Ch. 10: Truths

"You know…there are a lot of people who don't like you."

It was Zeke who came to them. He met them at the cabin and must not have been far because he beat them by a few minutes. When Walt pulled in and parked the Bronco, Zeke was sitting on the steps of the cabin. A folder sat on the step beside him. About the time they got out, he stood up, stretching his big frame out and running one hand over his abdomen as they approached.

Walt trailed just behind Vic as she fished for her keys and unlocked the door.

"Morning."

Zeke greeted her as she walked up the steps.

"You must have been close."

He gave her a sheepish look.

"I started this way before I called you. Figured you would be around at some point."

Vic made a face thinking about what Parker referred to as "the conditions of her bail." She was free physically, but not entirely. She opened the door and gestured for Zeke to go in, following along behind him.

She tossed her keys onto the desk with a metallic clatter. She noticed that he watched the move, his eyes following her keys as they slid to a stop.

"What?"

He reached over and picked up the keys.

"The key to your lockbox is on this?"

She nodded.

"Yeah."

"Do you always leave them there?"

Vic shook her head.

"Not all the time. When the kids are here…no."

"Where do you put your keys then?"

"Usually out of sight. Sometimes in my laptop bag."

He nodded and dropped the keys back onto the desk along with the folder in his hand.

"Mind if take a look at your lock?"

Vic gestured at the door.

"What are you looking for? Cady's already been in here."

He opened the door, bent down and studied the lock.

"Do me a favor. Lock me out. The knob and the deadbolt."

Vic pushed the door closed as he stepped out and turned the locks. Walt stood by observing in that way he did. There was a rattling in both locks. She knew that he was trying to pick them. After a couple of minutes, Zeke opened the door, came in, and closed it behind him.

He glanced up.

"Do you use this higher one?"

Vic shook her head.

"No, we got that when Julian first started staying here to make sure he didn't try and run away."

He looked around the cabin.

"It's not hard to break in here. The remote location would be helpful. Wouldn't have to worry so much about getting busted. Did Cady find any prints?"

"Yeah, but she's got to compare them to ours to see if something doesn't belong."

"Your doorknob lock is easy to pick. Deadbolts can be harder. Took me a minute to get that one. But, if someone knew enough to know how to do that, they would probably know to wear gloves."

It wasn't something she hadn't already considered. They both knew Cady processing the cabin was a long shot. But, it was one they had to take.

"What are you thinking?"

It was the first time that Walt spoke up since they all came in. He walked over slowly and took up a position beside Vic. Zeke retrieved his folder and looked at the couch.

"Let's sit."

He took the chair while they two of them sat down on the couch. Zeke leaned back and looked at Vic. He pulled a pen from his shirt pocket and opened the folder.

"You know…there are a lot of people who don't like you."

Vic huffed out a breath.

"I don't need a private investigator to tell me that."

Zeke smiled at her slightly. He knew her well enough.

"Both of you. Not just you."

Walt shifted beside her, settling in.

"You think this could be about me?"

"I think anything is possible. What better way to get to you than to go through Vic. It's almost better when you think about it. I've been asking around and you've stepped on a lot of toes over the years. But…not everyone carries a grudge So…"

His voice trailed off before he picked back up.

"Let's walk back some. Your last few months in office were…interesting."

Vic made a face.

"That's putting it mildly. It was a shit show."

Zeke smiled.

"Right. So…you took on the Irish mob, the Mayor of Durant, Jacob Nighthorse who ran the casino, and the ex-tribal police chief. Right?"

Walt nodded.

"That sums it up."

"Okay. Let's take them one at a time. The mob…"

Vic shook her head.

"They would just kill us. They wouldn't go to all this trouble."

Walt nodded in agreement.

"She's right."

Zeke seemed to also agree with Vic's assessment.

"The Mayor."

Walt frowned.

"He lost the next election. He ran for state office and lost. Haven't heard much about him lately. But, Sawyer Crane…"

Walt sighed.

"…I don't know that he would do this."

Zeke glanced down and made a note.

"We'll mark him a maybe. What about Nighthorse?"

