Sliced Trees and Dead Words

46 - He would have been thirty-two today.

Luna's giggle at Medusa was so free and spirited that I actually felt it in my chest, taking over the reigns of my heart and forcing it to beat faster than ever before, urging me hurriedly to the finish line, which hopefully held some hope for us. But I wasn't about to find that out just standing and staring at her like a creep. Brusque man in the shadows watching beautiful woman in vulnerable position during relaxing workout. The episode of Law and Order basically writes itself. Duhn, Duhn.

The ominous opening credits sound effects of a show I used to watch heaps with my parents sounding in my head reiterated how much of a stalker I was being right now, and my anxious heartbeat pounding in my ears made it continue to seem like Detective Benson was chasing my ass.

"Hello, Wolfe," a soft voice spoke behind me, and I swear, for a second I expected to see the fiercest female detective in New York behind me waving hand cuffs. Instead, it was Grace Rivers, accompanied by her husband Darren, no Senior in sight, thank fuck. "Sorry if I startled you."

"No, it's okay. Nothing like a healthy dose of adrenaline to start the day," I said quietly after recovering from the shock, not wanting to interrupt Luna, nor draw attention to the fact that Dalen's parents were here. Last I knew she still had no intention of speaking to them today, but perhaps that might have changed now. I wouldn't know.

"I just wanted to talk to you before you got back to Luna," Grace said, not knowing the rift that currently exists between us. It's not really something I'm boasting after all, and it's also the last thing I want to acknowledge as being reality anyway. I used Grace's pause to look over at Luna, who it seems had noticed that she had company on the beach, more so because Medusa had barked when she saw me and raced over to jump on my chest than because she heard Grace talking. "I'm sorry to keep you from her, but we just wanted to say a few things beforehand. I know she doesn't want to speak with us, and that's okay. After everything, it's no more than we deserve."

I was so busy trying to subdue Medusa in my arms and sneak quick glances at Luna that I hadn't noticed the tears in Grace and Darren's eyes, nor the sincerity of their complete and total despair in this very moment.

This is more what I expected them to look like when they found out Dalen had died. Miserable; like they'd not eaten in weeks, nor slept much in the time since I'd seen them last. Grace's hair was even more grey, and Darren's remaining follicles seemed to be taking on a mind of their own and weren't adhering to any of his attempts to tame it. They both look gaunt and colourless, and their tired eyes keep darting to Luna a few metres away like they're afraid of her, which they probably should be.

I know I am, only for very different reasons.

"We're sorry, for what happened when you both came to see us. We weren't expecting you, obviously. Not that that excuses anything at all.” Grace stumbled over her words, trying to formulate a way of explaining the inexplicable decision they’d made to have that filth live with them after everything Dalen said had happened. “We fucked up in an unforgivable way. Back then when Dalen tried to tell us what happened, he’d been so troubled for so long, so into drugs and drinking, that we just thought he had finally lost what was left of his mind and fabricated everything during a bad trip or something. We’d known Darren forever, Daz obviously having known him his whole life," Grace said, looking beside her to her husband. "We truly never had any idea that this was something he was capable of, Wolfe. We never would have let him anywhere near Dalen as a child if we did, and we need you both to believe that."

I think I believed them, but I presume Luna is going to need a lot more convincing.

"He's gone," Darren continued, taking over from his wife. "I kicked Dad out that night you came to tell us. He didn't even bother denying it this time, and we knew just by looking at him that what Luna was saying was true; what Dalen tried to tell us was true. We have no idea where he is now, and we truthfully don't care to ever know. I don't really trust what I might do to him if I ever saw him again."