red hill - jamie mcguire

“Are you sure Did you look for him” I asked.
Skeeter nodded, his eyes sad. “I found him. I put him down.”
Miranda fell on her knees and wailed, covering her face. Ashley came outside wide-eyed, and
kneeled beside her sister. “Are you okay” she asked. She looked up at us. “Where’s Joey”
Bryce stared down at Miranda, blank-faced. “He didn’t make it.”
Miranda leaned forward and screamed, unable to conceal her pain. Ashley held her, glancing up at
Bryce. He was tearing up, watching his girlfriend mourn Joey the way Ashley had mourned Cooper.
Finally, it became too much, and he went into the house.
Skeeter looked over to me with a frown. “Am I the only one confused as hell”
“Yes,” I said, not knowing what else to say.
“Maybe it wasn’t him,” Miranda sniffed. Her eyes brightened with hope.
“It was him,” Scarlet said. “I’m so sorry. This is my fault.”
Miranda’s face hardened, and she stood, pushing Ashley away. “You’re goddamn right this is your
fault. Everyone here thinks I’m the selfish bitch, but you take the cake, Scarlet! You got him killed!
And for what Your dead kids”
“Miranda, that’s enough!” I growled. My tone surprised even me.
Miranda sucked air in through her noise. Ashley reached for her again. “Get off me!” she cried,
exhaling in tiny sobs. “Get off me.” She climbed the ladder to the roof, crying alone.
Scarlet swallowed and looked up at me from beneath her brow. “Is she right”
“No,” I said simply, taking her into my arms. I kissed her hair, unsure of what else to say.
Scarlet
NONE OF US WERE IN the mood to eat, so I just made the girls a plate of peanut butter crackers and
called it good. I sat on the couch, drinking water, trying to forget the way Joey looked before Skeeter
put a bullet in his forehead.
He hadn’t told Miranda the whole truth. Joey did lead the teds away from the safe house, and he
didn’t come back, but when we went looking for him at first light, I was the one who had found him. I
just couldn’t pull the trigger. Joey was stumbling toward me, his neck and arms chewed in parts to the
bone. I knew it was my fault that he was dead, and I couldn’t be the one responsible for his death a
second time. Skeeter held me with one arm while he put Joey down.
I took another sip, and then went out to the porch to wait. I could hear Miranda on the roof. Even
though I knew I was the last person she wanted to see, I decided to join her.
“Hey,” I said when I reached the top rung.
Miranda didn’t even bother to respond, she just laughed once, incredulous.
I sat down a few feet from her. We didn’t speak; I just wanted to wait where I could see farther
down the road. After about ten minutes, the sky turned, marking the beginning of sunset.