Black River by S. M. Hulse

Author:S. M. Hulse
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

PART III

BURN

Claire has never seen Arthur Farmer in his uniform before. He is one of the few officers who change into street clothes before leaving the prison, so when she opens the door at two in the afternoon and sees him there on her porch in his crisp blue shirt and slacks, brass bits gleaming, she knows. Wesley.

An incident, Arthur calls it. Stumbles over the word. It is so obviously not his own, a parroting of something the administration has said, bureaucratic euphemism. When he finishes speaking, Claire steps toward him and he opens his arms to her and she raises her hand and slaps him hard across the face. She feels it all the way up in her shoulder. Arthur takes it—a blink, nothing else—and his calm makes her want to hit him again, but she crosses her arms over her chest and steps back when he reaches for her.

When? she asks.

Not quite an hour ago, he tells her. I came as soon as I could.

Not quite an hour. Is that fifty-nine minutes? Forty-five? Thirty-one? So much could have happened in not quite an hour. Wesley could already be dead. Jaw slack, eyes glassy. Or they could be hurting him. Landing blows on his body, slicing skin and what lay beneath. Worse. Claire forces herself to imagine every possibility, every potential pain and terror. She wants no more surprises. Wants nothing else to shock her the way this has. She must start to look crazed, because Arthur risks reaching for her again, and this time she lets him steer her to the couch.

Maddie’s gone to pick up Dennis at school, he says. I’ll stay with you until she gets here, and then I’m going back to the prison. I’ll stay until I can bring him home to you.

Vague phrasing. Bring him home. Claire is sure it’s intentional. Care on Arthur’s part not to make a hollow promise.

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