“That’s all?” Aunt Al said. “That’s what dogs do.”
“Damaged my personal property, is what he did,” Maddox said. “He’s got to go down. I’m not here to discuss it. I’m here to see this dog put down.”
“You’re not the boss anymore,” Uncle Clarence said.
“But I can still kick your ass. You don’t got a gun, Clarence, I got my revolver.”
“I got a gun,” Uncle Clarence said.
“Go get it,” Maddox said. “Bring it out back.”
Dog had been growling and squirming in Maddox’s hand the whole time. Maddox barged through the living room and out the back door into the little yard between the house and the woods. Uncle Clarence disappeared and came back a moment later, carrying a rifle.
“Dad, you can’t kill Dog,” Joe said.
Uncle Clarence ignored him. “You all stay in here,” he said, and went through the back door after Maddox.
We all stood there paralyzed. I was half in shock. I knew Uncle Clarence hadn’t wanted Joe to get Dog, but I couldn’t believe he’d shoot the little guy. I looked over at Joe. He said nothing, but his face was ash-colored.
We heard an incredibly loud shot that echoed up in the hills behind the house.
And then Dog started barking. We ran to the back door. The sun had set, but in the fading light, we could see Uncle Clarence standing there with the rifle in his hands. Maddox was lying faceup in Uncle Clarence’s freshly planted vegetable garden. His leg was twisted awkwardly to the side, and I could tell he was dead.
“Good Lord, Clarence,” Aunt Al said.
“Thought he was a bear,” Uncle Clarence said. “Heard a noise out back and went to investigate. You all were inside. You didn’t see nothing.”
He looked down at his rifle. “Thought he was a bear,” he said again.
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
And that was what Uncle Clarence told the policemen who came to the house. Thought he was a bear. It was dark. Maddox was big as a bear and was wearing that black sweatshirt. When the police asked Uncle Clarence what Maddox had been doing in the backyard, Uncle Clarence said he didn’t know because he hadn’t asked him because he thought he was a bear.
Aunt Al, who had Earl in her lap, said we’d all been inside and hadn’t seen anything. Joe and I nodded in agreement. No one mentioned the business about Dog. The police roped off the backyard, sent for an ambulance to pick up the body, and brought Uncle Clarence down to the station for questioning. Aunt Al called Uncle Tinsley to come and get me. When he arrived, she briefly told him the same story we told the police. Uncle Tinsley listened quietly. “I see,” he said.
We were both silent most of the way home, then Uncle Tinsley finally said, “Thought he was a bear, did he?”
“Yep,” I said.
Uncle Tinsley had his eyes on the road. “Well, that’s an explanation people around here can live with,” he said. “I know I can.”
We drove a little farther in silence, and then he looked over at me. “You seem to be holding up pretty well,” he said. “You feeling okay?”
“Yep,” I said.
I’d never seen a dead person before. I thought it might be upsetting, but it just wasn’t. Maddox getting killed didn’t make me what I would call happy, even though I’d wanted to kill him myself. Maybe I was numb. What I did feel was extremely focused, like I was going through a tunnel and couldn’t afford to look to either side, but instead had to pay complete attention to what was in front of me and keep moving forward.
Uncle Tinsley rolled down his window and took a deep breath. “Smell that honeysuckle,” he said.
By the time we got home, the moon was out, skinny and silver. The porch lights were on, and Liz was standing at the top of the steps waiting for us.
“What happened?” she called out.
“Maddox is dead!” I shouted.
Uncle Tinsley and I climbed the front steps. “It was getting dark, and Clarence Wyatt heard a noise behind the house,” Uncle Tinsley said. “He says he thought it was a bear and shot it. Turned out to be Maddox.”
Liz stared at us a moment. “I feel dizzy,” she said. “I feel sick. I need to lie down.”
She ran into the house. I followed her up to the second floor and down the hall to the bird wing. She threw herself on the bed, but after a moment, she sat up and started rocking back and forth.
“Uncle Clarence didn’t think Maddox was a bear,” Liz said. “What really happened?”
I sat down next to her and started explaining, and Liz burst into tears. “It’s okay,” I said.