“I just need a few minutes with him and then I’ll get out of your hair.” Sheriff Ely leans against the wall.
They’re all staring at me, waiting for a response. I just nod; that seems to be enough.
“We’ll be right outside,” Miss Granger says as she steps into the hall.
Dr. Perry follows. “Five minutes, Ely,” he says as he shuts the door behind him.
“I came as soon as I got your message,” Sheriff says in a hushed voice. “You need to tell me what the hell’s going on, because this doesn’t look good, Clay.”
A part of me still wants to spill my guts, but Miss Granger’s right. She may be lying about a hundred other things, but if I’m locked up, I’ll never be able to discover the truth. Sure, there’s a chance Ely might believe me, even help me, but I can’t take that chance. Protecting my family, protecting Ali, is the most important thing right now.
“I don’t remember anything.”
“If it were up to Tilford, you’d be locked up right now.” Sheriff narrows his eyes. “Talk to me, Clay. I know when someone’s hiding something from me.”
“Look…” I wipe my sweaty palms against my jeans. “There are bigger things going on here. Bigger than you and me.”
“That’s strange.” The right side of his mouth twitches. “That’s the same thing the Wiggins kid said to me when we pulled him out of the flames. You know, their trailer blew up hours before your dad went to the breeding barn that night. Even so, Lee told us what your dad was going to do. Told us it was too late, that the Devil was coming for him. Coming for all of us. That we needed to prepare for his coming and rejoice in the blood of the golden calf.”
I try to stay expressionless, but I can feel the blood drain from my face. How the hell would Lee Wiggins know about any of that?
“Does that mean anything to you, Clay?” Sheriff Ely digs.
I shake my head, but I can’t meet his eyes.
“You came over to my house in the middle of the night, talking about cows and blood and the Preservation Society. You said you ran over a calf with the combine and I got to thinking … maybe all of this is connected somehow. Is that why Jess is hanging around with the Wiggins kid out in the woods behind Merritt’s? Are you in this together?”
“I don’t know where you’re getting your information, but you’re dead wrong. Jess isn’t hanging around him anymore.”
“You sure about that?” Ely says. “’Cause I just saw them together on Sunday night.”
“Jess’s been home in bed since the Harvest Festival.”
“No offense”—Sheriff adjusts his hat—“but I’m not the one who’s been seeing things, now am I?”
I shift my weight and the paper crinkles beneath me.
“You know, you can talk to me.” Sheriff softens his tone. “I can help you through this, no matter what it is. I was always there for your dad.”
“And look what happened to him,” I say as I look out the dingy window, at an old man putting flyers on people’s cars.
I hear Sheriff take in a deep breath through his nose. “I watched the tape from the field, Clay.”
I look at him sharply.
“You didn’t think Neely’d be keeping an eye on his precious new stadium? You pull in at 3:18 and head up to the scoring booth.”
“I didn’t break in … I have a key.”
“3:24 you call, telling me we need to talk. 3:46 Ben Gillman climbs the goalpost and strings up the ropes. It took twenty-two men to figure out how to get him down. The ropes were strategic … almost like a puzzle. One wrong knot, one wrong length of rope and none of it would’ve worked. Ben Gillman was tough as nails, but not the sharpest. Now, you on the other hand could figure something like that out. You aced geometry, right?”
I try to force some words, even a grunt, but nothing comes out.
“Now, the whole time Ben’s doing all this, he’s staring up at the stands, crying. It’s almost like someone’s giving him instructions. The rope around his neck was so tight, it cut right through his skin, right through his artery. His body’s jerking around, there’s blood spurting everywhere, but you’re asleep. And then two hours later, you run onto the field acting like you’re in shock, like it’s the first time you’ve seen him.”
“It was … I did … because it’s true. I had no idea. I must’ve fallen asleep.”
“Don’t you think it’s awfully suspicious that you’re the one to discover two bodies in the past week?”
I let out a ragged breath. “What … you think they called me up, told me when and where they were going to kill themselves, and I decided to watch?”
“Or maybe you’re the one making them do it.”
“I got here as soon as I could,” Ali says as she enters the room. “Oh, I’m sorry. Dr. Perry said I could come in.”
I’ve never been happier to see someone in my entire life. “Is Noodle okay?”