[Ambys 2022: Mystery/Thriller Winner]
Discovering a dead body just minutes from her cottage in the trees is the last thing Dray Dinley expects upon moving to the remote town of Hero.
Being convinced by the town outcast and suspected murderer, Wells...
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The shattered patio door let a breeze into the room. It cooled off their burning thoughts as Dray and Wells focused on cleaning up the house as best they could. Dray swept the broken glass into an outside garbage bin and Wells put the thrown furniture put back into place. The front door—well, the front door hung open with a broken lock, letting a sliver of light pass through.
Dray picked her nails, leaning over the kitchen island, when a beer appeared in front of her.
"Might as well." Wells cheersed her bottle and took a drink.
She grabbed the cold drink and took a hefty swig.
Heavy footsteps interrupted their silence and Nash ran into the room. "What the hell happened to the door?" He scanned the room. "And that door?"
Lucy pushed around him and ran straight to Dray. She pulled her in close and Dray smiled into her sister's shoulder.
"Sheriff Heron and Porter showed up wanting us to tell them what we know. Porter was trigger happy." Wells jabbed a thumb towards the missing glass door.
Nash rubbed his face and exhaled. A small grimace drew on his face.
"We told them we didn't know what they were talking about." Dray gently pulled away from Lucy, but stayed close.
"Doesn't sound like they took that for an answer." Nash crossed his arms, muscles bulging out, and rested against the wall.
A small shake of her head and Dray's hair fell in front of her face. She tucked it behind her ear. "No, but at the same time yes. The sheriff was extremely easy to sway. He said Porter claimed we were involved, but we just made him out to be a drama queen that can't handle rejection. The whole situation seemed off," she added as an after thought.
Lucy rubbed Dray's back and connected eyes with Nash.
He rolled his eyes. "Lucy has a theory that may make sense why," he shoved his hands in his jean pockets, "though I'm not exactly keen on it and I don't want you guys to be either."
"Whatever." Lucy waved a hand in his direction. "This encounter makes my theory make even more sense."
"Okay," Dray glanced between the two, "so what is it?"
"I think that Sheriff Tieg may be more like us than we think."
"Like us?" Wells pulled out a stool and sat at the counter.
"Yeah." Lucy clasped her hands and leaned on her forearms on the counter. "He's hesitant, quiet, and I don't know if you've ever seen him with his family, but he's a total family man."
Dray lifted her eyebrows. "I have actually. He was a different person with his family."
"Exactly." Lucy pointed at her. "And nothing he does seems genuine, which totally feels sketchy under the negative light of the situation."
