Five Minutes Later...
Brian noticed the quiet immediately as he walked down the short hallway back toward the kitchen. That wasn't so unusual where his uncle was concerned, but it was with his aunt, especially around meal times. She was normally quite ebullient, in fact, chatting away constantly whenever she was bustling around the kitchen and scurrying to get their food on the table, so this was somewhat unusual.
They peered over at him as he walked in, and he immediately knew something was wrong. His heart pounded; did it have to do with Justin somehow? He hadn't had the chance to speak with him since he and his father traveled into town to listen in on Jared and the Kesterson boy's conversation. Was that the reason why their faces looked so haunted?
"What's going on?" he asked as he stopped, frozen in his tracks.
"Sit down, Brian," Will replied quietly. He and Sarah had discussed what to tell Brian while he had been upstairs, and had decided they would tell him the truth; at least as much as they knew at this point, anyway.
Brian pulled out the wooden chair closest to him and took a seat across from his aunt and uncle. "Is this about Justin?" he asked. "Have you heard anything yet?" He had told them last night what was going to happen today; he knew how much his Aunt Sarah, especially, loved Justin.
He noticed his aunt and uncle briefly exchanging a silent look before Will nodded. "In a way," he said cryptically.
"What do you mean, in a way? Is he okay?" He began to rise from his seat to go find out for himself, only to have Will reach over and grab his wrist to keep him in place.
He shook his head. "Hold on, Brian. Sarah asked about him, and Billy said he's all right. But the sheriff's on his way out to talk to us."
"Renfro?"
Will nodded.
"Well, if it's not about Justin, then why else would he be on his way out here now?"
"We're not sure, honey," Sarah told him softly. "All we know is that Billy called while you and your uncle were out working on the combine, and he told me that he needed to come out and talk with us."
Brian played with the teaspoon in front of him, all sorts of possibilities floating around in his head. "That's all he said about it? He didn't mention how it went earlier?"
"No, that's all he would say over the phone," Sarah confirmed. "But...We can't help thinking that it...because he wants to come out the same day that Jared was going to talk with Doug, that...that..."
"Now don't go jumping to conclusions just yet, Missy," Will warned her. But he couldn't help thinking the same, exact thing.
Brian's eyes widened. It didn't take him long to draw the same conclusions as his aunt and uncle had. "You think it might have something to do with my cousin?"
"We don't know for sure..." Will admitted, but that did not deter his nephew.
"...But you think it does." Brian idly stuck his teaspoon in the china sugar bowl nearby, fidgeting as he took turns scooping some up and then placing it back down into the bowl as he tried to find a way to expend his nervous energy. His thoughts were not only focused on his aunt and uncle, but a certain boy who lived next door. What exactly happened at the sheriff's office? He couldn't wait to see Justin, and reassure himself that he, was, indeed okay. But he also knew at the moment, he needed to be there for his family. "Why else would he be coming out here?"
"Maybe he wants to discuss what we know about the Kesterson boy. We are familiar with him."
Brian nodded; that made sense, but still didn't seem plausible to him. "Was he friends with Dale?"
"Friends is too strong a word," his uncle told him tersely, remembering how the Kesterson boy always seemed to be simmering with bitterness and hostility the few times he had encountered him, either at the local high school or at the track. There was always something disconcerting about the Doc's boy, something just beneath the surface that made him uneasy, in addition to the disdain, if not outright jealousy, he always seemed to display around their son.
"He was a year behind Dale," Sarah quietly explained as Brian glanced over at her curiously. "They were the same age, actually, but he had been kept back a year in school for some unknown reason when he was in junior high." She paused, a heaviness settling into her stomach and a sense of dread over Billy's impending visit. "I...I always thought he was envious of our son, and what he had accomplished." The insinuation she did not express aloud lay pregnant in the air, but it was obvious to all of them what she wasn't saying - and what she was fearing. She, too, thought this was all too big a coincidence; not on the same day that Jared was being questioned about Justin's injuries - and at the same location. Wasn't it? How she prayed that it was just an eerie, unpleasant happenstance, a convergence of unfortunate circumstances, someone's idea of a cruel joke. But Sarah was a shrewd woman. She suspected there was much more to it than that. Regardless, all of them were about to find out.
