Murder in Mossland Mississippi

Episode 7

The two men glared across the room at one another, with hate welling in their eyes. Both of them had the same piercing blue eyes, Lori’s. You could see so much of the same genes in them but when they spoke they were miles apart. “Where were you the night your mother disappeared?” Deputy Blake Butler said in his cool, harsh investigative tone.

            “Where were you, Blake?” countered Chad in an accusing tone. “Everyone knows you hated Mama! You and Ana! Ever since Jess died you and your mother have found every reason you can think of to bash her.” Silence surrounded the room as Blake found himself in deep contemplation. “Why did he hate his grandmother so?” he thought. He wanted to mourn her but the voices in his head told him to stop. She hadn’t done anything terrible. Just years filled with little moments where he had to take up for his doting mother. Argument after argument, between the two women, mostly about Chad. Blake would always take up for his mother. That is what good southern boys do. It started as a little scrimmage here and there, nothing serious. Eventually those moments compounded and the spouts of anger turned to unremitting hate. Regardless, he was an officer of the law and he couldn’t let his feelings taint his investigation.

            “I’m not a suspect here, Chad. I’m not the one who’s on the life insurance policy. I’m not the one who stands to gain a hundred thousand dollars.” He could tell that Chad had no idea about the money as soon as he finished his sentence. He just hoped that the look on his face did tip him off.

            “What are you talking about? I don’t know anything about that? Who did you hear that from?” Chad face contorted and the lines across his forehead deepened in thought. Each mistake he made, each time he hurt someone it seemed like a line appeared across his face. It was his punishment, he thought, to wear the sorrow he caused others for the rest of his life.

“Don’t worry about my source. Just answer the question.”

            The lines lessened on Chad’s face when abruptly, he understood the source. “It was Janet. Wasn’t it? You can’t believe a word she says! We all know what a gossip she is.” He couldn’t believe Blake would take the word of that terrible women, but then again, he could. Blake was always looking for some reason to point his finger at Chad. He didn’t understand why, all the times he ended up in the back of the patrol car were not enough.

“I can if her husband, Keith, was the one who sold your mother the insurance policy.” Blake replied with a cold smirk on his face, like the cat that ate the canary. He had him right where he wanted him.

            That made perfect sense to Chad. His mother was always looking out for him since Jess died. She stood by him; she prayed for him; she had faith in him. That was the kind of thing that Lori would have done. She knew that she was all he had left. His father had died when he was eight and his sister only helped to make herself look good to the people in the town. It was Lori’s way of making sure that Chad had food and a roof over his head even when she had left this earth. His eyes began to well up with tears at the thought of his mother’s love for him. He knew he didn’t deserve it.

            Blake saw the transformation in his nephews face. He wasn’t one to deal well with outbursts of emotion, unless it was anger of course. “I think that’s enough for now. Don’t you dare leave town. Family or not I’ll hunt you down.” Chad knew he would chase him down, but he didn’t know why Blake thought being family was part of the deal. If anything Blake hated him more than anyone else because they were family. He knew that his deputy uncle had always been ashamed of him and for that he was truly sorry.

            Blake stood to exit the apartment, adjusting his tactical belt. The flash light hung so low against his short frame it was almost at his knee. He turn to give Chad one more intolerable glare just to make sure he felt his detest. With that, he swung around and swiftly departed the home. Chad collapsed on an old red recliner Willie had given him. Hunched over, he buried his face in the padded arm of the chair and sobbed.