Olympus, Texas by Stacey Swann

Author:Stacey Swann [Stacey Swann]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published: 2021-05-04T00:00:00+00:00

TWO

It’s not yet 8 a.m., but Sheriff Muñoz sits on the couch next to Artie, her hands clasped and her elbows on her knees, looking as if she’s perpetually on the verge of standing up again. Muñoz had sent Lee out of the room, saying it was best if she and Artie talked one-on-one, and Artie waits to hear the bad news coming. “You and your family made the hardest part of my job even harder last night,” the sheriff says.

The Barrys. Artie is ashamed she hadn’t thought of them once since she’d gotten up this morning after a few hours of partial sleep. Instead, she’d been caught in a loop, her brain unable to move past the riverbank. The feel of the trigger giving way under her finger, the sound of splashing as Arlo struggled to get Ryan to the shore. But Ryan’s parents had a night as horrible as her own. “Oh, no,” Artie says. “You assumed they knew about me and Ryan.”

“You said you’d been dating for months, so it was an obvious assumption. My misunderstanding made me present the news badly. It’s my job to do that well. Or as well as possible.” She angles herself farther toward Artie, as if she’s appraising whether Artie understands the seriousness of it all.

“I’m so sorry.” Artie is already playing out how awful the conversation must have been. Ryan’s mother not just dealing with the shock of hearing of her son’s death, but feeling blocked out of Ryan’s recent life.

“You also failed to mention Ryan was working for Hap Briscoe. Mrs. Barry assumed that was where you had met her son, but I couldn’t shed any light on that.” Muñoz looks at Artie hard. “Lavinia Barry expects to know exactly what happened and why.”

She nods at the sheriff. “Could I go with you to see her, to explain more? Does she think it was on purpose somehow? That we had a fight?”

“Her seeing you now might make things worse.” The sheriff sighs. “And make you feel worse. Which I’m thinking you really aren’t up for yet.”

If Arlo were here too, sitting beside her, he’d probably push back, point out that the sheriff has no idea what Artie is or isn’t up for. For a moment, she wishes he was there, but surely he would make things worse, just like he had made everything worse since yesterday. Since he came back from his tour, really.

The sheriff continues, “And no, Mrs. Barry doesn’t think it was malicious. She assumes recklessness caused it. But she’s already saying she’s sure Arlo will face no punishment and the Briscoes will go blindly on with their lives, not even noticing they’ve taken everything from her. I assured her the investigation would be thorough and we do understand what she lost.”

Sheriff Muñoz begins again to work through the events of the prior day with her. Her sternness is replaced with a new kindness, but Artie knows she’s mentally comparing today’s story to yesterday’s—making sure they align, but not so closely they sound rehearsed.

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