Just then, the distinctive sound of someone coming up the dirt road shared by both residences caused her pulse to race in anxious anticipation; no one could approach from that road without being detected. She knew each rut, each pothole, intimately enough to know that the vehicle was going to stop at their place rather than the Taylors'. She shared a look with her husband and nephew before Will scooted back from his chair and, wiping his hands on his denim overalls, walked over to the backdoor, just as the sound of a car door being opened could be heard.
Will swung the screen door open as he greeted their guest. "Billy," he quietly said as the portly man took his cap off and walked inside, nodding curtly at Sarah and Brian.
"Coffee, Billy?" Sarah asked as the sheriff shook his head.
"No, thanks, Sarah," he told her. His face was grim and lacking any remnant of his usual easygoing nature as he continued. "I need to speak with you...regarding your son."
Will swallowed hard; it wasn't unexpected what Billy was saying - but it was still sobering to know that their suspicions had just been confirmed. He nodded. "Have a seat, Billy," he told him as the sheriff nodded and walked over to take his place at the end of the table, perpendicular to the others. He gently laid his cap down onto the tablecloth, the fabric's cheerfulness in stark contrast to the reason for his visit today.
Will stood in his place for a few moments before moving to join the others, electing to stand as he placed his hand on his wife's shoulder from behind. He wasn't sure if he was doing it to reassure and comfort himself or her, however.
"We're listening," he told Billy quietly, wondering if it was possible they were finally going to find out what exactly had happened that day to their son. In a way, he did not want to know. But he also knew it was going to be inevitable; they owed that much to their son.
Billy nodded as he glanced over at their nephew. He didn't know him well enough to really form an opinion of him; just what he had observed at the track. "Okay to speak in front of the boy?" he asked them.
"Of course," Will told him in a surly manner, as if that were a foolish question.
"Okay," Billy replied. "Well, I'm not sure you're aware that the Taylors' oldest boy, Jared, agreed to help us with the investigation surrounding his brother's injury at Red Mill."
Will nodded as he glanced over at Brian briefly. "Yes. We knew that he was going to try and prove that he had nothing to do with what happened, like he claimed. Justin told our nephew," he explained.
Billy scratched the back of his head for a moment as he nodded; he figured as much. Out here information spread faster than a mid-summer brush fire. "Well, he went through with his meeting with the Kesterson boy at the boy's apartment in town," he reported. "...And we were able to corroborate his story."
Brian spoke up then. "So he didn't have anything to do with what happened to Justin, just like he claimed?" For some reason, he still had trouble believing that in light of Jared's previous behavior.
"Reckon not," Billy replied. "I would say definitely not, in fact. He got Doug to admit that he had nothing to do with his plan." He eyed the older couple carefully before proceeding. "He talked about why he had placed the ketamine in Justin's drink to try and throw the race...Along with some other things." He briefly avoided looking at the Walkers then, choosing instead to gaze out at the window across from his place at the table, seemingly trying to gather his thoughts first before he spoke again.
Sarah reached up behind her to grip her husband's hand in hers as she stoically faced their friend. "Billy...tell us. There's got to be a good reason why you wanted to see us in person. So just tell us why. Please."
Brian found that he was holding his breath; his mind in a dilemma. He couldn't stop thinking about Justin - about how he was doing right now. But he also suspected that his aunt and uncle needed him here. So as much as he wanted to bolt right out of the house and go see the younger boy, he remained in his seat as the sheriff nodded back at them.
"The Kesterson boy's trouble started a lot earlier than the incident with Justin. Doug told Jared that he originally got into trouble with some gambling back in high school. He kept betting and betting, and wound up eventually borrowing some money from a group of loan sharks who were hanging around the track. When he couldn't come up with the money to pay them back and they threatened to hurt him, however - or worse - he was told they would forgive his debt. Under one condition."
Will's face drew into a tight knot, while Sarah's eyes widened in horror. Before Billy could say anything further, they knew. Somehow they knew what he was going to say before he could say it. "No..." she whispered, feeling Brian's hand on her forearm, and her husband's hand gripping hers almost painfully now.
"I'm so sorry to have to tell you this, Sarah - and Will." Billy steeled himself. He had lost count of how many times he had been forced to deliver bad news to townspeople, but that never made it any easier, especially when you considered most of them to be friends. He took a deep breath before continuing, knowing it had to be said nevertheless. "...But apparently Doug somehow arranged for Dale's accident, too. He insisted to Jared that he didn't know he would be killed. But the end result was still the same."
