AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I hate that man,” Lenanee said.
“Yeah, you and I both, Lee. You and I both,” he said. He walked to the man.
“I should pay people specifically to turn you away whenever you show your face here. What would it take to make you know that you're unwelcome?” He asked.
“I…didn't know I was unwelcome but now that you've said it, I'll try to make myself scarce but there are some things I think you should know but I suppose you already know the. Perhaps that was what you were discussing with your woman before I arrived.”
Hayden went deathly still as he listened to the man.
“I know about the bear, you see? I know what happened and you and my brother were there. Of course, you'd say you shot the bear in self-defense but the bear is still dead and you attempted to conceal the murder. I think that's smart, by the way. If you'd brought it out, then you'd still have the same problem. I think you had the right idea on that one though I doubt it was you at all.”
“Leave my property,” Hayden said, and Kenneth raised his hands again.
“Yeah, sure I'll leave. I suppose you will be seeing me again, soon enough,” he said and turned to walk away. He stopped and turned around; a finger raised.
“By the way. Where's my brother?”
“He left.”
“Did he?” Kenneth asked and continued walking. Hayden felt his heart sink into his belly, and he wondered how he would get out of this.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
On the peaceful riverbank, the late afternoon sun painted a warm glow across the water, casting a tranquil ambiance over the scene. Kenneth sat on a weathered wooden stool, his fishing line trailing into the slow current. Austin approached, the crunch of gravel under his boots breaking the silence.
"Mind if I join you?" Austin asked, attempting a nonchalant tone.
Kenneth glanced up, feigning a casual smile. "Sure, plenty of fish in the river."
As they settled into their spots, the rhythmic sound of the flowing water provided a backdrop for their strained conversation. Austin baited his hook, trying to steer the discussion to safer waters. "River fishing has its charm, doesn't it? Serene, almost therapeutic."
Kenneth nodded, though his eyes held a guarded look. "Yeah, been coming here for years. Peaceful way to clear the mind."
Austin, trying to keep the conversation light, added, "Remember the time we caught that massive catfish? Must've been a legend in these waters."
Kenneth's stern expression softened momentarily. "Yeah, thought the boat was gonna tip over. Good times."
As they exchanged fishing anecdotes, the undertones of tension flowed beneath their words, an invisible current mirroring the complexities of their relationship. Austin continued, "I was thinking of taking up sailing. Ever tried it?"
Kenneth's grip tightened on his fishing rod; his response measured. "Sailing's a different world. Takes skill and patience. Not everyone's cut out for it."
The conversation meandered like the river, memories of shared fishing triumphs mingling with unspoken resentments. As the sun dipped lower, casting elongated shadows on the riverbank, the unspoken betrayal and unresolved emotions hung in the air. The quietude of the river masked the turbulence beneath the surface, leaving the brothers entangled in a web of silent conflict, each cast of the line echoing the strained ties that bound them.
“I will take that place and you know it,” Kenneth said.
“You could. Sure, you could but that would also mean you would be put away for this,” he said, handing him a phone. Kenneth frowned then turned it on. There was just one video there and he looked through it silently. His face paled the longer the video progressed and when it was done, he looked almost like he had been struck. He shut off the phone and looked up at the sky.
“Hells.”
“Yes, hells. You can do what you want with the ranch but by the time you and I are done, you'll be in the electric chair.”
Kenneth watched him silently then sat on the ground.
“You'd have your own brother killed?”
“A man who did something so vile deserves death, does he not?” He asked and Kenneth nodded slowly.
“I see. I reckon you'd keep this quiet if I step off the ranch?”
