Betrayal And Redemption

Chapter four

"W-what do you mean? You couldn't have Matty. You were just a kid. Besides, you wouldn't do that to me! We were best friends!" Tears are streaming down my face. "Summer, it's complicated. I can't get into it. Let's just move on. Forget about all this please..." he looked down at his hands. "Matty, you can't kiss me... like that and then tell me to go away. There has to be a logical explanation. You couldn't...wouldn't do that to me. Please tell me what happened. Please, you owe me that much." He sighed. "If I tell you will you accept it and move on?" I looked at him coolly. "I thought not... Summer, if the gun was to surface it would have my prints on it. I was going to sneak up to your window that night but I saw the person who shot your father. I ran over and picked up the gun. I was freaking out and got my prints all over it. Besides, if I had to tell you..." he got a distant look in his eyes. "Summer, you lost your dad. I didn't want to put you through any more turmoil." He turned away from me, facing the huge glass windows of the cabin that looked out onto the lake. I remember Matty throwing me into it when we were younger. "How could you? If you know who killed my father why wouldn't you come forward and say something? This is my life. You know my father was all I had. I've had the worst time living with my bitch of a mother...." I looked down as I fought away more tears. "She still treats you like crap? I thought when you lost your father things might change." His steely grey eyes looked sad and he took a step towards me. He reached out to cup my face but stopped when we heard tyres on the gravel. I spun around. "Who else knows you're here?" I asked. I ran towards the door but he grabbed my arm. "Summer, hide. Please don't ask any questions. Trust me and hide. Don't come out." He directed me towards the bedroom. I hear someone's footsteps on the gravel. Someone with a limp. The other foot dragging a bit. I hear Matty whispering. The two voices speak low and soft. I come down the passage and listen. The other voice sounds vaguely familiar, like someone I once knew. I look around the corner and feel my breath leave my chest. It feels like I've been punched in the stomach. I walk towards the two men but it's my feet dragging my brain because I can't think straight. The man hears me and looks up from under his cowboy hat and there is no mistaking that face. "D-dad?" I say softly. "Hi baby girl."