"Oh, my God!" Sarah cried out, as she clapped her free hand over her mouth in horror, her eyes glimmering with tears. She has somehow known Billy was going to say those words before he spoke them, but it still didn't make it any less shocking. "No...No..." she murmured.
"I wish I could say the boy was lying - or bragging in some sick way," Billy told them as he gazed at the couple with sorrow. "But he couldn't have any way of knowing Jared was wired and that we were listening in. And I've been in this business long enough to be a good judge of whether someone is lying or not. And I say he was being honest about his involvement in it."
Will's hand was shaking in her own; she didn't have to see his face to know that his emotions were reflective of her own.
"What did he say about our Dale?" he asked him. Sarah thought that was probably the first time her husband had spoken their son's name aloud since that dreadful day so many years ago. "I want to know what he did to our boy."
Billy peered over at the couple whose eyes were filled with pain, but also resolve. "Just enough to implicate himself in your son's death," the sheriff told them." He paused. "All he told us was that he was the one who caused his fall. But he did not elaborate on how he did it. He did indicate that he was doing it as a middleman. There are bigger fish involved here than the Kesterson boy," he explained quietly. He stared over at them for a couple of seconds before he finally got to the main point of his visit. "That's where you come in. That's why I'm here."
"What do you mean?" Will growled. "Why aren't you questioning Doc's son right now about what he told Jared? You have what you want from him about Justin. Now we need to know more about our son! He should be back in jail right now!"
"It's not that simple, Will," the sheriff reprimanded him; a little miffed that he was trying to tell him how to do his job. He might be a small-town sheriff, but he had been doing it for years, and he knew what was needed to be done in this case. "As I said, the Kesterson kid is a pawn in this situation. In both situations. We need to find out who's behind all this. And in my opinion, there's only one way to go about it."
Will bristled. "You mean to tell me that, that...killer...is walking around scot free right now? After he outright admitted that he caused my boy's death? What kind of sheriff ARE you? He should have been arrested the second he admitted what he did! Not to mention, he was responsible for Justin's injuries, too. Or have you forgotten that? If he wasn't the doctor's son, would you have treated him this way?"
"Will..." Sarah began, but her husband pulled back from her touch and glared over at the uniformed man.
"No, I want an answer, damn it!"
Brian's eyes grew wide. He thought this might be the first time he had ever heard his uncle utter a swear word. He supposed he couldn't blame him in this case. And it was mild compared to what he would say.
"Now wait just a minute, William Walker," Billy growled back at him, a pulse throbbing in his burly neck over the insinuation. "You know me better than that! I'm trying to explain to you! I have one of my men watching him to make sure he doesn't go anywhere. But what I do next is partly up to you. That's why I'm here. Doug Kesterson isn't about to slip through our fingers. And he's NOT going to get away with what he did. But we have to look at the bigger picture here."
"Will, please," Sarah pleaded with her husband. "Sit down next to me and let Billy explain. Please. For our son..."
Brian watched, too caught up in the situation to move. He never in a million years would have thought Jared's attempt to clear his own name would result in Kesterson admitting to his involvement in Dale's death, although he recalled Justin's suspicions that it had not been an accident back then. He continued to wonder how Justin was doing; this latest revelation must have been shocking to him as well. He resolved to go seek him out as soon as the sheriff was done here. After all this, he needed to see him, to hold him, to know that he was okay. But he knew for his aunt and uncle's sake, he needed to stay where he was for now, too.
He watched as his uncle finally ceded to his aunt's wishes and roughly pulled out the wooden chair next to hers to sit down. He grimly faced Billy, who was sitting directly across from him, his eyes boring into the other man's. "I'm waiting to hear your explanation," he told him, his lips pursed tightly together in barely controlled anger.
Billy let out a tense breath before nodding. "Okay. Clearly from what Doug told Jared, there are several others involved here. Others who are working with much higher stakes." He paused for a moment before he continued. "Since your son was heavily involved with racing at the track, I imagine that both of you are aware of how much betting can go on behind the scenes. And how some are willing to go to unspeakable lengths to come out ahead. We're not talking about chump change here; with a facility like Red Mill, it could translate into a million-dollar business."
