Small Town Secrets

Story contains language, brief mentions of abuse and suicide.

“Who orders a plain latte?”

“I do, apparently.”

“It’s like the most basic thing I’ve ever heard of.”

“Better than pretending to be someone you’re not.”

“Damn. I was only joking.”

“I’m sorry. It’s been a long day.”

“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. How’re you holding up?”

“As good as can be expected.”

“So bad.”

“I’ve been better.”

“If you’re looking to talk to someone, I have the number – “

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you.”

“You can always talk to me.”

“Good. I wanted to talk to you about Steve.”

“I take back my previous statement.”

“You were right about him, all those years ago.”

“You didn’t believe me then.”

“I do now.”

“Look, Steve is in the past. It’s been almost thirty years; I don’t want to think about him anymore.”

“I think he killed her.”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“Why would you think that?”

“She was acting strange, the last time I talked to her.”

“She’d been acting strange since she learned how to talk.”

“This was different.”

“I mean, Steve has his flaws, that’s for sure. But I don’t think he’s a murderer.”

“What if he was.”

“I – I don’t know. But if all the proof you have is that she was acting weird – “

“His old football coach.”

“His old football coach?”

“His old football coach went missing, junior year of high school.”

“Oh, that’s right. Mr. Merkham, right?”

“Yeah. Merkham.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Merkham was going to cut him from the team.”

“But he was the star player.”

“Exactly. Merkham found out that he was hazing the freshman. He was going to cut him, and Steve killed him for it.”

“How would you know this, exactly.”

“I’ve been doing research.”

“God Joan, you’re not a detective.”

“I’m a journalist.”

“You write about corn festivals for the local paper. That’s barely journalism.”

“I’m going to ignore that you’ve never taken my job seriously and move on to what I know about Merkham.”

“It’s not that I don’t take it seriously – “

“We can’t all be big shots like you, okay! Moving to New York, partying with the rich people – “

“It’s not like that.”

“You left, and suddenly that makes you better than us.”

“It’s not like that at all.”

“Well, what is it like then.”

“I had to go. I couldn’t stay here, in this tiny ass town where everybody knows everybody.”

“This tiny ass town is my home.”

“And it’s always been your home. You’ve always fit in, always been welcomed. Always been invited to everything.”

“I invited you too.”

“But no one else did.”

“Chelsea did.”

“Until she met Steve.”

“Fuck Steve.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry to drag you into this, but I don’t know who else to talk to.”

“It’s alright. I’m sorry about what I said about your job.”

“I know I’m not a fancy New York journalist.”

“That’s for the best. You’d hate it there.”

“Maybe.”

“So Merkham. Why would you think Steve killed him?”

“Steve was hazing the freshman.”

“I’d heard rumors – “

“More than rumors. I have proof.”

“What kind of proof?”

“Three separate witnesses. Two that were freshmen when it happened, and one that was a senior.”

“What did he make them do?”

“It was mostly focused on the receivers. He said that if they wanted to get a pass this season, they had to do him – favors.”

“God.”

“Almost all of the freshmen did it. The senior said that if any of the upper classmen objected, him and his friend would find them, later. Rough them up.”

“Why didn’t this come out years ago?”

“That’s the thing. It almost did. One of the freshmen went to Merkham and reported it. Merkham knew that Steve’s parents had a lot of sway on the school board, and so he decided to take matters into his own hands.”

“Okay, you have me convinced on the hazing. Even maybe that word got around to Merkham. But how do you know he didn’t decide to go to the school board?”

“Merkham’s widow.”

“His widow?”

“She said that he was bothered by something, that he said he needed to fix it but didn’t know how.”

“Okay, but that’s pretty vague. He could have been talking about anything.”

“She said that she asked him what he was going to do, and he said, and I quote, stop the source. No one else is willing to do it.”

“How do we know it was about Steve though.”

“It all happened within about a week of each other. The freshmen bringing up the allegations, Merkham talking to his wife, and then his death.”

“Do you mind me playing devil’s advocate.”

“You certainly haven’t held back so far.”

“Everyone might think that it happened at the same time. But it could just be because they remember when Merkham died. That’s such a traumatic event, they convinced themselves that everything else important happened then, even if it was just in the same year.”

