Page 29 of Stay Buried

We followed Pearl downstairs to find a circle of men in the front room: Reverend Davies; Luther St. James and his son Henry; Emile LaRue, the foreman at the clothespin factory; Michael Knapp, who ran the general store; Pearl’s father, Benjamin; and my cousin Chauncey Banks.

My jaw clenched. Though we had grown from the children we once were, Chauncey was no more civil to me now than he had been as a boy, when he tormented me, referring to me asit, nevershe. As cruel as he was, the worst thing about him was how everyone in town—the girls especially—loved him, thought he was the smartest, most charming, most handsome young man in Boone’s Ferry. He had them all fooled. It seemed only I saw him for what he was: a shiny apple with a horrid writhing worm in the rotting core.

Luther, Emile, and Michael were carrying rifles and lanterns.

Chauncey rushed forward when Pearl entered the room, wrapped his arms around her. “Pearl,” he doted. “You poor thing.”

My whole body thrummed like I’d been struck by lightning as I watched Pearl,my Pearl, melt into him, hug him back tightly. He kissed the top of her head while I bit the inside of my cheek so hard I tasted blood.

The way they embraced, comfortably, without hesitation—it was clear this was not the first time.

My hands clenched into tight fists and I dug my short nails into my palms.

Were Pearl and Chauncey sweethearts?

How had I not known?

The worst part: though it was a shock, it didn’t surprise me. Not entirely. It was what was expected of a girl like Pearl. What all the girls our age were doing. Courting young men, thinking of marriage, as they were taught to.

I shoved my hands deep into my pockets, made myself look away from them before I gave in to the urge to punch Chauncey in hischiseled jaw.

I say it is Pearl who is the wicked one, but truly it is me.

I looked up to find Mr. Stoddard gazing at me coldly, questioningly.

“What’s going on?” Uncle Thomas asked, looking around the circle of men.

“Is it true?” Reverend Davies demanded. He is a small man with a face like a rodent and a surprisingly loud voice. “That the knackerman awoke from death?”

“I—” my uncle began.

“Margaret came to me today,” Reverend Davies cut him off. “She was very distraught. She told me the knackerman died overnight. That you said so yourself. And then this morning, he was gone.”

“Thomas?” Benjamin snapped.

Pearl let out a little whimpering sound and Chauncey pulled her tighter.

My uncle opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get any words out, he was interrupted by Luther.

“We’re going out there to find the son of a bitch.” He was swaying slightly, reeking of whiskey, and clearly in no state to be carrying a gun. “Just because he died once don’t mean he can’t die again.”

“I’m not sure that—” Thomas started to say.

“Tom,” Benjamin said. “That man attacked my wife! Who knows what he might do next. Whether he’s come back from the dead or not, he’s clearly out of his mind. Running naked through the town!”

Chauncey let go of Pearl, turned to Mr. Stoddard. “We’ll get him, sir. We’ll find him and make him pay for what he’s done.”

Benjamin gave Chauncey a pat on the shoulder.

“The knackerman is ill,” Uncle Thomas interjected. “He needs medical treatment. If you can catch him and bring him back to me, I might be able to help him, to learn what’s making him behave this way.” He left off the rest, the part I was thinking:to learn how it’s possible that he came back to life. “I won’t be able to do a thing if he’s got abullet through his heart.”

Then a terrible thought struck me:Would it stop him?If he’d already died once and then got up and walked away, would a bullet actually end his life?

Try as I might, I couldn’t take my eyes off Pearl. She looked at her father, then at the floor, anywhere but my direction. She fidgeted with the buttons on her dress. Buttons I had undone with my own fingers.

I willed her to meet my gaze. Silently dared her.

Look at me, damn it.