Hold Me Tight(72)

At least at the end, Tim and I were on the same side, fighting for what truly matters. Nothing can take that away from me. Coupled with the insight that my father just shared, I think I can finally stop beating myself up over what happened, then and now.

But I’ll never be able to forgive Conrad for setting this in motion and Lauren for carrying it out. The damage they inflicted lives on. The guilt they shared can’t be washed away so easily.

I look down the hill and see Will standing beneath a tree while Ben and his parents stoically shake hands with the mourners who remain. Ben is still in a stupor. Half the town views him with suspicion, wondering how such a nice young man could have shot the editor of the Gazette, while the other half thinks he’s a hero for gunning down a madwoman after watching her murder his brother. Public opinion is definitely mixed as evidenced by the light turnout. No one wants to cross the Prices, even in death.

Lauren’s funeral, on the other hand, bore all the pomp and circumstance of a royal wedding. Conrad had a horse-drawn carriage strewn with roses carry her to the family plot. She was laid to rest yesterday as dignitaries and politicians descended to pay their respects. I only heard what Will told me bitterly over breakfast in the hospital cafeteria as he skimmed through a copy of the Gazette somebody had left behind. The front page contained a full-color photo of Lauren, and inside there was a complete pictorial spread of the procession. It’s sickening that someone so evil should warrant that much attention.

Some people are starting to whisper and point at Will, no doubt wondering why he’s hanging around. Yeah, it’s common knowledge that he works with Ben at the garden center, but now is a time for family and close friends. His presence is getting conspicuous. He’s drawing attention to himself for all the wrong reasons. Everyone knows he was in league with Lauren this summer to put together the gala for the film festival. He shouldn’t be here right now.

I jog down the slippery grass, leaving my father behind, and make a beeline straight for Will. He’s dressed to kill in an Armani suit he refused to pawn. He definitely doesn’t fit in among people like my dad, who pulls out the one suit he owns for occasions like this. I know he wants to be here for Ben, but now even his parents are starting to notice him. They’re going to wonder why, thinking he’s one of the Prices’ spies.

“C’mon, man. Time to get back to the hospital,” I greet him, tossing an arm around his shoulders getting him to walk with me.

“Look at him,” Will cries, digging in his heels. “I can’t leave him. Not like this.”

“You’ll see him later,” I insist, pushing him along. “You don’t want to blow your cover now, do you?”

“No,” he moans pitifully. “But I’m only doing this for his sake. I could care less what these people think. Besides, I don’t know how much longer I’m going to have with him.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, pulling up short.

“I got a call from Warren after he heard about Lauren,” Will says, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I guess he’s back together with Dave and they’re still interested in the screenplay. They want me to come out to L.A. at the beginning of the year and work on it with them.”

“And you’re going to leave Ben?” I ask, shooting a quick glance behind us. “You’re going to break him if you go now.”

“Eric, what choice do I have?” Will groans in frustration. “Do you really want me in your parents’ guest room once the baby comes?”

I haven’t even thought that far ahead, what with everything going on, but he’s right. There’s hardly room enough in my parents’ house now, and spring is a long way off. I can’t expect Will to wait around for Ben to graduate.

“When are you going to tell him?” I inquire once we reach my truck.

“Soon, just not today,” he responds glumly. “He hasn’t been himself since all this happened. He’s lost inside of himself, retreating to a place where I can’t follow. I just don’t know how to reach him.”

“Keep trying,” I encourage, not wanting to face the bleakness of Ben’s new reality. “Don’t give up on him.”

“I could never give up on him,” Will proclaims adamantly, hoisting himself into the truck. “I just might not have a choice. I can’t very well crawl through his bedroom window tonight when his parents are asleep, and he’s not answering any of my calls.”

“He’s just in a state of shock,” I reply, hoping I’m right, as I turn the key in the ignition. “He’ll come around. He just needs some time.”