Homecoming - 16. Chapter 16

The house was calm as Anton awoken early. Not to make breakfast for everyone but to go out. He wasn’t going to take his car; he was going to walk to his destination. Eric Perkin’s farm was just across the forest. It would take him about fifteen minutes to reach it on foot. He’d hope he would be back in time before anyone awoken. And if they are, he would just tell them he took a walk.

The brisk morning bit at his cheeks as he turned his collar up to shield the wind from his neck. He moved through the woods with ease and at a steady pace but knew not to run. He reached Perkin’s farm in twelve minutes. He walked up to the wooden steps leading to the back door and crouch down. Making sure he kept his gloves on, he retrieved the key from under the wood plank, that had a grove big enough to hold the key in place. He wigged it loose and rose. Anton stared at the gold key and a sense of calm flushed over him knowing he will never have to reach for this key again.

The sheriff hadn’t been there yet so he still had time to find the video Eric was holding over his head. He knew he needed to come clean about it all, but not for the whole town to find out.

He opened the back door and peeked inside listening for any voices. When he was sure he was alone, he entered. Anton moved to the staircase and ventured up.

A knot formed in Anton’s stomach as he neared the room Eric was always waiting for him. This is the first time Anton walked willingly towards it.

He grasped the handle and took a deep breath, releasing it soundly.

“He’s not in there, it’s over,” he said aloud.

He opened the door and expected the same scene, he saw so many times before. The bed made, the room clean, the curtains closed, but that wasn’t the case.

The flat screen TV was shattered with its remote impacted into it. Anton then noticed things scattered around and pulled out from under the bed as he circled around the room.

“Someone’s been here,” said Anton, moving towards the open box sticking out from under the bed. He searched them, but saw nothing that would concern him. Eric Perkins labeled all the disk, but none of them pertained to him. He checked further under the bed, but saw no other boxes or disk.

Exasperated, he went to the closet which he saw recording devices. He checked the disk drives finding them empty. A quick look at the DVD under the TV he saw that the draw was open and empty.

Anton left the room and saw that there were three other bedrooms. The two in the middle had only a twin unmade bed nothing else, even the closet was empty except for a folded blanket on the top shelf.

He went to the last bedroom at the end of the hall and found it was the master bedroom. Floral bedsheets on a King size bed. Dark stain, high end oak furniture, and plush carpeting. The curtains were closed and the room was dark. Anton found the wall switch and turned on the light, going to the bed, he lifted the bedspread and scanned underneath, it was bare.

Flinging one of the closets open he saw Eric’s wife’s clothes still hanging. Everything was arranged neatly and organized. He didn’t have the heart to touch anything of hers. He went to the other closet and it was empty.

“Eric doesn’t sleep here,” said Anton. He closed the door and left the room going back downstairs, searching closets, cabinets and draws. Defeated, Anton was about to go into the basement when he heard a car pull up. He moved to a window and saw it was the police.

Fear overtook him as he hurried to the back door. He left the house in such a rush that he forgot to return the key to its hiding place.

Anton, left the way he came in. Not looking back as he hurried through the woods. He ducked behind a tree to catch his breath. He glanced around and saw no police, which helped him relax until he heard a branch break behind him. Frozen with fear he waited to hear a voice identify themselves as the police, but no one said nothing.

“Maybe it was all in my head?” he said in a shaky whisper. He turned to walk back to his farm when a crack echoed in Anton’s ear much closer.

Anton wanted to go home, and lunge into Troy’s strong arms and feel safe again. Footsteps were walking behind him and the chilling terror gripped him, causing him to take off running.

Dead leaves crunch under his boots as Anton ran as fast as he could, losing his balance a few times.

With smoke from his chimney in sight, Anton thought he was safe and would be home with his family. He’ll make breakfast and Troy’s coffee and sit with him across the table.

Anton stumbled again and when he righted himself something or someone slammed into him hard knocking him to the ground. Dirt and leaves obscured his sight as he tried to sit up when a figure loomed over him. Before Anton could get a good look at him or her he was struck in the face and hit his head on the ground when the world around him went dark.