"He's in prison. But…"

Walt shifted again and cleared his throat.

"…we reached an…understanding."

"An understanding?"

"I saved his life."

"Ah. Okay then. Maybe not. And…"

"Malachi Strand is dead. You can mark him off."

"No…associates who might come after you?"

"Not that I know of."

"That leaves Crane."

Walt cast Vic a look. She shrugged.

"He would have the means."

"Yeah."

Walt didn't sound convinced. Vic eyed him.

"What?"

"I've known Crane for a long time. I just don't know."

Zeke watched the exchange before he spoke.

"I'll do some digging and see what he's up to. I know that we could go way back talking about cases you've both worked and people you've pissed off, but that would take forever. Does anyone stick out in your mind?"

Vic wracked her mind and was coming up empty. They'd played with fire a lot over the years, but this didn't feel like some ordinary criminal who was pissed. This felt personal. She could see someone along the lines of Crane.

Zeke shuffled through the papers in the folder.

"What about…"

He paused and peered at a sheet of paper.

"The former Sheriff of Cumberland County?"

Vic looked up sharply.

"Wilkins? He was more or less working with Crane."

Walt mulled over that idea. Zeke leaned in somewhat.

"Didn't your son in law beat him in the last election?"

"Yep."

"He would certainly have the know how."

"Yep."

"Walt."

Vic was getting exasperated with his typical one word answers. He gave her a look.

"Jim Wilkins…I've known him for a long time…"

Vic sighed audibly.

"You've known everyone for a long time. That's not what he's asking."

He looked her way, hearing the tone in her voice.

"I'm not sure…."

"Do you believe he would do this or not?"

Zeke looked between them uneasily.

"I don't know."

He pushed the words out.

"He was a Sheriff for…years."

"That didn't stop him from trying to railroad your ass. He's short sighted and small minded just like everyone else out here."

She stood up abruptly.

"I need some air."

Stepping away, she walked out the door.

xxx

"You gonna go after her?"

Zeke waited until the door closed behind Vic before he spoke. Walt rubbed his palms together.

"No. She needs a minute."

"Or ten."

Walt inhaled deeply and looked at the door. He knew her well enough to know when to give her space. If he went out there now, it would not end well.

"She's under a lot of stress right now."

Zeke gave him a look that was full of empathy.

"I know. How's she doing?"

"Moody. She's trying."

He didn't fault her for any of it. Vic tended to be volatile when she was stressed out. This situation was no different. Truthfully, it was worse.

Walt turned his attention back to Zeke.

"I don't know if either Crane or Wilkins would try something like this. I would like to think not. But…who knows anymore. It seems like people are capable of things that we don't want to believe."

Zeke made another note.

"I'll look into both of them. See what they're up to. Is there anyone from Vic's past who might want some kind of revenge? I know she left Philadelphia under a cloud. It's happened before."

Walt reached up and ran a hand over his jaw. It certainly wasn't unprecedented. It wouldn't be the first time. But, it also felt like that well might be dry. Gorski was dead and not by Vic's hand. To him, that chapter felt mostly closed.

"I don't know. The people that were directly involved are dead or…she hasn't heard from them."

He hated saying he didn't know so much. He just didn't. These were pretty strong steps to take. To literally frame her for a crime. That took something. Neither of them had worked in law enforcement for some time now. It was hard to grasp someone holding onto a grudge for that long. Although, he knew from experience that it could happen.

The door opened and Vic walked back in. Her jaw was set. She came back over and sat back down.

"Sorry."

She mumbled the word. Zeke waved a hand at her.

"No worries. We were just talking about Philadelphia."

"What about it?"

"You think this could be related?"

She was quiet for a minute or two.

"I don't think so. That's…that's over."

Walt wondered if she knew that or hoped. That particular front had been quiet for some time now. Zeke seemed to accept what she was saying.

"Okay. If you think of something, let me know."

"Sure."

Zeke tapped his pen against the file in his lap.

"Let's go with this for now. Let me do some checking here and I'll get back to you as quick as I can."

