Somewhere Over the Freaking Rainbow (A Young Adult Paranormal Romance) (The Secrets of Somerled) by L.L. Muir Read Free Book Online

did. Who knew what was going on in their minds? He'd never understand these people.
    Jamison cleared his throat. Twice.
    “Actually, Sherriff, I came to get my friends. Ray Peters and Burke Costley. They were here last night and never left.” He folded his arms and waited. Brave wasn’t so bad. He wished it had been an option in Texas, but it hadn’t.
    Lucas was smiling again, but only slightly. “Were they here last night?” His hands never left his hips.
    “They were, and apparently they never left. They weren't at school, and the Peters’s house looks abandoned.”
    The sheriff grabbed Jamison's shoulder and turned him, looking him in the eye.
    “Oh, son. I wish you would have explained what you were up to. I could have told you your friends aren't here. Let's drive over to your place and we'll talk about it, with your mom.”
    The bottom fell out of Jamison's stomach and his heart dropped through the gap, to the gravel at his feet. He’d never get the rocks out now; his friends were dead and it was all his fault.
    “My mom?” Jamison's mouth moved without his help. “I've got to pick her up at work.”
    “That’s all right. You run home and I'll pick her up. She got on at Marsden & Marsden, right? We'll meet you back at the house.” The man headed for his vehicle. “Lucas? Can you see Jamison makes it home, please?”
    Jamison headed for his car, trying not to scurry away from the murderers, but then stopped. He wasn't going to scurry anywhere. He stepped up close to the SUV as the sheriff backed up to pull around the car.
    “Wait. Sheriff, wait.” The SUV stopped, the window came down. “Don't you want to know what happened here last night?”
    The sheriff turned off his engine and looked over Jamison's head, exchanging a look with Lucas. Every horror movie Jamison had ever seen started playing through his mind, or rather, the parts where the main character had chosen the wrong person to trust.
    Dear God, please don't let them be in on it together.
    The sheriff took off his hat and laid it on the seat next to him, then leaned his arm on the open window. “What's the boy talking about, Lucas?”
    Lucas shrugged. “His friends aren't here. That's all I can say.”
    Jamison grabbed the sheriff's forearm.
    “They...they...they've got a man missing. Ask them.”
    Lucas walked closer, the other one, Jonathan, right behind him.
    “Yeah, I guess we're short a man, sheriff, but only because Marcus has left us. He's been called away. Other farms aren't doing as well as ours.”
    “We had a little going-away party for him last night,” offered Jonathan. “Perhaps the boy thought his friends came here for that. Although I didn't know Marcus knew the other two.”
    Jamison heard a voice in his head pleading with him to let it go, but he couldn't. Not this time. He wasn't going to allow his home to become like Texas; he wouldn't hide anymore.
    “They're not telling you the whole thing, sheriff. They killed someone last night. My bet is, it was Marcus. Ray and Burke saw it happen.”
    Lucas laughed. “And did you witness this murder too, young Jamison?”
    Jamison looked first at Lucas, then at the sheriff. Here was his last chance to save himself, but he tossed the chance over his shoulder, like a pinch of salt, for luck.
    Boy witnesses a murder. Boy reports the murder. There is no body. Soon...there is no boy.
    Screw it.
    “Yeah, I saw it too.”
    ***
    Ten minutes later, Jamison fidgeted while he, the sheriff and Jonathan watched Lucas maneuver his big shoulders up through the drop door of the clubhouse.
    “This is dangerous. We should tear this thing down.” The sheriff pushed on a beam that held up the roof; it didn't give an inch.
    Jamison grinned. “A Scotsman built it. It won’t budge unless God blows the tree down. Sir.” It was his now. Okay, if Granddad never came home again, it was his.
    “Your grandpa’s said that a hundred times. But any of us could have been killed climbing up here. One