Salient Secret

Chapter 32

When I walk into the house it's quiet, too quiet if you ask me. 

"Mom," I say loudly, no answer. 

"MOM," I say louder and thankfully there's a response this time. 

"Here," I hear her say from the kitchen. As I walk in I see her sitting on the floor with a half full tequila bottle beside her and a glass of it in her hands. 

"What's going on?" I ask while crouching down in front of her.

"I met Palmer today, she's this little blue eyed, brown haired girl, she is so innocent. Melanie yelled at me because I am his sister, she said he would find her now..." she is slurring her words, it's very clear that she has had one too many drinks.

"I grew up with him Avery. He wasn't always like this, he was my brother, my protective, loving brother. What the hell happened to him?"

"Okay mom, I need you to stop drinking," I take the glass out of her hands, then take both of her hands in mine and help her up. 

"I need you to sober up mom, there's a meeting tonight that is basically taking place to protect Palmer and make sure he doesn't hurt anyone else."

"Really?" she says looking at me with hopeful eyes.

"Yes mom, so let's get you sobered up," I get her a glass of water and guide her up the stairs, I run her a bath and bring her Aspirin to prevent a killer hangover. After the bath she falls asleep on her bed and I hear the front door opening downstairs. 

"Lucy," my dad calls out.

"She's asleep dad," I respond while walking down the stairs.

"Oh hey Ave."

"Why aren't you at work?" It's midday, he usually comes home during the evenings.

"Your mom drunk texted me, she doesn't drink unless something is seriously wrong, I had to leave work early."

"Yeah she said something about Melanie yelling at her for being Uncle Dane's sister, I think she is blaming herself for how he turned out." 

"That breaks my heart, it really was not her fault, she loved him so much and she just wanted to please her big brother, she'd move mountains for him back then."

"Then where did the psycho come from?" my dad looks at me with a 'I-know-what-happened-but-I-don't-think-you-should-know' look.

"Dad tell me, please," I put my hand over his and he sighs in defeat.

"No one can know for sure, but I noticed him changing over the years, I used to visit your mom a lot and Dane used to hang out with us often, but around the age of 22, he stopped. When I saw him around he could barely make eye contact with me, he didn't have normal drug addict symptoms like red eyes, fatigue etc. but he was definitely on something, no one changes like that for no reason. He started disappearing for days, and then weeks, your grandparents tried to help him but he said he was fine, and when they wouldn't leave him alone he flipped the dinner table and disappeared for about 8 months..."

"When and why did he come back?"

"Your grandmother passed away, the day of her funeral, your grandfather slit his wrists..."

"Mom never told me that."

"Your mother and I believe he didn't commit suicide, we think he was murdered and someone made it look like a suicide."

"Who would murder someone whose wife just died?"

"We suspect it was Dane."

"Why would he do that?"

"Because your grandfather was the one driving the car when she died, there were traces of alcohol in his system, Dane probably thought he was driving drunk. And since his parents were killed in a car accident by a drunk driver, it probably triggered him."

"Do you know anything about Dane's real parents?"

"Oh yes, your grandparents used to go on about them and how great they were."

"So Dane's craziness isn't inherited?"

"Definitely not," there goes our one lead.

"When mom wakes up will you tell her to go to the address I sent to her, at 6 pm, you can come too, it's basically a meeting to put the puzzle pieces together regarding Dane."

"Okay, where are you going?"

"I need to go to see Melanie." Whatever she said to my mom struck a serious nerve I need to clear things up with her before tonight.

"I'm taking your car," I say on my way out, grabbing his key out of the key bowl. I get into the car and start driving to the hospital, I park the car and start walking towards the door and suddenly

everything

goes 

black...