“You could be right.”

“It’s just human nature.”

“Is that what you believe though?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know enough about it.”

“You know that Steve is capable of murder.”

“What I saw was with an animal. Was it cold? Creepy? Yes, but it’s still different than murder.”

“They say that that’s how serial killers start.”

“Now he’s a serial killer?”

“That’s what it would make him, isn’t it? Merkham is dead. Chelsea is dead.”

“I guess. If he really did it.”

“I know he did.”

“How?”

“I just do.”

“Okay fine. So what’re you going to do about it?”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. We need to find evidence.”

“Evidence how?”

“Evidence that he murdered Chelsea or Merkham.”

“I know what evidence is. I’m asking how you plan to get it.”

“I have a plan.”

“The police didn’t find any sign of anything.”

“They barely looked.”

“Because she left a note.”

“I know she didn’t do it.”

“Joan – are you sure you’re not – “

“I’m sad. I’m not denying that I’m sad. But this is real.”

“How do you know for sure.”

“She had her highs and lows, we both know that. But she loved her life. She always has.”

“A lot can change in a year.”

“Not Chelsea. Chelsea never changed.”

“She changed when she met Steve.”

“Not on the inside.”

“I don’t know.”

“Fine. But I do, and I’m going to get to the bottom of this, with or without you.”

“What’re you planning on doing?”

“I’m going to go through the house.”

“Chelsea’s house?”

“Well, now it’s just Steve’s house.”

“So you want to break in to the house of the person you suspect for murder?”

“Not while he’s home.”

“What if he gets back?”

“Then I’ll hide. Wait for him to take a shower or something and run off.”

“This is a bad idea.”

“I have to try.”

“I can’t let you do this.”

“Help me or don’t, but you’re not stopping me from doing anything.”

“When are you going?”

“Tonight.”

“Tonight???”

“It’s our class reunion. He’s going to be there.”

“My god Joan.”

“Are you in or out?”

“You know you could forget about this right? You could go to the reunion instead.”

“I’m not letting this go.”

“I guess I’m in then.”

“I’ll meet you at six.”

“You’re going to get us killed.”

“You still know the way?”

“Of course I know the way.”

“Have I mentioned this is a bad idea?”

“Just give me a boost.”

“What do you think we are, sixteen? I’m not going to fit through that.”

“If you give me a boost, I’ll get in and unlock the door for you.”

“Fine. Hurry up.”

“Careful!”

“I’m trying!”

“Took you long enough.”

“It was like, two minutes.”

“I’m standing out here, completely exposed.”

“I told you; he’s going to be gone for a couple hours.”

“What if the neighbors see us, huh? What if they call the cops on us?”

“I don’t know.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“Okay fine. Come on, we have a lot of stuff to get through.”

“What are you even looking for?”

“I don’t know yet.”

“My god. This’ll teach me for coming back home.”

“It’ll be fine. Stop being such a wuss.”

“Now you even sound like we’re in high school. Next thing you know you’ll break out the joints.”

“That was you and Chelsea’s thing.”

“I definitely remember you partaking once or twice.”

“It wasn’t my thing.”

“Easy to say now.”

“Seriously. I just did it to be around you.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“You were in love with Chelsea.”

“Well, it didn’t matter, did it. She was in love with Steve.”

“Fuck Steve.”

“Yeah. Fuck Steve.”

“I think I found something.”

“For real?”

“Look at these pills.”

“I’m a lawyer, not a doctor.”

“They’re not addressed to either of them.”

“Who’re they addressed to then?”

“Steve’s mother.”

“Fuck.”

“There’s definitely not as many as there are supposed to be.”

“Maybe he just used them to get high.”

“Maybe. But maybe he tricked her into taking them.”

“Or maybe she just took them.”

“Chelsea hated pills. She wouldn’t even take Ibuprofen.”

“She also loved life.”

“Okay fine. We’ll keep looking.”

“Joan.”

“Yeah?”

“Someone’s pulling into the driveway.”

“Fuck!”

“What do we do??”

“We have to hide.”

“Hide where?”

“In the closet.”

“What if he opens the closet??”

