AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She meets me in the front hall and takes me in her arms. “I expected to hear from you sooner.”
“I spent the weekend in jail,” I say into her shoulder.
“I’m aware. I’ve been following you on the news.” With one arm around my waist, she walks me outside to my favorite chair on the porch.
Sitting down in the chair next to me, she eyes the scabbed-over wounds on my knuckles. “What happened to your hands?”
“You know what happened. I thought I was better. But I’m so much worse. I’m on edge all the time. I feel like a ticking time bomb.”
A grave expression crosses her face. “Do you want to try medication?”
I hang my head. “Not really. I just want to feel normal. To be normal. To live a normal life.”
She chuckles. “There’s no such thing, my friend. Everyone has problems. Some are better at hiding them than others.”
“So I’m doomed to a lifetime of being angry.”
“Not at all. You were making great strides. This is just a setback. While you’ve learned coping mechanisms for handling your anger, you never fully addressed the source.”
“And how do I do that?”
She raises an eyebrow. “You tell me.”
I’m silent for a long time before responding. “By apologizing to Bert’s family.”
“And . . .” She gestures for me to continue talking.
“How can I forgive a dead woman?”
“It’s not about your mother, Will. This is about you. You know where to find her.”
I jump to my feet, suddenly eager to get these things off my chest. “I need to go.”
She rises from her chair and follows me to the door. “I’m hesitant to let you leave. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine. I’ll text you later. Thank you, Clemmy.” Pecking her cheek, I hurry out to my truck and speed off back towards Water’s Edge.
* * *
I’m surprised when Bert’s sister answers the door. Kristy hasn’t aged well. She’s put on weight, and her skin has an unhealthy pallor, as though she spends too much time indoors. While she’s too old to be living with her parents, the ring finger on her left hand is bare.
“Will! What’re you doing here?”
“I’d like to speak with your parents if they’re around.”
She casts a nervous glance towards the kitchen. “They’re here. Mom’s in the kitchen. We were making pumpkin bread. Dad’s taking a nap though.”
Mrs. Lewis sticks her head into the living room from the kitchen. “Kristy? Who’s at the door?” Her face falls when she sees me, and she moves towards me, wiping her hands on her apron. “What’re you doing here, Will?”
“I’d like to talk to you about Bert’s accident.”
“Now that you’ve been accused of another murder? Whatever it is you want from us, we can’t possibly help you.”
Kristy appears horrified. “Mom! That’s uncalled for.”
“Why are you here?” Mr. Lewis grunts as he rolls his walker into the room. He’s hunched over with a drawn face and stringy gray hair. Like his daughter, the years have not been kind to him. Losing his only son took a lot out of him.
Mrs. Lewis glares at me. “He wants to talk about Bert’s accident. Now, after all these years.”
