Page 13 of Tanner

Tanner sat up slowly and reached for the flashlight, then remembered it was daylight. Pale light pushed through the curtains he hadn’t closed properly the night before. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood without making a sound.

Ignoring his racing heart, Tanner checked the door, then crossed the hallway barefoot. He paused at the top of the stairs and listened.

“I think someone’s in there,” the woman was saying. “The Fernsby place. I saw the door—” There was a pause then, “Oh!”

Tanner stepped down one stair and winced when a board creaked under his foot. The voice cut off and a chair scraped. He took the stairs slowly, one hand on the rail, and rounded the corner into the living room.

Mrs. Hemsworth stood by the kitchen doorway with a phone in her hand. Her gray hair was pulled back, and she wore a cardigan like she always had, even in summer. She looked shocked for a second, then she gave him a small smile.

“Tanner,” she murmured.

Tanner nodded. “Morning.”

She looked him up and down then glared at him. “You scared the life out of me.”

“I didn’t mean to,” Tanner murmured. His voice came out rough, so he cleared his throat. “I didn’t think anyone would—”

“You didn’t think anyone would notice the door?” Mrs. Hemsworth cut in, then she shook her head. “Never mind.”

She lifted the phone again, her eyes still on him. “No, everything is fine. My mistake,” she said into it. “Yes. I’m sure.” She nodded. “Alright. Bye.”

She hung up and watched him. Tanner didn’t move closer. He stayed where he was, leaving space between them, because he didn’t know what she’d do next. He didn’t know what he should do next.

Mrs. Hemsworth studied him properly now; her eyes locked on his. “You’re back.”

Tanner nodded. “Yeah.”

She took in his face and she asked, “Where have you been?”

“Out of town.”

She gave him a look that said she didn’t buy that for a second, but she didn’t push it. “You look tired.”

He let out a short breath. “We traveled overnight.”

“We?” she repeated. Mrs. Hemsworth’s gaze flicked past him toward the hallway. “You’re not alone.”

“No,” Tanner said.

Something in her expression changed. She’d been one of the neighbors who brought casseroles when his mom was sick. One of the people who’d stood in the yard after the funeral, whispering with the others. One of the people who’d watched him leave and never come back.

“And you just… came back,” she said, almost to herself. “You still had a key.”

Tanner didn’t answer. He stood and watched her instead.

Mrs. Hemsworth’s mouth tightened. “Does TJ know?”

Tanner blinked at that. “Why would TJ—”

“Because he’s the sheriff,” she snapped, then corrected herself with a calmer tone, “because he runs the department. If there’s someone in a house that’s been empty for years, people will call it in.”

Tanner’s heart raced. “You called it in.”

“I started to,” she told him. “The door wasn’t properly shut and I’m not stupid.” Then she looked him in the eye. “Then I saw you.”

Tanner swallowed. “I’m not here to cause trouble.”

Mrs. Hemsworth’s shoulders eased a fraction, but her eyes stayed sharp. “You always were a stubborn boy.”