25 Chapter 25

Carr walked out of the house, whistling a tune. The nights hadn't yet begun to turn chilly; summer wasn't done with them yet. The stars were familiar in their shapes and constellations, the air was balmy and sweet, the grass crunched under his boots... It was his favorite season— late summer especially. This was when his mom used to dish out her famous pies and her homemade meals seemed the best. He was a sucker for anything with pie crust, especially when made by his mom's hand.

He rummaged through the shed, pulling out a couple of game cameras, attempting to see if any of them were still running. His third try was successful, the red light turning on. He tripped over something in the shed, sending rakes crashing down in the corner. He winced, but nobody came running from the house. Mr. Thompson still thought he was gone for the night.

He walked out to the shed, game camera in hand, envelope in the other. The breeze picked up, ruffling his hair and bringing the scent of the farther fields towards him. But as Carr walked towards the barn, something seemed off. He couldn't quite place his finger on why, but the hair rose on his arms, goosebumps appearing. He chuckled, remembering the way he'd held a pitchfork, trying to make the uneasy feeling leave.

It was quiet. There were no crickets anywhere nearby making noise at all. It was way too quiet for it to just be him out there.

Kashi and Sierra came down to the table after Kashi's dad said something about butter cake. No way she was missing that, bruised ribs or no. Felix was already there, watching her dad pull the saran wrap off the cake like a cat might watch a goldfish. It was honestly quite entertaining. But their festivities were interrupted by a loud crash from the shed.

Kashi shot a look at Sierra who only raised her eyebrows over widened eyes.

"What was that?" Kashi's dad put the spatula down in the pan, looking out the window above the sink to see the shed. "If another kid tries to get into my shed…" he grabbed his cell phone.

"Dad, what are you doing?" Kashi asked.

"I'm calling the cops."

"No, dad don't!" Kashi protested, "That's Carr! He went to get a game camera to use on the barn to see who may come to take an envelope that had that picture I showed you and letters as well as newspapers and stuff about the trading deal we asked you about. I thought it would be fun to solve a mystery. Nothing serious dad." She expected her dad to laugh or maybe even to get irritated...

But he'd gone as still as a statue, his skin looked sickly under the dim lighting. He swore before dashing to the side door. "All three of you stay inside and don't come out here no matter what you hear. If you do hear anything suspicious, call the police. I'm friends with the chief so he won't be mad even if it's nothing at all." He tied his shoes in a matter of seconds before sprinting off in the direction of the barn.

The three of them stared at each other in silence for a few long moments. Felix looked as though he were trying not to try. Sierra was as pale as a sheet. Her dad's face of panic was stuck in her head, it was eerie and unsettling. Kashi's mind was racing. What was going on? Who could possibly—

Bang!

When a gunshot fired, Kashi didn't let herself think twice. She ignored the screaming pain in her side as she shoved back her chair and raced towards the door, her dad' words be damned. "Call the police Felix!" She shouted, before jumping down the three stairs on the porch and landing in the dewy grass with her slippers. She only grunted at the impact and forced herself to move step after step in the direction of the barn. Every step was more painful, but that was Carr out there. That was her dad! She knew that neither of them had a gun, but whoever did… her dad had known something was up. And he'd run to stop it. Even though sprinting pained her and her nerves were wracked with anxiety, her breathing labored and her head full of worst case scenarios… her dad had changed, he was moving away from the shady business. But it apparently had come back to haunt him.

"Please be okay, please both of you be okay." she whispered as she ran. Her foot caught in a little gully and she fell face first into the dried grass, getting a mouthful of dirt and— it took a second to hit her, but the moment she registered the way her ribcage crashed into the dirt, still bruised and sore from the accident, raging pain jolted through her. It was white hot, filling the edge of her vision. She forced the whimper coming to her lips away and bit back the tears in the corner of her eyes. But before she could rise… someone sprinted in the opposite direction. Not Carr, not her dad. He was tall and lean, but she couldn't discern much else about the figure…

He must have been the gunman! The thought hit her as hard as her fall did, but it also got her moving as soon as he was out of sight. Her wheezing and coughing, ribs barking in pain, did little to help her reach her destination. She shuffled awkwardly, her pajama pants torn at the knees, her slippers soaking wet. Her palms were stinging from the scrapes they received from her fall, but every thought emptied from her head as she glimpsed two figures no more than a few steps from the barn. One was lying down, the other hunched over.

"Carr! Dad!"

"Kashi?" Carr stood up. Which meant…

"Oh my lord, dad!" She sprinted the rest of the way, the pain no longer any concern. "Dad! Dad!"

He was laying on his back, eyes closed, mouth in a thin straight line. But he was breathing. She scanned down his body until she found the gunshot wound right above his left hip. It was leaking blood fast. She pulled her sweatshirt over her head, pressing it against the bullet hole. "Carr!"

"I'm on the phone with the police, they're coming, Kashi. Keep pressure on that, okay? It will be okay. Your dad will be in pain, but he'll be okay." Carr promised.

And despite the tears coming from her eyes, and her heartbeat fluttering like a hummingbird, and the pounding in her head, his promise comforted her. "You'll be okay dad." she kissed his forehead, "You'll be okay I promise."