Chapter 3
Murder? Did Brynn hear that right? She gazed across the room at a painting of a farm scene as if it held answers.
“It was an accident,” Wes said, after a few moments. “Surely not murder.”
Willow’s father’s eyes told another story. “I hope you’re right.”
“Josh wouldn’t hurt anybody,” Brynn said more to herself than anybody else.
Willow’s father frowned and tucked his daughter in closer to him.
Brynn sat down next to them. “Where’s Josh’s family?” Josh had a big, supportive family. Where were they? In another part of the hospital?
He shrugged and Willow stirred, sitting up. “Brynn. When did you get here?”
“A few moments ago.”
Wes sat on the other side of Brynn. The chair creaked with his weight.
“The quilts?” Willow asked.
“All delivered.” Brynn paused. “What else can I do for you?”
“Thank you. That’s a big relief.”
“Can I get you coffee or water?” Wes asked.
“Water please,” Willow said.
“Nothing for me,” her dad said.
Wes took his leave and the three of them sat in silence. A nurse passed. Another group of people entered the waiting area and sat huddled in a corner. Brynn’s eyes barely left Willow, pale and glassy-eyed.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Brynn didn’t know what else to say.
Willow shuddered. “I can’t. Not yet.”
Brynn wished she’d brought along a jacket, as someone must have set the temperature to “frozen.” She eyed the waiting area, appointed with brass lamps, wood coffee tables, and glossy magazines. The hospital featured the works of local artists on its walls. One of the best things about it was the artwork, but if it was meant to distract from bad news, it didn’t work. It was pleasant, but not magic.
Josh was a good guy. He’d been in farming his whole life. But farming was a profession fraught with danger. Accidents happened, no matter how cautious you were. How did he hit another person with his tractor? That was the odd thing that Brynn couldn’t wrap her mind around.
Why was anyone even near a moving tractor? Who was this young man, anyway?
“Who got hit? Did you know him?” Wes asked as he brought the bottled waters to them.
“It was Evan,” Willow replied.
Wes’s eyebrows shot up. “Whoa! Does Roy know?”
Roy was a young man who’d been hanging around with Wes from time to time. He was a hired hand at the O’Reilly farm and a computer major at James Madison University. Brynn had only met him once. She gathered Roy and Evan were friends. Brynn also figured the whole group of summer help must have been socializing a great deal. She didn’t have time for it—but she was glad that Wes did. After all, he was young and should have a social life.
Willow opened her water and shrugged. “I have no idea.”
“Was Evan a hired guy?” Brynn asked.
“At first, yes. Then he dated Josh’s daughter,” Wes answered.
His words hung in the air and Brynn’s eyes shot over to Willow’s dad, who nodded at her. “Okay, that complicates things,” she muttered. “But Josh would hurt nobody. I know that. We all know that.”
Another pause in the conversation.
“He went crazy when he found out Chelsea was dating him,” Willow said. “She’s only sixteen. I’m not sure of his age. . . .”
“Too old for her,” Willow’s father finished. “That’s how old he was.”
A wave of respect washed over Brynn. Willow’s father was a good dad. Willow’s stories about him were heartwarming. He was involved in her life even though Willow’s parents split up years ago. Brynn was sorry she’d not met him earlier, but he was a busy guy and she was busy herself.
Wes shifted in his seat. “It’ll devastate Josh’s family.”
Willow’s hand covered her face, and she nodded, sniffed.
A nurse walked into the room. “Willow?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve informed his family. You’re free to go.” The nurse walked closer to her and crouched in front of her. “Go home and please take care of yourself.”
“I’ll see to that,” her father said. “Thank you.”
* * *
For Brynn, walking out of the hospital felt like leaving a battle scene. She couldn’t say why. She figured she’d gotten there at the tail end of the situation and didn’t want to pry. They had informed the young man’s parents of his death. Willow’s father was taking her in hand to make sure she’d be okay. There was nothing here for Brynn to do—unless Willow needed her.
“We’re parked over there,” Willow said. “Thanks for coming.”
Brynn opened her arms and Willow fell into them. “If you need anything, holler at me. I’m serious. I’ll be checking on you.”
Willow looked resolved. “We have a fair to put on.”
“I’ll take care of your part.”
“Me too,” Wes said.
“It might be good for me to keep busy.”
Her father wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Your mom texted me. She’s at the house, made chicken noodle soup for you.”
“Okay, well, let me know what you decide. I’m happy to fill in for you or not,” Brynn told Willow.
“Thanks, Brynn.”
She and her father walked off to another section of the parking lot.
“What did she witness?” Wes asked as they walked toward their car.
“The whole thing,” Brynn said. “But who knows what went down. I can’t imagine Josh hitting someone with a tractor.” She slid the key in the door, flipping the unlock button.
Wes opened the door and slipped in. “In some countries in the world, he’d be celebrated and justified for killing a man who’d been sleeping with his underage daughter.”
Brynn’s heart stopped. “What did you say? He’d been sleeping with Chelsea?”
“Oh yes.” He nodded. “It was not a healthy situation at all.”
She turned the ignition and flipped on the AC. Wes was more tuned in to the local gossip than Brynn. Especially with the younger people. Her stomach tightened. A father whose young daughter was sleeping with an older man working for him. A father who had killed the same man, albeit by accident.
As much as Brynn hated to admit it, the situation for Josh seemed bleak.