The Things We Knew by Catherine West

tug-of-wars. Fourth of July parades and regattas. Parties that went on through the night, well into morning. Back then, his biggest worry was getting caught sneaking home past curfew.
    Two long windows shed a soft glow onto the driveway, but the rest of the house remained dark. Dogs barked from inside and he heard Lynnie calling them as he walked up the front steps.
    The heavy door opened before he could press the bell.
    “Oh, it’s you. Thank goodness.” Cecily practically pulled him inside. The dogs rushed him, and Nick held out his hands so they could investigate. “Come on, she’s on the phone.” She hustled him through the house before he could get a word out.
    “So it’s true then? The news about Gray?” He stopped her in the hallway. Cecily nodded and drew him into a quick hug.
    “We only heard today. Thank God my husband’s out fishing. Gonna be gone about a week, so I can stay over. She can’t be alone with this nonsense going on.”
    “Is she okay?” Nick gripped the back of his neck, feeling like he was about to walk into an end-of-year final he hadn’t studied for.
    “Of course she’s not okay. David and Liz keep calling. Seems to me they should just get on over here, but that’s my opinion. Oh, that boy . . .” Cecily clucked her tongue and ushered him into the living room. Lynette stood there, a cordless phone to her ear.
    She nodded a silent greeting, her face pale and drawn. “It’s David.” Lynette pointed to the phone. “No . . . sorry, Nick just got here. Nick Cooper. Yes. Oh, somebody else is coming.” The sound of tires crunching on gravel alerted the dogs and they began to bark again.
    “Are you expecting anyone?” Nick went to the window and squinted through the darkness at the car idling just outside the open gates.
    “Shoot, could be anyone out there.” Cecily stood beside him. “We should call the police.”
    Lynette shook her head. “David says it could be local press. To keep the gates locked.”
    Too late for that. Nick shooed the dogs back. “I’ll take care of it.”
    He stepped onto the long front porch again and shut the door behind him. The car parked halfway up the drive. Nick watched the driver jump out, camera in hand.
    “ Inquirer and Mirror . Can we get a statement from the family? Who are you? Can you tell us where Gray is? Is he coming home?”
    Nick went down the steps to where the guy stood, put his hand over the lens. “Get lost, pal, or I’m calling the cops.” The reporter yanked back his camera, returned to his car, and took off. Nick strode down the drive and struggled to push the heavy metal gates closed as the car peeled away into the night. They were rusted and stuck in the ground, but eventually they swung shut. If this kept up, he’d have to find a padlock. He jogged back to the house and found Lynette still on the phone.
    Cecily hovered nearby, hands on hips. “Well?”
    “Some reporter. I got rid of him. Where’s Drake?”
    “Up in his room. Whoo-wee, Nicholas, what in the world is this madness? I don’t need to watch my stories with all this going on.”
    She was clearly enjoying the drama, disturbing as it was. Nick grinned and wagged a finger in her direction. “You shouldn’t be watching that garbage anyway, Ce-ce. It’ll rot your brain.”
    “Oh, hush, my brain does just fine.” She bustled off toward the kitchen, her laughter making him feel a bit better.
    The dogs ran back to him, tails wagging. Nick dropped to one knee, patted and scratched them behind the ears. After a while he rose, and they wandered off to settle around Lynnie’s feet.
    Nick exhaled, rocked on his heels, and waited.
    “Okay. No, I won’t. No, David. I don’t know. I haven’t talked to him. No. Okay. Thanks. Bye.” She put the phone down and faced Nick. “Have you heard about Gray? Cecily says it’s all over the local news.” Her eyes were red-rimmed, her cheeks blotchy.
    Nick nodded, his heart twisting. “I just heard it on the radio.