Spilled Blood by Brian Freeman

whatever she was feeling or thinking, but Olivia finally pushed the hair out of her face and turned her eyes down to the floor. Florian’s wife treated it like a victory, shaming Olivia into looking away. She allowed her husband to lead her toward the exit from the courthouse. Neither of them looked back.
    Chris watched them go. He realized that Florian and Julia Steele looked as out of place in the town of Barron as he did. They were like royalty, elevated above the crowd. The King with his Queen. That was a title that Chris had never wanted. There were peoplewho bowed to the king, but there were plenty of others who wanted to cut off his head.
    It had to be lonely. Florian had his work to fill the void, and he wondered what Julia Steele had for herself. Arts groups. Hospital board meetings. Fundraisers. He didn’t think that was enough for a woman like her, and the answer jumped to his mind immediately.
    She’d had a daughter. A child to bring meaning to her life.
    But not anymore.

7
     
    Chris dropped Olivia at Hannah’s house in St. Croix, and his daughter retreated to her room to sleep. He let her go without asking more questions. She wasn’t in any condition to talk, and he wanted to know more about Ashlynn and the feud before he confronted her again. Hannah promised to stay with her during the day. She also offered to make dinner for the three of them that evening. He was surprised, but he said yes. It was a tiny glimmer of what his life had been like in the old days, when they were a family in Minneapolis.
    With that thought in his head, Chris drove back to Barron. He stopped at a shop on the main street to buy new clothes to replace what he had lost at the motel, and then he set out to find the local high school, which stood on a bluff above the river valley. The school drew students from the entire region, including St. Croix. The sprawling, one-story brick building was surrounded by acres of athletic fields that butted up against rutted rows of corn fields to the west and the tree-lined residential streets of Barron on the east. During the warmer months, the fields would be lush green, but the grass was brown and yellow now, flattened by snow and soggy from the early storms.
    He parked in the crowded lot and went through the glass doors into the school lobby. Inside, he was surprised to find metal detectors and a uniformed security guard screening visitors. He gave his name, showed identification, and asked to see the school principal. He waited, smelling fried food in the cafeteria and hearing the thunder of basketballs in the gymnasium. Five minutes later,a middle-aged black woman arrived past the rows of red school lockers to greet him.
    ‘Mr. Hawk? I’m Maxine Valma. How can I help you?’
    She was slender and tall, with graying hair cut in a short, practical bob and a dark ebony complexion to her skin. She wore a burgundy pants suit and heels, making her look even taller than she was.
    ‘I assume you know why I’m in town,’ Chris said.
    ‘I’m Olivia’s father.’
    ‘Of course.’
    ‘I’d like some information about the young people around here.’
    Valma’s lips pursed with concern. ‘I’m not sure what I can tell you, Mr. Hawk. School records are private unless you get a court order, and I can’t let you talk to any of the students on campus unless you have parental permission.’
    ‘I understand. I’m not asking you to violate any privacy laws. I was just hoping to find out what’s going on in this town.’
    ‘I see. Well, I’ll share what I can. I feel terrible, not just for Ashlynn and her family, but for Olivia, too.’
    She gestured for him to join her, and Chris accompanied her down the school corridor. Two teenagers passed them going the opposite direction, and he saw their eyes lock on his face and heard them whispering as they passed him. He heard Olivia’s name.
    It was just as Marco Piva had told him: there were no secrets here.
    ‘I didn’t expect to find metal