Page 31 of Trick or Stalk

“A shitty house. With a body in the basement.”

“An important distinction.”

I tighten one of the screws holding the temporary latch in place.

The bastard deserved what happened to him.

I don't regret it.

I doubt Wilder does either.

What bothers me is everything that came before it.

Years of the same shit.

Never knowing when he’d walk through the door.

What mood he’d be in.

What would set him off.

Learning to recognize his footsteps.

The sound of his truck.

The smallest changes in his voice.

Knowing when to disappear.

Knowing when disappearing would only make things worse.

I stare at the broken lock in my hand.

No. We're not living like that anymore. We made sure of it.

“I'm replacing all of them.”

Wilder glances between the front and back doors. “All the locks?”

“Yeah.”

“The front works.”

“This one worked yesterday.”

“Fair point.”

I stand and grab my jacket.

Wilder crunches another chip. “You’re actually going into town?”

I glare at him. “Yes, asshole. To the hardware store.”

“You know where it is?”

“I saw it when I drove in.”

“Get a toilet thing.”