Dove Sport

Chapter Seven: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Nick was praying in Edgewood's chapel, letting the silence wrap around him, when the news broke. Stepping outside into the cool autumn day, Nick let his friends sweep him up into their buzzing conversation. Mason had spoken in a rush, his words painting a clear enough portrait of what had happened at Doveport High even though neither he nor Nick had been there. Just when Nick had thought things in the town were winding down this new development in the investigation upended everything. "I'm guilty" Meredith Lark had said in her morning Biology class, but of what? Nick wasn't sure and didn't quite care. He was sure Arsen would puzzle over this new development for weeks but Nick had bigger problems to solve. With Meredith's confession, the school would be crawling with police eager to search for any extra evidence she may have kept at school. It meant Nick wouldn't be able to check in with Grindle anytime soon on his own. When he stepped away from his friends, Nick texted his Liaison and asked them to check in with the subpar chemistry teacher and report back to him.

His phone began to ring almost immediately. Shocked, Nick looked at the caller ID, half expecting his liaison to be the one on the other line. It just Arsen. With a sigh, Nick accepted the call.

"Have you heard?" Arsen asked in a rush.

"About Meredith practically confessing in class? Yes, I heard." Nick replied sarcastically.

"No, I mean the story she's telling now." Arsen told him, sounding giddy. Nick felt his brows bunching together and began walking farther from his group of friends. "She's claiming she didn't kill her brother but that she did lie about what happened on June 25th." Nick listened as Arsen told him the story Meredith had given: Seth had wanted to run away from the town and never return and he'd enlisted her help to do it. He'd asked they stage an accident so their parents wouldn't come after him. She said Seth never fell and hit his head that night, they'd both gotten in the boat safe and sound and she'd dropped him off just past the cove where his body was eventually discovered. She'd left him there, whole and alive, and he had promised to call her once he was someplace safe.

"Wow," Nick said as he blew out a breath, "So she really must have killed her brother, then."

"What?" Arsen asked over the phone, "No! At least, I don't think so. I haven't even told you the craziest part yet: Meredith claims she heard a gunshot that night too! The sheriff was grilling her apparently about why she didn't tell anyone when her parents stormed in and took her home."

"Well, at least now we know who fired that gunshot." Nick said,  "I mean, it must have been her. She must be lying, right?" Maybe she killed her brother to be the heir to her father's company or maybe she killed him because she was crazy. Either way, Nick was content to never think about this nasty business ever again. Of course, Arsen didn't feel the same.

"I don't think she did," Arsen said slowly, "You don't know Meredith that well, but she adored  her brother. I don't think she was capable of hurting him." Arsen seemed to hesitate, "It isn't right to let the whole town think she's a killer if she's not," He inhaled deeply and loudly enough for Nick to hear it, "I'm going to tell the Sheriff what you and I heard that night- the gunshot." Nick was instantly alarmed.

"What? Arsen, no, you can't-"

"I promise I'll leave you out of this as best I can," Arsen promised, "But they will literally crucify Meredith if they can't prove her story. I have to help her."

"You were in the clear," Nick started, "We were both in the clear." He ran a hand through his hair and briefly checked around himself to see if there was anyone around.

"It's not that big a deal." Arsen said.

"Not a big deal, Arsen?" Nick laughed a little at the sheer stupidity of this situation. "You are going to get caught up in a murder investigation. It doesn't matter if you name me or not. What if Sheriff Kins decides to keep digging and it somehow leads back to us? People know we're friends. It's not that crazy of a connection to make."