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And then something in Travis's mind clicked.
James?
The boy from the blog.
Roadside Crosses.
Travis blinked. "James Chilton?" Was this the blogger?
"Travis," the captor said firmly, stepping behind him, pulling another gun from his back pocket. He touched it to Travis's head. "Go ahead and do it. I told you not to say anything, don't ask questions. Just shoot!"
Travis asked Donald, "He's James Chilton?"
"Yes," the man whispered.
What, Travis wondered, was going on here?
Chilton shoved the gun harder into Travis's skull. It hurt. "Do it. Do it, or you'll die. And your family will die."
The boy lowered the gun. He shook his head. "You don't have any friends at my house. You were lying to me. You're doing this alone."
"If you don't do it, I'll kill you and then go to their house and kill them. I swear I will."
Hawken cried, "Jim! Is this . . . for God's sake, what is this?"
Lily cried uncontrollably.
Travis Brigham understood now. Shoot them or not, he was dead. His family would be all right; Chilton had no interest in them. But he was dead. A faint laugh eased from his throat and he felt tears sting eyes already stinging from the sunlight.
He thought of Caitlin, her beautiful eyes and smile.
Thought of his mother.
Thought of Sammy.
And of all the terrible things that people had said about him in the blog.
Yet he'd done nothing wrong. His life was about nothing more than trying to get through school as best he could, to play a game that made him happy, to spend some time with his brother and look after the boy, to meet a girl who wouldn't mind that he was a geek with troubled skin. Travis had never in his life hurt anybody intentionally, never dissed anyone, never posted a bad word about them.
And the whole world had attacked him.
Who'd care if he killed himself?
Nobody.
So Travis did the only thing he could. He lifted the gun to his own chin.
Look at the luser, his life is epic FAIL!!!
Travis's finger slipped around the trigger of the gun. He began to squeeze.
The explosion was fiercely loud. Windows shook, acrid smoke filled the room, and a delicate porcelain cat tumbled from the mantelpiece and shattered on the hearth into dozens of pieces.
Chapter 43
KATHRYN DANCE'S CAR turned onto the long dirt driveway that led to James Chilton's vacation house in Hollister.
She was reflecting on how wrong she'd been.
