Little White Lies

Chapter 22

"What are we doing?" I ask when Andy stops the truck unexpectedly at a small park about fifteen minutes from the airport.

Andy turns in his seat and looks at me, "I need to tell you something and I need you to try not to freak out," he says.

"Okay," I say cautiously. "What's wrong?

"So, I just want to start by telling you everyone is okay," he starts then pauses.

"Andy? You need to tell me what's wrong. You're starting to scare me." I can feel my heart start to race as my anxiety level rises. I need him to tell me whatever this is, but I'm dreading whatever is about to come out of his mouth. He's been just a tiny bit off ever since I talked to him Saturday night.

"Sawyer," he begins again, then stops. I can see his jaw working as he struggles to find the words. "Friday night James and I were hanging out with Tyler at the fire house," he finally starts.

"Okay," I say when he takes another long pause.

"A call came in over the radio and I realized it was your address," Andy says running a hand through his hair. "It was for a possible drug overdose."

"What?!" I exclaim.

"Forty-nine year old male with possible drug overdose," Andy clarifies.

"Mark ODed?! On what? What in the hell?" A million questions flood my brain and I don't even know where to start.

"Tyler was quick to blab even though he isn't supposed to. From what your mom told 911 and the first responders, there was an argument and Mark just freaked out."

"Did he hit her?" I blurt.

"I don't think so, not that she told them anyway. But he said a lot of really dramatic stuff about how if this was as good as life gets, he didn't want to be around. He went to her room, slammed the door, and locked it. A few minutes later he storms out of the house. Your mom went after him but he just went storming off into the woods and she couldn't find him. When she went back inside there was an empty bottle of sleeping pills and an empty bottle of pain killers. She said the pain killers were from when she hurt her back last year and the sleeping pills were his," Andy says not meeting my eye.

"Are you serious?" I ask in shock, Mark didn't strike me as the kind of guy to be suicidal but then again I guess you never really know.

"Yeah, so she did the only thing she could think of. She called 911. They searched for him for I think like three hours," he pauses. "Well maybe more like two and a half, I wasn't thinking about drive time to and from the station. But they eventually found him."

"Is he okay?" I don't like the guy but I don't want him to die either.

"Yeah, he had all of the pills in his pocket," Andy says finally looking up and meeting my eye.

"What? Why? Why would someone do that?" I ask.

"Sawyer that's what really worries me. He was just playing some insane mind game with her. He was trying to screw with her. It was straight up sadistic. She was alone and scared. She was panicking and the whole time he's just strolling through the woods. He did it all to screw with her." Andy's jaw is so tight, I can see all of the muscles working as he works to get out whatever comes next. "He's a sociopath," he says finally.

I just sit there dumbfounded for minutes. I can't find words to describe the things going through my head. Finally I ask, "Is he gone?"

"No. He was still there when I was out last night with Rosie," Andy says apologetically, like this is some how his fault.