"We may be simple folk, Billy. But yes, we weren't stupid. Our boy was quite aware of how sulky racing could be a dirty game. He always stayed out of that sort of thing, though." Will was proud of that, too; he knew with their son's talents and skills, he could have made a lot of money through less-than-honorable means. But he never got involved with any of that.
Billy nodded. "I'm sure he did," he reassured him. "Your boy was a little bit of a rebel rouser growing up, Will. But he was a good boy. You taught him right from wrong, and I never heard of him doing anything illegal, or falling under the influence of that sort of shady behavior. But in my opinion, that might have made him vulnerable to those who were. And the Kesterson boy was apparently one of their scapegoats when it came to your son's death - and Justin's injuries recently."
Sarah's eyes watered with tears of shock and sorrow. "I...All this time, I hoped it had been an accident. A horrible, horrible accident." She turned to look at her husband. "Will...Our boy was only trying to help us, and doing what he loved. Why? Why would someone want to hurt him? Oh, dear God." The tears fell freely down her cheeks now, as Will's arm slid comfortingly around her shoulders.
"Money and greed, Sarah. And people who are heartless." He swallowed hard as he summoned up the courage to ask Billy, "How was our son...How exactly was he killed? I have to know."
Billy shook his head. "He didn't come right out and say how it was done." His jaw set, he vowed, "But I'm going to find out, trust me." Now that he knew the incident was no accident, he was determined more than ever to find out what had happened. In his small town, normally the biggest crime was cattle theft or vandalism. This was the only murder he could recall ever happening here; and he didn't like it. He didn't like it at all.
"And just how are you going to do that?" Brian spoke up then. To think that this callous bastard had not only done something that had led to his cousin's death, but almost caused Justin to be seriously hurt in the meantime as well, made him furious. He could feel his blood boiling as he kept thinking, it didn't have to happen...it didn't have to happen...it didn't have to happen... He thought the sheriff looked oddly uncomfortable as he stared over at the sweaty man, watching as he twisted his cap almost subconsciously in his hand. "Sheriff?" he pressed as his aunt and uncle looked over at him expectantly.
"I want to bring the Kesterson boy in for more questioning..."
"Damn straight," Brian muttered as Billy held his hand up for silence.
"I'm more interested in finding out who's behind both Dale's death and Justin's injuries. As I said, that boy was just being used as a means to an end. Only penalizing HIM - and prosecuting him for both crimes - won't get us who we want."
A sense of dread settled in Brian's stomach as he realized what he was proposing. "You're wanting to make a deal with him if he rats the others out, aren't you?"
Billy nodded. "If he cooperates fully, yes. I see that as the only way we're going to get the whole story behind both Dale's death and Justin's fall."
"Are you out of your mind, Billy?" Will roared. "You want to strike a deal with this boy? The one who is responsible for my son's death?" He began to rise from his chair, only to have both Brian and Sarah pull him back down.
"William, listen to him!" Sarah demanded. "Listen to what he is saying! He'll still be prosecuted for what he did, right?" she asked Billy as her husband seethed beside her.
Billy nodded. "Yes, of course. I'm not planning on letting him just walk. My aim is to work with the county prosecutor's office to get him a reduced sentence in exchange for him fully disclosing what he knows, and leading to the arrest and full prosecution of those who put him up to it. Believe me, he WILL spend time in jail for what he did - and not just a slap on the wrist, either." He reached inside his breast uniform pocket to pull out a wrinkled, folded handkerchief to wipe his brow as he asked them, "Isn't it more important that we find out who orchestrated your son's death and Justin's injury and shut the operation down, rather than risk having this happen again?"
Will's chest heaved up and down in agitation as he forced himself to consider what Billy was saying. As hard as he tried to deny it, he couldn't help conceding that Billy was right. What good would it to bring in the Kesterson boy and let the ones who were behind it go unscathed? "Why are you even bothering to tell us this, Billy? Sounds like you're already made up your mind anyway."
"Well, I'd be lying if I said I don't think it's in our best interests to work with the Doc's boy to bring the others to justice," he told them quietly. "But this is your son we're talking about, Will. I want your agreement first."
