Page 34 of Inside Silence
I’m fuming and it’s not healthy for me.
I remember spending a lot of my youth angry and that got me in trouble in the first place.
The cold beer I grabbed from the fridge and took back out on the deck helps a little, as does the calming view of the mountains. But my blood still boils remembering the sight of my tearful daughter when I came back inside after blasting Maynard out on the front step. I guess my outburst could’ve gotten me in some hot water, but he got a radio call and ended up taking off without another word.
Tate went up to her room after I managed to reassure her I wasn’t in trouble, and I’ve been out here stewing ever since.
I’d been too mad to answer his question about my whereabouts Friday night a week ago, but I thought of it after. Friday was when I’d spent the longest hour of my life looking for my daughter who was missing from school, and my first encounter with Savannah Colter since returning to Silence. Not a day I’d forget lightly, in part because later in the afternoon she stopped at my house with a bruise on her face to explain why Tate had taken off.
I’m not sure what brought Auden Maynard out here tonight, but I’m pretty sure Savvy didn’t know about it. There’s not a question in my mind she would’ve remembered my whereabouts last Friday as well.
I’m surprised when I hear the doorbell, and my first thought is the bastard came back. Stepping inside, I see Tate already at the door. My “Wait,” falls on deaf ears as she opens it.
“Hey, Tatum. Thanks for calling,” Savvy, who is standing on my doorstep, tells my daughter.
Wait. Tate called her? When?
I reach the door and the confusion must show on my face, because my daughter scrambles to explain.
“You were yelling outside and I couldn’t see what was happening and got worried, so I called the sheriff’s office. I didn’t know what else to do.”
Before I have a chance to react, Savvy steps inside and puts a hand on Tate’s shoulder. “You did the right thing calling, honey. I’m afraid Trooper Maynard knocked on your door by mistake. It was a misunderstanding.” Then she flashes a quick apologetic smile at me before turning back to Tate. “Do you think I could chat with your dad for a bit?”
I slide my hand around the back of Tate’s neck and press a kiss to the top of her head.
“We’ll be out on the deck, all right, kiddo?”
Savvy follows me to the kitchen where I grab a couple of cold ones from the fridge on the way out the door. I don’t drink every day and rarely more than one or two, but today is definitely a three-beer day.
“I’m so sorry,” she starts when I slide the door shut, cutting Tate off from hearing us. “I had no idea Auden was coming here.”
“I came to that conclusion already,” I volunteer, catching the relief on her face. “Although, I’m not sure how I got on his radar in the first place.”
Unless it has something to do with her. Maybe the first impression I had when I saw him crowding her in the parking lot of the sheriff’s station wasn’t too far off the truth after all.
Her eyes slide beyond me to the mountains.
“It’s complicated.”
“Try me. Is he more than a colleague?”
Because that might explain why he ended up here. It’s possible he saw us talking outside the Brew House, saw me as competition, and decided to flex his muscle.
“No,” Savvy responds immediately before correcting it to, “Yes.”
“Helpful,” I grumble, taking a swig of my beer.
“What I mean is, he’s a friend. I went to school with him. He was Matt’s best friend and, after Matt died, was there when things were tough. He’s like a big brother. Protective like one too,” she explains.
“I see. So, this was a warning for me? To stay away from you?”
She shrugs. “I’m not sure what exactly he was thinking, and I’m not saying this to excuse him, but he remembers what a mess I was when you left.”
Immediately the old guilt rises its head and I react defensively.
“So we’re right back there again.”
She takes a step closer and puts her hand on my arm.
