indecision on his face.
“I won’t cause any trouble. I just want some answers.”
“Sutton, the man is a real piece of work. I can’t see him giving you anything you want. What I can see is him lashing out at anyone that gets in his way.”
I swallowed, feeling resolved. “I know. But I just feel like I need to face him. He drove my mother away; he was the reason Martha and Earl went into hiding. He is the reason I grew up in a broken-down trailer. And now, he’s the reason my best friend is lying in a hospital bed. He may not have any answers for me, but I have some words for him.”
Knox was silent for a moment before nodding slowly. “Alright, I will run you over there after I check in with Candice.”
14
Sutton
There are defining moments in each of our lives. Moments you know you’ll always remember, no matter what happens afterward. The smell of Knox’s cop car. The shiny floors of the police station. The sounds of a typewriter somewhere in the next office over.
The way that Knox looked at me when he asked, “Are you sure you want to do this?”
Not only was I sure I wanted to, I knew I had to speak with Forrest. “Yes.”
The man wasn’t nearly as large as I had pictured him. Age obviously hadn’t been kind to him. Where he once must have been a handsome man, he now had a beer belly and ruddy skin from too much alcohol. It was then I noticed a definite rattle in his breathing. On the front of his shirt, I saw small red specks; was that blood? Forrest’s eyes were yellow and sunken. His mouth was drawn into a pinched line, and his bloodshot eyes shot daggers at me.
“You look just like the bitch,” he spat out.
And still, I didn’t speak, just stared at him. This man had ruined so many lives, and he still thought he could hurt me. I was done being a pawn in his game. Suddenly things became clear. Forrest wasn’t anything to me.
I stood up and turned to Knox. “Never mind, I have nothing to say to him.”
Forrest barked out an evil laugh. “No backbone, ay? Just like your bloody mother. She was a broken-down cunt. So what do you think that makes you?”
“Free,” I said.
“Free? What in the fuck does that mean?”
Knox grabbed Forrest’s cuffed hands and started hauling him back toward the cell. Every step of the way, Forrest spewed his venomous words. But they didn’t have the power to hurt me any longer. I refused to let this man have control or power over anything else in my life.
When Knox came back, he looked at me askance. “What changed your mind?”
“He’s sick, isn’t he?” I asked. I knew when someone was on death’s door. I’d seen it with Mama, and I could see it in Forrest’s eyes.
Knox shrugged. “I haven’t had a chance to have someone check it out yet, but he doesn’t look good. Mark’s on his way to pick you up. I’m sorry I can’t run you back home again. I want to try and get some names out of the bastard.”
I nodded. “No worries. I’m just going to walk down to Abberly’s. Would you ask Mark to meet me there?”
Knox nodded. “Sure, have the new deputy walk you down there. I know it’s only a few buildings, but I will feel better knowing that you are safe.”
I nodded and said goodbye. But when I came out of Knox’s office, I found that Katie was busy. I checked my phone and saw that I didn’t have any new messages. So rather than hang around, I dialed Sadie’s number and left the police station. I was just about to the sidewalk when I heard the squealing of tires.
“Sutton, move!” Someone screamed.
I jumped into the bushes just as a black car zoomed by, nearly clipping me.
“Stay down,” Brian yelled. A flurry of bullets exploded around me. I shrank against the earth, not caring that my face was likely being scratched by the prickly shrubs.
I saw the back window of the car blow out right before both rear tires were shot from my vantage point. The car skidded this way and that before it ran into the side of Abberly’s.
I prayed that nobody inside was hurt, but I didn’t dare move yet. The driver flew out of the car just when another shot came from the entrance of Abberly’s. Standing there in the doorway