This drew laughter from the cops. The sheriff flipped the toothpick around in his mouth.
“I’m glad this evening turned out well for you, Ms. Poésy, and no one was harmed.”
I lifted my hands, did a twirl. “All in working order, Sheriff Stone.”
He grinned, but it was the opposite of friendly. He gave Brando a hard look. “I mistook you as a thug, a piece of trash, just a worthless piece of shit. I guess when you work in my field, you come in contact with those types, even generations of those types. No blood, no foul.”
He stepped out of Brando’s line of sight. He walked closer to where I stood and looked me up and down in a way that made my blood run cold. “You’re turning into a fine young lady, Scarlett.”
I didn’t have to look to see that Brando had tensed. I could feel the shift, predict the outcome of the situation if I didn’t say the right thing, or do the right thing. Sheriff Stone was not really looking at me in that way, he just wanted to antagonize Brando.
“My daddy thinks so too, Sheriff Stone.” I fixed him with a hard look. I tucked my hands inside my arms, pinching myself to try and keep the fear in my body from turning into a tremble. “I’m sure he’d appreciate the help these men offered.”
He swung his torso to Brando, then back to me. “All right, since these villains have suddenly become heroes, let them go.” He lifted his hand in a swoop. He turned back to Brando but stopped when they were face to face. “We have visitors in town. Be sure to tell them hello from me.” He winked, laughed, a real bitter sound, and then started for his car.
“Sheriff Stone!” I shouted.
He stopped before he turned around. The lights of the store fell on his face, illuminating his hawk-like features.
“I was the one who stopped Brando from leaving that night—the night Elliott and Nick were killed by the train. Me. Not him. I forgot my teacher’s present and my mom made Elliott drop it off. He left and I—” I licked my lips, forcing myself to stare at Sheriff Stone and not meet Brando’s eyes. “I ran out to stop Elliott, to thank him.” I couldn’t tell him the real reason, or he might recommend that my parents have me committed. “Brando was already outside of the car. Nick never got out. He wouldn’t have stayed. His mind was set. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine. I stopped them. And if I wouldn’t have, perhaps they would have lived. Timing. Their timing was off. Because of me.” I stabbed myself in the chest with my pointer finger.
“What in tarnation are you talking about, girl?” one of the cops asked.
Sheriff Stone ignored him. “Did you know my boy was sweet on you?”
“Nick?” The name flew out, the shock in my voice true. He had made a few gestures that suggested he was sweet on me, as the sheriff had put it, but I also found him fondling my sister one night in my parents’ pantry, leaning over Eunice’s five-pound bag of sugar.
I’d be damned if I admitted that aloud though. The circumstances were torrid enough without me having to expand on the reason why I was there in the first place: to sneak chocolate cakes, the kind with the marshmallow center. My mother never allowed boxed sweets, so Eunice would hide them in the pantry for me from time to time.
“I only had the one,” he said.
“Oh.” I put my hand over my heart. I shook my head because I couldn’t answer. Despite his misplaced anger, the hurt he felt was too much like my own. My heart ached for him.
“He never got the chance to tell you.” His voice had gone low, deep. He turned to Brando, his eyes narrowing to hateful slits. “Some villains have all the luck, eh?”
Chapter Thirteen
Scarlett
“I bet you five dollars that you can’t stand on your toes in those shoes.”
I looked past my white tank, the red and black flannel shirt that I tied at the waist, all the way past my black leggings to my Doc Martens. I grinned at Mitch. “Make that twenty.”
He stuck a hand out. We shook.
“Deal,” Mitch smiled. He sat on one of the ten or so lawn chairs that faced the lake in front of a cluster of picturesque cabins. Penny sat off to his side, his arm around her waist, keeping