Darkness Follows (17 page)

After
Max and Crawley left the house, Blake, Ryanne, Burrows and Aurina sat down to
breakfast. Aurina was sure that Burrows was flirting with Blake, asking him
about his shop and sharing their love of cars.

After
breakfast Blake asked Aurina to go for a run, and although she felt emotionally
exhausted, she agreed. She loved the endorphins she got after exercising, and
she would be lying to herself if she thought it wasn’t also because she loved
being around Blake.

They
ran north on Main Street past wheat, and corn fields. They ran past fields of yellow
rod, and wild flowers. They ran until they reached a small hidden road, and
then they slowed to a walk.

“I
wasn’t sure a run with you would be such a good idea.” Aurina told him as she
took a sip of her water bottle.

“Why’s
that?”

“I
never run with anyone. It’s something I do for me.
On my
own.”

“I
don’t run with anyone either. I used to run with my ex, but to be honest, I had
trouble keeping up some times. I just wanted to go at my own pace, and she was
always ready to go home after an hour.”

“Hey
is this where Max and Crawley found Ryanne and Jake?” Aurina looked out at the
large manmade lake and jogged down the path toward the dock.

The
shore was lined with thousands of trees, and the sun reflected on the water
giving the whole cove a golden glow.

“Yep.
This is the
most popular fishing hole in town.” Blake met her where she stood just before
the dock.

“You
fish out here?”

“Sure
do.”

Aurina
walked down to the short rocky ledge on the right side of the dock, and Blake
followed her.

“This
is a great spot.
So peaceful.”

“Today
yeah, but not on Father’s Day, or Labour Day, or basically any holiday that’s
great for fishing.”

“Catch
much?”

“I’ve
caught my fair share of trout.
Couple catfish.”

“Should
we get back on the trail?”

“Yeah,
there are a few places I want to show you.” Blake chugged his water, and
twisted the cap back on.

“It’s
so great out here. Dersten must have been a great place to grow up in.”

"Had
it's
ups and downs. Word gets around quick, and
sometimes all the gossip can make you wish you were anywhere but here."

"Ha.
What could anyone say about you?"

"Not
me
," Blake turned to face the lake.
"About my dad."

Aurina
turned toward the lake, and they stood side by side.

"Kids
in school can be cruel. They teased me about my dad. Said their parent's told
them he was an alcoholic."

"That's
horrible."

"The
worst part was it was true."

"Oh.
I'm sorry Blake."

He
shook his head. "It hurt when I was younger. I loved my dad, still do.
He's done a lot for me. Nobody's perfect." He stepped behind her, and
wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Except for you.
You might be as close as they come."

Aurina
laughed softly and sighed as he pulled her close.

"You
don't have to talk about it anymore if you don't want to."

"We
went fishing every Father’s Day in this lake." He pressed his cheek
against hers.

"Must have been nice to live so
close to it, although you only have to step outside your front door in Dersten
to find a great view."

“You
like our little town?” Blake nudged her and began to jog back up the hill to
the road. “Maybe you could stay.”

Aurina
knew she heard Blake properly, but she was still surprised.

“Come
on,” Blake called to her as he began to run. She thought she heard him laughing
and she ran to catch up with him.

Max
fell asleep as soon as he got home, and set his alarm for three in the
afternoon, at which time he took Ginelli for a long walk. A walk with the
family dog usually cleared his mind, or at least settled his thoughts, but this
time was different. He saw several neighbors and friends along his way, but had
no interest in conversing, or exchanging pleasantries.

After
having dinner with his parents, he decided to take his friend Dan up on his
offer for beer and wings at O'Leary's with the usual crowd. He felt guilty for
the lack of time he had spent with them over the past few weeks, and he hoped
they wouldn't question him much on his whereabouts.

When
he got to O'Leary's he remembered that Jake was brought back to the station,
and a wave of relief swept over him as he entered.

"Max, buddy!"
Dan yelled from
the top landing, and Ali waved to him.

