The Beast of Brookville

Chapter 8

Opal sat anxiously in the cafe booth, her jittery leg rattling the table, threatening to overturn the salt and pepper shakers. For days all she could think about was that line in the police report: an early 90's style Ford truck. There was no way it was him...she was mostly sure...maybe...but the thought had taken hold and wouldn't let go, lurking in the back of her mind, cultivating the what if of it all.

The tiny bell above the door jingled as Forrest walked into the cafe. He smiled as he spotted Opal, only to drop it immediately when he registered the look on her face.

Opal willed herself to smile, but could only muster pulling up one side of her mouth. Her eyes were stuck showing agony, the anxiety consuming her.

"...Hi?" Forrest said as he made his way over to join her at their table - just a week ago they were rejoining here and now he could feel something falling apart.

"H-hey" Opal coughed out, the word stuck in her throat.

"Everything ok?" he asked.

"Uh..ya-yeah, yah it will be, everything's fine" Opal replied, defaulting to her people pleasing habit.

"Well, I mean, I dunno actually" she said, twisting the straw wrapper she'd been abusing ever since it arrived.

"I saw something weird the other day, and, well I know it's crazy but-"

The waiter appeared out of nowhere, blissfully unaware of Opal's pained attempt at conversation.

"Water for you, hun?" she asked Forrest.

"Yyyyyyyeah, sure, thank you" he said without removing his eyes from Opal. And the waiter was on her way.

"So" he prompted.

"So" she responded.

Silence

"Opal, what's up?" he was starting to feel hurt, had she met someone? Was she leaving permanently?

"Uh, well, the other day I was doing some research and saw something funny on one of the police reports from last year - you know, around when the summer murders happened? Not that case, exactly, but there was a weird vehicle report and-"

"Here's your water, darlin. What can I get yall started off with to eat?"

If Opal had super powers she would have driven holes through the woman with just her eyes. Why had she chosen a restaurant, she kicked herself, this is so stupid.

After they both panic-ordered their usuals, they were alone again.

"Soooo"

"Sooooooo"

Opal stared at the water glass turning in her hands - do it Do It DO IT she screamed at herself.

"OKAY. So." She took a big breath and exhaled, blowing a raspberry to try and break the tension.

"Sooooo, I... saw on one of those reports that an old truck driving dangerously was spotted in the area around that time, it sounded a lot like yours" she trailed off.

Forrest had gone white, and green, his jaw flexed from clenching his teeth but his expression was frozen in place.

Nothing.

"I mean, there wasn't an accident or anything, I just thought, I just thought it was weird you know?" trying to rescue this conversation but she was floundering.

Forrest's nostrils flared a bit as he tried to prepare what he was going to say next. Admit to it? Don't? Opal could always tell when he was lying but he'd barely been able to admit it to himself, let alone lay himself bare for the girl he'd always loved.

She was staring at him now, finally making eye contact, willing him to speak, to save himself, to just spit it out, whatever it was.

"...I..." a deep breath to compose himself. "I hit a deer last year."

Opal's shoulders relaxed, thank god she thought.

"My parents had been fighting and I ran out of the house, I just had to get out, you know how they get...got" a deep breath.

"I got drunk" a sip of water with his eyes closed, the emotional pain so strong he needed to ground himself

"and ...was driving around, just to get away, ya know? It was stupid, it was so stupid...but...you know how they were. It was so bad I had to run, I...I don't even remember it to be honest" Forrest's face flushed, he was so ashamed, embarrassed, but so relieved to be able to share this with her. Opal was one of the few people that knew how he got but loved him anyway.

He took another sip of water, half choking on it from not paying attention.

"Anyway..." he started again, trying to compose himself "anyway...when I got home, whenever I did, apparently I had hit a deer", he gulped, hard, he was so sick of himself back then, thinking about how he was before made him feel ill.

"We didn't even notice until the next day, my mom took the truck out early and didn't see it, when she got back..."His lip curled in disgust. "We realized what I'd done"

Forrest sat back in his chair, horrified to have to re-live it but relieved from all of the weight he just unloaded. Part disgusted to have been that way but relieved and proud to be through it.

Opal opened her mouth and started to say 'wow' and then changed her mind to 'I'm' and then changed her mind again and sat there, turning her water glass, unsure of what to say.

"Look, not long after that my parents split up for good and my dad talked me into joining the force - I haven't gotten behind the wheel drunk since I swear to you" Forrest pleaded.

"I'm really glad you're ok, Forrest. I'm proud of you" Opal said softly, not breaking eye contact with her water. A smile broke across her face as she said "God, here I was thinking how to ask you if you were the Beast of Brookville" she laughed "what an idiot" she chortled.

Forrest deadpanned.

"Oh come on, I just got carried away!" she swatted her hand flippantly, "I'm sorry, I never thought that, really, I just watch too much true crime, you know me"

"What. The FUCK" Forrest shot back at her.

"Are you fucking serious!? That's bullshit, I can't believe you'd even say that to me. I've worked so fucking hard to get better and you think I'm a FUCKING serial killer? Fuck OFF" he spat.

He got up so quickly he almost turned the table over, spilling Opal's water all over her lap.

"Leave me, the FUCK alone" he said through clenched teeth, shoving his finger in her face as she toddled in the booth with a lap full of water, shock on her face.

Opal sat there, with a wet lap, completely gobsmacked at Forrest's response, feeling the stares of the people in the restaurant on her. She was alone, and vulnerable...and cold.

She stared blankly at the Forrest sized hole that he'd left at their table, so stunned at his over the top response she hadn't even started napkining up the water - was that over the top? She thought. Wouldn't most people laugh off being accused of being a serial killer? It's absurd, right? Or maybe only she would, with her sick sense of humor. She'd thought Forrest would know her better than that.

"Shug?" The water snapped her out of her trance.

"Tough date, hun?" she said casually as she handed Opal napkins and started mopping up the table.

"Yyyyeah. Yeah. I guess so" Opal got out, doing her best to hold back the tears that had arrived in full force. "He's uh...he's been through a lot, he's not normally like that". 

But wasn't he?