Dust to Dust

over it? Get over it? You thought this was something we could just get over? You insufferable bitch!” Marsha stepped toward her. “You even have the gall to call it an accident? He raped her. Your son raped my daughter and choked her to death.”
    “He was just fourteen. She was fifteen,” said Wendy.
    Samuel Carruthers stood up and faced Wendy, balling his fists. “Are you saying this was our daughter’s fault?”
    Wendy backed up several steps. “No, really, I just, it’s just that Tyler was so young. He didn’t know what he was doing,” she said.
    “Didn’t know what he was doing? God, apparently you are as clueless as I’ve been these past years,” said Marsha. “You didn’t know that your father-in-law took Tyler to a brothel for his thirteenth birthday? He knew what he was doing, all right. He knew plenty what he was doing.”
    “What? What?” said Wendy.
    “It’s true, Mrs. Walters,” said Colton. “Tyler told me about it.”
    Wendy put her hands to her face and screamed. For a moment Diane thought she was going to claw her own eyes out, the way she dragged her hands down her face, but she bent over and heaved.
    Diane stepped forward. “There’s something. . . .”
    She didn’t get to finish. She looked up and saw Tyler Walters standing in the doorway.
    “Colton, I protected you from Everett all these years,” said Tyler.
    Tyler wasn’t tall, but he did look in shape. Diane thought of the way Colton said that Tyler’s grandfather made him work out. He had black hair like his mother and the strange dark blue-flecked eyes like his great-aunt. He could have been handsome, were it not for the curl of his full lips, and eyes that were a little too far apart. But perhaps he was considered handsome to young women nowadays. Diane didn’t know. She found him creepy.
    “I know, buddy, and that’s why I texted you what I was doing. I thought you deserved a heads-up on what was coming down,” said Colton.
    Colton told Tyler what he was doing. Diane wanted to smack him. Colton was still fourteen where his friend was concerned. He still thought it was some kind of mistake. Well, hell .
    “I left Athens as soon as I got your text message. I guess you’ve already told them everything,” said Tyler.
    “Look, Tyler, you’ll have to admit, a lot of shit’s been going down. This Stacy Dance thing, and Mrs. Carruthers has been treating my mother pretty bad. I had to do something.”
    Marsha cast a glance at Kathy Nicholson. Diane thought she saw a little regret.
    “Tyler, I’m calling the police,” Marsha said.
    “No, Marsha, you’re not.” Tyler pulled a gun from behind him and pointed it at her. “I want everybody just to sit down and think things through.”

Chapter 59
    “Tyler,” said Wendy, “what are you doing? Where did you get that?”
    “Mother, will you stop talking to me like I’m twelve?” he said. “Now, everybody just sit down.”
    He looked over at Diane and Kingsley where they stood leaning against the wall. He stared at them like nemeses he’d longed to see in person.
    “You, come over here and sit down on the couch with Colton and Kathy.”
    “Tyler, there’s something you need to know,” said Diane.
    “Shut up. That’s the last time I’m going to tell you. Talk again and I’ll shoot you.” He waved the gun at her.
    Diane and Kingsley walked to the couch and sat down, Kingsley by Colton, Diane between Kingsley and the arm of the sofa. Diane tracked Tyler as he walked back and forth between her and Samuel Carruthers. Were it not for Samuel in the line of fire, Diane would shoot him, or at least shoot his leg. It was against what she had been taught—go for the midsection. Psychologically, Diane had a hard time with killing someone. But she could. She had.
    “Marsha, sit down,” he said, pointing the gun at Mrs. Carruthers, who shot daggers at him with her gaze as she took a seat.
    “Mother, get that chair over there and sit in it. I’ll just stand over here. Now, I need to figure this out.” He wiped his hand over his forehead.
    “Damn it, Colton, this would have been a lot easier if you had kept our bargain,” he said, turning the gun on his friend.
    Colton held his hands in front of him. “Look, man, this is wrong. This isn’t you, Tyler.”
    “It’s me, Colton. It’s me.” Tyler beat his chest with his free hand. “Get that through your thick head. This is me.”
    “Tyler, honey,” said his mother, “stop this. You were so young