Down By The River

15

𝔻𝕖𝕖𝕡 𝕚𝕟 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕜𝕟𝕠𝕨 𝕀 𝕙𝕒𝕕 𝕚𝕥 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕟'

Charlotte knew that she was about to do something really stupid. She knew that the people she was about to talk to weren't going to want to talk to her. The Fletchers were an odd family, everyone thought so and everyone had always thought so, even before Grace was killed. Ephraim Fletcher had always been drinking way too much and there was always some hushed talk about how he was beating his family. But no one ever said anything to him, of course. For a man like him it wasn't exactly frowned upon to beat his family - after all, he was the head of the family, he could do whatever he wanted. Still, people would talk about it.

There were also stories about Grace and her younger sisters - about the things he would do to them. Charlotte had never understood what people meant when they were talking about it, but as she got older she figured it out and it was horrifying to say the least. Either way, she didn't want to dwell on it. She'd have to talk to these people if she wanted to know more and there was no way she'd be able to do that if all of these stories kept floating around in her head.

She took a deep breath as she was approaching the Fletchers' house. She really wanted to turn around and just run away and hide, but that wouldn't get her any answers. So she had to knock on their door and wait for them to answer. She could feel her heart beating heavily against her chest and she felt like she had some sort of lump in her throat, as she was waiting for the door to open. She thought she might faint any minute, but she knew that it was just her being nervous.

And then the door opened. It seemed like the inside of the house was incredibly dark and cold, which seemed like a refreshing difference to the sun beating down outside today, but it was also eerie. The door was only opened a small bit and an old face poked outside - and with it the smell of alcohol and sweat. And then she could finally make out the face of Ephraim Fletcher. He looked much older than she remembered and much more sickly than the last time she had seen him. Charlotte remembered why she never liked him - it wasn't the stories she had heard or anything like that, he just had an imposing aura about himself. She hated it.

"Whaddaya want, kid?" he asked, voice rough and hoarse. Charlotte hated the smell of alcohol coming from his mouth. It was bad. It was really, really bad. Charlotte wasn't even sure anymore if this was still worth it. She just wanted to go home and forget about this. About the eerie and dark house, the smell coming from Ephraim Fletcher, the weird and scary humming in the background (coming from his wife, most likely) and all the stories she had heard. But she wanted to know what happened. Especially if it meant so much to Zach that she believed him.

"Mr. Fletcher! I just... I just wanted to check in and make sure you and your family are alright. You know... with everything that's been going on. People coming back. I'm sure it must be difficult for you..." she said, making sure to put on her most pious voice. Not that she was good at it. She could tell from Mr. Fletcher's face that he wasn't quite buying it. He raised an eyebrow and nodded slowly.

"We're all doing fine. No need to get involved." he grumbled. Charlotte gulped. He was incredibly standoffish and she had known that before she came here, but it still felt like a slap in the face to her. She wasn't sure how to proceed now, but she knew that she couldn't just give up now.

"That's good to hear. Are you sure you're fine? There's nothing you need? Is your wife alright? Would she maybe like some company? Or your daughters?" Charlotte asked, forcing herself to smile widely. She could see Mr. Fletcher narrow his eyes at her, as if he was trying to see right into her mind. He could have fooled her - his look was strangely intense. Or maybe it was just her being paranoid.

"Why are you being so nosy? You got any reason to meddle in my family's business, huh?" Mr. Fletcher wanted to know. He had opened the door a little wider and Charlotte could see his towering and imposing figure. He was clearly trying to scare her into leaving and not asking anymore questions. And it was almost working.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry, I was just... you know, seeing that... that murderer walk around the town as if he hasn't done anything... it's very concerning. And it must be hard for you to see him again after all that happened."

"And what's that got to do with you? You're way too young. I bet you barely remember his face when you saw him. What do you really want? You want some bloody details? You want a scary story? You want to laugh at other people's suffering? Meddle in other people's affairs?" he asked and stepped closer to Charlotte, now completely towering over her. She had no idea what to say to him. She was just looking up at him, eyes wide in shock, as her mind was racing and she was debating whether she should say something or just run away from him.

"No, Sir, I don't..."

"I know your parents, you know? I'm sure they wouldn't be happy if they learned that you're trying to get involved in other people's business. Especially a grieving family's business. Maybe I should tell them about your little visit..."

"No, Sir, please..."

Charlotte was starting to panic. If her parents heard of this, she'd never have a peaceful day in her life ever again. She doubted she'd ever be allowed outside the house again. But why was he so standoffish? Why was he being so aggressive about her bringing up his daughter's death? It had been 13 years ago and he had never seemed very upset about it, at least not in public. Something was off about this. But now was not the time to question whether he was lying or not. He was still towering above her, arms crossed in front of his chest, a big sly grin on his face. He knew that he had won, she could see it on his face already.

"If you want this whole thing to stay between us, you better keep out of my and my family's business. And I better not see you anywhere around with that criminal Wright. You hear me? If I see you with him, you're just as done for, as he is, I can promise you that. Stop asking questions about Grace and everything will be fine. Just go back home and forget about it and keep to yourself. You women folk are better off not knowing too much anyway." he said to her. Charlotte gulped audibly, not sure whether she was supposed to reply to that or not. She was terrified.

"You understand that, you little brat? Or do I need to give you a good old beating, huh?" he asked.

"N-No, Sir, of course not, Sir. I'm sorry I asked. I just... I just meant well. I'll be leaving now." she told him quickly, before turning around and quickly walking away. She was holding her breath until she could hear the door closing behind her. Only then could she let out a sigh of relief. Ephraim Fletcher was terrifying, that much was sure. Charlotte had never thought she'd ever feel so scared of a single person, but right now she was glad to still be alive. Still... he was acting very odd for someone who had lost his daughter so long ago. Something was off about him.

She knew that this was probably going to be her downfall, but she had to go and see Zach as soon as possible. She had to ask him about all this. Whether this was normal for Ephraim or not. After all, Zach would probably know much better than her, since he would have had much more to do with him... but how was she going to be able to meet up with Zach? She could only think of one way...

She had to somehow get a note out to him and tell him to meet her... at night, so no one would see them. She'd have to try and sneak out again, because absolutely no one could know about this. She could just hope that it would all work out - and that Ephraim Fletcher wasn't going to tell anyone about her visiting his family. Or rather trying to visit. Charlotte was a little upset that she hadn't learned anything new, but maybe... maybe she had learned more than she originally thought.