The Edge Creek Light by H P Bayne

Author:H P Bayne [Bayne, H P]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781999147570
Publisher: Bayne Independent Publishing
Published: 2020-04-29T22:00:00+00:00

Dez and Sully waived the offer of tea or coffee as the woman led them into the living room. Taking a plush chair for herself, she left the sofa for them.

The room boasted a fireplace with a row of photos lining the mantle, including a framed wedding picture that had to be of Pete and his wife. From here, Pete looked like the happiest man on the planet. Dez wondered how Tim’s death might have shaken that.

“We didn’t catch your name,” Sully said.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s Lois.”

Sully smiled. “What would you prefer we call you?”

“Lois is fine.”

Sully eyed Dez, and Dez took over the questioning. “We’d hoped to ask your husband about his recollection of what happened on the night Tim Whitebear was killed. We’ve read his police statement from the time, but we’d hoped to find out if he recalled anything else. Did he ever talk about it?”

“Not much, not to me and the kids, anyway,” she said. “But he did talk sometimes to me, when he was feeling particularly down. The whole thing ruined him. He was a wonderful man. When we married, he had a big, booming laugh and always had a joke to tell. After Tim was killed, I rarely saw Pete smile unless we were around the kids or with company. He was good at pretending around others. Not so much with me. I saw him how he truly was.”

“Which was?” Dez asked.

“Sad. Very, very sad. He never recovered from it. He had terrible nightmares for the rest of his life. He had to quit his job afterward, and he took a position as a school maintenance worker instead. It didn’t pay well, but he didn’t have to risk having a flashback either. To the day he died, he went out of his way to avoid anything to do with the railway. He even hated crossing tracks when we were out for a drive.”

“Was he ever treated for PTSD?”

“He never admitted he had it. He was an old-fashioned sort of fellow, believed in dealing with things on his own. Management was no help either. I’ve thought many times if this had happened now instead of then, he would have had help. It hasn’t been that long, I suppose, but attitudes have changed for the better about such things.”

“What about the fact he and Tim worked for the same company?” Dez asked. “Do you think that added to his problems afterward?”

“I have no doubt,” Lois said. “They didn’t know each other very well, mind you; Tim worked at head office and Pete worked on the trains. Their paths didn’t cross much save for Christmas parties and the like. But I do know Pete never had anything bad to say about Tim. Even though they weren’t friends per se, it affected Pete, knowing he was partially responsible for a train that killed a colleague.”

“When did Pete pass away?” Sully asked.

She gave them a small, sad smile. “Almost two years after it happened. He suffered a massive heart attack in his sleep.

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