The Trial (The Tree House) Read Free Page B

it's deep enough.”
    The two of us rolled the body to the edge of the hole and let it drop in. It didn't take near as long to fill it back in and then replace the grass, but by the time we were done, the entire upper half of my body was aching. While Ben took the shovels back to the shed, I trudged inside, tracking dirt through the kitchen, living room and then up the stairs.
    “What are you doing?” Ben called from the bottom of the stairs.
    “I'm taking a shower,” I replied and turned into the bathroom. There was nothing more that I wanted at this point than to get some feeling back into my body other than this burning ache in my muscles. I just wanted to scrub until I finally felt clean. Though I'm sure no amount of water was going to get this blood off my hands. Or backside.
    I heard my brother's feet pound up the stairs as I opened the cupboard in search of a towel. “We can't stay here,” he said appearing in the doorway. “There might be more of them.”
    “So they're coming after us then?” I asked craning my neck to look on the top shelf.
    Ben leaned against the door jam and crossed his arms. “It seems that way,” he said.
    I slammed the cupboard doors shut. “It seems that way?” I spat. “It seems to me like you know more about this whole stupid situation than you're saying, Ben .” My brother's mouth snapped shut. Whatever he was going to say was now locked up tight behind his teeth – maybe never to be let out again. A look flashed across his eyes that I'd never seen before. It seemed to be a mix of familiarity and confusion which doesn’t make sense, but there’s no other way to describe it. “Do you know what's going on?” I asked feeling myself calm down.
    Ben turned around. “We need to go,” he said. “You can put something of mine on.”
    Now, I followed him back downstairs and out the door. “So where are we going?”
    Ben got into the trunk and grabbed a black hoodie and a pair of jeans out of his bag. “I met a girl in London,” he said slamming the trunk closed again.
    I started undoing my belt, not even caring that I was going to be standing in my underwear for anyone to see. “We're going to London?” I asked tripping out of my jeans and pulling Ben's on quickly.
    “No, moron. She's here.” He threw the zip hoodie at me annoyed and held his hand out to me. “Take this.” It was dark, but the moonlight glinted off the metal of the dead man’s black gun. I took it hesitantly and put it in the back of my pants without saying a word.  “We'll be safe with her. I think,” he continued then got into the driver's seat.
    “You met her in London?” I asked once I'd gotten in on the other side.
    “That's what I said.”
    I put the hoodie on quickly and zipped it all the way up. “So does this have to do with something that happened while you were there?”
    Ben put the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life. “I'm afraid it might.”
    “And if it does?”
    “Then we're screwed.”
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter two
     
     
    A crowded bar in Seattle was the last place I expected to end up, though I can't say my spirit didn't lift a little at the thought of how perfect a drink sounded right then. The place was busy to say the least. It took me a second to remember what day it was as I tried to make my way carefully through the crowd. Ben didn't seem to care about being polite. Or maybe saying “excuse me” just wasn't on the forefront of his mind at the moment. Either way he cut through the middle of the room, shouldering his way past couples and an intimidating looking group of guys. A few eyed him menacingly when he caught one of their shoulders. Ben didn't notice though. It probably helped feeling the cold, metal power of a handgun hugging his back protectively. He was untouchable. The black one under my own jacket was cutting into my skin like an invisible bad guy was pressing it into my back. How is a person