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“I’ll get that,” Mom murmured, rising from the table.
“If it’s one of those yahoos, tell ’em Brian won’t be joining them on any joyride,” Dad hollered after her.
He cringed.
Why can’t he call me Butch? What’s so bad about having a nickname?
Then he heard raised voices, and his heartbeat quickened.
Something’s wrong.
“You can’t just barge into my house.” Mom sounded… pissed? Scared? Butch couldn’t decide. A moment later, the door was flung open, and a woman burst in, her gaze darting around the room. Her eyes were red, her face blotchy, and it didn’t look as if her hair had a passing acquaintance with a hairbrush.
What he couldn’t miss was the fact she wore a nightgown under her coat, and slippers on her feet.
She saw him, and lurched toward the table.
“You, you little bastard. You’re the one I’m here to see.” There was a slur to her voice that reminded him of Saturday nights when his dad came back from the bar where he’d spent a few hours with his friends.
His dad frowned. “Melissa? You alright?”
It took Butch a moment to recognize her. He’d seen her at their church on Sundays, but she hadn’t attended for a long time.
The look in Scott Nelson’s mom’s eyes sent his heart plummeting.
She paid his dad no mind, but slammed her hands down onto the kitchen table.
“You did it, didn’tcha? You finally pushed him too far.”
“What’s all this about?” Mom put her hand on Mrs. Nelson’s back, but she squirmed away as if the touch burned her. She jerked her head to stare at his mom, her eyes wild, her breathing erratic.
“My boy is dead, andyoursondrove him to it.”
It felt as though time slowed down. Thetickof the clock on the wall was sluggish. Pain tore through Butch’s chest, and bile rose in his throat. He couldn’t speak.
Scott dead? Hecan’tbe.
“Scott?” Mom brought her hand to her mouth, her eyes huge. “Melissa, what happened? And how can it have anything to do with Brian?”
Mrs. Nelson pointed a thin, trembling finger at Butch. “What did you do yesterday? He came home in such a state. I knew something had happened at school, but he wouldn’t talk about it. His uncle tried for hours to get through to him.” She let out a sob. “And finally he told us the truth. He was being bullied.” She stared at Butch, her gaze unwavering.
Then he caught the hitch in his dad’s breathing, and he turned.
Dad stood there, rigid, gaping at her. “You saying Brian had something to do with this?”
She nodded, never taking her eyes off Butch. “He said there were a few boys involved, but his was the only name Scott mentioned, not that he told us why he was being bullied.” She slammed her hand down again. “What iswrongwith you? What did Scott ever do toyou? He was the sweetest boy ever. He’d do anything for anyone. Wasn’t it bad enough he lost his dad a few years ago? Did you and your friends have to make his life even worse?”
Another knock at the door made everyone jump, and Dad left the room. Butch caught the murmur of voices, and then the door opened once more. A man came into the room, flustered. He hurried over to Mrs. Nelson, and put his arm around her.
“Aw, Mel, you shouldn’t be here.”
She stiffened at first, and made as if to shrug off his embrace, but as Butch watched, she crumpled in on herself and turned to the man, sobs wracking her body as she buried her face in his neck.
“I thought I’d find her here,” he told Mom, stroking Mrs. Nelson’s back. “She’s been under sedation most of the day. I went to get her some water, and when I came back, she’d taken my car keys. It didn’t take a genius to work out where she’d gone.” He glared at Butch. “Soyou’rethe one. I hope you’re feeling proud of yourself. My sister lost her husband, so Scott was her whole world. And now she’s lost him too.”
Butch finally found his voice. “How did Scott die?” he croaked.
He shivered. “I found him this morning in the barn. He’d taken some rope and…” Another violent shiver coursed through him. “I cut him down. Mel was hysterical, and who can blame her? She wouldn’t eat, but then I found the whiskey bottle. She said something a few hours ago about coming here, and I told her not to do it.” He held Mrs. Nelson close. “Come on home now, Mel. You shouldn’t be here.”
