Fifteen Coffins by Tony J Forder

Author:Tony J Forder [Forder, Tony J]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-11-01T16:00:00+00:00

Twenty-Seven

It was immediately obvious to Sydney that temporary paralysis and a wheelchair were constant reminders to Nathan Rains of the day a fellow high school student ran amok with handguns.

A young man with an uncertain future ahead of him, Rains sat alongside his mother in their living room. Mary Rains held on to her son’s hand like she never wanted to let go. Like she wished she never had, blaming herself for his current condition. They both insisted Sydney and Benton Lowe call the boy Nate, and as Mary said the name, she gave his fingers a squeeze as if to remind herself of his presence. She had already placed a tray containing four large glasses of iced tea on the centre of a pale wooden coffee table. Sydney was not thirsty, but had learned long ago never to reject a drink offered by an hospitable host.

‘I’d like to thank you for agreeing to meet with us at short notice,’ Benton said, peering at mother and son in turn. ‘I hope not to keep either of you too long.’

‘Of course,’ the woman said with the faintest of shrugs. ‘Anything to help.’

Benton eased forward on the chair Mrs Rains had offered him. The house was typical of Moon Falls in that it was a single-storey structure clad in weather-treated wood, raised above the soil and boasting a wrap-around deck. The interior was less rustic, walls painted in pastel shades, with modern furniture and plain, hard-wearing fabrics. Neither armchair matched the sofa, but eclectic tastes were hardly unusual, either.

‘I don’t wish to stir up bad memories,’ he said, ‘but I do need to ask some questions which may prove to be painful to consider.’

‘That’s okay.’ This time Nathan answered for himself. ‘Ask away, Sheriff. I’ll answer anything I can.’

The young man was clean and well-groomed, thick brown hair parted down the middle. He looked a lot like his mother. He wore stylish clothing, and Sydney’s impression was that he always did. Despite the gauze taped over the gunshot wound to his left cheek, he appeared to be comfortable, albeit in unfortunate circumstances. She and Ben had to keep in mind that if the gunman had shot Rains with deliberate intent to kill, there had to be a reason for it. One he might be keen to hide.

Benton nodded. ‘Well, first of all I’m going to steer clear of the incident itself. Instead, I want to focus on something you may not have considered before. I also need to prepare you, because it’s not an easy thing to ask, so I already know it’ll be every bit as awful to hear. We good on that, Nate?’

The young man nodded, though anxiety glimmered in his eyes.

‘Well, okay then. Tell me, son, can you think of any reason why Kevin Muller would have wanted you dead?’

Rains frowned. Glanced at his mother before turning back to Benton and responding, ‘He opened up the moment he came into the classroom. Didn’t say a word, didn’t seem as if he was looking at anyone in particular.

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