The Last Handful of Clover - Book 2: Gifts Both Light and Dark

2.48 Nervous as Cats

"You know, some of the things that Howard said weirded me out," Keith said, his eyes focused on a point in empty space. "And more than that, they seemed absolutely true."

"You really believe that?" Pil said, his hands clenching. "You really believe that Richard has been visiting the man who killed him, and sending him to you with warnings?"

Keith wavered. Finally, he squared his shoulders and focused on Pil. "Yes, I do. Or maybe I should say, yes, I did, at least, in that moment. When he was telling me those things, I believed it. Completely."

"And do you still?"

Keith and Michelle stared at each other for so long that Pil almost stepped between them to break their gaze. It was like they were trying to get the story straight between them, with only eye contact and that weird telepathy that they sometimes shared. Finally, it was Michelle who spoke.

"No. I for one don't believe it. At least, not completely. But like Keith, I believed it at the moment he was saying it, and I can't ignore that. All I know is that something just happened that was beyond our ability to... decode."

"Do you know how you sound?" Pil asked, rubbing his eyes with his big, brown hands.

"I do," Michelle said. "But Pil, he said he was sorry for what he did."

"No," Keith jumped in immediately. "He said he was sorry for what we did."

Michelle started. "I noticed that too."

"And what the hell does that even mean?" Pil asked.

"It means it wasn't him," Keith shot back. "Or at least, not him alone."

"He used the name Justin," Michelle said. "Why did that name sound familiar?"

Keith took a deep breath and clasped his hands together. Pil thought he looked almost like he was praying. "I've probably mentioned the name, but I'm sure I never told you both the whole story. Richard wouldn't have wanted me to. But Justin was a boy that Richard fell in love with when he was a new professor at the University. They had a wild affair over the summer, and it all ended really badly. I won't go into the gory details, but the boy killed himself. And the guilt of it was something Richard never got over."

"Jesus Christ," said Michelle. "No, you definitely never told us that. He was one of Richard's students? That would have been... wildly inappropriate, to say the least."

"And you think this Justin is the other part of the 'we' that Gunderson talked about?" Pil asked. "Richard's dead boy-toy from decades ago?"

"I'm sure of it." Keith said, and Pil could see that he was. There wasn't a hint of doubt anywhere on his face.

Pil felt dumbfounded by both his wife and by Keith. How could they believe all this? What had come over them on the porch had to be a combination of the gray light, the rain, and the ghostly appearance of the boy standing in the yard. Why were they still under that spell?

"You guys," Pil said with a sigh, "can't you see that Howard Gunderson is a deeply disturbed guy. And a murderer. I don't know how he knew about Richard's dead former lover. But it doesn't matter. We have to tell Detective Grayson that he was here. She's going to be here any minute. For God's sake, we can't hide this! Do we really want to become accessories after the fact to his escape? What if he does get away? Keith, I hate to say it again, but this is the guy that killed Richard! We can't keep this quiet!"

Unfortunately, it was at that moment that the doorbell rang.

Keith looked at Pil, but didn't say anything. They didn't have time now to come up with a coherent story. As Michelle went to answer the door, Pil was totally unsure what he would say to the Detective when she came in. And from the look on Keith's face, he wasn't sure what Pil was going to do, either. That look had a level of pleading in it. But also a recognition that Pil would do whatever he had to do, and Keith understood that.