He tucked the pen back into his shirt pocket and stood up. Walt stood up. Vic stayed where she was, looking somewhat lost in thought. Walt regarded her momentarily. Lifting his eyes to Zeke, he gestured.

"I'll walk you out."

Outside, they walked out to Zeke's truck and stopped. Zeke looked back towards the cabin.

"How are you?"

Walt didn't quite meet his eyes.

"Fine."

Zeke wasn't one to give up easily.

"You sure? I know you were having issues before all this. Can't be easy."

Walt ran one palm over his jeans. He wasn't good at talking about himself this way. Especially not with someone who wasn't Vic, or Cady sometimes.

"We're good."

Zeke studied him for a long moment and let it go.

"Alright. You need anything, call me."

Walt nodded. He watched as Zeke drove off.

He walked back inside to find Vic still sitting where he left her. His return seemed to snap her out of her thoughts. She looked up into his face.

"I'm sorry I lost my temper."

He shook his head. The last thing she needed was to worry about his feelings.

"It's okay."

"No, it's not. We're all working together here. I shouldn't have…lost my patience with you."

Walt smiled slightly to himself.

"You've been doing that for years."

She rolled her eyes and turned to face him.

"That's the truth. Still…I know it's not easy to look into the past and wonder how much someone hates you."

He looked down, breaking their eye contact.

"The idea…"

He started slowly, working his way into the conversation. There was no way to fully suppress the guilt once he considered this could be a result of something he had done.

"…that someone is trying to get back at me by coming after you…"

His voice faded out. Vic reached out and placed her hand on his chest. She waited until he looked back up and met her gaze.

"Walt."

She said his name with purpose.

"We don't know who this is. It could be someone I've pissed off. God knows I'm good at that. The last thing that we need is to jump to conclusions. Even…"

She paused and cleared her throat. He could see how reluctant she was to voice what she was about to say. But, she forged ahead.

"…even if this is about you, that doesn't make it your fault."

He nodded slightly and could see that she wasn't satisfied with his response.

"I mean it, Walt."

He took a breath and allowed her words to seep it.

He hoped he could believe them as much as she did.

xxx

Vic was in the barn with Lady. It was one of the few places she could find any solace. She stood inside the stall brushing the horse softly and methodically. At some point, this became a version of therapy for her.

Walt sensed the tension that was built up in her. He told her that he would take care of putting the kids to bed. Normally, she would have brushed the offer away. Bedtime was actually one of her favorite parts of the day. It was quiet and somewhat therapeutic in its own right. A few years ago, it was also something she never thought she would have.

Tonight, though, she was distracted and worried. It didn't seem to matter how much she tried not to be. The feelings were there all the same. So, she kissed both kids good night and grabbed her jacket to head for the barn. The weather was cold tonight she noted as she crossed the expanse of yard to the smaller of their two barns. She closed the door behind her to keep the intrusive chill out. The barn was sturdy and well built. There were no drafts to speak of. While it was cool inside, it lacked the bite of the outside air.

She grabbed a brush and started working on Lady's coat. The horse didn't mind the hour. She never did. She stood patiently and swished her tail while Vic ran the brush over her back and sides, taking care to pat the horse with her free hand as she went. The big animal felt solid under her hands, warm to the touch.

One thing Vic had grown to appreciate about horses, Lady in particular, was their lack of judgement. She supposed most animals were that way, but didn't have much experience with pets growing up. Her current frame of reference were horses. The horse didn't care who she was, what she had done, what she might do. She only cared that Vic was here right now brushing her. It was so simplistic in contrast to relationships with other humans.

There were no questions, no pushing. They simply were.

Who would have ever thought that a city girl would find so much peace in a barn with a horse?

Once she was satisfied that she brushed Lady thoroughly, she set the brush aside and walked slowly around to the front of the horse. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a slice of apple and offered it. The horse crunched it away almost immediately. Reaching up, Vic rubbed the horse's nose as Lady pressed up into her hands. Vic smiled.

Here, it was easy enough to pretend like the outside world didn't exist. It was easy to lose herself and block out everything that was bothering her, as though the barn walls were some sort of barrier.