************

Troy is awoken to the smell of bacon and pancakes. Anton was going to spoil him, considering he’s been eating oak meal, for the past two weeks to lower his cholesterol before Adam came home.

He showered and dressed, going to the staircase he noticed everyone’s door opened, which means they were up. Troy just knew there was no more bacon. He headed downstairs and walked into the kitchen, finding his sons cooking. Kyle was mixing eggs, Adam flipping pancakes, even Paul was home and frying bacon.

At the table, Patrick and Justin were cutting peppers and mushrooms with a female Troy remember from their town that Paul was talking to.

“Hey dad,” Paul said. “That’s Mia, I invited her to breakfast.”

“Hello Mia,” said Troy.

“Hello, Mr. Potter,” she replied.

“What’s all this?” Troy asked to his sons, wondering where Anton was.

“We thought mom could use a break so we wanted to surprise you both with breakfast,” said Kyle.

“Is mom getting dressed?” asked Adam.

“He’s not down here?”

“No,” said Kyle, looking to Adam then Paul.

“He probably went for a run. I just came back from mine,” said Paul.

“With a killer on the loose,” said Troy.

Paul flinched from the comment.

“Look, it’s not a serial killer. Perkins was targeted,” said Adam.

“How are you so sure?” asked Troy, worried about Anton.

“Why kill him in the cave? It’s too complicated.”

“Unless the killer is one of us,” said Kyle.

“That’s not funny Kyle,” snapped Paul.

“Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood.”

“I’m just saying,” continued Adam. “Someone found out the password to the cave and staged the murder there, a serial killer would not want that much attention.”

“I still don’t want Anton out alone. Even in the daytime with this nut out there. Where’s Tina?”

“She wasn’t in her room when I went to wake her,” said Kyle.

“Maybe she’s with mom,” said Adam.

“I’m going to call them to be sure,” said Troy going to the landline on the wall and speed dialing Anton’s cell. The phone rang and vibrated from the living room. Troy left the room and returned holding Anton’s cell. He called Tina’s cell and she answered right away.

“Hello?”

“Tina, thank goodness, is Anton with you?”

“No, I’m in town getting some painkillers I was out.”

“Have you seen Anton?”

“Not this morning, why?”

“How did you get to town?”

“I borrowed Anton’s car.”

“Okay, come home, alright.”

“Sure—is everything alright?”

“Just come home.”

“I’ll be right there.”

They disconnected and Troy placed the phone down. He went to the hall closet and grabbed his coat walking to the front door grabbing his keys. When he opened the door Sheriff Chris Owen stood with his finger going for the doorbell.

“Chris,” Troy said, surprised. Chris saw that Troy was going out.

“Did you forget I was coming over?”

“Well, no, but I need to run out.”

“Troy I’m in the middle of a murder investigation, I need to talk to all of you. Is Anton and your boys here?”

Conflicted by what he wanted to do Troy knew he had no clue as to where Anton went and Chris needed to find the killer. Stepping aside Troy allowed Chris inside taking him to the kitchen causing everyone to look up.

“Everyone Chris—I mean the sheriff needs to talk to us.” Chris saw everyone but one person and knew where Troy was going.

“May I ask where Anton is?” asked Chris.

“He stepped out,” said Troy.

“Is that where you were going, to pick him up, did his car break down?”

“Well…” A call on Chris’s radio interrupted Troy.

“Excuse me,” said Chris, leaving the kitchen and turning his radio down. “Sheriff Owen.

“Sheriff this is detective Kai, we have an unconscious male on the Perkin’s farm.

“Can you ID him?”

“It’s Anton Potter, he’s being taken to the County Hospital now, are you at Troy’s?”

“Copy that. I’ll bring him,” said Chris, returning to the kitchen. “Troy, you and the boys need to get over to the hospital, my men found Anton unconscious on Eric Perkins farm.”