25. Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-five
Remington James
“ C an we please normalize explaining?”
Do I really intend to make the trek to the rectory on one of my last nights in Lake Hollow before leaving for school? No flipping way. Did I want to bring it up to get their reactions? Oh, hell yes.
Charlie crosses his arms over his chest. “I didn’t know Daniel had anything to do with it, but WPL, I’d almost forgotten about it. There are stories about pranks or-”
He’s interrupted by Grady, “I’d never categorize any of it as pranks or jokes.”
“Let me guess, some more secrets about bad behavior, anyone else seeing a trend here, or is it just me?” I ask these cute but wildly aggravating men of mine. One of which has been playing me like a fool, with me falling right into his trap.
“We were all pretty young when anything relating to WPL stopped happening,” Wilder says waving us away from the sidewalk, a few steps into the alley. “Some fucked up kids decided to sign off on their crimes with it. Smash a street of car windows, scratch the initials into the cars, or throw a couple Molotov cocktails into the fence at the high school football field setting it on fire then burning the initials in the grass outside, uh… fuck, there was a lot.”
“A church group? You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” This is defying all explanation. I may not have grown up with a ‘religion’, but I don’t think any church would sanction out and out crime.
Cal and Charlie aren’t talking, but the looks they keep exchanging are speaking volumes. Whatever they’re thinking, is going to remain a secret.
I’m ready to call them on it when Keenan interrupts. He calls out as he approaches, “I need my bestie back, all of you scram.” But the way he comes to stand entirely too close to Grady, staring at him I’m sure he’d be okay with one of them staying.
As I’m pulled into the door at Hidden Treasures, I watch them go their separate ways. Cal has a heated exchange with Charlie next to his truck. I wish I could hear what’s being said. But as Wilder and Grady pull away in the pizza delivery guy’s Prius, the traffic is picking up and I’m too far away.
“So, I said oh sure, you’ve got all that ratty old fringe, by all means make that shit part of your centerpiece.” I turn back to Keenan as he finishes talking.
“Sorry… I.” I peek back out to see Charlie stepping back as Cal slams his truck door, he shakes his head before peeling away.
“Hmmm, girlie, I get it. If I was rolling in all that dick, well, I wouldn’t be here for one. Are you going to tell me finally… anything at all? It would be a shelter in place, needing sedation type situation if I was you. Whew.” He fans himself, acting like he’s fainting.
“You’re a riot. Cut it out.” I push him towards the back of the store. “I need advice.” When I give advice, I always end it with, ‘I don’t know, though’, so if it ruins their life, it isn’t technically my fault. Here’s hoping my bestie isn’t as shit at advice.
I bring him up to date. Including all the things thrown out at Grady’s cabin, and the necklace I found again the next morning back in my cabin. “Whoa, okkkkuurrr… girrll.” He pulls at one of his braids while biting his lip. “Yabba Dabba don’t… don’t be alone with any of them, don’t keep that horrifying necklace, don’t… oh, shit.” His eyes widen. “Uh, I’m going to tell you something. But I didn’t tell you, okay?”
More? “Hit me with it,” I say with my head in my hands.
“Your boyfriends planned a surprise going away party at the Funpark for you tomorrow night. Now, normally, I wouldn’t blow a surprise, but they only wanted a few people there. What if one of them… the lying bastard, gets you alone? Don’t go… or hell I don’t know… we start telling everyone and their uncle to come.”
They did that for me? My stupid persistent tears push their way up again for the bazillionth time this week. Even the threat of danger doesn’t stop me from wanting to go. “No, I’ll play along with their plans. But…”
We brainstorm until I come up with a surefire way to buffer myself from an attack. It’s a temporary fix, because our relationships won’t survive me holding them off. I tell myself it’s only until the liar is exposed. But what if that never happens? Not only will I get duped, but it’ll also destroy the bonds we all have.
“I think I know what to do.”
Uncle Skip is on a conference call with his hypothetical when I knock on his office door. It’s an hour until the Funpark closes, the Drive-In is starting to fill. “Can we talk?” I ask as he eagerly nods.
This conversation will tell me exactly how well our talk the other day went. “Your mural has been done for half a day and I keep getting calls looking for you from the city administrator about licensing for tourism, to do a news article, and,” he smiles wider, “a marketing firm from St. Paul has seen pictures of it and wants to offer you a mentorship.” I let him go on about it and nod as he talks. My mind is elsewhere.
“I need to tell you a few things…” My face crumples as the crying starts yet again.
He gets a panicked look on his face. “Oh no. Nat said you were sick for a couple of mornings. Are you pregnant?”
“What? Fuck no.” I shake my head. I get the assumption. What an absolute mess that would be.
My uncle is no stranger to odd. His parents were con artists, his sister stole his wife away, he has me as a niece, but even after all that he’s shocked into silence over all the things I’ve learned this summer about the drownings, the guys, about this town.
He groans dropping the pen he was chewing onto the desk. “I knew I should have moved onto the bowling alley in St. Anna. I had no idea.”
My lip trembles as I say, “I know about the surprise party tomorrow night. I need it packed full of people; I want you to invite everyone you can. I-I just need to stay surrounded.” I’m locking arms with Keenan and Natalie, so I don’t have to be on the lookout for an attack.
Skip does the unthinkable. He gets out of his chair, coming to kneel next to me. Wrapping his arms around me, his head muffled against my shoulder, he says, “Anyone hurts you, there might be another unsolved murder in Lake Hollow.”