"We know you're an honorable man, Billy," Sarah reassured him. "It's just...this is all such a shock. She wiped her eyes and sniffed as Brian reached over to snag a paper napkin from the middle of the table and hand it to her. She nodded her gratitude toward her nephew and blew her nose before taking a deep breath. "We know the Lord says that vengeance is his. We...we have to try and forgive. But this is asking a lot from us. All along we thought, we hoped, that it was just an accident. We wanted to believe that. Now..." Her words trailed off as she took a deep breath and turned to her husband. "Will...For our son's sake, for our sake, we have to do what Billy says. Nothing we do will bring our son back. But we CAN make sure that what happened to him - and what almost happened to Justin - won't ever happen to anyone ever again. And if it means making a deal with the Doc's son to do it...then that's what we will have to do."
Will stared into his wife's face. Normally as the man of the household, all decisions would fall to him. He would be the one to make the determination as to what to do, whether it was the need to buy a replacement vehicle, how much money to spend on feed for the coming season, whether they should buy new furniture to replace their tattered ones; even how much money to put into the church collection plate each week. Sarah always humbly acquiesced to his wishes. But he also knew - and so did Sarah - that she wielded much more influence upon his decisions than most outsiders knew. Once more - just like she frequently did - when he couldn't see the correct path to take, she always somehow was the beacon amidst the turmoil and the darkness, steering him in the right direction. Just like now.
He finally nodded at her grimly before turning his attention back to their guest. "All right, then, Billy. If it's our agreement you want...then you have it. Do what you need to do. Just...just do right by our son."
Billy nodded back at them. "I will. I promise both of you." He let out a tense breath as he scooted back from his seat and rose to his feet. Reaching for his hat, he tugged it back on and straightened out his uniform. "Well, I'd best be going, then," he told them. "I have a lot to do. I'm going to go talk with the county prosecutor first to get their agreement, and fill them in on what's happened. Then I think I'll go have a talk with the Doc. If anyone can convince his boy to do the right thing and come clean about everything, it's him." He shook his head sadly. "I'm not going to enjoy THAT conversation - any more than I enjoyed this one. l'm sorry I had to tell you all this; but I'm hopeful if the Kesterson boy will cooperate, you will finally know what happened to your son. You're doing the right thing."
Will and Sarah both rose from their seats and stood facing him. "I hope so, Billy," Will murmured. "I hope so."
Just before the sheriff reached to open the back screen door, he heard the Walker's nephew calling over to him.
"Sheriff?"
Billy turned around to face him. "Yes?"
Brian could feel his face warming, but he didn't care. His thoughts were focused at the moment on only one thing. "Uh...Is Justin back home? He's okay?" He knew what his aunt and uncle had told him, but he had to be sure.
Billy bestowed a half-smile on the Walker's nephew. He had seen enough to know this boy was very protective of the Taylor son. "Yeah. He rode back with his father a little while ago. He seemed to be doing fine," he reassured him as Brian nodded in relief.
"Well, I best be going," he told them as he opened the door. "I'll be in touch," he promised as he closed the door behind him and walked out onto the creaky, wooden, back porch. Several seconds later, the sound of his car starting up could be heard as he turned around in front of the barn and headed back down the way he had come.
The Walkers and Brian sat at the table in stunned silence as they tried to fully absorb what Billy had just told them. Finally, Sarah quietly rose to her feet and walked over to the counter to pick up the coffee carafe, returning to the table. She was about to tilt the carafe to refill her husband's half-full mug when he reached to grip her wrist to prevent it. "Sarah, stop...What are you doing?"
"Your coffee's cold," she responded. "I know how you hate cold coffee."
"Sarah..."
Brian frowned. What was she doing? They had just found out that Dale's accident was not an 'accident,' and she was worried about his uncle's coffee?
Sarah jerked her hand away in irritation, crying out in pain as her action wound up spilling some of the hot liquid onto the exposed skin on the top of her hand.
"Sarah!" Will was on his feet in seconds, pushing back from his chair so violently that it tipped backward and toppled onto the floor as Brian soon joined him. Grasping his wife by the waist, Will led his wife over to the sink and used his free hand to turn the water to a tepid setting before he held her injured hand under the water. "Missy, what were you thinking?" he murmured softly.
Brian watched worriedly from beside them, feeling helpless about what to do. "Aunt Sarah, are you okay?" he asked. "What can I do?"
"It's all right," she assured him, even though the burn still stung somewhat. "It's not that bad."
"You can go upstairs to the bathroom, and look in the medicine cabinet for some gauze bandage and some first aid cream," Will told him as Brian rushed off to comply, returning in record time with the requested materials. His uncle was still holding his aunt's hand under the running water as he told him, "Put it down next to the sink there."
