The Supernova Effect

Chapter 18

Sheriff Douglas

I'd spent the last two days interviewing almost everyone connected to Amir Williams.

Teachers.

Friends.

Classmates.

Most of them had one thing in common.

Nobody seemed surprised Amir ended up dead.

That was the part that bothered me most.

Not because they thought he deserved it.

But because every conversation uncovered another ugly piece of him no one had bothered to look at while he was alive.

By the time I pulled into the Williams' neighborhood, the sun was already beginning to set behind the trees.

Their house sat far away from the others, tucked behind long stretches of road and expensive landscaping that made the whole area feel isolated.

The neighbors I was here to interview lived closest to them.

Jonathan and Jason Harper.

When I knocked, the door swung open almost immediately.

"Sheriff," the taller one greeted warmly. "Come in."

He was bald with a neatly trimmed beard and an energy that filled the doorway before I even stepped inside.

The other man lingered a few feet behind him—slimmer, quieter, curly brown hair cropped short, glasses resting low on his nose.

Their house looked like something out of a magazine.

Soft pastel walls.

Candles burning.

Decorations carefully color coordinated.

Everything polished and intentional.

"I'm Jonathan," the taller man said. "This is my husband, Jason."

"Nice to meet you both."

A few moments later, we sat around their dining table while Jonathan nervously adjusted the sleeve of his sweater.

"So," I started, flipping open my notebook, "how well did you know the Williams family?"

Jonathan sighed.

"Well enough to know they weren't nearly as perfect as they pretended to be."

Jason shot him a look like he regretted the wording immediately.

"We had a neighborhood book club," Jason explained softly. "Although honestly... it turned into more of a social gathering after a while."

Jonathan snorted.

"A bunch of wealthy women pretending they were too busy to read."

Despite myself, I smiled faintly.

"But Celeste actually read them," Jason continued. "So did we. We ended up becoming close with her over time."

I nodded, jotting the information down.

"And during that time," I asked carefully, "did anything ever seem... off?"

The room went quiet.

Jonathan's expression shifted first.

Then Jason's.

Finally, Jonathan leaned forward slightly.

"One night she showed up with makeup covering a bruise around her eye."