Swell (Complete)

Chapter Twenty-Seven (Part Two)

"I still have dreams of you at night,
I can't tell the dark from light.
I never thought I'd be,
The one you'd leave behind."

....

The wind was crisp the next morning, Iain groaned as he pulled another weed from the damp ground at Edgar's escape.
His knuckles had hurt for a few days after his fight with Tom, but not as much as his pride. Suspended for the rest of the week and stuck doing whatever his brother told him. His father had mostly left the punishment in Dodge's hands, considering it was a school accident. He was lucky Tom had only been bruised instead of having a broken nose. He was also lucky Tom had decided not to go to the police and charge him for assault.
"Iain, I need your help." Adora's voice surprised him and he turned around and frowned at her.
"Talking to me now?" He asked with a small, almost teasing smile.
She let go of a breath and he realised something was very wrong. He stood up and wiped his hands on his track pants.
"What's wrong?"
"Well, I asked Will out, and we went on a date, and kissed, and I want to ask him to the dance, but they found out his ex was murdered yesterday, and now I don't know what to do." Adora blurted out.
Iain's lips parted as she spoke about murder. It felt strange to hear the word in his life in regards to a real event and not just a mystery weekend at the Escape.
"You're serious?"
She nodded and sucked her lips into her mouth for a few moments.
Was she about to cry?
He put a hand on her arm and let go of a breath. Brett had been close to murdered, he was home now and they were lucky the attack had seemed to be a one off. Though it had been no accident.
"Marti is OK with Will and I, but now they've found this out, I don't want to be insensitive. I mean, she was Will's ex and Marti's best friend..."
"Wow, you're essentially replacing her." Iain spoke without thinking, and froze. He thought about the cards Adora had received and his body went cold. "I think you need to be careful." He said quietly as she stared at him, unable to react to his first comment.
"What?"
"I mean, they both loved her, and she was murdered, and Brett was attacked, and the cards..."
He watched the pink fade from her cheeks and he put his other hand on her other arm.
"No. It's not them. Not even Tom." She shook her head as she realised the connection he was making. "This is too serious."
Brett had asked about all the Taylors too. Tom had been the first suspect, and he'd struggled to accept Adora's rejection, and now her affections were on his twin.
"Alright, but you still need to be careful." Iain let go of a heavy breath and pulled her into his arms. She didn't return the embrace, but she didn't push him away either.
"Iain, I want to be there for them, and I want to ask Will to the dance." She mumbled.
Was it safe to do that?
Will's last girlfriend had been found murdered. Of course, there was no way Iain knew the date of the murder, the Taylors had been in Wheeler Falls over four weeks now, if she had just been found, it was possible she really had run away, and just met with a crazy person and a very awful end.
He couldn't shake the feeling that it had to do with the Taylors though.
Maybe he was just paranoid because of Adora.
His baby cousin.
"Wait. Give him a week, see how things pan out. I mean, they'll have a funeral, and maybe even police..."
Adora pulled back and looked up at him. "I hadn't thought about police... Imagine being suspected of killing someone you love..."
He could see she was more empathising with the Taylors than worried that they might actually be legitimate suspects.
He knew he wasn't going to be able to convince her to fully stay away. "Be there for them, but be careful, and wait. Promise me you'll wait." He looked at her and tilted his head.
Her shoulders sagged and she nodded. "You're right, if I ask near the funeral of his ex... That'd be awful."
She really was taken with the family. They could do no wrong, could they?
He let his hands drop from her arms and wondered if Dodge or Brett would have more luck.
"Thanks, Iain." She put her hands on her face and wiped them upwards slowly into her hair. "How is your punishment going?"
"Well, I'm cursing your mum for planting these." He gestured to the floral bushes along the path.
Adora scoffed and nodded. "They are more like a weed than a flower hey?"
"Yea."
"Is your fist OK?"
"Fine. Tom's got a hard face."
"When did you learn to fight anyway?"
"Well, one punch isn't really a fight..." Iain raised an eyebrow and felt his lips turn into a smirk.
"You full on tackled him, Iain." Adora reminded him.
He smiled as he remembered Tom going down in surprise. "Yea, I did." He chuckled. "Well, you know when I came out to everyone as being bi, some of the guys were a bit... Mean."
"What?" Adora looked at him horrified. "You never told me that."
"No, but that's why I mostly avoid the team sports now."
"Oh, Iain, I'm sorry."
He shrugged. "It's done, I survived, I'm good."

"Marti came out to me yesterday." Adora frowned. "Maybe you can help her too."
"What do you mean?"
"She said Elissa was her first girl crush, before she asked Will out."
"Wow. Marti's gay?" Iain tried to picture the long haired girl with another girl.
"Bi, like you. I don't know if she'll be happy I told you, but maybe... You can help her adjust, if she still liked Elissa while Will and her dated... It could be like losing a girlfriend and a best friend."
"Yea." Iain mumbled and just nodded. For a few moments neither of them spoke. "I better get back to it, there's rain predicted again later and I want to at least get the path monsters out of the way."
Adora nodded. "Yea, thanks Iain."


"Why do I have to go back?" Tom asked Mrs Taylor as he dried the dishes. "I barely knew Elissa."
"Tom, it's for your brother and sister, and the police want to question all of us." His mother explained.
"You're kidding? Again? I have to be questioned for something I didn't do again?" He put the tea towel down angrily and wished he had taken Debbie up on her offer to go out for the day.
"Tom, Elissa was murdered, it wasn't some accident, somebody purposely left her for dead and the police believe she has been that way for a few weeks. Imagine how Marti and Will are going to feel when they find out they have to talk to the police too."
Tom swallowed a lump at that thought. He loved his siblings, even if he was jealous of them for being around Adora all the time.

"I had plans with Debbie tomorrow." He muttered.
"Well, you'll have to cancel; your father and I have spoken this morning after the phone call. We'll be leaving for Ritchieville this afternoon. We're booked into the motel for a few nights so we can be there and help however needed." His mother's voice was gentle but stern; he knew there was no getting out of this.
He tried not to remember being in the Wheeler Falls police station, questioned for Brett's attack, finding out his car had been the major weapon.
His shoulders went limp and he felt himself nodding. "Alright." He agreed quietly, though the worry about being questioned again sat heavily on his shoulders.
The thought of Will and Marti grieving and having to answer police questions made him clench his jaw.
Did his siblings know they would have to talk to the police yet?