Dark Child (Wild Men 5)

We walk back to my car in silence. Cos has her hand in mine. I can’t even remember when she took my hand, or when I took hers. Funny how such a small thing, just the slight grip of her fingers, can be such an anchor.

How a random girl could become so unique and important to me, in such a short time.

Maybe it was destiny. Destiny is a place where impossible things happen, sometimes good, sometimes bad, where unexpected stories unfold.

I open the door for her, and she climbs into the car. Going around, I get behind the wheel and start the engine, putting on “Riptide” by Vance Joy because it seems somehow appropriate.

“Merc?” She asks, in hushed tones as I roll down the window and drive out of town. “You sure your dad is the one?”

As much as any crazy person with self-fulfilling dreams can be. I shrug. “I’ve gone this far, might as well tell the police what I think.”

“But Ross doesn’t think it’s true.”

“Ross knows it’s true. Which is why I’m going to the police.”

She gives me a curious look. “What convinced him?”

“I think he believed me from the start, but had to find the clues. He thinks he found the ax.”

She nods, eyes a bit wide. “And now? Will Ross be okay?”

The thing with Ross… I shouldn’t be able to read him so clearly. I didn’t grow up with him—we shared nothing except punches, and our relationship growing up consisted of him bullying me and me hating him. But I can read him, and he figured this out before I did.

He’s convinced our dad killed his mom, and he’s going to face him, confront him about it. Maybe yesterday his dad was out. but today…

Today I need to get the police there before something bad happens.

Why didn’t I think of this then, the second Ross walked away?

“Cos, call Matt for me?” I dig my phone out of my pocket and pass it to her. “Tell him what happened, and tell him to send the police to Jasper Jones’s house.”

She does that, because she’s awesome like that, sweetly explaining to Matt that I think Jasper is the killer, and that Ross may be in danger.

I can hear Matt swearing to hell and back even though the phone isn’t on speaker. Cos holds it away from her ear and makes a face at me.

But hey, it’s done, and at least I may have saved Ross from death by ax. Or by dad.

Either is worth it.

We’re almost in St. Louis when Matt calls back.

“Merc, are you listening?” his deep voice booms from the speaker Cos switches on so we can both hear. “You were right. That motherfucker dad of yours attacked Ross. The police have taken him into custody.”

“Oh shit.” Cos gives me a wide-eyed look.

“I was right about Jasper attacking Ross, yeah. But is Jasper the killer?”

“John Elba is on the scene. They don’t know yet,” he says.

Of course not. No clues.

“I told him about your suspicions about Jasper. He was unsure, because you have history with him and no proof, but him attacking Ross has convinced him to look in that direction.”

“Good.”

Though Ross is right about one thing, at least: A bully isn’t necessarily a murderer. No matter how much I hate Jasper, that’s not proof.

I turn the car around and back to Destiny. All roads seem to lead there these days, all dreams.