“Heard they were leaving town,” Kevin replied.
He scanned the group of men around him. There were two women on his crew, but they were sitting in the other group huddled together under a large tree.
“Leaving?” he asked.
“Fleeing is more like it,” Tony said. “Having gotten away with murder, they’ve decided to leave town.”
“So, you believe they’re responsible for all three deaths?” Kevin asked.
“Don’t you? Doesn’t everyone? They’re the ones who stood to lose the most,” Tony replied.
It was the theory he thought was strongest as well. Who would have to gain from the deaths? Each time he and Raven asked themselves that question, they were the obvious answer. Her aunt and uncle were top of everyone’s list, including his uncle’s.
But his uncle claimed that as long as there wasn’t any proof, there wasn’t anything that he could do.
Cade understood this to be the case. After all, he wasn’t a fool. If they arrested her aunt and uncle and had zero proof, they’d just be allowed to go.
“Any idea where they’re moving to?” Cade asked, figuring he’d talk to his uncle the moment he could.
“Rumor is they’re headed to Redding,” Kevin said with a shrug.
“I say good riddance,” Tony added in. “They’ve been making problems for Darby down at the diner ever since Raven kicked them out of the resort. Causing scenes and making people feel uncomfortable.”
“Scenes?” Cade asked.
“Sure. They got in a huge fight the other night with Cal. Darby claims that Cal finally came out of the closet and informed them that he and Tim were getting married,” Tony added.
“Cal’s a good guy. He didn’t deserve the humiliation his father put him through the other night. The entire town is rallying behind Cal and Tim,” Andre broke in.
If anyone in town knew what being an outsider was like, or rather, being with an outsider, Andre was near the top of the list. Having a racist father and dating the only black woman in town obviously put a large bullseye on him. Gossip about Andre and Carrie ran like wildflowers through town. Not as much as the murders, but more than any other gossip did.
He’d known about Cal and Tim being together and being engaged, thanks to Raven. He liked both men. Actually, Cal was one of the only members of Raven’s family that he did like.
“We missed the show,” Barry, one of the guys who had been on his crew for more than five years, said. “What happened?”
“Apparently Colin and Roslyn showed up when Cal and Tim were out on a date. Instead of trying to hide it, Cal stood up and finally told his parents. I thought Colin was going to blow his top,” Tony told them. “When Darby overheard what was going on, she marched over there and kicked Colin and Roslyn out of the diner. She even told them they’re banned for life.”
“Good for her,” Andre said.
He’d have to make sure he let Darby know how proud he was of her the next time he saw her. He’d known the little woman had spunk; he just hadn’t known how much.
They’d wasted enough of the day gossiping. He got everyone’s attention and went back to work. With the exception of one twisted ankle, day one of the training went off without a hitch.
He hobbled into the house just before sunset and grabbed an ice pack. Without showering or changing, he fell onto the sofa, propped his left foot up with the ice pack on his ankle, and immediately fell asleep.
“What happened?” Raven asked, waking him up a few hours later.
Blue had climbed into his lap at one point but now scurried off to welcome Raven home.
He shifted to sit up, and the now-thawed ice pack fell to the floor.
“Twisted my ankle,” he answered, moving to get up.
“No, stay there.” Raven rushed to his side and took his ankle into her hands to examine it.
“You’ve got some bruising.” She touched the swollen spot gently and he winced. “Hurt?”
“Only when you poke it.”
She leaned closer to him, her eyes running over his face, his clothes.
“You’re filthy and you stink.”
He smiled. “I didn’t have the energy to climb the stairs and shower.”
“What if I help you?” she offered, standing up.
It took the rest of his energy to pull himself up the stairs and stand by while she removed his soiled uniform. He sat on his shower bench and let the hot water wash away the day’s sweat.
“You have to do this again tomorrow?” she asked from outside the glass doors.
“Two more days.” He laid his head back. “But today was the only day I had to make it through the tower.”
“Why did you go through it? Aren’t you the boss?” she asked.
“Doesn’t mean I’m less responsible for ensuring that I’m up for the task. Every man, and woman, has to prove themselves capable.”
“Okay, so you’ve made it through,” she said, sounding more relaxed.
He didn’t want to tell her that he’d barely made it through. And that he’d basically gotten the worst grade of the day since he’d come out the other side with a twisted ankle. Oh, it wouldn’t stop him from doing his job, but it did mean that he had some more training to do.
Hell, the young kids fresh from high school had kicked his ass today.
“Will you be okay in there? I can head down and make us some dinner?” Raven offered.
“Just as long as you don’t judge me for eating it in here,” he replied.
“I’ll bring it up.” She disappeared down the stairs.
Closing his eyes, he relaxed back and let the hot water relax every inch of his body.
He must have fallen asleep sitting up with the hot water flowing over him. When Raven came in, he jolted awake.
“Are you still doing okay in there?” she asked, and he could hear her moving around the bathroom.
“Yeah, I’m coming out.” He reached up and shut off the water. “It’s a good thing I have a tankless water heater,” he joked as she wrapped a towel around his hips. “Endless hot water.”
“I figured you’d want to eat in the bedroom instead of the shower.” She helped him into a pair of his sweat shorts and a T-shirt.
He sat propped up in bed and ate the grilled chicken salad, tomato soup, and grilled cheese sandwiches Raven had made for him.
He had to admit, it felt wonderful knowing there was someone there to look out for him. As a man, he would ever admit that he needed it, but it was nice all the same.
Immediately after finishing the meal, he fell fast asleep again, this time in his own bed and with his arms wrapped around Raven. The next morning, he dragged himself to work after taking a couple of ibuprofen to reduce the swelling in his ankle.
He watched more than a dozen people on his crew repeat the same drills he’d done the afternoon before.
He knew every turn, every stair, every step of the tower by heart. Still, in the dark, surrounded by smoke and heat, his mind and the fear wanted to take over all his rational thoughts.
This was what all the training was for. To train each and every member on his team to not allow fear to win. The best way out of a situation was with rationality and thought.