Chapter 60 Part 60
Asher
After Bear Claw had been cleared by Dr. Carmichael, Charlie had taken him home. Asher had gone to the hospital to see him, and to get the names of the two boys who had left him in the woods.
Asher had cleaned out Comet’s stall, fed him some apples, plus one peppermint, before he left the horse for the day, and headed to his shed. Asher had already sanded down the wooden beams of the gazebo, and he was getting ready to treat the wood, when Finn walked into the shed.
“Hey, can we talk?”
Asher wiped his hands on the back of his jeans, and folded his arms across his chest. “Sure.”
“Do you know who killed Malcolm Walters?”
“Yeah, Finn, I know who did it,” Asher said.
“Was it Blair? I know he’s got some sort of feelings for Maggie.”
“It wasn’t Blair. It wasn’t a Fitzgerald, because I know your next question is going to be if it was Pops.”
Finn smiled, but turned serious again. “Getting anything out of you is like pulling teeth.”
“Are you arresting those two boys that left Bear Claw in the woods?” Changing the subject was better. Asher didn’t want to talk about Malcolm Walters anymore.
“No. Bear Claw says it was a misunderstanding. He’s not telling us their names,” Finn said.
“Are you kidding me?”
“Nope. But if you want to try and get me some names, I won’t complain.” Finn grinned at the look on Asher’s face. His irritation levels had spiked because Finn was probing.
“Why are you here, Finn? Do you want to know if Blair loves Maggie, or who killed Malcolm?”
Finn’s eyes hardened, and Asher saw a little of himself in his youngest brother. “I’m trying my best here, sleeping at your house to watch your woman and child! Stop treating me like I’m still a kid. You’ve got no idea what’s going on in my life. I see the stares when people think I’m not looking. You getting arrested for that man’s murder put a stain on our family name. I’m a damn deputy, Asher! You keeping your mouth shut is fine for you, but it’s not fine for the rest of us. Sheriff Connely looks at me like he can’t trust me, and maybe he can’t. I called you that day! I took that risk, and now I have to listen to your uppity tone, thinking you’re better than me. You want to get yourself in a tizzy about Bear Claw? Screw you, Asher.”
Finn stormed out of the shed, and Asher looked at the empty space with shock in his eyes. Asher clenched his fists and stormed after Finn. His brother had just reached his cruiser when Asher pushed him from behind.
“Screw me? You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” Asher said angrily.
“Of course, I don’t. You keep everything secret. You don’t care how it affects any of us. This is my job, my livelihood, and you don’t care! Everyone has to rearrange their lives to suit your moods!”
“I kept this ranch alive. I paid so you could go bull riding. Don’t give me this crap that I don’t care! I came back for all of you!”
“No, Asher, you came back because whatever happened to you over there became too bad to deal with. I’m not stupid. Your eyes are more dead than alive, on any given day.”
As Finn looked his brother in the eye, Asher could feel himself losing it. “You have no idea what happened to me over there! You’re just a spoiled brat—”
Finn’s fist hit him on the cheek, and Asher staggered backward. He hadn’t expected his brother to pack such a punch. He was shorter and leaner than Asher, but that punch had hurt.
“The next time you talk down to me like that, remember what just happened, because it will happen again,” Finn said, opening the car’s door. “I’m late for work.”
Asher watched Finn drive away, the anger now turning to shame. He headed back into the shed and grabbed the keys to his truck. He spun away from the shed and drove toward town.
Asher parked his truck in front of the well-kept house. The footpath had been shoveled free of snow, and he could tell the house had been painted recently. He knocked on the front door and waited.
“Asher? What are you doing here?”
“We need to talk.”
Bear Claw stood aside as Asher walked past him into the living room. The television had been paused, and he could see the boy had been camping out on the couch.
“I can’t remember if I thanked you, Blair, and Colt for coming to find me,” Bear Claw said, as he sat down on the couch.
“You did. That’s not why I’m here. I want their names,” Asher said.
Bear Claw looked down, and shook his head. “It’ll just make things worse.”
“Bear Claw, look at me,” Asher said. “The world is full of bullies. You’re different, and you’re always going to be different, and I’m not just talking about the way you look. You can cut your hair and try to fit in, but you won’t. You weren’t born to fit in. You have a strong moral code, you have a kind heart, and you’re a good person, one of the best I know. Some people are meant to stand out, and you are one of them. You can do great things if you let yourself. You don’t have to tell the sheriff, and if you give me their names, I won’t tell him, either, but I will handle this. Bullies need to be shown their place in this world, and it’s not with their fist in your face.”
“There’s nothing special about me,” Bear Claw said, with a sigh.
“You are the bear. You have the soul of a warrior, wise, strong, and determined. If the roles were reversed, we would have found two dead white boys in the woods.”
Bear Claw looked at him, searching for the truth in his words. “Joel and Oscar Crowley.”
“Always stay true to yourself, Bear Claw. There ain’t anything anybody can ever do to you that would diminish that power,” Asher said.