“How do you do, Sheriff?”I asked.
“Doing well, considering,” he said, smiling.“My, y’all look a little frazzled.Everything okay?Looks like you banged your hand up real well.”
I waved my hand around.My thumb flapped grossly against my palm as the bandage fell off and hit the ground.I swallowed back vomit and bit my tongue to keep my eyes bright.
“This old thing?”I asked cheerily.“Hand slipped when I was cutting meat.Planning on a trip to the doc’s here in a day or two, if I can ever get away from this place.”
“You the chef here?”he asked.“That looks really bad.”
“Just helping out around the place for a little bit,” I squeaked.
“How can we help you, Sheriff?”Brother Al asked.
“I’m just passing through, really,” he said.“My twin brother, Steve and his family were supposed to be travelling through the area.We were supposed to go down to a nearby swimming hole with his family.Anyway, neither of us really get to see one another, and we were both really looking forward to this trip, but I ain’t heard from him since yesterday, and he and his wife were supposed to check in here.”
“Fancy that,” Brother Al said, turning his head.“Carol Anne, dear, can you look up and see if any of the Stephens family have checked in in the past day or two?”
“…sure,” Carol Anne said, stunned and blinking.
She wandered over to the check-in desk and began sorting through the logs.After a moment or two, she gulped.
“Haha,” she said.Her voice was overly cheery.“Looks like they checked in yesterday.”
“Oh, well that’s great to hear,” Sheriff Stephens said.“I didn’t see his car out front—maybe him and the wife are seeing the sights.Tell you what.Why don’t you check me in for a day or so.I’ll wait for him to come back here, take in the sights.I’ve heard all sorts of great things about y’all’s barbecue.”
“It’s great,” I squeaked.
“Stacey, you’re dripping all over the carpet,” Brother Al said.
“My name’s not Stacey,” I said through gritted teeth.
“I thought it was,” Carol Anne said.
I closed my eyes.
“Please excuse me,” I said.“I haven’t eaten all day and the blood loss is making me dizzy.I’m going to go in the other room and scream really quick.These two can get you all checked in.”
I dashed into the red door and slammed it behind me, staring at my dangling thumb, and bit the side of my cheek.
Holy fuck, I thought.
Tyler came around the corner, and I grabbed at him.
“I need help,” I said.“There’s a Sheriff in the lobby.Carol Anne’s checking him in for the day, so he can wait for his twin brother that checked in yesterday.”
I could see all the gears in his head click over in sequence, and then, after a few seconds, he said, “Fuck me with a tire iron.”
“Yeah,” I said.“How are your relatives?”
“Aunt Patti’s still screaming,” Tyler said.“JJ and Sawyer are out of commission.Looks like it’s just us.”
“Oh God,” I said.“And all of my guys are vivisected.How many dead bodies are here?And do you know for sure if the Stephens were killed?”
“I guess there was a lot going on yesterday,” Tyler said.“I have no idea.For all I know there’s dead bodies everywhere.And I haven’t heard hide or hair from the Stephens.I wouldn’t even know what they looked like, to be honest.”
“You think Patti would know?”
“Maybe?”Tyler said.“I don’t know.It’s worth a shot, I guess.”
