Chapter 25
Ben rounded the corner to their houses. The first thing they noticed were the blue and red flashing lights and two patrol
cars in the front yard of Mylie’s house. Granny was standing in the front yard in her house coat, with Stanly leashed in front
of her, barking his head off.
“Can you guys hear Stanley barking?” Cassie asked. “I swear I hear him barking.”
“What is going on?” Mylie breathed.
Ben stopped the car just beyond the patrol cars.
Cassie got out and ran toward Granny. “Oh my God!” she yelled. “The front window is busted out!”
“What?” Mylie asked, sliding out of the front seat and hurrying around to where Cassie stood. “What the hell happened?”
There was glass everywhere.
“Did Stanley break through the window?” Mylie asked. “How would he even do that?”
“Maybe someone broke in?” Cassie asked.
“Someone threw a damn brick through the window!” Granny called from where she stood. Sheriff Oakes was inside the house. In
one hand, he held up a red brick.
“Stay out there,” the sheriff said, sensing Mylie was about to make her way inside. “I’ll let you know when I have the all
clear.”
“Are you okay?” Mylie asked Granny. “You’re not hurt, are you?”
“What about Stanley?” Cassie asked.
“We’re both fine,” Granny replied. “I was in the bathroom taking off my face, and I heard this god-awful racket from the living
room. I went out to check, and there was a damn brick lying on the carpet.”
The sheriff held the brick out to Mylie. “Don’t touch it,” he said. The front was smooth, it just looked like a brick. But
on the backside, written in bold black paint was one word— bitch.
“What is that?” Ben asked.
Mylie didn’t answer him.
“What an asshole,” Cassie said.
“Do you know who would want to do this?” Sheriff Oakes asked.
Mylie knew. She knew exactly who it was.
“It was Robbie Price,” Ben said when Mylie didn’t answer. “It has to be him.”
“We don’t know for sure it was him,” Mylie offered, even though she knew it was a lie. She knew he was a mean son-of-a-bitch,
but she still had a hard time grasping the fact that he would do something like this. But he’d known they were gone. He probably
hadn’t anticipated that Granny would be there, since she went to the dance every year.
“I ought to get my wooden spoon and whoop his hind end for this,” Granny said through clenched teeth.
“I’m surprised he even knows how to spell bitch,” Cassie said.
They all laughed, but Granny said, “That’s quite enough cursing out of you tonight, Cassandra.”
Cassie rolled her eyes. “Can I go inside, Sheriff?” She asked. “I just want to go to my room.”
Sheriff Oakes nodded. “Just don’t step on any glass on your way.”
“Am I allowed to curse, Granny?” Ben asked once Cassie disappeared up the stairs.
Granny nodded. “I reckon.”
“You ever get those cameras up and running?” the sheriff asked. “From a couple of summers ago when we had that Peeping Tom?”
Mylie shook her head. “We just have cameras at the warehouse, not here.”
“You know there won’t be a whole lot I can do about it then,” the sheriff said. “Even if you, me, and this whole town knows
it’s Robbie.”
“I know,” Mylie replied. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t make this an issue.”
“What do you mean?” the sheriff wanted to know.
“We need the report for insurance,” Mylie continued. “But I don’t want this investigated. There’s no point. All he wants to
do is upset me, and I’d rather not give him the satisfaction.”
Ben stared at her incredulously, but to Mylie’s relief, he didn’t say anything.
“I’ll make a report,” Sheriff Oakes replied. “I’ll take a few pictures for the file. I’ll keep it quiet.”
“Thank you,” Mylie said, reaching out to shake his hand.
“Mylie,” Granny said. “Why don’t you go ahead and walk Ben home. The sheriff and I can take it from here.”
“Okay,” Mylie replied. She walked out to meet Ben, who was now standing near the edge of the yard with his arms crossed over
his chest.
“Granny sent me to walk you home,” Mylie said to him. “I guess she thinks you can’t make it the eighty feet to your front
door.”
Ben didn’t smile. “Why are you letting him get away with this?” he asked quietly.
“Robbie?”
“Who else?”
Mylie sighed. “What do you want me to do? There’s no proof he did it.”
“But we know he did.”
“And what good would accusing him do?” Mylie asked.
“At least people would know,” Ben said.
“No,” Mylie replied. “No, they’d know I accused him. And he’d go around saying he didn’t do it. It would only make things
worse.”
“That’s why he keeps getting away with shit like this,” Ben protested. “That’s why nothing ever changes.”
Mylie glared at him. “You’ve been here all of ten minutes. You don’t get to have an opinion about whether things change or
not.”
“I’ve been here all of ten minutes, and I can already tell that nothing has changed,” Ben replied.
“Well, you certainly haven’t changed,” Mylie spat back.
“I guess that makes two of us,” Ben said.
Mylie stood there staring at Ben as he went inside and slammed his door.
She had a headache.
“Are you coming inside, or are you going to stand there all night looking confused?” Granny called from inside the huge hole
in the front window.
“It’s weird that I can hear you,” Mylie said.
Granny flipped her off.
“Okay, okay,” Mylie called. “I’m coming. Let’s get this cleaned up.”