“Why would he open the closet?”

“I don’t know, maybe he puts his shoes in there! Maybe he wore a jacket!”

“Okay here, take this. If he opens the closet, just – stop him.”             

“I don’t know how to use this! Where did you even get it from?”

“It was in the drawer there.”

“What if he notices it’s gone??”

“Stop coming up with problems!”

“Oh god he’s at the porch.”

“Get in the fucking closet!”

“Can you see anything?”

“No.”

“Maybe if you turned – “

“Shhhh. I can hear them.”

“Them?”

“It’s him and his mom I think.”

“Why would his mom be here?”

“Shut up I’m trying to listen!”

“- can’t. I can’t do this anymore.”

“You can and you will.”

“How can you be so cold! How – how are you even saying this?”

“I did what needed to be done.”

“You ruined my life!”

“I saved your life.”

“I loved her mom. I loved her, more than anything else in the world – “

“I know you did. But she knew Steve. She heard about high school, about what happened with the team.”

“So what? I could have talked to her about it. She would have understood.”

“She never would have understood. You know it had to be done honey. It hurts now, but it’ll fade.”

“I can’t believe you.”

“You should be thanking me.”

“Liam.”

“Shhhh.”

“Are you hearing this?”

“Yes, which means they can hear us.”

“I’m like, barely whispering. Look, can you reach my phone?”

“Reach your phone?”

“My arm is stuck against the wall. I can’t get it without making noise.”

“Where is it?”

“Front left pocket.”

“Here?”

“No.”

“Sorry.”

“Just hurry up.”

“I got it.”

“Okay. Call 911.”

“What do we say?”

“We don’t have to say anything! She’s confessing.”

“PLEASE be more quiet.”

“Call them.”

“I’m calling.”

“- was for you. Maybe you don’t see that now, but you will eventually.”

“That’s what you said after Merkham too. You made me believe that you were protecting me.”

“I was.”

“Merkham could have put a stop to it all!”

“You would have been implicated! Your entire future would have been ruined – “

“I never did anything!”

“The judge wouldn’t see it that way.”

“I was as much a victim as the rest of them. If I didn’t do what he said – “

“Honey, it doesn’t matter what really happened. You were there, you would have been arrested. Your scholarship would have disappeared. No one here would ever have looked at you the same.”

“I can’t look at myself the same! Merkham and Chelsea are dead, because of what you did for me!”

“Like I said, it’s what needed to be done. Don’t think about it anymore if you don’t want to.”

“I can’t stop thinking about it.”

“Relax baby. Get some rest, eat real food. It’ll fade eventually.”

“Rest? I can’t even sleep anymore. Not in Chelsea’s bed, in Chelsea’s house, with her pictures all around me.”

“Hate me then if it makes it better. Just stop with this nonsense about going to someone.”

“Fine. I’ll think on it.”

“You call me in the morning.”

“I will mom.”

“Who’s that?”

“Who’s what?”

“Pulling into the drive – is that that detective again?”

“Oh shit.”

“Big headline?”

“You bet. It got published online – I’ve got an offer for an interview with the times!”

“You deserve it.”

“Thank you.”

“Are you taking it? Going to move to New York, with all of us assholes?”

“I don’t think so.”

“You know you’d have a place there. If you wanted it.”

“I appreciate that. But I think – I think I’m supposed to be here.”

“I understand. This town is a better place with you.”

“Thank you.”

“I mean it.”

“If you wanted, you know, you’d have a place here too.”

“You know, somehow solving a murder hasn’t made me any more popular.”

“Solving is a bit of a strong word, don’t you think?”

“What would you call it?”

“Personally, I’d say you helped solve a murder. Assisted, if you will.”

“I’m sure you would.”

“That’s how I described it in my article, anyways.”

“Journalism has gone to your head.”

“At least you consider it real journalism now.”

“You know Joan, you amaze me.”

“Good. That’s how I like it.”

“I’ll miss you, when I’m in the city.”

“And I’ll miss you, when I’m here.”

“You’re sure I can’t get you to accept that job.”

“Come get me if you find another murder to assist with.”

“I’ll be on the lookout.”

“Bye Liam.”

“Until next time.”