Swell (Complete)

Chapter Thirty-Three (Part One)

"You meant so much to so many
I'm not quite sure how to do justice to you
if they're ready to say goodbye
I know I'm not."

....

Will had to fight to keep his legs holding him up as he thought about Adora being in the town his girlfriend had been murdered.
He'd barely said a word since the station and he could tell she was worried about him as they sat around the table at the restaurant.
Tom and Debbie were unusually quiet as well, it worried Will more than his own silence. He kept trying to figure out if Tom would have done anything to Liss, and what reason he would have if he had done.
Adora had rejected him that at least was something to suspect, but to Will's knowledge Tom hadn't had the slightest interest in Liss.

Marti was a lot more relaxed now Adora had arrived. She was even comforted enough to smile, but Will couldn't be.
He'd been worried enough in Wheeler Falls after Brett's attack and her cards, but now she was here, and Liss had just been found murdered.
Would someone else become more collateral damage in the person's quest to win?
Win what? What the hell did the murderer want?
Were they the same person sending Adora the cards?
The only reason Will had even come for dinner was his parents' insistence. When he caught Adora in his eyes he was stuck, staring, trying not to imagine her buried in a shallow grave, whenever she looked at him he tore his eyes away guiltily, even if she had smiled.
Especially if she had smiled. He couldn't take the pity in her eyes, the soft and caring smile when he was worried she would be next.
Nobody else thought she was in danger, but there was something he was sure she wasn't sharing with them.
Had something else happened before she and Debbie left Wheeler Falls?
Would she be safe if he disappeared?

"Will?" Her voice caught him off guard as he sat outside the room he and Marti shared.
He jerked and twisted his body towards her as he looked around.
His heart froze as she stood in the outside light and pulled the door to his room closed. He watched as she closed the few meters between them and sat down beside him.
"Are you alright? You've barely said a thing since we got here." She didn't touch him, but he couldn't tear his eyes from her face.
He swallowed a lump and took a jolted breath. "Um..." What could he say? "I just..."
She bit her plump bottom lip and looked away from him. "Is it awkward having me here? Considering it was Liss..."
Yes.
No.
Kind of.
He didn't know. He put his forearms on his knees and started to twist his palms together like she did when nervous. "I'm worried." He admitted hoarsely.
"About what?" She started to reach an arm over and her hand settled on his. He froze and tried not to tremble as he looked into the darkness of the hotel car park.
Was the murderer watching them now?
Her stalker trying to decide what to make of the relationship they shared?
Was it his fault that Liss had been murdered?

"Will, please, don't push me away." She put her other hand on his cheek and turned his face to look at her. "I know it's hard, losing someone suddenly, I know the things grief can do. I don't want grief to destroy you like it did me."
Destroyed her?
Nothing about her was destroyed, how could she even say that?
"I..." He tried to say something. Anything, but he didn't know what he wanted to say.
She gave him a half smile and tilted her head. "I need you at the moment too." She added.
There was a new shake in her voice and he felt his chest ice over. "What happened?"
She looked into the dark night before them as her hand left his cheek. "I got a doll." Her voice was trembling as the words sped from her mouth and he felt his hand turning over and taking hers in his fingers. "She was taped up, and in a blue dress. With brown hair."
"But... We haven't had school." He frowned.
She shook her head and he felt her hand trembling like her voice had. "It was at our front door." She breathed; he could hear a thick tone in her voice and his chest felt as though it wasn't working.
His mouth slackened and he felt the cool breeze filling his insides.
"We gave it to the police, and Dodge is moving in for a bit, and Mum and Iain got cameras."

Will couldn't breathe. The cards, Brett and now a doll exactly as Liss had been found.
It was because of him, someone was doing this to him.
To the ones he loved.
But why?
Why would anyone kill his girlfriend, and stalk the girl who liked him in their new town?
Why would they go from murder to stalking cards?
"Will?" Adora whispered with worry. "I know it's selfish of me to ask you right now, but I feel safe with you."
He felt sick. "But you're not."
"What do you mean?" Her betrayed expression stabbed his stomach and he struggled to draw in a breath.
"Liss wasn't safe with me, you've not been safe since I moved to Wheeler Falls."
"What are you trying to say? You think it's you? You did this?"
He thought her hand would let his go, but instead her fingers tightened around his.
"No, I don't think I did it, but I think someone did it because of me."
"I don't understand." Adora's frown extended to her voice and Will forced himself to look at her.
"I don't understand either, but it's the only thing in my head that makes sense to me. Someone killed Liss, my first girlfriend, and now someone is stalking you, my..." He stopped, struggling to figure out what Adora was to him. His current girlfriend? His current crush?
He closed his eyes and withdrew his hand from hers to cover his face.
"Will, this person stalking me hasn't said anything about you." Adora tried to take his hand again, but he jerked away from her touch.
He couldn't get any closer.
"Will... please, listen..."
"Nothing happened until my family moved to Wheeler Falls. Then when you rejected Tom... Everything started..."
"You think it is Tom?"
Did he? "I don't know." His voice was barely more than a whisper. He thought about his interrogation, being questioned about whether he thought Tom had attacked Brett.

They sat in the dim light outside the room for a few silent moments.
"Will, please don't push me away."
He wanted to put so much distance between them right now, but he was paralysed by her quiet plea. It almost sounded afraid, almost teary.
How afraid had Liss been when she realised what was happening to her? How much warning had she had?
He felt his jaw clenching so tightly it began to ache. He forced himself to loosen the tension and let go of a deep breath.
"I'm more willing to believe it was Gus than any of your family." Her remark was hushed and he looked at her in surprise. She caught his eyes for a moment before looking out into the dark car park.
"He sent me a text yesterday before the doll was found. About not being ready to say goodbye, Brett told him to leave though."
Will remained silent and looked out over the car park as well.
Gus.
That made as much sense as anyone in his family, he didn't know the man, but he knew stories he'd heard, remembered the doubt in Brett's own voice.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Adora's hand move closer to him, palm up towards the sky, a gesture for him to take it.
He closed his eyes and waited a few moments before he lifted his hand onto hers and felt her fingers close around it.
"Marti said the funeral will be tomorrow, she asked me to come, is that alright with you?"
She was so gentle, her voice so soft in her question.
"Yea." He said huskily. Marti needed someone like Adora right now, a friend she could count on and trust.
So did he.

________

AN-

Hey guys!

If you made it this far, i ADORE you and want to know you're thoughts!

This story has turned out to be a LOT longer than I expected it to ever be, but I'm loving it.
This week I finished editing the first 180pages of hard copy I have. My writing time will now be split between adding the edits to the working document and hopefully finishing it by May.

This is the 50th part published and I just wanted to send my thanks to those of you reading this far along.

I can't describe what it means to me.

xoxo

Artie