Brian bit his lip as he nodded, wanting to do more.
His aunt glanced over at his worried face, and bestowed a half-smile of reassurance on him. "It's okay, Brian," she told him. "It's just a minor burn, that's all. I've had far worse before."
Brian nodded back at her, unconvinced, until Will finally turned off the running water and - holding his wife's hand just like he had so long ago when they had first been wed - he closely scrutinized the burn. It didn't look nearly as angry as it had before, he noticed to his relief, as he asked Brian to fetch the pair of scissors they kept in the miscellaneous drawer in the corner. "Cut about 18 inches off the roll," he told him as Brian nodded and did as he was told.
Handing the gauze to his uncle, he watched as the man gently wrapped the soft material loosely around his aunt's hand until it was fully covered, pressing down in an uninjured area to hold it in place with a metal clip. "There," he murmured as he reached up to stroke his wife's cheek. "Does it feel better now?" he asked, his face contorted with anxiety and worry.
Sarah nodded with a smile. "Yes."
He eyed her carefully for a moment before he replied, "Well, you're going to go sit down in the living room and take some pain medicine just to be on the safe side."
"But..."
"Don't argue with me, Missy," was the stern rebuke. "You'll do as I say."
Sarah sighed with a nod. She suddenly felt exhausted.
Brian told her, "I'll go upstairs and get the medicine, Aunt Sarah."
But Sarah shook her head. "No," she told him softly. "Will can go get it. I think there's someone else who might need you more right now." She peered up at her husband meaningfully, silently communicating her wishes.
Will sighed in resignation; he knew when his wife got this way, there was no persuading her. "If you will go sit down in the living room like I asked...And take your pain medicine..." He turned to his nephew and nodded. "Go if you want."
Brian whispered to his aunt, "Are you sure?" Inside his heart was fluttering wildly in anticipation, like a baby bird's. He wanted so badly to see Justin right now.
Sarah smiled with a nod. "Yes, I'm sure. Tell him we're glad his brother was cleared of any wrongdoing."
"What about Dale?" he asked.
"Tell him - and his parents - all of it, if they don't already know," Sarah told him as Will nodded in agreement. He felt like they were all comrades in arms at the moment. "Now get going before it gets to be any later, and the Taylors decide it's too late for you to come calling on your young man."
Barely registering the phrase 'your young man' in his mind, Brian didn't need to be told twice as he practically flew out the back door, the metal banging against the frame as he quickly disappeared. They could hear Solomon barking after him as he headed down the dirt road toward the Taylor farmhouse.
Despite her discomfort - and the unsettling news they had just received - Sarah had to smile slightly over Brian's reaction. "Just let the Taylors try to keep him away," she murmured as she watched Brian running up the dirt road. Her smile faded as she added, "At least Justin is safe."
"I hope so," Will replied tersely. He slipped his arm back around his wife's waist as he told her, "Now you need to go relax and get some rest."
She nodded gratefully then, leaning on his shoulder as the two of them headed down the hallway toward the living room, both of them wondering what the future was about to hold for all of them.
Ten Minutes Later - Taylor Farmhouse
"Justin, for the last time: no, you cannot go over to the Walker farm," Craig huffed in exasperation. "This is not a good time to do that, for a number of reasons."
"But..."
Craig looked over at his wife helplessly; sometimes there was no reasoning with his determined, younger boy. "Jennifer, please help me out with your obstinate son here!"
Jennifer peered over at him in amusement. "So he's suddenly MY son now, huh?" she replied dryly from her place at the kitchen table. "Craig..."
"NO, Jennifer," was the quiet reproach as Justin peered over at her hopefully, only to have his hopes quickly dashed. "Justin's just now recovered from his fall the other day, and now we have this whole mess with Jared and the Kesterson boy to contend with. He needs to stay here on our property for the time being."
"Dad, I'm NOT a child!" Justin protested, his arms folded over his chest in defiance. "It's just next door!"
"You act like it's within touching distance, Justin! It's a quarter-mile away!" He sighed as he brushed his hand through his hair and sought to calm himself; it had been a hell of a day so far. "Son, I don't consider you a child. But you know that Billy was heading over there to tell the Walkers about their son's death. Do you really think it's a good time to make a social call?"
"A social call? Do you think that's what this is? I care about them, Dad! All of them! I need to be over there!"
