Free Black Water Creek by Robert Brumm Page B

God.”
    Cheryl nodded. “He didn’t do any serious jail time. I heard the Sheriff convinced those guys not to press charges on account of him being a wounded war hero and all. Most of the folks in the bar said they started it anyway.”
    “I can’t even imagine Paul getting violent like that. He seems pretty laid back.”
    “I saw one of those shows about the soldiers that come back from over there all messed up with that post traumatic sickness. Some of those guys have really done some bad stuff.” Cheryl touched Kelly’s arm. “Just be careful, okay? I’m not trying to spread gossip, I just wanted you to know what he’s capable of.”
    Kelly wasn’t sure what to say. Even though she knew Paul had been a soldier she couldn’t imagine him hurting anybody.
    Cheryl watched Keegan as he pushed the toy car around the living room floor. “It’s sad, really. They train them to be killers and when it’s all over everybody expects them to turn it off like a switch.”
    “Like I said, Paul’s been pretty laid back since I’ve met him. Do you think he’s going to snap and go on a shooting spree or something?”
    “Oh no, nothing like that. It’s just…well, Ed sort of told me you had some problems back home with your ex.” Cheryl shook her head. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be sticking my nose is your business. Paul hasn’t gotten into any trouble since then and I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about.”
    “That’s okay. He’s nothing like my ex, that’s for sure.”
    Cheryl checked her watch. “Well, I should probably get going.”
    “Yeah, I need to get some lunch and a nap in this kid before he has another melt down.”
    Kelly turned down the heater and got ready to leave. As the three of them headed out the door she felt something brush up against her back. Cheryl and Keegan were already outside, wading through the leaves. Kelly turned around and saw nothing. She felt it, actually heard something scrape against the nylon shell of her jacket.
    She stood in the doorway, studying the open room and pulling the zipper up higher on her jacket. She just couldn’t get warm.
    “Everything okay?” Cheryl asked.
    “Yeah, just making sure I didn’t forget anything.”
    Cheryl said her goodbyes and they walked up the path to the house.

Chapter 12
     
    Kelly sorted the display of Nintendo cartridges in the corner of the store, making sure the identical titles were grouped together. She counted over twenty copies of the Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt combo cartridge. Kelly didn’t know much about video games but even she knew that was the game cartridge that came included with the old console. Even today there must have been thousands around the country. Paul priced them at just 99 cents each and she wondered why he even kept so many in stock.
    Just as soon as she stepped aside, a thirty-something year old man spotted the sea of Mario clones and snapped a picture with his smart phone. Probably posting it on his Facebook account. The games weren’t selling, but at least that guy would get a “like” or two with his clever photo.
    The store was busier than usual for a Saturday and Paul seemed to thrive on the energy. She watched him as he answered a question about a used laptop before moving onto another customer. Ever since her talk with Cheryl, Kelly had to admit she’d looked at Paul a little differently. She found herself analyzing his different moods, looking for signs of depression or aggression. He did seem down lately, but that was probably due to the business. Despite the busy store that day, it was a ghost town earlier in the week. On Tuesday, Kelly rang up just $24.32 in sales.
    She noticed a person waiting at the counter and went to help. After the transaction, she surveyed the store from behind the counter, looking for any signs of confusion or indecision from the customers. She was learning to pick up on those clues and take them as a cue to go over and see if they needed any help.
    A