A Case of Hate by Rex Darby

Author:Rex Darby
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Rex Darby
Published: 2020-03-27T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Liliana Fairweather

I’ve buried my head in the sand about Burke.

It’s a five year prison sentence for harboring a fugitive when their charge would be a felony.

I eventually manage to squeeze the full story out of him. He was living in rural Arizona, working at an illicit cannabis farm with his ridiculous friend Nolan who has been a bad influence on Burke from about the age of 12. The farm got busted, but they could see the cops coming on the security cameras, and scattered in all directions. Burke was the only one who managed to get away, and there’s a warrant out for his arrest. Nolan’s in jail awaiting trial, as are the others. Burke’s not sure if the cops have his name yet, but I assume they must do – one of the guys must have squealed. He refuses to catch up with any news on it. He’d rather pretend none of it is happening.

Which, honestly, has been easy to do for us.

It’s been so long since I saw him for any stretch of time. He’s been hopping around the country since he left school at 16, doing all sorts of junk, some legal, some illegal. He never had enough money to come home, and was always hesitant for me or mom to come out there. Luke and Stone wouldn’t have ever wanted to see him anyways, but that’s another story.

“You should hand yourself in,” I tell him. I’m sitting in the garden in a boxers and a huge T-shirt I bought myself from the men’s section – I like to dress down at home. I had to go get him some clothes as he had nothing. The weather’s good and I sit on the grass. I refused to let him out despite his pleas. “You can’t let anyone see you.”

“I’m going stir crazy in here,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong, you have a big house but it’s still boring as hell.”

That’s why I say what I say.

“Nah,” he answers, which irritates me.

“So what are you going to do, then?”

He shrugs. “I’ll think of something.”

“Oh right. Yeah. Okay.”

“Don’t be bitchy,” he says, sipping on the iced tea I made.

“You don’t realize how serious this is, do you?”

“Yes, I do, which is precisely why I’m not gonna hand myself in. Stop telling me what to do.”

“No. Look, I’ll defend you in court. You’ll get off. You will.” I’m not actually admitted to the Bar in Arizona, but I decide not to mention it. I’m sure I could work it out.

He doesn’t reply, just makes a non-committal noise.

“You’re pissing me off. You’re just sitting in my damn house making me commit a crime I could get up to five years in jail for, not to mention losing my whole career, and you’re acting like I’m bugging you.”

“You are bugging me. And nothing will happen to you. No one can prove you knew anything.”

“You’re a pathetic kid.”

He shrugs again, and I see red.

“If you don’t hand yourself in within... one week.

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