Down By The River

16

𝔻𝕠𝕟'𝕥 𝕔𝕣𝕪 𝕞𝕪 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕕𝕠𝕟'𝕥 𝕔𝕣𝕪 𝕟𝕠 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖𝕀𝕥 𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕨𝕙𝕖𝕝𝕞𝕤 𝕞𝕪 𝕓𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕥

Zach wasn't sure what to make of that note that Abigail had passed him. He wasn't sure whether he could trust it or not. It was signed with Charlotte's name and it looked like a rather frantically written note, but he still wasn't sure if it was actually from her. What if someone had seen them together? What if they were trying to get to him, trying to lure him out here, so they could kill him? Maybe Ephraim had written the letter asking him to meet up, so he could finally finish him off, like he had already planned to do all those years ago. But maybe it was a real letter.

Maybe Charlotte had spoken to the priest and had found something out and wanted to talk to him about it. For some reason Zach found that both hard and easy to believe. She seemed like the kind of person that would go out of her way to satisfy her curiosity, but she also seemed to be rather careful about it. And Zach wasn't sure whether handing a handwritten note to Abigail counted as being careful. Still, he figured he'd take the risk and go and meet whoever had written that note.

So that's why he was standing out in the cold with the note in his hands, bracing himself against the wind and the cold, waiting for Charlotte (or whoever else might have written that note) to show up. It was a few minutes past midnight and the moon was obscured mostly by dark clouds in the sky. It was dark and Zach could barely make out anything. If he wanted to know what was going on around him, he'd have to rely on his hearing, which wasn't easy considering how on edge he was. After all, Ephraim Fletcher might be around any corner to murder him in cold blood. Just how he had murdered Grace - that's what Zach thought at least.

He heard a rustling coming from behind him. Zach didn't want to seem too worried and scared, so he waited a few seconds before casually turning around, just to see nothing. There were some leaves on the ground that the wind had blown along the street, but Zach couldn't make out any person. He narrowed his eyes and kept squinting into the dark for a little longer, before turning back around. As he turned around he got the fright of his life. Right in front of him was Charlotte, wrapped up into a thick scarf, her hair dishevelled by the wind.

"Jesus, Lottie! I didn't hear you coming at all." he exclaimed, a little louder than he had intended. Charlotte looked around nervously, before smiling at him.

"Sorry. Did I scare you?" she asked quietly. It was hard to make out her voice over the sound of the wind, so Zach leaned in a little closer, to make sure he could hear her properly. She pulled the scarf around her shoulders a little tighter.

"No. Of course you didn't scare me. I was just... surprised." he said, feeling his cheeks heat up a little. She looked at him with suspicion and then just nodded.

"Right. It doesn't matter anyway. I've been talking to Ephraim Fletcher this morning, because Father Lawson told me to... it was strange. I'm not really sure what to make of it. He was very... standoffish. Got really aggressive." Charlotte told him. Zach frowned as she mentioned that.

"That's Ephraim alright. He's not a pleasant person to talk to, if he doesn't like you. What did you ask him?" he wanted to know. He really hoped that she hadn't drawn any suspicion to herself. Whatever happened, he didn't want to put her in any danger, but he realised that it might already be too late for that.

"I just asked him if his family was doing alright. You know, play on the whole story of you being back in town. He didn't want to talk to me. Didn't give me an answer, just said to stay out of his business and to stay away from you. Which seemed odd, considering I didn't ask him any details or anything." she answered.

"It is weird. He really shouldn't have been reacting like that. I don't... I don't know if I should tell you what I've been suspecting or not, but..."

"Tell me."

"It'll be pointless to tell you not to try and find out anyway, would it?" Zach asked. He really wasn't sure whether he was making a mistake with this or not. He didn't want to put her in any danger, but he also wanted to share what he was thinking with someone. And Charlotte seemed to be the only one who wanted to hear it. Maybe she wanted to hear it a little too much.

"Absolutely pointless." Charlotte replied with a cheeky smile. Zach couldn't help but smile back at her.

"Right. I am almost completely certain that Ephraim killed Grace. I don't really have any proof, but I can't think of anyone else that could have done it. He has heard all that awful stuff I said without thinking. And she was in her room at his house, when I saw her last. Ephraim was furious with me and he was furious that Grace and I were together. And he was especially angry that night. It would have been easy for him to murder her and then get rid of her body in the middle of the night and after that, blame me. With a dead body whatever I had said didn't look good for me at all anymore. Plus, he has been the most vocal about blaming me." Zach told her.

He was tightening his fists by his sides and judging from the look in Charlotte's face, he probably looked quite angry. She stepped a little closer and put her hand on his arm, to calm him down. It seemed to be working, because after a deep breath or two Zach seemed to be able to relax again.

"It sounds like a solid theory. It makes sense. I just... are you really absolutely sure that it was him?" she wanted to know.

"I'm not absolutely sure. I didn't see it happening. But even if he didn't do it... he deserves to get the blame. He was treating her and the rest of her family awfully. They were all suffering. They probably still are." he answered. Charlotte nodded, but there was a glimmer of fear in her eyes.

"What are you planning to do about it?" she asked. Zach was about to tell her, but then he hesitated. She really shouldn't know about his plans to kill Ephraim Fletcher. If she was ever questioned about it, she'd have to lie and she'd have to carry that secret with her for the rest of her life. It wasn't fair.

"You don't want to know. Trust me." he told her. She looked at him in slight disbelief, before sighing and nodding. It seemed like she understood that there were probably some things that she didn't want to hear about.

"Okay. I'll try and see if I can get anything else out of him or his family tomorrow, if I get the chance. Don't worry about me, I'll be careful. Either way... whatever it is you're going to do... please make sure you'll be okay." she replied, taking his hands into hers. Zach didn't know how to answer her. There was no way to make sure that he was going to be okay, but... maybe he'd try for her. He squeezed her hands gently.

"Of course. I'll do my best to be okay. Will you meet me again tomorrow night to tell me if you find out anything new?"

She smiled at him widely and nodded. Zach could have melted from just the look in her eyes. She seemed so full of adoration for him, as if she was going to drink up any word that came from his lips. He felt bad about promising her something he couldn't promise, but maybe... maybe he could make it better somehow. Maybe he should have gone back home, but going back home was the last thing he was thinking about right now, when Charlotte was so close to him.

He wasn't sure what he was even doing, as he pulled her in closer and wrapped his arms around her tightly, before leaning down and pressing a hungry kiss to her lips. She seemed surprised at first and stiffened up a little, but relaxed within seconds, before burying her fingers in his dark hair and pulling him even closer into her, lips moving against lips, until they were both breathless and rested their foreheads against each other, gasping for air. Charlotte gently pushed him away, her cheeks flushed pink despite the cold and her chest rising quickly.

"I... I'll see you tomorrow night. Same spot, same time. Okay?" she said and gave him a coquettish little smile, before wriggling out of his arms and quickly disappearing into the night.