A Cry in the Dark (Carly Moore #1) - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,43

to warn you that Hank is known for being a cranky bastard.”

Great. I could only imagine how well he’d take this news. But I’d made a promise and I intended to see it through. “Thanks for the warning.”

“Tell him that Franklin and I are so sorry about Seth, and that we’ll do anything we can to help.”

A lump formed in my throat and I nodded, croaking out a “yeah” as I climbed out of the car.

Ruth drove off as I approached the information desk in the lobby, trying to pull myself together. It struck me that I’d been so worried about getting here, I hadn’t thought enough about how Mr. Chalmers would react. Would he want to talk to me? Would he be upset that I’d withheld information from the sheriff?

There was only one way to find out.

The elderly woman at the front desk looked up Hank Chalmers’ room number, then told me how to get there. Stalling, I considered getting flowers or something from the gift shop, but it felt wrong. There was something disrespectful about handing him a smiley face mug with daisies and then saying, “Oh, by the way, I saw the men who shot your grandson and held his hand while he died.”

No. The only thing I could give him was the truth about what had really happened to Seth. I suspected it was the only thing that really mattered.

I got on the elevator and pushed the button to his floor. When it opened, a brown-haired man in a dress shirt and jeans bumped into me. I nearly called him out for his rudeness, but his hard brown eyes stopped me. He looked to be in his mid-thirties—definitely old enough to have manners—but I didn’t feel like saying so. At the moment, I didn’t have enough gumption to hold my own if he put up an argument.

I headed down the hall, and when I reached Hank’s room, I stood outside his door and took slow, deep breaths to calm down. I was scared to death and second-guessing every decision I’d made in the past twenty-four hours, but I was here. There was no backing down now.

Before I could change my mind, I knocked on the door. “Hello?” I called through the partially open doorway. “Mr. Chalmers?”

“I told you I ain’t got nothin’ to say,” a man called out.

I pushed it open anyway and walked in. An elderly man sat in the bed, the back upright. He was hooked up to several machines with wires attached to his chest and tubes in his arms, and a hospital tray was placed across his bed as well as a tray of barely touched food.

He waved his hand in dismissal and turned from me. “I’m not feelin’ up to physical therapy today. Just talk to Nurse Patty. She said it was okay.”

“Mr. Chalmers…” My voice sounded croaky, so I cleared my throat and tried again. “I’m not here to take you to physical therapy. My name is Carly, and I’m here about Seth.”

He turned his head to face me. “What about ’im?” he asked belligerently. “I already told you people he wasn’t mixed up in drugs.”

I swallowed, feeling lightheaded. “I’m not with the sheriff either.” I took a breath. “I was with Seth when he died.”

His eyes slowly widened, and his mouth formed an O. “You’re the one who found him.”

I nodded, tears filling my eyes. “Yes, sir.”

“And you came to see me?” he asked in surprise.

I moved closer to the side of his bed, grasping the handrail to keep myself upright. “Yes, sir. I hope that’s all right.”

Tears filled his eyes and he reached his wrinkled, age-spot-covered hand toward me.

I grasped it and held it tight, his grief breaking my heart.

“He loved you,” I forced past the lump in my throat, and tears leaked out the corners of my eyes.

“He was alive when you found him?” he asked, his hand beginning to shake.

I nodded. “He was. I’m so sorry. I tried to stop the bleeding, but he’d been shot twice at a close range.”

His chin quivered, and then he said, “The deputy said they didn’t know what happened. He said you didn’t see nothing.”

I hesitated, wondering how to broach this, then decided to tell him everything from the beginning. “I was asleep in my room when I heard a cry. I jumped out of bed and peeked through the blinds. That’s when I saw two men dragging Seth out of a motel room. They threw him down to the