[Ambys 2022: Mystery/Thriller Winner]
Discovering a dead body just minutes from her cottage in the trees is the last thing Dray Dinley expects upon moving to the remote town of Hero.
Being convinced by the town outcast and suspected murderer, Wells...
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The sculpture garden was an unexpected and rare find in the small town of Hero. It overflowed with color and intricate pieces of metal, wood, and plastic weaving together that drew Dray in immediately. She spent most of her day there, adventuring over right after lunch after seeing a flyer of it at the local bakery. The garden sat on the edge of town, but on the side where she lived. It made for another easy commute.
Dray heard footsteps behind her as she took a picture of a very tall statue of different sized boomboxes.
"You need to talk to her."
She snapped a few pictures and turned around. "Good joke." She texted Wells on her way over on a whim that maybe they could escape the mystery for a few hours. He smashed that dream to pieces.
"Dray, she's your sister." He followed her as she walked away, searching for another shot. "How bad can it be?"
She scoffed. "We haven't spoken in years and our parting words weren't exactly loving sentiments. Maybe under normal circumstances, this would be easy, but in this situation—I don't know."
"She's here."
Dray whipped around to see Wells a few feet away, arms crossed over his chest. "What?"
He walked up to her and placed both hands on her shoulders. "The event in town right now? She's there with Yate. You need to talk with her. It's a good lead," he whispered the last part.
Dray closed her eyes and tilted her head back. She took in a deep breath.
"I'll go with you."
She managed a lopsided smile. "Oh, so now you're willing to go in front of the entire town with me?"
She meant to tease him, but Wells frowned and shoved his hands in his pockets. They stood close and he looked down at her. "It won't be the best for you, but if you need me, I'll go with you, Dray."
Her smile dropped. To her, the cat was already out of the bag on that one. "I just need to drop my camera off back home, okay?"
They agreed to meet back at the main road between their houses and parted ways, Dray in her jeep and Wells on his motorcycle.
It didn't take long after the two met up and made it downtown that Dray saw her sister. She stood next to Yate in a group of people, close to her favorite bar, Posies. They chatted and laughed like a normal group of friends.
Dray hadn't realized she stopped walking until Wells grabbed her hand and pulled her forward.
"Lucy," she said and squeezed his hand. They waited only a couple feet away.
The older blonde turned around, her light laughter fading along with the smile on her face. "Hello, little sister." Her eyes darted between Dray and Wells. "It's been awhile."
