Blood Bath

Chapter 23

The morning sunrise was beautiful, with hundreds of giant windmills dotting the horizon. Colton and Seth pulled into the school parking lot before the first bus arrived.

Colton took another sip of his cold coffee and put his hand into Seth's trick-or-treat bag of candy. "Well, what's the agenda for today?"

"Good question. I wish we had time to take a shower."

Colton agreed. "Now you know how I feel every morning after I deliver papers. I never have time to go home and change, or shower."

"I'm telling you, quit the job. Our business will make us rich and you won't have to drive around delivering newspapers." Seth was serious. In his mind, Colton was wasting time he should devote to the business.

"If my route becomes a problem, I will quit. Until then, don't worry. My job is enjoyable because it gives me time to unwind. I can listen to my books and think about my problems. I do some of my best thinking when I'm doing the newspaper route."

"Understood. I won't bring it up again," Seth promised. "Now that football is over, what will you be doing with your after school time?"

"I'll be working on our business with you. And I want to look into Jenny's death. It still feels off. Her clothing was not spattered with blood even though both of her wrists had been cut, and there was blood in the water but no blood on the steps. It doesn't look like a suicide."

"Do you think it was Luke who killed her?"

"My first guess, but how do we prove it?"

Seth thought for a moment. "Too bad we aren't policemen. We could drag him into a room and beat the truth out of him."

"Seth, you've been watching too many old movies. They don't beat suspects anymore. They question them."

"We can't even do that."

When Colton and Seth saw the bus carrying Lacie's and Beth pull into the school lot, they walked across the lot and into the school.

"I'll see you later, Seth. I want to tell Lacie about our adventure this morning."

Seth smiled. "I'm sure she knows all about it, already."

"She might have heard Ned's version, but I'm sure she'll want to hear my version."

Colton felt strange walking through the halls. There were no congratulations or back slaps. With the loss on Saturday, the students had nothing to say. He wanted to just scream, YES WE LOST... GET OVER IT.

As Lacie approached he noticed a visible bruise on her face. Colton tried not to mention it, but he couldn't help himself. He put his hand up to her face and touched her hair.

"You look beautiful, today."

"Thank you, but I know the bruise still shows. I tried makeup, but it didn't cover."

"It's not that bad." He tried to look like he believed what he was saying, but Lacie knew better.

"I know how it looks."

Lacie's face turned serious. "So, tell me all about the robbery this morning. Uncle Ned called, but he wouldn't give me the details. He said the two of you made a new agreement, and I don't get all the news anymore? What's with that?"

"I told Ned that it was important that he respects my privacy. I want to tell you when I do something. It's not his place to tell people what I'm doing." Colton was having a hard time saying what he meant. He heard his words, and they didn't convey what he was feeling.