How to Slay a Beast (Book 1)

Chapter 22

I don't know what's wrong with people. I don't pretend to understand people. Or life. But I thought I had a pretty good understanding---like a functioning knowledge of what might happen. Until I met these people. A kid gets killed out there, and these ignorant, ignorant people decide to take every available opportunity to go wander around in the woods. At night. with illegal weapons. And now two of them wound up missing, presumed dead. And here were my prime suspects.

"Well, well, anybody have anything to say for themselves?" I asked, staring at the motley crew before me.

"I was going for a walk with my mom," little girl who had ANOTHER big ass sword said.

"I was hunting," said the dude with a black eye and poorly repaired glasses who doesn't own a shirt but keeps getting his hands on weapons he isn't supposed to have.

"I was with my daughter. It is giving us closure to walk in the woods," said the woman who didn't have bombs with her this time but I suspect that's just because she hid them before I found her this time.

"I was looking for my daughter," said the too rich for his own good dude, who did not have a weapon but that also was because I suspected he'd hidden it this time.

"Thank you so much for getting them officer, I was so worried," said the bedazzled older woman who had called me in the first place.

"Right, well, according to you guys, we still have two people missing, so I've taken your statements, and this time I am not asking---I am begging, all of you---to please stay at your respective houses, until the last two people are found," I said.

"Thank you for finding them officer, I'm sure we won't have any more trouble," the creepy old dude who was apparently related to some of them somehow, said.

"Right, get out of here, and don't let me find you wandering around the woods," I said, waving my hands at all of them.

**

"Well, Matthew, no luck finding your current wife?" I liked the asshole's father.

"No—what is he doing here?" the asshole pointed at me.

"I don't have to answer that, let's go," Violet said, taking Merry's arm. She was still carrying the sword. Sadly I lost my bow to the law.

"Yes, I should find Billy," I said.

"Very nice to see you again, Violet," the asshole's father (t.a.f.) said, to her, "I would like to express my condolences. There is no greater pain than that of losing a child."

"No, no there isn't," she said, quietly.

"I lost a son as well, Matthew's older brother----oh you didn't know that? I'd assumed he would tell you," t.a.f. said, looking at the asshole who was looking away angrily. He looked intimidated by the man. I was trying to mouth obscenities to him but nobody was paying attention to me.

"No, no he never did---I'm sorry," Violet said.

"Yes, words will never make up for it, the loss of a child, as I'm sure you understand," he said.

"How old was your son?" she asked.

"I had him longer, 19 years," he said, "He took his own life. For that I'll never forgive myself. I won't say it's worse, than what you're going through, there is no way we can quantify grief."

"No, there isn't---though I know my little boy didn't want to leave, it helps I guess," Violet said.

"I didn't," Del said, leaning against her. I patted his shoulder and again he did not move away.