The barn door opened and she knew without looking that it was Walt.

He closed the door behind him and his boots scuffled over the floor of the barn. A few seconds later, he appeared in her peripheral. Vic kept her eyes on the horse. A few minutes stretched out around them as she continued to look at the horse and Walt stood there not talking.

How was he so good at silence?

The quiet eventually overwhelmed her. Giving Lady one last pat, she stepped out of the stall and secured the door. Facing Walt, she leaned on it and folded her arms across her chest. He wore the baby monitor clipped to his belt. It was a funny sight seeing the small speaker clipped to a man like Walt with all his roughness.

"Did you need me for something?"

Walt studied her in a way that made her feel like he was looking right through her.

"I always need you."

She smiled slightly, unable to resist the urge.

"Something specific."

Walt shook his head.

"No. It's just been a while. I was worried."

She hadn't paid attention to the time. She didn't even have her phone with her having left it in the cabin on the desk. Feeling disconnected would have freaked her out once upon a time. But, maturity changed that. Being with Walt changed that. She learned the value of unplugging and giving her mind time to rest and recuperate. He showed her how to find real peace. He would deny that, of course. That didn't make it any less true.

"It's nice out here. Quiet."

His head bobbed up and down in agreement.

"Yep."

There was more silence. Not the heavy kind. This silence was…accepting. It was hard to describe. That was the word that came to mind. His eyes continued to rove over her face, taking her in. That was Walt, always thinking.

He took a couple of steps towards her and closed the distance between them. The move felt both physical and emotional. He didn't touch her, though. He just stood there and held her eyes with his own, refusing to release her. It didn't bother her. Not then.

He was still waiting.

Vic dropped her arms to her side and that seemed to be the move he was waiting for. He stepped in closer, his breath now warm on her skin. He smelled predictably good. Like…outside and something she couldn't name. Something that was just Walt.

Vic gave in to the primary impulse that took over when Walt was this close to her and they were alone. She stepped into him, pressing her face into his clothes. Vic took a deep breath as Walt lifted his arms and wrapped them around her. He pressed his chin into the top of her head.

They stood that way for a while. The only sounds around them were the horse's breathing and the occasional shifting of a hoof. Despite the chill outside and the coolness in the barn, Walt was as warm as any fire. Warm and sturdy. He always felt like something that she could brace herself against, something that would shield her from all that was bad in the world.

He didn't have that power, but it was a nice thought.

Vic took a breath and stepped back. Walt released her but kept his hands on her, resting them on her sides. Vic looked up into his face.

"Thank you."

Walt gave her a puzzled look.

"For what?"

She gave him a half smile.

"Worrying about me even though I don't want you to."

Walt huffed out an amused breath.

"It's my job."

"I know."

That was all she said on the topic. Vic turned away and Walt's hands slipped from her.

"We should get back."

"Vic."

He said her name quietly. She swiveled back to him and waited, not voicing any question. It was obvious he wanted to talk about something. For a moment, she waited. After that, he seemed to change course and looked towards the door.

"Let's go in."

He walked by her to the door, leaving Vic to follow.

xxx

Cady came into the cabin. She seemed ill at ease, her eyes shifting around. It was understandable. Vic was the primary suspect in a murder investigation and Cady was the Sheriff who originally caught the investigation. The fact that DCI had taken over the investigation did little to diminish their roles in all this. It might feel to Cady as though she were committing some breach of her office by being here.

But, above all else, they were family. That preexisting bond was stronger than any other doubts that Cady might harbor. Cady removed her jacket and draped it over the back of a chair, her eyes searching out Vic.

"Hey."

Vic was sitting on the couch. She looked up at Cady and gave her a smile that didn't really convince anyone in the room that she was anything other than stressed.

"How're you doing?"

Vic shrugged, trying her best to look nonchalant. To Walt, she failed. He suspected that she knew Vic well enough to recognize what he saw. A façade.

"Okay."

Cady nodded slightly and sat down. Walt walked between them and took a seat beside Vic. Cady had called him earlier and asked if she could stop by when she got off work. They hadn't really seen her outside of the office. Again, that was understandable.