Max
raised his hand, and went directly to the bar. Bill O'Leary stood in the
corner, speaking to one of the
servers ,
but came to
meet Max as he approached.

"Bill."
Max nodded.

"Surprised to see you here Max.
You’re the
first officer to come in here since Jake was taken in."

Max
had begun to sit on the bar stool, but decided against it.

"Listen,
I don't...I can't talk about that right now."

"Oh yeah?
Well it seems
like all anyone talks about, so why not Max? You think my son killed Anne Marie?"
Bill leaned in toward Max across the bar.

"I
don’t know what's going on here Bill."

"I'll
tell ya what's goin' on. The town is against my
son,
pointing a finger at the boy they've known all their lives. That you've known
all your life. You should go about finding the killer, or maybe I'll have to
take matters into my own hands."

"I'm
not pointing any fingers, I'm trying to go about things the right way, to
figure out what's going on, and I won't stand here and let you threaten me
alright?"

Bill
stepped away from the bar, and took a swig of his own drink sitting by a number
of bottles.

"I'm
sorry Max. I don't mean to attack you. I just want my son cleared of
this."

"I
understand." Max nodded.

"He's
all I've got." It was then Max saw the glassiness in Bill's eyes.

"I'm
sorry Bill."

Bill
grabbed his drink and limped down the back hallway, while Jessica Winters took
his place in front of Max.

"What
can I get ya?" She asked.

"Pitcher of Canadian please."

She
nodded and Max saw the dark bags under her eyes. He looked around the bar and
noticed she was the only server working. He didn't have to ask why.

"What
are you guys getting up to tonight?

"Oh.
I'm just here for a few drinks.
You the only one here
tonight?"

Jessica
put the pitcher under the tap. "Bill's here...and not here. Then it's just
Lynn and Duncan."

"Careful closing up alright?
Make sure
Duncan stays after the kitchen is closed to walk you girls to your cars."

She
nodded as she hoisted the pitcher onto the bar top.

Max
enjoyed catching up with his friends, but there was something he couldn't take
his mind off of.
Ryanne.

He
thought he had convinced himself to keep a good distance between them. He
couldn't let his personal feelings cloud his judgment, but in all his time away
from her, all he did was think of her.

He
wanted to know if she had feelings for Jake, but was scared to know at the same
time. He hadn't felt this way about any girl, and he couldn't stop himself from
feeling the way he did.

When
he said good night to his friends, he knew it was time to confront the
situation head on, and maybe, once it was a non issue, he could think clearly
about the murders.

Ryanne
sat on the front porch steps and watched the sunset. She thought about Jake.
She didn’t know him from Adam, but it was her gut that told her he was
innocent.

She
found herself wishing Jake hadn’t been caught by Max the other night, and that
she had gotten to speak to him about the night they went to the lake. The night
Anne Marie was killed. She wanted to ask him why they had been fighting, and
try to convince him to be co-operative with the police. If the rest of the town
knew that the murder could have been caused by a killer after her and her sister,
they would be less likely to point the finger at one of their own.

The
possibility lingered that Jeremy could be there already, watching them, waiting
for them to be alone, for the right moment. Yet, the information they received
earlier in the day made her doubt this now too. Jeremy seemed to long for her,
and if he had been near, or knew where she was, he would have had her by now.
Ryanne was sure this was true.

There
was a cool breeze in the air, and it grazed Ryanne’s hot arms as she leaned
over, realizing Max's car was coming down the road. She had been waiting for
him to come, wanting to speak to him. The tension between them seemed to have
eased, and she hoped they would have time to talk alone so that she could
figure out where she stood with him.

Max
pulled up in the driveway and as he walked steadily toward her, Ryanne couldn't
read his face. She looked up at him as he approached. He was wearing his uniform,
and removed his aviators when he got to the steps.

