Chapter 35: Chapter 35

The entire population of Small Rapids, or so it seemed to Nick, had shown up for Trisha's Bunny Hop on the orchard. Apparently, attendance was high for her events, but Nick suspected a larger turnout this year partly due to morbid curiosity over the murder, partly because the weather proved unusually pleasant for spring in Wisconsin, and partly a need to come together as a community.

Either way, Nick watched from the sidelines near the house, just as he'd done at Andrew's funeral in the back of the church. No one and nothing seemed out of place. The frustration was killing him. His gut told him something in Trisha's sleepy little town was way off. More than just the murder, but that was bad enough. And his gut had never been wrong.

Trisha's workman, Chuck, ran past him in an Easter Bunny costume, a gaggle of kids giggling and trailing after. Nick smiled, even though the motion felt foreign. He hadn't had much to smile about lately.