Rhénee Johnson: Emelda's Sapphire (Book One)

Chapter 17

"I still can't believe it," said Greta as she shook her head.

"Still can't believe what?" Malcom asked, his eyes fixed on the road.

"That Rhénee shot the guy." Greta looked at her brother.

"You better believe it. It surprised Kevin and I too, but she did. We can go to the woods to see the guy's body if you want."

Greta shook her head vigorously. "No, thank you. You know how things like that frighten me."

Malcom scoffed. "I know. The body's probably gone already. But if she didn't intervene, I wouldn't be here right now."

"That would've left me devastated. Not to mention mum. She can throw a fit first before she could mourn."

"Throw a fit? Why would she do that first?"

"I don't know." Greta had a look on her face that showed even she was surprised that she said that. "You know how we're always assuming mum might be after Rhénee? What if she's the one who sent those men to the cottage?"

Malcom thought about it. He found himself gripping the steering wheel too tight that he strained the nerves of his left arm and felt pain in his shoulder. He winced.

"Hey, careful!" Greta cried out to him. "I told you that I should be the one driving. You're stressing your arm."

"I'm fine, Greta," Malcom said, still not looking at her. "The thought of mum hiring those men to capture Rhénee makes me sick."

"I want to prove myself wrong, but everything seems to point to her. Since one of the men is still alive, we might be in big trouble."

Malcom knew what she meant. If the men they found at the cottage did work for their mother, she'll know that they're protecting Rhénee.

Malcom pulled the car over. They were only a few minutes away from the house. Greta looked at her brother with a confused look on her face.

"What are you doing?" Greta asked. "Why did you stop the car?"

Malcom bit his lower lip as he continued to stare in front of him. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he thought for a second. He turned to look at his sister who now had a scared look on her face.

"What do you plan to do, Malcom?" she asked. "Whenever you look like that, there's something you're planning."

"I'm not going back to the house," he said.

"What?! Are you kidding me!"

"No, Greta. I'm not."

"You're insane. You know that? Why are you doing this?"

"Because the man who got injured must have informed mum by now that I was there in the woods. If that's the case, then it won't end well for me."

"Stop saying that, Malcom." Greta couldn't believe what Malcom was saying. "The man probably doesn't know you."

"But I do."

"Huh?" Greta's eyes were wide with shock. "You're kidding, right?"

"No, I'm not. We live in a small town where everybody knows everybody. After the incident in the forest, I did a lot of thinking. That's when I realised that I've seen the man before."

"Where did you see him?"

"The party mum held in honour of Rhénee. When I think about it, I've probably seen him more times than I can count."

Greta had no words. It's clear that the man and their mother knew each other, but she wasn't going to accept Malcom's decision so easily.

"But you can't just leave, Malcom," she said. "I won't let you."