Craig took a deep breath. "Justin, they need some time to deal with what's happened. You can go visit them - and Brian - tomorrow. I'm not going to change my mind about this."
Justin turned to his mother, realizing by the determined look on his father's face that he wasn't going to back down. "Mom..."
To his dismay, his mother shook her head, although she appeared sympathetic. "Honey, your father's right. It's just until tomorrow. We need to give them some privacy. And YOU need to get a little more rest." She also silently worried about his safety after what they had learned today; until the perpetrators behind Doug's actions were brought to justice, she still feared for him.
"Rest! Rest! I HATE that word! The last thing I want right now is rest!" Blue eyes flashing, he promptly spun around on his heels and stomped toward the back door, flinging it open and quickly disappearing outside.
"Justin!" his mother called after him as both she and Craig hurried toward the back door, just in time to see their son trudging toward the stables. At least he appeared to be ceding to their wishes, but it was obvious he was NOT happy as evidenced by his drooping shoulders, and the way his head hung down as he shuffled, hands in pockets, toward the place where he normally went to take his mind off things that were bothering him.
"Craig, maybe we should have..."
"No, Jen," Craig replied quietly, placing his hand on her shoulder from behind. "There's too much at stake right now, and the Walkers need some time to come to terms with their son's death. He can wait until tomorrow." He watched his son dejectedly heading toward Vic and Emmett, who were grooming a couple of the horses outside the stables. "Besides...I want him somewhere that I can keep an eye on him. After today - after what we heard - it's obvious there are some really evil people behind the Walker boy's death. And no matter how much Justin might deny it, he knows it, too."
Jennifer nodded, a lump of anxiety lodged in her throat. "I was thinking the same thing," she confessed as she turned around to face him. "Craig, I'm still really worried about him. I'm scared to death, actually. I mean, how safe is he here...really?"
Craig blew out a tense breath. "He's as safe as he can be in a small town, Jen. It would be hard for anyone to show up here with that dirt road and not be heard. And you know that one of the horses would act up if anyone came calling late at night; plus, the way that Vic sleeps so lightly he would be bound to hear any approaching vehicle as well." He paused before reminding her, "Plus, we have the 20-gauge."
Jennifer shuddered. "You know how I feel about guns, Craig." The shotgun used to belong to her father, and was kept mainly due to sentimental reasons. Craig, however, saw it more as a needs of protection - normally for their livestock when coyotes came calling. But it also served as a deterrent for any would-be robbers who might show up at their fairly secluded home and attempt to take advantage of it. He never thought he would need it for THIS purpose, however.
"I know," he told her, his face grim. "Let's hope we never need to use it." Silently, though, he vowed if his family was ever put into jeopardy, he wouldn't hesitate to do just that.
Brian came to a stop just outside the Taylor's white fence; his chest was heaving from the overexertion of having jogged all the way from his aunt and uncle's house to the other farm. Solomon, who had been trotting along dutifully at his heels for most of the way, had become intrigued by a wild turkey family that had been walking around in the nearby field, and had promptly rushed off toward them, leaving Brian by himself.
Standing there, he gazed over at the house, his pulse quickening as he thought about Justin being inside. He couldn't wait to see him again. Taking a deep breath to calm his rapid breathing, he turned to head toward the back door, only to stop as he heard someone calling his name.
Peering down at the stables, he noticed Vic waving his arm, motioning for his attention with Emmett standing next to him. He tentatively thought about ignoring him as he glanced over at the Taylor's farmhouse before, with a heavy sigh, he turned and headed toward the stables.
"Vic, I only have a few minutes..." Brian quickly told him.
"He's not in there, Brian," Vic responded perceptively.
"What do you mean?" Brian asked.
"Your favorite sulky driver," Emmett told him with a knowing grin. "He's out at the track, practicing."
"What?!" Brian cried out in astonishment, his brows narrowing in consternation as he promptly dropped any pretense as to why he was there. "He shouldn't be doing that!"
"So when did that ever stop him?" Emmett replied dryly as Vic nodded. If nothing else, Justin was a very stubborn and determined person. It didn't escape either of them the irony of him riding a horse named Headstrong. The two men watched as Brian promptly turned around and made a dash toward the fenced-off practice track in search of his target.
"You think it's a good idea for him to be out practicing right now?" Emmett asked his uncle.