"Hey Ryanne."
She was sure he
would walk right past her up the steps and into the house, but when she turned
to stop
him,
he was taking a seat on the step above
her. Ryanne turned to watch the last half of the golden sunset, and they sat
quietly in the still moment.

"Listen
Ryanne, I'm sorry about how long I’ve let things go on like this. I know you've
had a lot on your mind, and I just want you to know that I respect your
decisions lately, and I'm sorry I judged you before. Not my place." Ryanne
looked back at him, and he seemed to be waiting for something.

"I
was actually going to apologize to you. I was selfish. I was just so used to
only thinking about myself."

"You
were under a lot of pressure to change your life so quickly, and drastically.
You were dealing with it the only way you knew how." Ryanne was surprised
at Max's insight. She relaxed herself, and leaned back on the step.

"Thanks."
Ryanne said looking up at Max smiling at her for the first time in days.

"Do
you remember asking me if we were friends?"

Ryanne
nodded.

"I
don't know how this is going to sound. Maybe I read too much into it, but I
thought it might have been something more.
That it could be
something more."

Ryanne
slid to the side of the steps and saw Max looking down at her. She smiled
nervously, feeling butterflies in her stomach.

"I
really didn't know you felt that way. I mean, yeah, we were flirting,
but..."

"You
don't feel the same."

Ryanne
shook her head, and Max leaned forward slightly. "It's not that. I had fun
with you. I just didn't know you felt that way about me. Should I have
known?"

"I
could have made it more obvious if I hadn't found you holding hands with
Jake."

Ryanne
felt her face growing hot, and her dry mouth struggled to form words. "
That's
why you were so upset?"

"I
was more upset with myself for getting caught up in my feelings. I can't let
this interfere with my job, but if I don't find out how you feel, it'll be more
distracting."

"I
think we have a connection, but I also have one with Jake."

"Not
exactly what I was hoping to hear, but I'm still happy."

They
smiled at each other for a while, and then Ryanne rested against his knees
again.

"How's
Aurina doing?"

"She’s
alright. Blake seems to do a good job of keeping her calm, all things
considered. They’re inside with Burrows."

The
sun dipped below the horizon, and the sky was left a bright pinky orange.

"I
wanted to ask you," Max shifted his body weight away from her and looked
down at the top of her head, “You don’t hold yourself responsible for Jeremy’s
actions do you?"

“I
don’t know.” Ryanne told him the truth, “I know Jeremy is sick. There’s no
telling for sure what he will and won’t do as long as he’s free.” Max leaned
against the porch post, and looked out across the field to the forest. “If
there is a chance though, that if he met me, they could catch him…”

“Ryanne..."

“What
do you think?”

“I
think it’s more complicated than Jones is making it. I think it’s dangerous,
and I think they’ve already brought you too far into this.”

"Do
you think he could already be here?” Ryanne asked, and Max shook his head
slowly, pulling himself up by the porch railing.

“I
think it would be stupid to have our minds made up one way or the other right
now.” Max reached a hand down to Ryanne, and she took it, allowing herself to
be pulled up as well. They both stood leaning on the porch, looking at the sky
growing darker by the minute.

Ryanne
remained silent looking across the field, and took a deep breath as a breeze
blew over her.

“Are
we cool?” Max asked, after a short time had passed.

“Yeah.”
Ryanne brushed
some hair from her face. “Max, do you think we are safe here?”

“I
don’t think anyone in town is safe.” Ryanne was surprised at his brutal
honesty, but she expected the answer.

“Think
Jones will move us away?”

“It’s
a possibility.” Max leaned against the porch railing, “I don’t want you near
Jake O’Leary right now okay? Not until things are cleared up. Then make up your
mind, alright?”

Ryanne
thought to ask if Max really believed he was a killer, but decided against it
for now. She nodded, and turned away from Max toward the house.

“Good.”
Max headed down the stairs, walking toward his car, and Ryanne thought about
what a relief it was that the air between them had finally been cleared as she
stepped back inside.