Read The Suicide Forest (The River Book 5) for Free Online Page B

things I need to do first.
Second, as I’ve said, you’re in school. What I’m going to tell you is a huge
thing, and it’ll impact the rest of your life. I couldn’t bear to see you drop
out of school because of it.”
    “I wouldn’t do that,” Jason said.
    “You might,” Steven said. Hell, I might have, if Roy had shown
it to me when I was a kid, he thought. “I’m only asking for a year. You
keep up the studies, get your degree, and in the meantime I’ll get my end of it
in order. Then I promise I’ll let you in on it.”
    “Alright,” Jason said, and picked up his fork. “I’ll wait.”
    They ate in silence for a moment, until Steven raised a new
subject and their conversation turned. Steven could tell Jason was still angry,
giving him short answers to his questions and not really opening up about
anything. At the end of the meal, Steven gave Jason a big hug that was tepidly
returned, and they parted cordially.
    As Steven drove to pick up Roy, he considered telling Roy
about Jason’s dream, but he decided not to. Roy would just push him to tell
Jason now, and Steven wasn’t ready. Roy might even go around him, and talk to
Jason directly. No, Jason is my child, Steven thought. He’ll find out
from me, and he’ll learn from me. That’s my right as a father. I’ll have to
figure something out soon, though. He won’t be patient forever.
     
    ◊
     
    Steven and Roy arrived at June Williamson’s house an hour
later. They drank some of Roy’s protection in the car before approaching the
house. June invited them inside.
    “Do you have the token?” Steven asked June. She held her
hands up to show him – palms pressed tightly together.
    “Good,” Steven said. “Unfortunately, you’ll need to keep
doing that while we’re here. It’s to protect you.”
    “Whatever you say,” she said, giving him a weak smile.
    “How have things been?” Steven asked.
    “Worse,” she said, sitting in a large overstuffed chair.
“Robbie spent the night with me. He said he felt hands in his bed.”
    “Who was in the house last night?” Roy asked.
    “Just the three of us,” June said.
    “Might your daughter have had someone over?” Steven asked.
    “No,” June said. “No one was over.”
    “Your daughter has her own room?” Roy asked.
    “Yes,” June said. “We each have our own room. Robbie came
into my room around 2. He was crying. Of course it didn’t wake Evie up, nothing
ever does. I let him sleep in my bed for the night. When I went into his room
in the morning, it was trashed.”
    “Can we see the room?” Steven asked.
    “Sure,” June said, rising from her chair. “Come with me.”
    They followed her down a short hallway and turned at the
first door on the right. Inside, the floor of the room was covered with toys
and clothes. There were posters that had fallen from the walls.
    “I started putting things back,” June said. “Got the mattress
back on the bed, and made it. Put some things back on his desk. But you can see
there’s still a lot more cleaning to do.”
    “Boys’ rooms are often a mess,” Steven said.
    “No,” June said, “not like this. And not Robbie. It’s
normally very clean. I know when he went to bed it was in perfect shape.
Something happened.”
    “Alright,” Roy said, leaving the room and walking back to the
living room. “There’s a couple of things we need to do while we’re here today.
Then we’re coming back tomorrow.”
    “What do you need?” she asked, following them back.
    “First there’s this,” Steven said, producing the small
lantern Judith Duke had given to them. “I need you to leave this somewhere in
the house overnight. We’ll come back and get it tomorrow.”
    “Should I put it in Robbie’s room?” June asked.
    “No, anywhere in the house will do,” Steven said.
    “I’ll leave it in my room, then,” June said. “Best if Evie
and Robbie don’t see it.”
    “They’re unaware that we’re helping you?” Roy