The world tilted sideways. Rachel caught my arm as I swayed, guiding me to the living room where I collapsed onto the couch that Danny had helped me move just two months earlier. He’d insisted on carrying the heavy end, joking that his CrossFit training was finally good for something besides making him sore.“How?” I managed to whisper.
Detective Morrison sat across from me, opening his folder with the careful precision of someone who’d done this too many times. “Your brother was found in a wooded area about forty miles north of here. Based on the evidence at the scene and the coroner’s preliminary examination, we believe he died from exposure to the elements. However, there are circumstances surrounding his death that we need to discuss with you.”
Exposure. The word felt clinical and cold, nothing like the vibrant, warm person Danny had been. Danny, who never met a stranger, who could make anyone laugh, who had been planning to propose to his girlfriend Sarah next month. Danny, who was supposed to help me paint my kitchen this weekend.
“What circumstances?” Rachel asked when I couldn’t find my voice.Detective Morrison pulled several photographs from his folder, placing them face-down on my coffee table. “Your brother was found approximately two miles from a hunting cabin that belongs to Marcus Webb. Are you familiar with that name?”
