[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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"We need to leave." Cliff bounded over.
Dray pulled Lucy's hands from her face and scrambled to her feet. The men walked away, Wells far ahead.
They jogged to catch up. Dray focused on the feet in front of her, matching the pace of her steps with Nash and Cliff. Once they reached the street, she watched Wells lean on her front door. She ran ahead, but Nash gripped her shoulder.
"We can't stay here." He motioned to Cliff to check out the surroundings.
Dray crossed her arms tightly over her chest. "We can't stay anywhere."
A deep frown set in his face. "We have another place, a safe house of sorts." He waited a few moments for Cliff to return into view before continuing. "Pack a small bag. We leave in ten."
Dray's arms dropped like dead weights to her side. She walked towards Wells. He stepped aside and she unlocked the door, leading him inside and to her bedroom. Some of his things had been left throughout the last couple weeks. She shoved them into a duffle bag alongside a handful of her own stuff.
She zipped up the bag, tugging the zipper away from clothing that got stuck, and threw it on the floor at Wells' feet. Her eyes trailed up his body. His hands cradled his head. His shoulders slumped.
"Hey," she said softly and kneeled in front of him. She moved his hands and wiped away the streaks of tears barely rolling down his cheeks.
He didn't look at her, so she sat on the bed and hugged him. He collapsed into her and she hoped she provided some sort of warmth and comfort. She was at a total loss.
A gentle knock split them apart.
"It's time to leave." Lucy peeked her head into the room. She sent a sad smile to Dray, who closed her eyes in an exaggerated blink.
Wells shifted Dray to the side and stood. He grabbed the duffle bag from the floor and flashed a poor smile before leaving the room.
Dray took in a long breath and let it out, her lips forming a small oval. She closed her eyes again and massaged her scalp through her tangled curls.
Lucy waited, leaning on the door frame. Dray expected and welcomed the silence. Comforting words didn't run in the family, but came with the presence of one another.
The sisters walked out to Nash's truck a few moments later, which Nash had ran back and picked up during the time they packed. Dray climbed in the back with Wells and Cliff while Lucy sat up front. The wheels spit up dirt and it hovered like smoke above the ground as soon as the doors slammed shut.
An hour or so of bumpy, unpaved roads later, Nash pulled up to a log cabin just off a small lake. He parked in front by an old dock that stretched over a surprisingly sandy beach and into the water. The lake reflected the clouds like glass.
