Chapter 40

The fair was everything Brynn had remembered from the previous years. The skies were darkening when they arrived, so the strung lights and carnival rides lit the place. She tried to view the grounds with fresh eyes as she had done last year. But it was difficult, realizing the underside of things. How much work it took to put the fair together. How behind some of these friendly faces a strong current of racism was hidden. How a young man had tied to kill Wes. She was trying not to be paranoid as they strolled through the crowds and she noted people taking a second look at Wes and Max. They could be looking at them because they were handsome young men. That made sense. That is what she’d choose to believe.

The organ music from the merry-go-round played in the background and the scent of buttered popcorn mingled with candied apples clung to the air.

They sat at a picnic table and watched people go by. A mother with a baby in the stroller and another wide-eyed child holding her hand. A group of preteens looking cool and disinterested in the fair. Couples holding hands.

The skies were a dark blue-black beyond the lights, with stars starting to come into view. Brynn was glad to be here, even with all the chaos.

“How are you feeling?” Becky asked, and then bit into a hot dog.

“You’ve asked twelve times. I’m fine.” And she was. She felt stronger than she had in a long time. “Things keep going like this and you’ll have to go back to your awful life.”

Becky grinned.

“We’re going on a few rides.” Wes leaned across the table. “I love the Ferris wheel.” For a moment, Brynn thought she glimpsed the boy he used to be—or even maybe still was.

“I’ll go with you,” Nathaniel said. He was not letting his son out of his sight. Brynn realized he had seen the onlookers glancing Max’s way as they strode through the crowds. Wes, Max, and Nathaniel took off to ride the Ferris wheel.

David Reese came up to their table. “Well, hello, ladies. I don’t believe we’ve met.” He turned to Becky and eyeballed her as if he were looking at a piece of meat

“My sister, Becky,” Brynn said. “Becky, this is David Reese. He sells tractors.”

“Oh,” Becky said. “Like the freaky robot tractor that killed that boy?”

He paled. “Uh. Listen, I’m sorry. I’ve got an appointment. Catch you ladies later.” He took off.

“Not if I can help it,” Becky muttered under her breath.

Brynn’s stifled laugh came out. “It’s not me, is it? There’s something way off about him.”

“I’d say.” Becky stuffed the last of her hot dog into her mouth.

Brynn watched as a mother with a stroller attempted to navigate the grassy fairground. A group of preteens sauntered by trying to look as uninterested as possible in the rows of fair games and rides around the corner. The ding-ding-ding from a game caught at least one of the girls’ attention. One of them stopped to talk with a tall young man wearing cowboy boots. Brynn recognized him. It was Roy.

Roy strolled through the crowd. He stopped and talked with someone, then started to make his way past Brynn, then stopped. “Ms. MacAlister? Do you remember me?”

“Of course I do.”

“Have you seen Chelsea?” Roy asked. “I was supposed to meet her an hour ago. It’s not like her to be late and she’s not answering her phone.”

A chill traveled through Brynn. With all the sinister events of the past few weeks, this might be cause for concern. “I’ve not seen her. Have you, Becky?”

“I don’t think I have.”

“Have you called her parents?” Brynn asked.

“That’s what I’m going to do next. I’m heading into the craft building to get away from all the noise. I don’t want to worry them, but at the same time . . . it’s not like her.”

“I think they’d appreciate it. Who knows? Maybe she’s with them.” Brynn recalled when Tillie was missing. She was so thankful it had turned out okay. But these days, you couldn’t be too careful—there was a freak accident and a murder in their own little community. “She may have gotten sidetracked.”

“Let us know,” Becky said. Her eyes were wide with worry. Every parent’s nightmare. A missing child. Brynn could read her sister’s thoughts.

Let’s hope that’s not the case, she thought.

As Brynn watched him walk away, something else occurred to her. “Maybe she’s out with another boy.”

“I thought about that, too. Hopefully she stood him up. Could be that’s all it is.”

“Too bad for him. But at least she’d be okay.”

Wes found it hard to imagine Chelsea and Roy were dating. Brynn didn’t like to judge people based on their looks. But Roy was an average-looking young man, with a bad complexion. Chelsea was unusually beautiful—like breathtaking. When she walked into a room, your eyes couldn’t help but land on her. It was almost as if there were an angelic glow around her.

“I’m going to find the bathroom,” Brynn said, and stood.

“Need help?” Becky asked.

“I think I can manage.”

Brynn walked slowly through the grass and around the corner of the craft building to find a bathroom. There were David Reese and Roy at the end of the building. Roy was gesturing. David’s hands were on his hips. “What’s wrong with you, old man?” Brynn stopped in her tracks. A crowd started to gather.

“Look, boy. You need to move on.”

“Don’t tell me what to do. Where’s Chelsea?” He pushed David. Hard. David stumbled and almost fell. His chest puffed. “I told you I don’t know where the little slut is.”

Roy plunged into him. The next thing Brynn knew, the two of them were on the ground, rolling around, punching, pulling hair. She stepped forward and tried to help break it up.

“What’s wrong with you two?” She reached for Roy and tried to pull him off.

“Step aside, Brynn.” She turned to see Sheriff Edge, who pulled Roy off of David with one yank.

“Gladly!” Brynn’s heart thudded in her chest. What was going on here? Why did Roy think David knew Chelsea’s whereabouts? Why was he so angry at David? Why would David even concern himself with young people in the valley? He was a grown man.

“Okay, everybody!” the sheriff said in a loud, forceful tone Brynn had never heard come out of him before. “Move along! Nothing to see here!” Another officer grabbed David and put his hands behind his back, then took him away.

The sheriff still held Roy. “Let’s you and me take a walk.”

Okay. Things seemed to be under control here. The crowd was dispersing and Brynn still needed to find the bathroom. She turned to run into her sister. “We really can’t take you anywhere,” Becky said.