"So…"

Walt already knew based on the way that Cady came in and starting this conversation, the news wasn't good.

"…we processed everything that we found in here."

She gestured around the cabin.

"Unfortunately, there was nothing helpful. We didn't find anything that didn't belong."

Vic made a face.

"No outside prints"

It wasn't a question and Walt could hear the disappointment in her voice. It was the same disappointment that coursed through him, a feeling that he kept quiet as Cady spoke. Cady shook her head.

"No."

Something crossed Cady's face and Walt leaned in, resting his elbows on his legs just above his knee.

"What is it?"

He could see the motion in Cady's throat as she swallowed.

"Whitlock isn't sharing with me. I've asked him several times…politely…to see the case file that he's building and he's refused. But…"

She paused and dropped the volume of her voice in a manner that suggested she had a secret.

"…he walked out in a hurry earlier to take a call and…left the file."

Vic eyed Cady.

"You looked at it."

"I skimmed it. I didn't have much time because he came back pretty quick. But…yes, I saw something."

Beside him, Vic also leaned forward, her curiosity cleared piqued and her patience eroding.

"What?"

She prompted Cady with the word.

"Your Glock was clean."

Vic tilted her head.

"What do you mean? Whitlock insinuated my prints were on it."

"That's just it. There weren't any prints on it at all."

"That's….not possible unless someone…"

"Wiped the prints off after they used it."

Walt completed her thought, the ramifications of what Cady was saying settling in.

"Whitlock lied."

Cady gave him a cautious look.

"Dad, you know there's a lot of legal leeway when interrogating someone."

She was right. Things that were said in closed rooms weren't always the truth. Cops weren't above fudging the truth or making suggestions they couldn't back up with any actual evidence in the hope that a suspect would get scared and let something slip out. It was a fine line to walk and could back fire if you weren't careful.

"Yeah."

"That means he can't prove I fired the gun."

Cady's chin dipped.

"Yes. But…he could also argue that you, as a former deputy, would know to wipe your prints off the gun."

Vic frowned.

"It wouldn't make sense for me to wipe my prints off my gun. They should be there."

"I guess that's up for interpretation."

That was the nature of circumstantial evidence. Still, it wasn't bad news. It would make Whitlock's case harder to prove. There was something else in this information that pulled Walt's attention. Thanks to television shows and books that centered around police procedure and crime solving, a good percentage of normal people thought they knew all there was to know about how a crime scene worked. They were mistaken.

True investigators knew that solving a crime went beyond simply fingerprints. It was next to impossible to spent any amount of time in a place and not leave some trace of yourself whether it was prints or a hair that was shed. Cady was saying that Vic's 9mm was wiped entirely clean, meaning there were no prints, not even smudged or partial prints.

"Someone knows what they're doing."

When he voiced the thought, both women looked his way. In his mind, the way the evidence could be used or not wasn't the most important fact in all of this. His eyes met Cady's as she looked at him from her perch on the chair.

"Yes."

The reality settled over them. They already knew this, of course. But, this fact was only cementing the truth in their minds. He sensed Vic started to drum her fingers restlessly on her thighs.

"So…"

She started talking carefully, with thought.

"…we've got someone who knew how to break in here without either of us knowing, get a key to the lockbox, take the gun, use it, replace it and the key, and leave no trace."

Walt mulled over the statements. They were mostly true.

"The key…we don't know that they kept it and replaced it."

Vic turned her eyes to him.

"You think they what…made a copy?"

Something clicked in his mind. That was exactly what he was saying. That would give whoever the ability to come and go as they wanted. They would only need the key once. If they chose their moment carefully, there was a decent chance they would never realize the key was gone.

More importantly than that…

"Holy shit!"

Vic was now on the same train of thought as he was and he could see that Cady was rapidly catching up.

It was a long shot.

There was nothing unusual about having a key made, but the key to the lock box wasn't an ordinary key. Anyone who knew keys would know that it wasn't a car or house key. It wasn't exactly the world's greatest lead, but it might be enough. He had solved many a case with a might be scenario.