"From a physical standpoint, maybe not," Vic told him as he peered out into the far distant curve of the track to see Headstrong kicking up dust as Justin moved aggressively around the track. "But I think it might be just what Justin needs right now to take his mind off other things. He needs the diversion. That...and something else. Or should I say someone else."
Emmett nodded, understanding completely as they watched the Walker's nephew hurrying out toward the track to intersect Justin.
"Better get back to work," Vic murmured, knowing instinctively that the two boys would be more than capable of comforting and taking care of each other. Emmett studied the scene unfolding before them for a few seconds more before he nodded again and turned his back to resume his chore.
Brian made a beeline for Justin until he reached the perimeter of the track, stopping to rest his elbows on top of the white fencing as he watched the other boy racing across the trapractice oval with Headstrong, the horse's mane flying around furiously as his feet trotted at a seemingly impossible pace. It was obvious that Justin was doing much more than just making up for lost practice time. This practice seemed frenzied, angry, and driven almost by a sort of mania. For a few seconds, Brian thought back to the day not so long ago when he had encountered Justin in much the same place while he had been picking berries. Had it only been a few days ago? Right now, it seemed more like a lifetime to him.
As Justin rounded the curve toward him, however, and his eyes locked onto his, he knew the moment Justin had noticed who was waiting for him, because he immediately pulled back on the reins and called out a loud 'whoa!' as he commanded Headstrong to slow down and stop.
Brian didn't wait until he was at a complete standstill before he promptly vaulted over the fence and ran toward the sulky, his long legs quickly carrying him to where he needed to be. The two boys didn't say a word; instead, Justin yanked off his helmet, jumped down from the sulky, and quickly took off at a run toward Brian, the two meeting halfway as he melted into Brian's outstretched arms and their bodies melded together for a fierce embrace.
Brian closed his eyes and just savored the connection as he cradled the younger boy in his arms, placing his chin on Justin's right shoulder as he continued to hold him tight. Finally, he loosened his embrace enough to pull back and stare into his eyes, reaching up to cup his face in his hands. "I was so worried...are you okay?"
Justin nodded, his eyes closing briefly in relief as Brian leaned in to place a gentle kiss against his eyelids and then his lips; a kiss that quickly escalated into something deeper, something reassuring, something intense and all-consuming as Justin opened his mouth and Brian's tongue slid inside, their lips devouring each other's as they kissed passionately, Justin's arms pulling Brian closer until at last they had to break for air.
His breath mingling with Brian's, the two pressed their foreheads together as Justin asked, "You heard about Dale?"
Brian pulled back again to stare into his eyes, his hands sliding down to rest on either side of Justin's neck as he nodded. "Yeah...my aunt and uncle are pretty devastated about it."
Justin nodded. "I wanted to come and tell them how sorry I am...and come and see you. But my parents wouldn't let me." He stared into the intense, hazel eyes and grimaced. "They're still trying to treat me like a baby because of my fall." His eyes flashed with irritation. "I'm NOT some little kid, Brian!"
Brian replied softly, "No, you're not. But you might still be in danger, Justin."
Justin couldn't deny that; not after what he and his father had heard earlier. It had still frustrated him terribly, though, when he had been denied his chance to walk over to the Walker farm. "I needed to see you so badly, Brian...I ...Dale..." The words caught in his throat as the ramifications of what they had heard from Doug earlier about Brian's cousin began to fully sink in; the thought of what had happened to him both sickened and horrified him.
"Shhh," Brian murmured as he pulled him into an embrace again and wrapped his arms around his waist to hold him close, his hands linking at the small of his back protectively. "It's all right. Everything's going to be okay," he kept whispering. "I will never let anything happen to you again," he vowed. And he meant it. He would fucking die before letting anything - or anyone - else hurt him again.
Justin let out a shuddery breath as he pulled back to look up into Brian's determined eyes. He nodded as the two of them met once more for another kiss, Justin's arms sliding up to grab Brian's head from behind to deepen the kiss.
They finally broke apart again as Brian told Justin, "Time for you to take a break, Hot Shot. C'mon," he urged him gently as Justin nodded after a few seconds, knowing that he had been riding Headstrong very hard, and the horse could use a break, too. Disengaging the horse from the sulky frame, Justin grabbed Headstrong's reins in one hand as Brian grabbed his other hand, the two boys slowly leading Headstrong back to the rear of the stables.