Touched by the Fear

[21]

Tilting her head, she narrowed her eyes. His answer unsettled her and she tried to read him, to get a look into what caused the sudden change in him. But she couldn't. Whether there was something there or not, she didn't know. Instead, she brushed it aside and blamed it on the lack of sleep. With another sigh, she nodded. "Yeah, I know all that but...I just want to know what you think."

"I'd like to believe that he's innocent. He was a good kid," he answered.

She didn't look satisfied at his answer, and it must have shown on her face because her dad asked, "What's really going on, Hollis?"

Hollis took a long sip of her coffee, trying to gather her thoughts. Ever since Scott had said that Derek was the killer, that he wanted to kill them all like he had all those other people, her doubts had started. She didn't believe it. Didn't think that he was to blame and didn't understand why Scott would throw him under the bus. At the moment, Hollis had accepted that due to their situation. Her main focus had been on surviving but, ever since they were rescued, she started to question it all.

"I don't think he killed anyone," she replied, watching her dad's reaction.

"Well, the cops seem to think he's guilty."

"Since when?" Hollis asked with a humorless laugh. "Dad, up until Wednesday, everyone thought it was a mountain lion. If they had believed it was a person, Derek, don't you think they would have had evidence to back that up by now?"

"I suppose," Grant said. "But didn't you say he was arrested for the first murder?"

She did remember that. Her hope had deflated at the reminder but then she remembered what the Sheriff had said at the Lacrosse game. "He was let go. There was animal hair on the body so, unless Derek can mysteriously turn into an animal then he's not guilty."

A shadow of an expression crossed Grant's face. But before Hollis could register it, it was gone. Somehow her words made her think of impossible things, theories that strangely made sense. The lack of sleep really affected her mind if she thought that such things were possible. Yet they nagged at her, making it all the more believable. The quick look that had crossed her dad's face made her risk believing it all the more.

"But what if that's it?" Hollis spoke up. She looked at her dad, trying to muster the courage to say those crazy words that were ready to tumble out of her mouth.

"What is?" Grant asked.

"The animal part. I researched all those myths you were telling me about how this town is some sort of beacon and—"

"Hollis, stop," he said but his words were ignored.

"I mean, it sounds crazy but maybe there's some truth to it. It could explain the animal attacks, and it could explain what I saw at the video store."

Grant didn't look impressed when she focused her attention on him. Sighing, he crossed his arms. "I told you those myths for fun. Not for you to start applying them to what's going on in town."

"Yeah, I know but –"

"None of that is true. You're just tired and stressed, Hollis." He could see that his words didn't sit well with her. "Besides, I thought you didn't believe in that stuff," he pointed out, interrupting her.

"I didn't. I don't," Hollis answered adamantly, shaking her head. She took a sip of her coffee, which had cooled down since their conversation started. "But...I don't know. In a weird way, it makes sense. It at least makes it so that Derek's not guilty. That there's another animal or something out there that's behind all this." With a shrug, she brushed a hand through her hair, untangling the knots that had formed.