place in public school.
“Everyone always knew those two were destined to be together.”
I tried my best to hide my wince. He went on, not seeming to notice how his words cut me to the core.
“With such small class sizes, each person had a role to fill. Kevin Durley’s was the outcast, but it was a well-known fact that Claire went out of her way to be nice to him. In fact, I heard her and Alex having a heated argument about it in the hallway once. Alex claimed Kevin had a crush on Claire, and he didn’t like her leading him on.”
I struggled to absorb this news. The entire situation seemed even more heartbreaking, since Kevin was a classmate that they had known nearly their entire lives.
