Page 63 of The Midnight Man
‘She doesn’t blame you,’ Sarah said. ‘Nobody does. And it’s very likely Christian will get a suspended sentence for his part in things.’ The more she heard about Christian’s involvement, the more it was clear he had been taken advantage of.
‘It’s been so hard to come back and face everyone.’ Maggie fingered the stem of her wine glass. ‘Even Elliott said he’s ashamed of what his daddy did to his friends.’
A frown creased Sarah’s features. It pained her to see Maggie so upset. ‘If they’re real friends they won’t turn their backs on either of you. None of this has anything to do with you.’ But when Maggie turned to face her, she had tears in her eyes.
‘But it does. If I’d been honest with Lewis about you being alive, maybe his feelings wouldn’t have festered. If I’d been honest with myself …’ She stared into her wine glass. ‘When Ididtell him the truth … it was the match that lit the fuse.’
‘But Lewis was ill,’ Sarah replied. ‘Anything could have triggered him.’ As Maggie sipped her wine, she did not appear convinced.
‘The last night the four of us were together, I heard him say he loved you.’ Maggie gazed into her wine glass as she visited the past. ‘I was eaten up with jealousy. I wanted Lewis for myself.’
Sarah didn’t need to be reminded of the night they’d spent in Slayton’s old asylum. It was one of many memories she wanted to keep in the past. ‘That was years ago, Maggie. Put it behind you and start afresh.’ Her gaze went to Elliott, who was playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on his iPad. ‘You’ve got a special little boy there. Don’t torture yourself.’
‘What about us?’ Maggie sniffed. ‘Are we OK?’
Sarah squeezed her friend’s hand. ‘Better than OK.’ Raising her glass in the air, she proposed a toast. ‘To moving on.’
‘To moving on,’ Maggie agreed, tinkling her glass against Sarah’s. But while their friendship had survived their ordeal, something told Sarah that she would need to be strong. As Maggie downed her wine, Sarah turned to see Elliott standing next to her. Her heart skipped a beat. She had not heard him creep up on them as his game came to an end. His eyes were dark and unblinking. A sense of dread lingered, and as she heard ‘Silent Night’, for a moment it felt as if someone has pressed pause on the world. The haunted look on Elliott’s face conveyed what she already knew.The Midnight Game is over, but Slayton lives on.Whatever darkness it was that inhabited the town was not finished with them yet.
