Page 5 of Sloth
“Leave? Sweetheart, we’re not going to leave you here alone. We’ll stay. All of us. For as long as you need us to.”
“Being honest, Mary, I’d much rather be alone,” Erin admits, looking drained of emotion. She adored my brother, and I hate seeing her hurt.
“It’s not safe,” Dad speaks up for the first time since we got back to the house, and his voice comes out so weak. He’s still sitting at the exact same spot at the table; he hasn’t moved in all this time. “Someone killed Matthew. How do we know that that someone is done?”
“Bryce!” Mom gets up from the chair she’s in to wrap her arm around Erin’s shoulders. “Don’t scare the poor girl.”
“I’m not tryin’ to scare her, Mary, it’s the truth. It ain’t safe, not for any of us.”
I see disappointment on Erin’s face instead of fear. I guess she really does want to be alone, but unfortunately, Dad’s right; until we know who did this, we can’t guarantee her safety or ours.
“You guys should head home, get some sleep. I’ll stay here with Erin.” It ain’t much that I can do for her, but it’s something. Soon as Mom and Dad leave, I’ll lock the place up and head to the spare room so Erin can have some downtime. Though I won’t be getting much sleep tonight, I’ll be too busy trying to figure out who would want my brother dead.
“There, problem solved.” Erin turns to my parents and puts on a brave smile.
“I don’t know.” Mom shakes her head. “You should really be around family at a time like this.” She’s not gonna back down easily.
“Mary, the girl said she wants to be alone. We can come back in the morning.” Dad stands up quickly, placing his hat back on his head and bending down to kiss Erin’s cheek. “You knowwhere we are. Get you some rest,” he whispers before hobbling to the door and holding it open for Mom.
“Are you sure? It really would be no bother for us to stay,” Mom checks again.
“I’m sure.” Erin nods, standing up and seeing Mom to the door. “Luke will take care of me.” She smiles over at me gratefully, and I should go straight to hell for the warmth it puts in my chest. “Thanks for everything.” She looks back to my parents.
“If you need us,CALL.” Mom waggles her finger at her, while Dad continues to usher her out the door, and when Erin finally closes it behind them, she takes a long, deep breath before she turns back around to face me.
I’m expecting her to lose the brave act and burst into tears, but instead she keeps that expressionless look on her face as she makes her way to the kitchen.
“You wanna drink?” she offers.
“Thanks, but I don’t think I could drink another drop of coffee.”
“I meant a proper drink.” She turns around from the kitchen cabinet, holding a bottle of single malt in her hand.
“That's a good one.” I step closer, taking it from her hands so I can examine it. “A real good one.”
“Mayor Carson got it for Matthew as a wedding gift. He was saving it for a special occasion. I guess there won’t be any of those coming.” Snatching it back outta my hand, she pops it open, reaches for a tumbler, and fills it quarter way up.
“Whoa…That's quite the measure, darlin’,” I warn her, feeling my eyebrows raise.
“It’s been a hell of a day.” She takes her first sip before grabbing a glass for me.
“I’ll pour my own.” Taking the bottle from her, I pour myself a more sensible measure. I'm here to protect her; I need to bealert. “So do you have any idea who might have done this?” I ask, taking a seat at the table and wondering if she lied to Nelson. She may not be mine, but I’ve spent a lot of time studying her over the years, and I can sense she’s hiding something..
“If I did, don’t you think I would have told Sheriff Nelson?” She shrugs, focusing on spinning the liquid around in her glass.
“Not if you're afraid of something. You were his wife, Erin, you knew him better than anyone. Was Matthew in some kinda trouble?”
Nelson was right, it’s unlikely that this was a random attack.
“I’m not afraid, I’ve already suffered the worst that can happen,” she assures me, and I guess she’s right. To love someone and lose them must be the worst pain imaginable.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, but I ignore it. I already know it’ll be Koben wanting an update. My brother's best friend has been calling all day, and I know I should answer even though I got nothing more to tell him. Koben’s a hot head; he’s gonna be on a one-man mission to find and destroy the person responsible for this.
“Think, Erin, anything could help.” I try to get her brain working.
“Matthew never spoke to me about stuff like that. Maybe you should ask the boys.” I find it hard to believe that Matty wouldn’t confide in her; she was his soul mate after all.
“Erin, there has to be something; even if it seems small, it could help. I need to know that this is over.” I can’t bear the thought of her being in danger.
