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“Why would you throw yourself away on some hick in the middle of nowhere? Listen, I saw the handsome sheriff. He's something else, so have your fun. I won’t begrudge you that. But this is not your forever, Candice. You have so much talent and promise, you can’t throw that all away.”
I wasn’t sure if I should be there for such a personal conversation. And yet I found I couldn’t step away. Was Candice throwing her life away in Otterville Falls? And in essence, was that what Mark was going through as well? I knew he was exhausted from traveling back and forth to New York. Guilt filled me as I listened to Candice argue with her mom.
“Excuse me, Candice?” Dr. Young poked his head into the room. “I need to take your vitals.”
While Candice was introducing the young doctor to her mother, I slipped out into the hallway. Hugging my arms against my chest, I felt oddly lost. Candice had nearly lost her life in an accident that had been meant for me.
“Sutton!” I turned to see Knox coming up the hallway.
I tried to smile, but it must have been flat because Knox smiled sadly at me. “You look like somebody kicked your dog.”
“I’ve never had a dog,” I replied in a trembling tone. “I had a mouse once that I caught in the trailer. But once Mama found out, Scratchy disappeared.”
Knox winced. “That’s a terrible story, Sutton.”
I nodded. “I know.”
“It's not your fault,” he added kindly.
I looked back at the closed door of Candice’s hospital room. “What can you tell me about the accident?”
“We had a positive identification on the driver; old Farmer Johnson was plowing his field when they both flew by. I had to make sure before I came to tell you. But he has identified Forrest in the lineup.”
“Forrest is here? In Otterville Falls?” I couldn’t help the wave of nausea that overtook me.
“He’s here at the police station. Sutton, this isn’t over, but I think he will take a plea bargain and sell out his accomplices. The man doesn’t have an allegiance to anyone.”
I nodded numbly. “Can I see him?”
Knox took a step back and removed his hat. Running a hand through his hair, I could see the indecision on his face.
“I won’t cause any trouble. I just want some answers.”
“Sutton, the man is a real piece of work. I can’t see him giving you anything you want. What I can see is him lashing out at anyone that gets in his way.”
I swallowed, feeling resolved. “I know. But I just feel like I need to face him. He drove my mother away; he was the reason Martha and Earl went into hiding. He is the reason I grew up in a broken-down trailer. And now, he’s the reason my best friend is lying in a hospital bed. He may not have any answers for me, but I have some words for him.”
Knox was silent for a moment before nodding slowly. “Alright, I will run you over there after I check in with Candice.”
14
Sutton
There are defining moments in each of our lives. Moments you know you’ll always remember, no matter what happens afterward. The smell of Knox’s cop car. The shiny floors of the police station. The sounds of a typewriter somewhere in the next office over.
The way that Knox looked at me when he asked, “Are you sure you want to do this?”
Not only was I sure I wanted to, I knew Ihadto speak with Forrest. “Yes.”
The man wasn’t nearly as large as I had pictured him. Age obviously hadn’t been kind to him. Where he once must have been a handsome man, he now had a beer belly and ruddy skin from too much alcohol. It was then I noticed a definite rattle in his breathing. On the front of his shirt, I saw small red specks; was that blood? Forrest’s eyes were yellow and sunken. His mouth was drawn into a pinched line, and his bloodshot eyes shot daggers at me.
“You look just like the bitch,” he spat out.
And still, I didn’t speak, just stared at him. This man had ruined so many lives, and he still thought he could hurt me. I was done being a pawn in his game. Suddenly things became clear. Forrest wasn’t anything to me.
I stood up and turned to Knox. “Never mind, I have nothing to say to him.”
Forrest barked out an evil laugh. “No backbone, ay? Just like your bloody mother. She was a broken-down cunt. So what do you think that makes you?”