"How many places make keys around here?"

The question came from Vic. He thought about it.

"In Absaroka, you'd be looking mostly at hardware stores."

There was some benefit to living in a small town.

"But…"

Cady broke in.

"…if we're dealing with someone this smart, they likely wouldn't make the key here."

Walt nodded.

She was right. Still, they needed to check.

"I'll have Zach ask around. He hasn't had much contact with Whitlock and I'll have him keep his reasons to himself. Hopefully, Whitlock will think we're working a different case."

Walt gave her a look.

"The next closest place is Cumberland County."

What he was saying was obvious and there was no reason to clarify.

"I'll talk to Cooper as soon as I get home."

xxx

Vic rubbed her hands together the same way she would if she was cold.

She wasn't.

Her inability to be still had nothing to do with the temperature in the room. The fire that Walt had going kept the living room of the cabin pleasantly warm. Her problem was one of nervous energy and it wasn't something that was new to her. She was actually more overly familiar with the feeling than she would have liked.

Walt noticed. Because, of course he did.

She knew that he was watching her when she sat in the couch with Julian tucked into her side and Anna in her lap while she read. Twice, she lifted her eyes from the pages of the book she'd read enough times to not need the words in front of her and found him watching her from across the room. Not them. He was looking directly at her. When their eyes met, he didn't look away. He simply continued to look at her. It was Vic who returned her eyes to the page.

That wasn't all that unusual. That was Walt in a nutshell for as long as she'd known him. It was one of the things that made him an effective Sheriff. That didn't make it as easy to deal with as one might think. Being the solitary focus of Walt Longmire was more than a little intimidating.

Over time, she grew accustomed to it. But, she never learned how to entirely deal with it.

After she finished the book, Walt rose and took Anna from her lap. The toddler was almost already sleeping, her eyes nearly closed. Walt carried her into her own room to put her to bed. Vic stood up and stretched. Julian watched her from his seat on the couch with an intensity that wasn't so different than Walt. Certainly more than most five year olds could manage. It was moments like that she could almost believe that Walt and Julian were connected biologically event though she knew they were not.

There were times she that she really wandered how much of their lives was actual fate and not something they created. She wasn't really a fan of that theory. She preferred to believe that she made her own path in life. It was just hard to entirely believe that at times.

Vic shook the thoughts away and motioned at Julian.

"Come on. Let's go to bed."

He stood and followed her into his bedroom, where he climbed into bed and set about getting comfortable. Vic waited for him to settle down before she offered him a smile.

"All set?"

It was obvious there was something on his mind. Vic tilted her head.

"Is something wrong?"

"What happened?"

He reached up and gestured at her face. Vic felt her stomach drop slightly. In spite of the fact that he obviously noticed, Julian hadn't questioned the bruises on her face. He'd stared, but hadn't verbalized any questions.

Until now.

There wasn't any good way to answer the question in her mind.

They hadn't told him that she'd been arrested. She wasn't willing to divulge that now. If he were older, it would be a different story. In spite of his maturity, though, he was still a young child and his ability to grasp certain things was limited. Even if she did want to tell him, this wasn't really the time.

"Nothing for you to worry about."

He scrunched up his face in disagreement and shook his head.

"No, mama."

Vic bit her bottom lip. His small voice was insistent. Sighing, Vic sat down on the bed and looked at Julian.

"Listen…"

She kept her voice quiet and even.

"…I don't want you to worry about me. There's no reason for you to."

That wasn't entirely true.

"This is something that your daddy and me are dealing with. Okay?"

He continued to peer up at her.

"Does it hurt?"

Vic shook her head. She was only partially lying. There was still some residual pain in the now yellowish green bruises, especially if it was touched.

"No, it doesn't hurt."

She couldn't tell if he believed her. His face didn't give much away. His inquisitive eyes were settled on her. Vic reached out and ran her hand over his hair. It was soft and slightly damp.

"I mean it. Don't worry about me."

