The Sinner

72

I stare out at the marsh the next day.

I don't think I've ever been the type to sit outside and take in the scenery. However, here I am, glancing out into the vast expanse of flowing water. Everything is so incredible to watch - birds, the animals, the people on the boats, the sky. And the entire time it's been here, I've never even noticed.

Ward had left a video for the Camerons to watch inside before he passed away. For his benefit, Rafe demanded that I stay. Although, I didn't want to witness such a private message being left for them.

Did I secretly want to know what Ward had said? Yes. Maybe he put in there how he got Rafe out of jail.

No one knows at this point, besides Ward.

Every now and then, almost like a ghost, I would hear Ward's voice echoing throughout the home. It was faint; occasionally I could make out what he was saying, but other times it was unclear. Even though it felt incredibly wrong to do so, it was difficult to ignore what was being said. Rafe didn't care if I heard; he wanted me here for a reason. 

So why not listen? 

"I killed Big John Rutledge," I hear his voice echo through the house. I feel my eyes flutter shut as I let out a painful sigh. "I killed Sheriff Peterkin." There it is. Ward took the blame and then killed himself. "I shot Gavin Barnstead."

One of them, we are certain, was a lie. So, could they all be? Could Rafe have discreetly murdered all of these people? My mind starts to explore every imaginable outcome, just as my anxiety begins to increase. Rafe is fully capable of killing another person if he already killed one. That's the scary thing. He could literally be a serial killer.

I could be dating a serial killer. 

"Take care of each other," were the last words I heard from the video. Suddenly, footsteps that resound off the hardwood floor can be heard. Rafe suddenly passes me while holding a transparent glass. He sips the remaining dark liquid before tossing it into the grass. 

"Rafe," I call after him. He comes to a complete stop in his steps and then turns to face me. His eyes seemed droopy on top of being red and puffy. He was shit faced. "Come here."

He lets his head hang back for a second or two, before walking back over. He sits down in the chair next to me, and lets his head rest in his hands.

"He took the blame," His voice comes out groggy, like he just woke up. "For me."

"About Peterkin?" I ask, careful not to upset him even more than he is right now. He gives me the slightest of nods. "You wanna sit with me?"

He nods again, "Yeah."

Both of us are supported by the braided wooden seats as we stand. He moves his feet carefully across the deck before sitting down in the chair I was just in. He extends his hand and grabs my waist, dragging me back onto his lap.

"He always told me that I needed to take responsibility for my actions," He mumbles out. "And yet here he is, taking the blame for my stupid decisions."

"He wouldn't have done this if he didn't want to Rafe," I tell him softly. I push some pieces of hair away from his eyes. "He loves you."

"Yeah I guess he does, doesn't he?" He swallows hard. "He barely used to tell me that."

I grab onto his head and let it rest on my chest, "He loved you so much. He didn't do this because he had to, he did it because he wanted to." I hear him deeply sigh, and I wrap an arm around him tightly.

"It just feels so wrong," He whispers. "I feel guilty, that I was such a bad kid. I didn't mean to be, sometimes it's just, hard to make the voices go away."