Chapter 8
With the weekend having come to a close, school brought an almost comforting sense of order as the first bell of the day rang. Samantha and Henry sought each other out within the crowded hallways while a tide of youthful faces rushed around them. Finally meeting among the crowd, they quickly compared their respective experiences from the weekend's events.
“Henry,” Samantha began. “Please tell me you didn't tell the Sheriff about the weed.”
They were both still panicked and looked to each other for someone to confide in, being certain that neither had said too much.
“I didn't say anything about that, but I think the Sheriff knew anyway,” Henry replied.
“Did he say who the guy in the cemetery was?” Samantha asked.
“No,” Henry answered. “But I think he has an idea.”
Samantha's expression went from wide eyed panic to intense curiosity.
“How do you know that?” she asked.
“I don't know,” Henry said. “Just a feeling.”
By early afternoon, the entire town knew what had transpired and everyone would be intently watching the news that night for more information. It seemed that many in the town shared the Sheriff's suspicions but without evidence, Frank couldn't be detained and he had even gone to the trouble of cutting the bullet from the coyote's skull. Until the Sheriff found evidence of Frank's involvement, there would be no news report outside of the fact that a gunshot had been heard in the cemetery.
The throng of students began to thin as Samantha and Henry hurriedly concluded their conversation and with time running short, both were forced into a fast walk so as to avoid being late for class. Although it was only forty-five minutes long, each class seemed to crawl by. By the end of the day, they were both exhausted. It wasn't just the effort of getting through classes, it was fear and they were still deeply rattled by the sound of a gunshot being fired over their heads, the glimmering teeth of a charging coyote and the flash of the Sheriff's badge as questions arose over what they may have seen. But as the week wore on, their fear began to diminish and life started to feel normal again. However, Samantha and Henry swore to each other that they would never return to the cemetery again. They knew the Sheriff would be watching, and they couldn't afford to get caught with 'any' amount of weed, much less get shot. They also made the same promise to their parents.
The following weekend saw an end to Henry's punishment and he was finally free of the shackles of parental discipline. Samantha, on the other hand, had been far luckier. Her mother was far more liberal than most and believed that her experience was a more valuable lesson than any punishment. Fear, it seems, can sometimes be a very effective teacher. But now, the teens were faced with a decision. If they weren't going to get together at the cemetery, where would they go? School would soon let out for the summer, and there was nothing exciting about sitting at home. If anything, Samantha needed a place where she could be alone with her thoughts. Henry could tag alone if he wanted, but Samantha
needed the alone time.