First Soul

Chapter Fifteen

Cool air encased my body, cocooning me. The cold sank straight down to my bones until even they shivered and became brittle. My shoulder throbbed with each beat of my heart, but whatever Lester had done had worked miracles. I resisted the urge to scratch the healing wound and sat up instead. The light of the dying embers of the fire showed me that Deyna and Phillip were still asleep. They were huddled together to ward off the cold.

Lester had ended the conversation with the massive revelation of his wife's murder and Deyna had taken this rather badly, which had resulted in Phillip comforting her. Within our circle of friends, Phillip comforted, and I got revenge on the person who'd caused the tears.

The pain on Lester's face made it look like someone had smashed their hand into his chest, grabbed his heart and ripped it clean out. I knew I was experiencing what Lester felt. I couldn't deny that Lester had dearly loved his wife, but the whys of the whole thing still plagued me. I couldn't figure out the truth. Lester's side had sounded convincing, but it would. The man had been lost in limbo for years, he'd had plenty of time to make sure his story was straight. If his story had been a lie, then Lester deserved a BAFTA for that performance. Not knowing the ins and outs unnerved me because I hated not knowing how to feel.

Sighing, I shook off the cold and stood. As I walked past the fire, I threw on some more wood to keep the cold off the others and made my way to the raging river. Everything hurt like hell, my head throbbed, my eyes itched. I stopped when I spotted Lester floating near the river's edge, his light shimmering brightly.

Stuffing my hands in my pockets, I strolled over to the man.

"Good morning, Stephen."

"Morning."

I stood next to Lester. I didn't know what to say...'Sorry your wife was murdered but I still don't know if you did it.' Yeah, that wasn't quite the response Lester would appreciate.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

Well, that was straight to the point. I looked at Lester and noticed that his eyes seemed to stand out on his face, the sorrow all the more evident there. "Honestly?"

"Honestly." Lester nodded.

"I don't know, I've thought it through, tried to see it from your side but there are holes in your story. Why didn't you know your wife was in the stock room even though that would be the first place you'd check when you start up in a morning. I assume you did your stock taking during the first few hours?"

Lester nodded, his lips pulled thinly.

"So why didn't you do it that morning? I know you can't say..." I sighed, swallowing the fresh surge of annoyance. "You also have no alibi; you were home, alone, with no one to say whether you actually did go out and murder Lee and Marie."

"I can understand your reservations, since we've met I've not been entirely honest with you, and I didn't tell you about the map or about this place. I can understand, and I accept the way you feel."

Lester was finally admitting to all the secrets that he was keeping. He just wasn't coming forward with any of the answers yet.

"Are you going to tell me where we are?" I pushed.

"I can't."

I nearly laughed out loud. Lester was becoming too predictable. I thought we'd overcome a barrier last night, but obviously Lester was still unwilling to let me in.

"How do you expect me to believe you when every time I ask a question, you don't answer it?"

"It's not that I won't answer them. It's because I can't."

"What's stopping you?"

"It is no one. I just—"

"Did you kill your wife?" I asked, interrupting him.

"No, I didn't kill her."

"Who did?"

"I don't know."

I glared at Lester. There was something in Lester's tone that told me what I needed to know. Okay, so maybe I didn't need the answers, I just needed to figure out Lester's tones of voice.

"You're lying," I snapped.

"I can't know for sure..." Lester said, his voice drifting off.

"But you know?"

I edged closer to Lester, sensing the name was on the tip of his tongue. He was caving, finally.

"He—"

Lester's answer was cut short. A high-pitched scream echoed across the vast space. Lester turned, sparks flying as he shot towards Deyna's terrified screams.

💀

Someone wants Lester to be quiet.... 🤔