Remember When || Anne & Nigel [Flashback Para]
Nigel answered that goddamn door when he was good and ready. Why did the Sheriff even know his name? He always tried to ensure that as few people as possible were aware of him. Since arriving in town, he had done a fairly good job as far as he could tell. Why was it so hard for people to understand that he just wanted to be left well enough alone. It was no one’s goddamn business what he did in the comfort of his own home. But no. Someone had to call the fucking Sheriff after him.
Just fucking perfect.
Arms crossed over his chest, he leaned against the door frame, narrowed eyes staring down at her. One eyebrow rose until she explained. Oh. That. His eyes rolled almost painfully as he let out a huff. “No. It ain’t true.”
He hadn’t aimed he damned gun at them. Firing it straight up in the air had just been a warning, not a threat. As annoying as they were, he wasn’t about to shoot a couple dumb kids for trespassing. It had been a little tempting when he had spotted the toilet paper and spray paint in their hands, but he had resisted the urge. What? Was he supposed to just let his property get vandalized for the third time that month? He wasn’t putting up with that shit anymore.
Still, even threats of a supposedly crazy man waving his gun around probably wouldn’t stop the damn punks from daring each other to go throw eggs at his front door. That would have at least been easier to deal with than them running to the goddamn Sheriff. He had no interest in explaining himself to her. Law enforcement officials always seemed interested in causing more trouble for people like him. They didn’t give a damn about actually helping anyone more than half the time. Why the hell would she be any different?
“I fired straight up. Twice. That’s it.” It was the truth, and if she didn’t like it, well that was just too fucking bad. If those vandals got him arrested for defending his property, he was going to be so pissed he didn’t actually shoot at them. Might as well at least do the thing he was getting in trouble for.
“No. It ain’t true. I fired straight up. Twice. That’s it.”
Anne expected an answer like this, and she’d also expected herself to be annoyed by it when she heard it. People lying to her face always got under her skin. Nigel Walsh was newer to town, and she could tell just by the home he’d decided to purchase and the job he’d taken that great strides to stay away from people. It was quite comical, actually, because his efforts to stay away had made him a perpetual target without him even realizing it. She’d been trying to keep a stern face, but realizing that just made her let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head slightly with a small grin.
“I can tell by the scowl on your face you're the type that doesn’t like to be bothered, Mr. Walsh,” she said, trying to keep the condescending tone out of her voice, but probably not doing that good of a job. “But you picked the wrong house--hell, the wrong town--to try to do that in. Ashkent Creek is a town full of creepy things and we’re standing on the property with the most rumors surrounding it.” She took a quick look over her shoulder back at her cruiser. And beyond it. It was almost sunset and the woods were getting darker. Rumors are just rumors, Anne.
“Lucky for you, those boys’ parents don’t want to take any legal action, and I’m assuming you don’t either,” she sighed, turning back to Walsh and crossing her arms over her chest. “Between you and me, those three boys are a pain in my ass. I’m only down here to make those taxpaying parents happy and give you a word of advice.”
Anne shifted her hips to the side, her arms still crossed over her chest, eyeing the man in front of her. The rumors not only flew about the place they were right now, but the man she was looking at too. People said he was a serial killer. A ghost. An alien. More stuff Anne wasn’t willing to repeat, even to herself. But seeing him now, while still gruff and angry, he seemed like a rather genuine human being, all things considered. It was actually quite...refreshing?
“This is going to keep happening, Mr. Walsh. Kids are going to keep daring each other to do things to your property. The parents of those next kids might not be so keen on you firing a gun close to their children. Trespassing laws won’t protect you if your life wasn’t threatened, and county courts would much rather put you away than the children, I’m afraid. So, next time, call me, okay?”
