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“No, that bridgewassomething to meyearsago, Garrett. That’s the problem with all this. You don’t remember what happened, she was killed atourspot, you admitted she takes you home, and now, you magically find a cell phone there? Come on.” Beth jerked at the door, tearing it from Garrett’s grip. “Get an attorney and leave me alone. You’re in over your head, and I don’t even know what I believe. I thought I could get peace ofmind by coming to talk to you. Instead, I’m more freaking confused than ever.”
Garrett stared at her in disbelief as she slammed the door and reversed out of his driveway. She had come there with the same suspicions as everyone else.
And suddenly, Garrett had a strong urge to have a drink.
Chapter 19
“Holy crap,it’s packed in here,” I grumbled to Mom as we stepped into the church. I hadn’t wanted to show face at Sarah’s funeral, but I forced myself to anyway. I was still trying to process last night and come to terms with the fact that everything was pointing right at him.
Though, still, I tucked his illegally owned gun under my bed instead of handing it over.
“Beth, come on,” Mom nudged me. “We’re blocking the aisle way.”
“Sorry,” I muttered under my breath, brushing away the nerves that had me feeling sick. I hadjustbeen in this church, up front with the family for my father’s funeral. Now, here I was again. For Sarah.
We slid into one of the back rows of the sanctuary, which was easily over its maximum capacity. There were a lot of familiar faces, but also a lot of unfamiliar ones. I swallowed hard, noticing a few people glance back at me—one of those faces being Lucas Wilson.
Ugh.
I diverted my eyes to Blaze, who was standing in the front corner of the old church in his uniform, his arms folded across his chest. There were law enforcement officers scattered about, and their presence wasn’t surprising to me—I knew the drill…
And it was a solemn reminder of my predicament.
I looked away from Blaze, scanning the room. There was one person that I had yet to see in the sea of faces, and while I shouldn’t have, I looked for Garrett anyway. Rolling my shoulders to relieve some of the tension, I shifted in the pew beside my mom.
Mom leaned over, whispering. “You okay?”
I nodded, dropping my eyes to the bright, smiling face of Sarah Armitage on the funeral program sitting in my lap. The photo appeared recent, though it was hard to be certain. Her blue eyes were potent, as if they were boring into mine from the page. Crushing guilt rushed back, making my chest suddenly feel tight. I flipped the paper over abruptly, shaking my head as the piano began to play.
Mom’s hand landed on mine, giving it a light squeeze. I glanced over at her just in time for her to give me a reassuring half-smile. I returned it before focusing on the crowd once more.
Why is Garrett not here? Where would he be?
My mind ran back to the lingering question I had after talking with Blaze in the living room and especially now that Garrett had given me too much information. Why wasn’t it in the report that I had spoken with Garrett that night? It made it seem likeIwas withholding information—just like I also held back that dark stain on his shirt. I closed my eyes.
Why did I hold that back? Did I hold back anything else?
I could hardly hear the alto singingI’ll Fly Away, her voicesounding distant as my ears began to ring. My knee bounced nervously, and I blinked to clear my blurry vision. It was as if I was on the verge of passing out...Except I wasn’t.
“She was her daddy’s sweetheart, her momma’s angel, and to know her was to love her,” Pastor Frank began, his voice somber. “What happened was horrific and has left us all reeling. I’m praying that we find answers soon.” Everyone nodded, a few muffled sobs breaking out across the room. I glanced over to my mom, whose eyes were glassy with moisture as well.
Everyone loved her.
Well, someone didn’t… Or maybe they loved her too much?
My thoughts were bugging me as I continued to try and pay attention. One of Sarah’s brothers read her obituary, adding his own commentary. All the while, I tried to tell myself this was just another funeral. However, he wasn’t quite finished when the doors of the church were slung open, the sound of the handle slamming into the wall echoing through the sanctuary. I spun around, my mouth dropping open.
Oh no…
No, no, no.
My eyes locked with Garrett’s as he stumbled into the church, his eyes red and clothes ruffled. It appeared he had attempted to make himself look nice, his jeans starched and western button down mostly clean... But he was definitelyhammered.
“Get him out of here!” a voice called out as the music abruptly stopped, the church falling into dead silence.
“Shut the hell up, Ty,” Garrett bellowed, pointing him out of the crowd. He then turned his attention right back to me. “Beth, we need to talk. It ain’t cool the way you just ran off lastnight?—”
“You gotta get outta here.” Blaze appeared from nowhere, heading right for Garrett. My eyes were wide as I watched Garrett shove at Blaze, still trying to make his way to me.
