Me.
Chapter Twelve
“Tell me once more what you were doing in the woods tonight, boy,” Deputy Jon said to Brent.
I headed for them. I wanted to hear what Brent had to say, too.
“I told you four times already, I was just out taking a walk!” Brent’s gaze slammed into mine as I approached. “Anna! Anna, I have to talk to you!”
“You’re not talking to her, son.” My dad strode toward him. “You’re coming to the station, and you’re talking to me.” His gaze cut toward the other men. “I got this,” he said to the deputies. “You scout the area and see what kind of tracks you can find.”
Brent shook his head. “You know I didn’t do this, Sheriff! It was an animal attack, for Christ’s sake!”
“Yeah…” My dad’s voice dropped. “But you got a bit of an animal in you, don’t you, Brent?”
Brent’s stare held mine. I wondered…why did monsters have to hide behind such perfect faces?
***
I went to the sheriff’s station. It wasn’t as if my dad gave me much choice on that one. And it sure wasn’t as if I wanted to stay behind.
My dad talked to Brent alone. I sat in the waiting room, my gaze darting around the empty walls. Dad had taken all the bulletin boards down. For me. He was always trying to protect me.
“Brent’s mother will be arriving soon.” This came from Deputy Jon. He whistled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Won’t be much more questioning done tonight. Not once she gets here.”
Shirley frowned as she looked up from her magazine. “Don’t know why he’s grilling that poor kid anyhow. Didn’t an animal get a hold of Helen?”
“Looks that way.” Jon said, but I felt his gaze dart to me. “Another animal attack in Haven.”
“You have a lot of those,” I muttered, rubbing my sweaty palms on the front of my jeans.
“Yes.” His breath sighed out. “We do.”
I swallowed. “I—is Rafe still here?” I wanted to talk to him. To tell him what had happened. Rafe had been locked up, so he couldn’t have—
But Deputy Jon shook his head. “His dad came for him two hours ago. Ben cut him loose with a warning.”
Just like that, my certainty that Rafe couldn’t have hurt Granny Helen vanished.
My dad’s office door jerked opened. He came out, jaw tight, and he quickly secured the door shut behind him. I stood and hurried to him. “Dad?”
“He stuck to his story. Said he found the body and tried to help her.” His voice was so low that only I could hear him.
“Do you believe him?” I asked as I leaned close.
“Doesn’t matter. I know I can’t prove anything, either way, not yet.” Frustration boiled in his words. “But I’m heading to that hospital, and I’m staying there until Helen opens her eyes. Then I’m getting the truth from her.”
Because only Helen would be able to tell him what had really happened.
The station’s door flew open. A woman, tall, beautiful, with perfect make-up applied even though it had to be nearing three a.m., rushed inside. “Where’s my son?” she demanded in a voice that dripped ice.
My dad sighed, but immediately pasted on his “Sheriff” face. The bland, semi-genial expression he used when he had to deal with the public. “Brent’s waiting in my office, Mrs. Peters.”
Her gaze snapped to him, and in that instant, she seemed to weigh him, sizing him up kind of like a really beautiful snake would assess her prey.
My dad eased away from me. He headed back across the room and opened his office door. “Brent, your ride’s here.”
Brent appeared in the doorway.
Mrs. Peters walked toward them, her heels clicking. Really? Heels? At this time of night? “Why was my son in your custody, Sheriff?”
“Because we found him at the scene of an animal attack.” My dad crossed his arms and raised a brow. “Alone, unsupervised, wandering the woods at night…bringing him in was the only safe thing to do.”
Her spine straightened. “Right. Then I appreciate your concern for his well-being.” She didn’t sound like she appreciated it. She sounded like she was choking down nails. She motioned to Brent. “Come on, honey, let’s get you home.”
Brent glanced my way. I wouldn’t meet his stare.
I heard him sigh before he followed his mother.
“Mrs. Peters…” My dad’s casual voice stopped her, and her clicking heels. She looked back at him. He cleared his throat and asked, “Aren’t you curious at all about why your son was in those woods?”