She tried inject some assuredness into her voice. He was still skeptical, but something in his face eased up. Guilt pulled at her slightly for not telling him the truth. She pushed it down, reminding herself it would no him, or her, no good to worry about this right now.

Vic leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his head.

"Go to sleep."

Julian nodded and lay back. Vic stood up and switched off the light, his nightlight illuminating the only soft light in the room.

"Goodnight."

"Night."

Vic pulled the door partially closed and went into her own bedroom where Walt was already in bed. He was stretched out with a book in his hands. She was pretty sure that he was waiting for her because he closed the book as soon as she crossed the threshold and set it aside, not bothering to mark his place.

The lamp on his side of the bed was on, all the others off. Vic walked around to her own side of the bed and got it. It was funny how she almost always felt a sense of relief when she laid down at night. She couldn't say if it was the fact that her body was finally at rest, or her mind, or maybe it was simply the fact that she made it through another day. There were times in her life when that felt like a monumental achievement.

This felt like one of those times.

"Everything okay?"

Vic lay all the way back on her pillow. Walt was still sitting up.

"Yeah."

He didn't believe her.

"Vic?"

He didn't give up that easily.

"He asked me about the bruises."

Walt considered her answer.

"What did you tell him?"

"Not to worry about it."

"You know he will."

She sighed loudly.

"I know. But…what do you want me to tell him?"

He was quiet, having no answer of course. Neither of them really did. That was frustrating to admit, but it was the truth. Instead of responding, Walt lay down beside her and switched off the lamp, casting them into near darkness.

The room was filled with the sounds of sheets and blankets rustling until they both stilled. After that, it was quiet. Almost too quiet for Vic. She didn't say that as much anymore. Tonight, though, her mind was so active and loud. The prospect of sleep wasn't promising. Beside her, she also knew that Walt was awake. She didn't need to see his face to know that.

"I don't have a clue how to explain this to a child."

She finally spoke, breaking the silence.

"Me either."

His acknowledgement was enough. That was an issue they might have to tackle soon, but not yet. Not tonight.

The quiet between them felt heavy, damn near physical. He wanted to say something. She knew that. She nearly asked him outright, but didn't. Instead, she waited the way that Walt did so often. He was better at it than she was. She simply didn't possess the patience.

Thankfully, it didn't take him all that long.

"What you said when Zeke was here…"

His voice trailed off. Vic looked his way, her head turning on the pillow. Her mind started to sluggishly reel over the conversation. She was tired and admittedly couldn't hone in on what he was talking about.

"What?"

The confusion was evident in her voice.

Walt cleared his throat.

"What you said about everyone around here being small minded…did you mean it?"

The question seemed out of the blue. Honestly, she'd been frustrated and a little pissed when she said that. There was still some truth to it. It was something she accepted not long after moving here and her opinion never really changed. There were exceptions, of course. There always were.

She waited a few minutes before answering.

"It feels that way more times than not. You know how people are around here, Walt. Or…maybe you don't because you grew up here and it's what you know. It was pretty damn obvious when you and I got together, though. The gossiping and the looks. Everyone thinks they're entitled to an opinion even when it has nothing to do with them."

More silence.

She rarely brought up the fact that she sometimes still felt out of place here. Most of that feeling had eased up over time. But, the reality was that she would never fully fit in here. That was fine by her. She supposed most people who were transplanted to new towns and cities all over felt that way. It was heightened when it was coming from a big city like Philadelphia to a small town like Durant.

"We're not all like that."

"I know. I didn't say that. Don't take it personally."

"I didn't."

She smiled at his predictable denial.

"Liar. You want to defend your town."

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"Nope. It's normal. But…you also don't see what I see because you are loyal to this place. It's your home."

"It's not yours?"

Vic pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. She hadn't really intended for this conversation to spin in this direction. Yet, here they were doing just that.

"Of course. I live here, don't I?"

"Yeah."

Vic pushed out a breath and tried to shake off the feeling this topic was giving her.

"Let's just…get some sleep. Okay?"

Again, she didn't need to see his face to know he wasn't exactly pleased either.

"Sure."

After that, all went quiet.