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“You’ll have to forgive him, Loretta. Being away from Stone Lake has made him a jerk,” I murmur.
It makes her laugh, as intended, and she relaxes just a little. She puts the box of cookies on her end table, and I get up, returning to my chair. I automatically reach out and hold her hand and she wraps her bony fingers around mine.
“You’re from Stone Lake?” Loretta asks.
“Yes, I am. That’s how Ms. Marshall and I know each other.”
“You don’t know her too well if you call her Ms. Marshall. No one ever calls Luna Ms. Marshall. My Loo-lie doesn’t like that,” she adds, patting me on the hand.
“Is that a fact?” Gavin questions, sparing me a brief glance, and even in the look you can feel the dislike coming off of him. Does he blame me for not leaving Stone Lake all those years ago? Is he still upset over it all? Atticus always told me that Gavin hated me for refusing to leave with him. I knew I hurt him, but he didn’t bother listening to my side and later when I called him, when in desperation I had Atticus reach out to him…. I got nothing. I shake those thoughts away. There’s nothing I can do to change the past, and I’m not sure I would have if I could go back. Obviously, Gavin made a success of his life and it took me a while, but I did too, and I wouldn’t give anything for Joshua.
“What is your name, young man?” Loretta asks, and I know that tone.
“Loretta—”
“Gavin Lodge,” he says, interrupting me.
“Roy Lodge’s boy?”
“Not really,” Gavin answers, and despite being upset with him, I feel a tightness in my stomach, filled with regret. I hate that he has the kind of history he has. I’ve always hated that for him.
“Either you are, or you aren’t, boy. There’s nothing wishy-washy about the question, it doesn’t deserve that answer.”
“We have the same name. I lived in his house. He was never my father. How’s that for an answer, Mrs. Fletcher?”
“Loretta, maybe we should just let these gentlemen get on with their questions,” I suggest wanting to get off of this topic. I don’t want to feel bad for Gavin. Feeling sympathy for him is not something he’d want, and it’s dangerous for me. Gavin may have had a hard life, but he made choices the same as I did. Those choices cost us both so damn much, but ultimately, they cost him more.
He doesn’t deserve my pity.
“I like him, Loo-lie. He’s got more gumption than that other one.”
“Loretta,” I mumble, not wanting to get into the hate she held for Atticus. Everyone saw the bad inside of Atticus before me. That is a hard pill to swallow—for many reasons.
“You don’t have his look either. That’s a good thing.”
“His look?” Gavin asks.
“Your brother. That one was bitter plum through. There was a coldness about him that I didn’t like around my Loo-lie.”
Gavin’s face closes off, and I ignore the sting of tears I feel. There’s no point in crying…. Not now.
“Perhaps you could tell us about the morning you discovered Skylar’s body, Ma’am,” Dern steers the conversation back on track, and I relax slightly.
Now if I can just make it through working with Gavin until he leaves….
Gavin
“Luna, there’s a Gavin Lodge here to speak with you.”
I watch as the receptionist buzzes Luna on the phone and the entire time, I’m asking myself why I’m doing this.
Is it because I want to see her again?
Probably.
Is it because I was an asshole to her yesterday?
That’s part of it too.
Still, I shouldn’t be here. I know that, feel it in my gut. The less contact Luna and I have the better. She just brings up too much unfinished business, too many raw emotions that I’ve stored away inside of me. I would have thought that thirteen years was enough to kill them, but now I am starting to think they’ve just festered, permeated everything I am, have become. I didn’t even realize it.
And if that isn’t some philosophical shit, right there.
“She said to go on back,” the receptionist says, hanging up her phone. I nod my thanks and then go through the dark cherry colored door with the gold nameplate that says, ‘Mayor’.
“Gavin.”
I look up at Luna as I close the door. She’s different today. She’s wearing another dress, but this one is a soft peach color and her hair is more relaxed. She still looks professional, but I see hints of the girl I used to love too.
I clear my throat, suddenly choked on emotion.
“Luna, I’m sorry to bother you at work…”
“Has something happened with the case?”
“No, not really. Whoever this guy is, he’s really good at covering his tracks. There’s not one clue, no DNA evidence… nothing.”
“I don’t understand that. I’ve not had your training, but it seems like DNA wouldn’t be that easy to destroy.”
