The Sheriff's Son | Harvey #2

Chapter 11

Ashton's head was spinning by the time they were loading his new car with their luggage five days later. He'd been to so many places, made so many decisions, that he was battling a headache when he closed the trunk. He ran inside, turned in the room keys, and went back to his car. Nicole was waiting in the front seat and Norman was in the back.

He had a newfound dislike for the guy. There was more to Norman than he could see, and he wasn't sure he liked that, but he kept quiet because he didn't want to upset his new boss. For the whole time they were there, Norman made sure Ashton wasn't alone with Nicole like her dad had told him to. That Ashton could understand. He wasn't upset.

It was all the time Norman spent with Nicole.

When you go on a trip with your boss, Ashton thought you were supposed to be able to trust him not to try to get your girl, but he didn't and couldn't trust Norman.

The return trip was mostly silent. Ashton was fine with holding Nicole's hand in silence and giving it a kiss every once in a while. He rolled into Harvey and Norman sank down in the backseat. "What's the matter?" he asked, glancing at him in the rear view.

Norman kept looking out his window. "Nothing." He smiled at Ashton and returned to watching the buildings go by.

Ashton dropped Norman off at his house and didn't help him with his bags. He left and dropped off Nicole at the cottage she'd been staying at. He helped her bring her stuff inside and asked if he could leave his car there for now. She said okay, so he carried his suitcase back to his home.

It was getting dark, and he was cooking dinner for himself. He and Nicole weren't getting together for the rest of the night, and he was okay with that. He wanted to be alone for a little while.

When his food was almost ready, his phone rang. He glanced at it, worried his dinner would burn if he left it long. After the song had played a few seconds, he reached for it. He didn't know the number, but he answered, anyway. "Hello?" He took out a plate and began dishing up the food after cutting the heat.

"Ashton? This is Norman." The man's voice broke and was unsteady. "I need you to get over to my house. I need help." A sob came through the phone. "Now." His voice was strained.

"Okay, just give me a minute. I'll be right there." He put down the pan he was holding and shoved his phone in his pocket. He ran out his back door and to his car. He arrived at Norman's house in just over a minute.

He knocked on the door of the darkened house. "Come in," came a weak voice.

Ashton walked in, completely unprepared for what he saw. Norman was sitting on a chair, head in his hands, rocking back and forth, and covered in blood. He looked around for the source of the blood and wished he hadn't when he saw her. Trisha was face-down on the floor in the kitchen, a short distance away. She wasn't moving and blood was beginning to pool around her. Ashton wasn't sure there was anything he could do for her, so he knelt beside Norman.

"What happened?" he asked gently.

"I don't know, I don't know, I don't know," he moaned. He rocked a couple of times and looked up at Ashton. "I came home and found her like that." He took a breath and wiped his shiny face. His hands smeared blood. "I went straight to the station once I got my stuff in here. Mason was the only guy there because Gary had a family emergency this morning. So I went and checked on our only prisoner. He'd been quiet all day, according to Mason. I got there and the door was wide open, and Clive was gone."

Ashton's blood turned to ice. Surely Mason hadn't let him out. "How did he get out? Wait – why was he even here? Shouldn't he be in Columbia?"

Norman shook his head. "When we were going, I told them to come a few days later, tomorrow. I have no idea how he got out. I don't even know when it happened. Mason swears he was in his cell this morning when he brought him breakfast." He took a deep, shuddering breath and rubbed his face again.