He wiped some blood from his forehead, he’d smashed it against the steering wheel, and he tried to get his bearings. Two men got out of the Camaro. One of them was Gris, and the other was in a sheriff’s uniform.
Instinctively, he reached for the glovebox, but already, police squad cars were surrounding him from every direction, their lights flashing, their sirens blazing.
“Step out of the vehicle with your hands raised,” he heard over the police loudspeaker.
What the hell’s going on, he wondered.
And then a bullet came through the back of the truck, smashing the window.
Holy shit.
Forrester stepped out of the truck and immediately, the four troublemakers, the sons of the most powerful politicians in the community, were on top of him. They punched him, kicked him to the ground, beat him with whatever weapons they happened to be holding, and finally, one of them stomped down on his face and knocked him out with the heel of his boot.
When he woke up he was in a police holding cell somewhere in Stone Peak. He was the only prisoner, and sitting on a bench outside the bars, staring at him, was the sheriff. He was a balding man, about fifty, with a handlebar mustache. Forrester realized he was also Phil’s father.
Forrester tried to sit up but two of his ribs were cracked. He winced from the pain.
“Don’t feel too good, does it?” the sheriff said.
Forrester didn’t answer. He wasn’t sure what this was all about, but he wasn’t going to give anything away until he found out.
“You know,” the sheriff continued, “I always knew you’d amount to no good. Coming out of a woman like your mother, and that son of a bitch, your father, you really didn’t stand a chance of becoming a real man.”
Forrester’s mouth was filled with the metallic taste of blood and he spat.
“An animal. That’s what you became. Doesn’t surprise me one bit, Forrester Snow.”
“I’m glad to hear I didn’t let you down,” Forrester said.
The sheriff laughed. “You know, I knew your father back in the day. He always was a mean son of a bitch.”
“You don’t have to tell me that.”
“I knew your mother too.”
Forrester looked at him. He didn’t mind anyone badmouthing his daddy, but his mother was a different matter. He waited to hear what the sheriff had to say.
“Don’t worry,” the sheriff said. “I’m not going to say anything nasty, although I should.”
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t,” Forrester said dryly.
He had a headache. Gris and the boys had really taken their opportunity to get their revenge.
“I knew her well,” the sheriff said. “She was a good woman. Would have made a good wife to someone. I asked her myself.”
“You proposed to my mother?”
“I did, but I was too late. Your daddy already had his claws in her. She didn’t stand a chance after that. Things were a lot different for women in them days. It was a shame. He killed her. I mean, there was nothing we could pin on him. In the eyes of the law, it was the childbirth that killed her, but I knew he could have done something to help her. He could have called for a doctor. He could have treated her better when she was pregnant with you.”
“My daddy always said I killed her,” Forrester said.
The sheriff looked at him, long and hard. “Maybe you did. Maybe you both did it, your daddy and you.”
Forrester spat again. “Maybe,” he said.
“In my experience, son, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Whatever evil was in your father, I bet it’s festering within you too.”
“Maybe it’s the good that was in my mother that favored me,” Forrester said.
The sheriff smiled. “Maybe,” he said. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see about that.”
The sheriff stood up. Forrester touched his ribs and recoiled in pain. “I think I need to see a doctor,” he said.
“You’ll be fine. Nothing a few days in the slammer won’t fix.”
Forrester shrugged. He’d been through worse things than a few nights in a jailhouse. He didn’t think the town of Stone Peak could hold him for too long without reason. Elle would be looking for him. His hotel would report it if he didn’t show up. Plus, he always had the Brothers to look out for him. They wouldn’t notice straight away, but within a few days, Lacey and Faith would notice if they didn’t hear from him.
“I need to make my phone call,” Forrester said.
“That ain’t going to happen, son.”
“What? I have a right.”
“Not if you’re unconscious you don’t.”
“But I’m not unconscious.”
“Sure you are.”
“What? Please. I just need to make one call. It’s nothing legal. I need to call a girl. I need to let her know where I am. She’ll be looking for me.”
“You should have thought of that before you embarrassed my son and his friends.”
“You can’t do this,” Forrester said, trying to rise to his feet. He couldn’t get up. The piercing pain in his ribs was too bad.