Green Desert - Chapter 6.2.2 - Fírí

Behind me, my suitcase thumped closed and its latches clicked. I kept walking into the hallway, sparing a glance at the closed “temple” door. I suppressed a shiver. I would not go in there again.

Deputy Laparıpasamé grunted with every step as he quickly closed the distance between us. My suitcase wasn’t that heavy, was it?
I hobbled across the tile entryway and opened the unlocked front door, stepping aside to let the dark-haired cop go through first.

He gasped, “Thanks,” as he lugged the case with both hands on the handle.

I followed him out into the warm desert air, closing the door behind me, glad to be rid of that place. Lengthy shadows draped this side of the house. A cop car––sheriff’s department––sat beside Bhanar’s pickup. A news van sat behind them in the driveway, its back door open.

The deputy outpaced me, getting my suitcase in the trunk and the lid closed before I got to the end of the paved walkway.
“You can sit in the front.”

I painfully stepped on the gravel with my left heel, keeping my bandaged toes in the air, but I didn’t show the pain as I circled the cruiser. I glanced at the garage. Our car was gone, but the boxes still sat there, right in plain sight.

“Do you need a hand?”

I concentrated on my walk, making it look casual. “No, I’m fine.”