With a groan he followed her back the way they had come from town. Casey led him silently through yards and alleys, until they were a couple of streets from his home. Casey’s arms were beginning to hurt again. Time for a few more ibuprofen. She wished she’d brought more pills from Eric’s house. She pulled down the collar of her sweater and glanced at her shoulder. Spots of blood had leaked through her bandage, onto her shirt. Her lip throbbed, and her head ached.
Knowing it was out of the question to go back into Eric’s house, Casey found a dark patch at the back corner of someone’s yard and pulled Eric into the shadow.
Eric heaved a sigh. “He knew. He could’ve kept that boy from dying.”
“Yes.”
Eric closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. “He was more worried about money. As usual. It would’ve been expensive to recall the door latches and replace them. Expensive and bad PR.”
Casey nodded. He was right. “Karl also could be held personally liable. If he knew about the defective part and didn’t stop the production, it could all be put on him. HomeMaker could argue that it was all his fault.”
Eric clenched his jaw. “So he gave the company up?”
“Looks that way. It was either close down the company, or he’d get all the blame. Probably go to jail. He made a separate agreement with the family, to protect himself.”
Eric looked at her, his expression one of sorrow, and resignation. “So what now?”
She arched her back, wincing at the pain in her kidney, and looked up at the sky, stars twinkling through the leaves of the tree above her. She was tired. She was confused. She needed stitches.
Eric spoke quietly. “At least Karl didn’t kill Ellen.”
“He says.”
“I believe him.”
“Yeah. Yeah, I guess I do, too.” It had been in his eyes.
“You should leave, Casey.”
She turned her head to look at Eric, but saw only the back of his head as he stood facing away from her, his arms crossed over his chest.
“You should take my car and start driving. Get far away.”
He was right, of course. She should leave Clymer, with all of its problems, and all of its goodness, behind. Right that moment.
“I can’t, Eric.”
“Why not?”
Yes. Why the hell not? “I have to know. I have to know what happened to Ellen.”
“But why?”
When he turned to face her she looked up into his eyes. “Because she deserves the truth, Eric. Her kids deserve it.” And what else do I have to live for?
He looked away. “But what if the truth is really that she did it? That no one else killed her?”
“You really think she could have? Really, Eric?”
He sighed heavily and looked at the ground between his feet. “No. No, I don’t really think she could have.”
“Then she didn’t.”
He looked over at her, the corner of his mouth twitching. “And I’m certainly not about to argue with you.”
She put her hands on her hips and rolled her neck before stepping back into the alley. “Then come on.”
“Where are we going?”
She smiled. “We’re going to go see exactly what it is Yvonne knows. And we’re not taking no for an answer.”
He hesitated. “Karl will be out looking for us by now.”
“Yeah, well, he can join the club.”
They walked a bit, until Casey realized Eric was laughing. She stopped. “What?”
“It’s just…you were like Spock. Doing the Vulcan stun thing to Karl.”
“Oh. Well. Live long, and all that.”
“Yeah.”
They kept walking.
Yvonne’s house was dark, except for the outside light by the door, which she must’ve turned on after they left the first time. Her husband’s truck was still absent.
“What about the dogs?” Eric said.
“I guess we’ll have to hope she doesn’t let them eat us.” She slipped beside the house, where she’d be hidden when Yvonne opened the door. Eric looked at her to get the go ahead, then rang the bell.
Yvonne didn’t answer, and the dogs were silent.
Eric rang the bell again, and knocked on the door. After a few minutes of this, the inside door jerked open.
“Eric? What do you want? You’re going to wake the kids, and then what are we going to do?”
Casey stepped out, swung open the screen door, and braced the inside door with her foot.
“You?” Yvonne said. “They’re looking for you.” She glanced out at the street, as if expecting a police car to appear.
“Yes,” Casey said. “May we come in?”
Without waiting for an answer, she pushed past Yvonne into the house, and found herself pinned to the counter by the two large Doberman Pinschers, snarling and emitting low growls. Casey froze, her hands out in front of her.
“Yvonne, don’t!”
Casey looked up from the dogs to see Eric wrestling a cell phone out of Yvonne’s hand. He wrenched it away, ended the call she’d begun, and shoved it into his pocket.
Yvonne backed away from him, flattening against the wall. “They said if I saw you again I should call them.”
“So they know I was here before?”
“Jimmy came home for something to eat. I told him.”
Eric glanced at Casey, who was trying to access her ability to fight two large dogs. Fighting off people was one thing. Dogs were a different story altogether. She glanced at the counter beside her. The only things within reach were the soap dispenser, a dishrag, and a plastic napkin holder. Nothing too promising as a weapon.
“Yvonne,” Eric said. “Can you call off the dogs?”
Yvonne hugged her stomach, staring at Casey. Casey had no doubt her swollen lip and bloody shirt did not paint a pretty picture.
“She killed someone,” Yvonne said. “She’s dangerous.”
“She’s not dangerous,” Eric said. “Not to you.”
Yvonne shook her head, her mouth open.
“I won’t hurt you, Yvonne,” Casey said. “The only reason I…those men attacked me. I had to defend myself.”
Yvonne closed her mouth, but her lips continued working against her teeth.
“Yvonne,” Eric said. “Please. We just want to talk. Come on. You know me.”
Yvonne took a few more heavy breaths before holding out her hand. “Only if I can have my phone back.”
Eric placed his hand over his pocket. “You won’t call them?”
Yvonne lifted her hand higher. “I’ll listen to what you have to say.”
Eric looked at Casey and she nodded shortly. If Yvonne made the call, Casey would just have to fight her way through the dogs. Maybe she’d squirt them in the face with the anti-bacterial hand cleaner.
Eric reached into his pocket and pulled out the phone. He hesitated briefly before placing it in Yvonne’s open palm. She wrapped her fingers around it and pulled it against her stomach. “Roxie. Jabba. Down.”
The dogs dropped to their haunches, and their growling turned into happy panting, their tongues lolling from their mouths.
“Bed,” Yvonne said.
The dogs trotted to the next room, where Casey could see two large doggie pillows lying side by side. The dogs curled up on the cushions, but their eyes remained on Casey. She shivered, returning her attention to Yvonne.
“Yvonne,” Eric said. “We know about the boy.”
Her face went blank for only a moment before her eyes widened, filling with tears. “The boy…”
“Come on.” Eric led her gently to a chair.
They were in the kitchen, and the closest place was at the table. Yvonne dropped her phone in front of her before laying her face in her hands.
Eric sat next to her. “Yvonne, what happened? What has Karl done?”
She rolled her head back and forth in her hands before jerking it up, her face inches from Eric’s. Her eyes were red, and tears spilled over onto her cheeks. “I can’t tell. I can’t tell you.”
“But Yvonne—”
“I can’t!” She pushed herself away from the table, sending her chair crashing backward. Her face twisted and she grabbed the chair, lifting it off the floor.
Casey stepped forward and wrapped her hand around one of the rungs. “Don’t, Yvonne. Please.” Casey kept a hold on it, making eye contact, watching as Yvonne’s grip slackened, and then relaxed completely.